Naruto The Thunder Calamity

"Lord Jigen, are you really up to this?"

In the underground laboratory, Oonoki, the Tsuchikage, looked dark-faced as he watched the ninja being carried out on a stretcher, covered with a white sheet, seemingly respectfully speaking to Otsutsuki Isshiki.

How high is a ninja's ability to follow orders?

In less than three days, the number of ninjas who had died in the laboratory had already reached double digits.

And this was starting to get unbearable for Oonoki.

The ninjas involved in this experiment were some of the best from Iwagakure Village.

To watch one ninja after another—who should have been able to contribute more to the village—lose their lives was really painful for Oonoki.

"Whether this succeeds or not doesn't depend on me, but on the ninjas participating in the experiment."

Otsutsuki Isshiki, with a headache, rubbed his brow. Honestly, after continuously engraving contracts for several days, even Otsutsuki Isshiki was getting exhausted.

"Let's stop for today."

Seeing the last remaining ninja in the lab, Oonoki spoke helplessly.

Otsutsuki Isshiki didn't say much in response; he too needed some time to recover.

"Let me continue, Tsuchikage-sama."

But what Oonoki didn't expect was that the last remaining person would speak to him like this.

"Hmm? Have you made up your mind? Gozu."

Oonoki furrowed his brow and looked up at the ninja in front of him.

Gozu, a Jonin from Iwagakure, was very skilled in hardening techniques.

He was usually quiet, spending most of his time either on missions or traveling to complete them.

"Tsuchikage-sama, I need power. Just doing missions won't be enough to save Iwagakure."

Gozu spoke firmly, staring directly at Oonoki.

"I see..." 

Oonoki looked at Gozu and pressed his lips together, unable to say a word.

"Then continue."

Nearby, Otsutsuki Isshiki quietly spoke.

He didn't really care about Gozu's thoughts.

But Gozu's determination made Otsutsuki Isshiki think that there might be a chance of success.

Moments later, a loud, painful scream echoed through the underground laboratory they had temporarily set up.

---

"Ha..."

Uchiha Madara let out a deep sigh after another failed attempt to train in sage techniques.

Trying to master this power was much harder than he expected.

So... how did Hashirama manage to master this power?

Madara took a moment to calm his agitated mind. For the first time, he felt a sense of urgency.

Uchiha Raijin, the unknown ninja, and himself.

Madara believed that while he was trying to master sage techniques, both Uchiha Raijin and that mysterious ninja were also working on different methods to achieve the same goal.

To become stronger.

In a situation where no side had the strength to end the confrontation, an invisible race had already begun.

And now, Madara was stuck.

He didn't like this feeling at all, but he had no choice but to accept it.

Because right now, Madara couldn't find a way forward.

Of course, even though the Gedo Mazo didn't have a tailed beast inside it, if Madara became its Jinchuriki now, he could still gain powers at the Six Paths level.

But that would come with limitations.

Once he became the Jinchuriki of the Ten Tails, there would be no way to fix it.

Madara didn't want to go down that path unless there was truly no other option.

But now, the tailed beasts were tightly guarded by Konohagakure.

Because of that, Uchiha Madara didn't even have a chance to make a move against Konohagakure.

If the situation turns into a tough battle, Madara believed that the ninja wouldn't just sit back and wait.

Madara suddenly realized that he had reached a deadlock.

And as this deadlock continued, his choices would only become fewer.

---

"I still don't understand why you want the Byakugan."

On the road, Suisei asked Raijin.

"There's a boy on the moon named Otsutsuki Toneri, and with the Byakugan in his hands, it can unleash powers far beyond the Mangekyou Sharingan."

Raijin replied to Suisei.

There wasn't really any intel source, but Raijin didn't care about that much now.

No one knew what information he had gotten from the moon.

So, he held the final say.

And his power would back up the words he spoke.

No one would question his decisions.

"Then, doesn't that Otsutsuki Toneri sound like an enemy of Konohagakure? After all, you took something from them."

Suisei paused after hearing this. He didn't doubt the truth of Raijin's information, but he continued to ask Raijin.

"Ah... You're right."

Raijin nodded after hearing Suisei.

"But, he told me he wants to stop Madara's Moon Eye Plan first."

"I chose to believe him."

"Well, you really trust him a lot."

Suisei pressed her lips together and said quietly.

"I promised him I would do it, and he promised me. If he doesn't keep his promise, I'll kill him."

Raijin chuckled lightly and casually responded.

"Then why are you going through all this trouble to help him get the Byakugan from the Hyuga clan?"

Suisei continued speaking to Raijin.

Honestly, Suisei couldn't quite understand Raijin's actions at this point.

It felt like Raijin had been taken over by someone else.

He seemed to have lost his mind.

"First of all, the Byakugan isn't hard to get. It's just a matter of choosing to make a deal with the main branch or cooperating with the branch family."

Raijin slowly raised one finger.

"Secondly, even if the Byakugan evolves into the Tenseigan in Otsutsuki Toneri's hands, I can still easily take him down."

Saying this, Raijin raised a second finger.

"So..."

Suisei squinted her eyes and helplessly looked at Raijin.

Wasn't he just looking for trouble for himself?

"Finally, if Otsutsuki Toneri doesn't do what he promised me, then whether I kill him and take his eyes, or if Tsunade uses the Genjutsu technique to devour him and his eyes, it will be worth it."

After hearing Suisei's words, Raijin shook his head and raised a third finger.

What Raijin wanted was the Tenseigan and the Otsutsuki bloodline that Otsutsuki Toneri possessed.

These two things would greatly enhance Tsunade's power.

Raijin knew that Tsunade wanted to surpass him.

Although even if Tsunade really absorbed Otsutsuki Toneri, who had awakened the Tenseigan, it would still be hard for her to surpass him.

However, Raijin didn't mind helping Tsunade become stronger.

"Huh?"

Suisei was stunned, realizing the twist in the situation.

So it's you after all! How sneaky. You stole someone's ancestral treasure and took everything from them.

She had thought Raijin might have had a change of heart, but it seemed there was another motive hidden behind his actions.

"Ah."

Seeing Suisei's surprised expression, Raijin nodded and retracted his three fingers.

This is interesting... Is there really any good person in this world?

"I think the Hyuga clan can offer a pair of Byakugan."

Hyuga Koji looked at the gathered members of the clan and slowly spoke.

"However, the Byakugan is our Hyuga clan's most precious treasure. Countless branch families have made huge sacrifices to protect the Byakugan. But now, the clan is directly giving away a pair of Byakugan..."

Hyuga Koji continued quietly, not finishing his sentence, but everyone understood what he meant.

The branch family would not be happy.

Although the main branch often didn't treat the branch families as equals.

But if the head of the branch family spoke, even the main branch would have to reconsider.

"That's right, the Byakugan is indeed the Hyuga clan's most valuable asset, but haven't you all understood the battle we faced that day?" Hyuga Koji glanced at his younger brother and said solemnly.

"If we say Uchiha Raijin and Senju Tsunade are not relevant examples, then what about Orochimaru and Jiraiya? What about Hatake Sakumo and Might Duy? They were originally ninjas without any Kekkei Genkai, but because of Senjutsu, they became incredibly powerful."

"That time, the Hyuga clan could only help evacuate the civilians. But what about in the future? Will the Hyuga clan be completely eliminated? The Byakugan is indeed valuable, but compared to the Hyuga clan's future development, I think the loss of a single pair of Byakugan is a price the Hyuga clan can bear."

"Now, let's begin the vote."

With that, Hyuga Koji scanned all the clan members, waiting for the final vote.

...

"Gozu!"

Oonoki looked at the helpless figure of Murakami Gozu lying on the ground and couldn't help but gasp.

Failed again? This is really...

Oonoki was starting to feel like giving up on this experiment.

But Iwagakure had already paid a heavy price for it.

If they gave up now, Iwagakure would gain nothing.

Otsutsuki Isshiki quietly watched Murakami Gozu lying on the ground, ignoring Oonoki's voice.

"Thump~"

Suddenly, Otsutsuki Isshiki sharply caught the sound of a heartbeat. His pupils narrowed, and his face became serious as he stared at Murakami Gozu lying on the ground.

Could it be...

"Thump~"

Another steady heartbeat echoed, and Otsutsuki Isshiki looked at the contract in Murakami Gozu's hand.

The contract was visibly changing from black to white at a noticeable speed.

It's working...

A smile appeared at the corner of Otsutsuki Isshiki's mouth.

This is a being much stronger than myself.

Now, it's time to try creating more beings like this.

Otsutsuki Isshiki's next target was Sunagakure.

Iwagakure had already paid enough for this.

But with just a white contract, Otsutsuki Isshiki felt it might still be unstable.

To completely bring down Konohagakure, it had to be done in one go.

… 

"This mission was completed very well. Get ready for the next one!" 

In the third training ground, Jiraiya looked at his favorite disciple with great joy.

"Ah... okay."

Namikaze Minato, now a jonin, nodded helplessly at his teacher.

I really want to rest a bit...

"A ninja who has mastered Senjutsu shouldn't be out on missions all the time."

Just as Jiraiya pulled a mission scroll from his pocket, a familiar voice interrupted.

"Ah... Raijin? It's been a long time."

Jiraiya turned around to see Uchiha Raijin.

"Raijin-sama."

Namikaze Minato greeted Uchiha Raijin respectfully.

"Mm."

Raijin nodded in response.

"I can't help it, I'm just too busy. But your disciple is very capable."

Raijin's gaze returned to Jiraiya, and he shook his head with a slight smile.

Namikaze Minato was indeed very capable.

About thirty percent of Konohagakure's S-rank missions were completed by Namikaze Minato.

This wasn't just about being capable; it showed how strong and fast Namikaze Minato really was.

But now, Namikaze Minato was truly powerful.

The permanent Senjutsu was continuously improving Namikaze Minato's physical condition, raising his limits.

The Lightning Release Chakra Mode, combined with Senjutsu, brought out the best in his speed and strength.

With the Flying Thunder God Technique and his own development of Rasengan, Namikaze Minato was not just strong, but versatile.

The only weakness might be his Genjutsu skills.

"Of course! Minato is much stronger than I was when I was his age!"

Jiraiya gave Raijin a thumbs-up as he spoke.

"That's impressive, to get such praise from the Toad Sage."

Raijin chuckled lightly and looked at Namikaze Minato.

"So, what do you think? Interested in coming to the Hokage office to work?"

Namikaze Minato was stunned when he heard this and looked at Jiraiya in surprise.

He was momentarily confused by such an offer.

"What do you mean?"

Jiraiya was also surprised and turned to Raijin, asking him.

"I have too much work to do every day, so I need someone to help me with it."

Raijin shrugged and replied to Jiraiya.

"You know, the situation in the ninja world is so complicated right now, I also need to spend more time on training, including you."

"In that case, both the Senju and Uchiha clans should have plenty of capable people to help you out, right?" Jiraiya said, pursing his lips and continuing to ask Raijin.

Although Jiraiya didn't like politics, he was still aware of some of the intricacies involved.

Raijin's words clearly suggested that he was trying to groom the next Hokage.

After all, what Raijin was doing now was something only the Hokage would do.

As for Tsunade...

After the initial excitement wore off, she had already lost interest.

But Namikaze Minato...

Honestly, Jiraiya thought that in the current Konohagakure, what Namikaze Minato said wouldn't necessarily have much effect.

No, it definitely wouldn't work.

Let's not even talk about Senju and Uchiha—would Sarutobi and Shimura listen to Namikaze Minato?

Would the Hyuga and Ino-Shika-Cho clans pay attention to Namikaze Minato? Impossible.

It was simply impossible.

"Ah... Senju and Uchiha... aren't really willing to help me with these tasks..." 

Raijin said with a hint of helplessness, his lips pressing together, and a slight bitterness appearing on his face.

(End of Chapter)

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