Naruto: Maelstrom Of The Uzumaki

Han's reaction speed was remarkably fast, and the extension speed of his tail was equally terrifying.

Raiden's long blade slashed down, producing only a faint sound. The snow-white tail split in the middle, and even Han, who narrowly dodged, was attacked. The armor covering his chest to abdomen was cleaved open, exposing his yellow skin. Because Han was channeling the chakra of the Five-Tailed Kokuō, a black curse mark was visible on his lower abdomen.

"So fast!"

"And that slash—I clearly dodged it! How did it hit?"

Han quickly distanced himself from Raiden, glancing at the split breastplate with a mix of shock and confusion. Despite evading the slash, his armor had been split. If not for his quick reaction and his tail blocking the attack momentarily, he might have sustained serious injuries.

"Sage Lightning Prison!"

Raiden stared at Han and whispered softly. In the next moment, countless lightning bolts erupted beneath Han's feet, forming a terrifying chakra lightning net that made Han's expression tense.

"Steam Release!"

Han roared, white steam bursting from his body. He tapped the ground lightly, escaping the range of the lightning net faster than the wrapping speed of Raiden's ninjutsu.

"Humph!"

Seeing Han flee, Raiden did not release the ninjutsu. Though the lightning net failed to envelop Han, it caught other Iwa ninjas. Several ninjas unable to evade were electrocuted into charred corpses. Others attempted to block it with Earth Release, but their walls crumbled instantly, and the defenders behind them fared no better.

With a single jutsu, over a dozen enemy ninjas were killed.

"Fugaku, he's heading your way!" Raiden shouted as Han retreated. Uchiha Fugaku leapt from the shadows, his scarlet Sharingan meeting Han's gaze as his dagger struck towards Han's heart.

"Sharingan? The Uchiha clan!"

Han was momentarily trapped in an illusion, but inexplicably, he broke free within a second. Blocking Fugaku's dagger, he countered with a kick to Fugaku's abdomen.

The impact hurled Fugaku to the ground like a cannonball, causing a loud crash.

"Fugaku!" Raiden cried out, but another figure had already dashed towards Han.

"Eight Gates: Sixth Gate of View—Open!"

"Night Phoenix!"

A green figure, enveloped in red flames, flew toward Han at high speed. Might Duy's relentless attacks rained down on Han like a fiery storm, each strike producing flames from friction with the air. The assault drove Han from the air to the ground.

"Boom!"

With a resounding crash, Han hit the ground, fracturing it like a spiderweb. The force unleashed a hurricane that pushed back both Iwa and Konoha ninjas.

After delivering the blows, Duy landed, panting heavily, surrounded by green chakra. His hair swayed, his reddened skin glowed, and his bloodied fists rested on the ground. Opening the Sixth Gate had severely strained his body, revealing his lesser talent compared to his son.

"Damn it. Konoha ninjas, curse you all!"

Han, bruised and battered, struggled to rise. His body, riddled with fractures, emanated terrifying chakra as he roared.

"That's enough, Han."

Raiden's voice startled Han. Before he could react, Raiden appeared behind him and struck his lower abdomen with a heavy blow. The force made Han vomit blood through his mask, splattering it onto Raiden's arm.

"Impossible! Your speed..."

Raiden, cloaked in Sage Mode and lightning armor, moved faster than Han could comprehend, exceeding even the future Fourth Raikage's speed.

"It's impressive that you broke Fugaku's illusion so quickly despite not being a perfect Jinchūriki."

"But I don't have time to figure it out now."

"You've caused enough trouble to be proud."

Raiden whispered in Han's ear. As Han tried to summon the Five-Tails' chakra, he found the connection severed.

"You thought I'd give you a chance to transform?"

A smirk crossed Raiden's face. The black curse mark/seal on Han's abdomen had been further reinforced, preventing the Five-Tails' chakra from leaking out. The seal even restricted Han's movements and chakra flow entirely.

"You're easier to handle than Roshi. Steam Release doesn't pose as much danger as Lava Release, allowing Duy to participate."

Raiden smashed Han's neck, knocking him unconscious. He hefted Han onto his shoulder and rushed to Fugaku's side to assess his condition. Duy guarded the injured Fugaku, battling a dozen Iwa ninjas simultaneously.

After ensuring Fugaku's life was not in danger, Raiden created multiple shadow clones to reinforce the Konoha ninjas, whose battles against the Iwa forces were exhausting. Despite being outnumbered, Raiden's intervention turned the tide.

Out of the initial fifty Konoha ninjas, forty-four remained, many gravely injured. After regrouping, Hyuga Hizashi began tending to the wounded.

"Ten minutes, just as I expected."

"But the losses are greater than I imagined."

Surveying his troops, Raiden saw their fatigue but also the resilience born from victory. Though saddened by the loss of their comrades, the team's morale was intact.

"Hizashi, how many do you need?"

"Ten should suffice."

Raiden nodded, assigning lightly injured ninjas to assist Hizashi. He instructed Hizashi and Duy to stay behind as bodyguards while he led the remaining 33 ninjas back to the stronghold.

There, Roshi's relentless Lava Release bombardment threatened the barrier, shaking it violently.

(End of chapter)