From the moment Aosui appeared on the battlefield, the atmosphere had already become tense. Although only a brief span of time had passed since the confrontation began, the young ninja had unleashed a series of astonishingly powerful jutsu. Each technique he used radiated overwhelming force, demonstrating a mastery far beyond what his age might suggest.
And now, to the shock of everyone watching, Aosui was using multiple Water Dragon Bullets simultaneously.
The Water Dragon Bullet was a B-rank Water Release technique, and even among experienced jonin, very few could casually fire off several of them at once. It wasn't only a matter of skill—this technique consumed a considerable amount of chakra. A normal ninja would never choose such a reckless and wasteful fighting style. Even those with large chakra reserves would avoid such extravagant displays unless they were desperate.
Yet Aosui executed these techniques as though he were simply performing light warm-up exercises.
Still, despite their impressive appearance, the multiple Water Dragons ultimately achieved nothing. Except for Motoi and Kiko, everyone present could easily handle the jutsu's destructive force. Dodai, understanding his team members' shortcomings, stepped in with his Lava Release to protect the two who struggled to defend against Aosui's attacks.
As a result, the six Water Dragons looked far more threatening than they actually were.
Aosui, however, showed no signs of frustration. He didn't expect these techniques to defeat the enemy—at least, not directly.
Their true purpose was to buy time.
While the water dragons roared through the battlefield, Aosui discreetly created a Shadow Clone, which immediately began working alongside him to prepare a far more devastating jutsu.
The air around them suddenly grew heavy, charged with a sharp, slicing pressure.
Wind chakra surged.
And then—
The familiar, spiraling orb of the Rasengan transformed.
Its smooth, spherical shape elongated and expanded until it resembled a massive shuriken, its edges crackling with violent streams of wind chakra. A piercing roar echoed from the technique, caused by the billions of microscopic wind blades rotating at incredible speed.
This was—
Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!
The destructive potential of this technique was unmistakable, even to those who had never seen it before. In the original story, the Rasenshuriken's debut was terrifying—it had effortlessly destroyed two of Kakuzu's hearts and left him completely incapacitated, unable to regenerate.
And now Aosui stood here, calmly wielding this same overwhelming power.
It had been ten days since he first developed the Rasengan. In those ten days, he never stopped refining, experimenting, and improving the technique. For someone like Aosui—who possessed proficiency in all chakra nature transformations and wielded exceptionally precise chakra control—this advancement was almost inevitable.
But there was a significant drawback.
Before mastering Sage Mode, a user could not safely throw the Rasenshuriken. If used at close range, the technique's expanding explosion would damage the user themselves.
Thus, Aosui had only one option—
Use a Shadow Clone as the carrier of the technique.
His clone merely stared back at him in silent resignation.
Shadow Clone Aosui: "…"
It seemed even clones could feel resentment.
Kushina, standing beside Aosui, felt her breath hitch. Being so close to the jutsu, she could clearly sense its overwhelming power. The air vibrated unnaturally, as though the technique were cutting the very space around it.
The Rasengan itself was already classified as an A-rank ninjutsu, one requiring exceptional chakra control. But this—this Rasenshuriken—had undoubtedly reached the level of S-rank difficulty.
Creating an S-rank jutsu was something only geniuses or monsters could achieve.
"As expected of Aosui…" she murmured, eyes shining with a mixture of admiration and determination. "I need to work harder too. I can't keep falling behind."
Aosui, unaware of Kushina's inner resolve, gave a silent command to his clone.
The Shadow Clone took off instantly, holding the massive, spinning Rasenshuriken as it charged straight toward the six Cloud Ninja.
Meanwhile, Aosui grabbed Kushina and stepped back several paces to avoid being caught in the upcoming explosion.
Dodai's expression twisted the moment he sensed the Rasenshuriken's approach.
"Oh no—everyone, be careful!"
Even the normally composed Lava Release specialist couldn't hide his alarm. The tremendous force radiating from the jutsu was unlike anything used so far in this battle. Except for the Fourth Raikage, who possessed the unparalleled defense of Lightning Release Chakra Mode, none of the Cloud Ninja present could survive taking that attack head-on.
If that technique hit any of them directly—
Death was guaranteed.
Even Dodai wasn't confident in his ability to completely block such an attack. Wind chakra naturally possessed cutting and piercing attributes. Against something as condensed as the Rasenshuriken, even his Lava Release might be sliced apart.
But at that critical moment, a fierce shout rose.
"Don't underestimate me!"
The Fourth Raikage rushed forward.
Lightning surged around his body, crackling and forming a gleaming aura that coated him like armor.
He had activated—
Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
A violent burst of speed and defensive power erupted from him. In this state, he was known as one of the fastest and strongest shinobi in the world—few could ever hope to match his raw physical might.
The Shadow Clone didn't even last a second.
The Raikage struck with a brutal downward chop, dispersing the clone instantly.
Without the clone to control it, the Rasenshuriken detonated.
BOOM!!!
The explosion was catastrophic.
A blinding blast expanded outward, tearing apart the earth as if a small meteor had struck. The ground split open, chunks of soil and rock tearing free. Trees within the radius were shredded into countless splinters, hurled into the air like deadly wooden blades.
It was like witnessing a miniature Tailed Beast Bomb.
Kushina gasped in awe and horror.
"A-Aosui… can I learn this technique?"
He turned to her calmly. "Of course. I'll teach you later."
Naturally, he didn't refuse.
For someone with the Uzumaki clan's monstrous chakra and vitality, the Rasenshuriken was an ideal match—its demanding nature wouldn't overwhelm Kushina the way it would most ninja.
When the dust finally began to settle, the Fourth Raikage stood in the center of the destruction, blood dripping from several deep cuts across his body. Even with his legendary toughness, the Rasenshuriken had inflicted injuries.
But he still remained standing.
Though battered, the Raikage's fighting spirit hadn't diminished. His injuries weren't severe enough to hinder him.
What kind of monster must the Raikage be, Aosui wondered silently, to withstand that technique without collapsing?
At this stage, Wind Release: Rasenshuriken was Aosui's strongest offensive ability. Yet even this devastating attack failed to defeat the Fourth Raikage in one blow.
"Damn it—DIE!"
Fueled by fury, the Raikage charged again, even faster than before. His killing intent sharpened to a blade-like point.
Aosui reacted instantly.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Had he hesitated for even a heartbeat, the Raikage would have reached him.
A repulsive force exploded outward, slamming into the Raikage and flinging him back violently. Once again, he failed to break through Aosui's invisible defense.
In the original tale, only a rampaging Naruto in full Nine-Tails chakra cloak had managed to withstand Shinra Tensei and counterattack Pain's Deva Path.
This technique, too, had weaknesses.
"Tch… Is this jutsu really impossible to counter?"
The Raikage roared in frustration as he crashed to the ground.
The others didn't waste a moment.
"Now!" Dodai shouted.
Countless shuriken and kunai flew toward Aosui. Several kunai carried attached explosive tags, their fuses flickering with unstable energy.
Their timing was perfect. Aosui had just used Shinra Tensei—it had a five-second cooldown before it could be used again. With no time to weave hand seals for another defensive jutsu, Aosui grabbed Kushina and vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.
Dodai's eyes lit up.
"That technique—he can't use it continuously!"
As expected of the Third Raikage's trusted subordinate, Dodai quickly identified Shinra Tensei's weakness. After every use, a brief interval was required before it could activate again. The stronger the Shinra Tensei, the longer the cooldown.
Just like in the original story—
After Nagato used the immense Chibaku Tensei, his Deva Path required a prolonged recovery before using any techniques again.
"Well done!" the Raikage said, excitement returning to his voice.
Powerful techniques weren't frightening.
Unknown techniques were.
With information, there was hope.
"We still don't know the exact minimum interval between uses," Dodai said cautiously. "But if we continue pressuring him, we'll figure it out."
"We have the numbers," the Raikage replied confidently. "We'll force him to reveal everything."
Then he turned toward Killer B and the other two Cloud Ninja.
"B. You three focus on capturing Uzumaki Kushina."
Though disappointed, Killer B nodded quickly. "Yeah, yeah—leave it to me! Yo!"
The other two followed suit.
Even B, with all his strength and skill, understood that he couldn't meaningfully contribute to the direct battle against Aosui.
Their target was Kushina.
And the fight was far from over.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)