Chapter 15: Ryujiro vs Itachi
As the dust settled from the sky, the faces of the arriving shinobi all showed expressions of utter disbelief.
"What... what happened here?!"
"Hey hey hey! Am I dreaming?!"
The mountain! It's been severed?!
Shinobi from Anbu, Root, as well as the Konoha Police Force, all stood in shock as they gazed at the severed peak.
The smooth cut resembled that of a blade slicing through butter.
Such a sight was unprecedented in their lives. What kind of power could sever a mountain like this?
In their understanding, only the Tailed Beasts and the legendary First Hokage possessed such power. Even the Third Hokage in his prime probably couldn't cause such massive destruction.
"What's going on here?"
Danzo rushed over, his pupils contracting at the sight of the broken mountain.
"Danzo-sama, we arrived here to find it already like this."
"Such power..."
"It's likely an S-rank ninjutsu."
S-rank ninjutsu...
The hearts of all the shinobi present sank. They were well aware of the power of S-rank ninjutsu, capable of massive destruction unparalleled before.
But could an S-rank ninjutsu truly sever a mountain?
Danzo's expression darkened considerably.
Gazing at the severed mountain filled his with an unprecedented sense of crisis. Who could have done this?
Was it someone from Konoha...
Or had someone infiltrated their village?
"Conduct thorough checks on everyone entering and leaving Konoha.
Don't let a single person slip through unnoticed. If anything unusual is found, notify me and the Third Hokage immediately!"
"Yes!"
With one last glance at the horrifying scene before him, Danzo left, his heart still racing.
------------------------------------
After Ryujiro and his companions returned to the village, discussions about the severed mountain filled the air. Even Hinata and Naruto couldn't calm their hearts.
The gap with Ryujiro is so vast.
How did Ryujiro train?
Naruto clenched his fists, feeling low.
He had thought that mastering the Shadow Clone Jutsu would allow him to keep up with Ryujiro, but after two years, Naruto felt the gap between them was like a chasm.
Especially the strike that severed the mountain, it made Naruto keenly feel the difference between them.
"Ryujiro, I'm going to train."
With those words, Naruto disappeared from Ryujiro's sight.
"It seems Naruto was affected."
Hinata murmured.
Ryujiro then took Hinata's delicate hand and smiled.
"If he follows my training method, after sometime he will also become stronger. But now he's gone, so no one will disturb us."
Hinata blushed and lowered her head instinctively.
Ryujiro had become even more charming than before. With his short black hair and his dark green eyes, he naturally drew people's attention.
Ryujiro was wearing a black shirt and tan baggy training pants with a black belt weaved through the waist that was custom-made for him.
With his height reaching 1.77 meters and his mature demeanor, he seemed like a young adult.
A few months later, something unprecedented and terrifying happened in Konoha.
The Uchiha clan was exterminated.
Once a prestigious clan in Konoha, the Uchiha had produced many outstanding individuals.
But overnight, they were wiped out, leaving people feeling a mix of emotions.
What shocked the people of Konoha even more was that the culprit turned out to be Itachi Uchiha, the son of the Uchiha clan leader, the once brilliant prodigy, just like Uchiha Shisui.
Now, only Sasuke, the last of the Uchiha clan, remained in Konoha. Some lamented, while others gloated. There were plenty in the village who had harbored ill feelings toward the Uchiha.
Since the Uchiha massacre, Sasuke's personality had undergone a drastic change. He became aloof and arrogant, refusing to speak to anyone.
His two fangirls, Ino and Sakura, felt sorry for Sasuke, but whenever they tried to comfort him, they were met with his cold gaze.
Valley of the End.
Ryujiro looked at the desolate figure before him and said, "Contacting me at a time like this, aren't you afraid I'll take you back to the village?"
Itachi turned around, his Mangekyō Sharingan locking onto Ryujiro.
"Sasuke... Is he okay?"
Ryujiro chuckled.
"Do you think he could be okay facing this situation?"
"Now he only wants to get stronger to kill you."
Itachi lowered his head, sighing. "As long as his power exceeds his hatred for me, that's enough."
"Between the village and the clan, you ultimately chose the village."
Ryujiro said casually.
Itachi stared at Ryujiro; disbelief written all over his face.
"You know?"
Ryujiro did not answer.
There were very few things in the village that Ryujiro didn't know about, his knowledge even extended to the dealings between Danzo and Orochimaru behind the scenes.
"Tell me, you didn't just bring me here for Sasuke, did you?"
Itachi looked at Ryujiro, scrutinizing him carefully.
Is this boy really so young?
The feeling Ryujiro gave him now was different. He sensed a threat emanating from Ryujiro.
Itachi was well aware of his own strength. Even the current Third Hokage might not be his match, yet he could feel a threat from Ryujiro.
"It seems, I can't figure you out."
"There are many in the village who can't figure me out. You're not the only one."
Itachi drew out a kunai, his Mangekyō Sharingan fixed on Ryujiro, and said indifferently.
"This is the only thing I wanted to know before leaving the village. Let me see how much your strength has grown."
"Heh, I also want to see how strong I am now."
Ryujiro drew his sword, Haki coating his hand and blade.
Seeing the black substance on Ryujiro's hand, Itachi furrowed his brow.
What is this?
Regular ninjutsu?
Or a Kekkei Genkai?
Itachi once suspected whether Ryujiro had a Kekkei Genkai, otherwise, how could a civilian grow to this extent?
Was this black substance what he speculated to be the Kekkei Genkai?
Ryujiro probably didn't expect that Itachi would mistake Haki for a Kekkei Genkai.
"What are you doing?"
Itachi looked at Ryujiro, puzzled as he closed his eyes.
"The Uchiha are most famous for their Sharingan. If I don't make eye contact with you, your Sharingan Genjutsu shouldn't work."
Ryujiro's words were correct, but could he unleash his full power with his eyes closed?
In the blink of an eye, the voices of the two disappeared as if they had vanished.
*Clang! *
The collision between kunai and sword erupted into dazzling sparks. Ryujiro was no longer the same as before.
The black kunai was sliced in half by the sharp blade of Ryujiro's sword. Itachi retreated several steps in shock, staring at Ryujiro in astonishment.
"Itachi, don't underestimate me."
"Otherwise..."
"You'll die."
--------------
[A.N: There was some mistake in timeline by me, so mc isn't really nine, I will correct that in Chunin exam arc as in that arc I would be able to get proper age of every main character in Naruto, so just bear with me.
And there might be some small inconsistency here and there as it has been too long since I watched Naruto, but these small errors won't matter that much in the story. I will try to fix them if possible.]
---------------
Guys do leave some power stones and reviews.
patreon.com/plotplanner
If you guys enjoy this story, you can support me on Patreon and get access to 50 Advance Chapters, it really helps me to work on new chapters.