Chapter 21: Conqueror's Haki

After Ryujiro passed the assessment, Hiruzen put a lot of effort into promoting him.

There was no shortage of publicity about Ryujiro, especially regarding his connection to the Third Hokage. Now, the villagers were all well aware about that.

Once again, Konoha had produced a ninja whose swordsmanship rivaled even Konoha's White Fang.

Five months had passed, and the ninja academy was once again on holiday.

Outside the village of Konoha, in an open field, a figure dashed like lightning, leaving trails of fire and lightning in its wake.

The aura emanating from Ryujiro was immense, almost suffocating.

It wasn't the presence of a ninja that one felt in his presence, but that of a Tailed Beast. 

The chakra swirling around him was like a raging tide, ready to engulf anything in its path when unleashed.

"Ryujiro is truly a genius."

"In just five months, he managed to open the Fourth Gate of the Eight Inner Gates."

Guy, while teaching Ryujiro the Eight Inner Gates, was increasingly amazed.

If it weren't for Ryujiro's mastery of swordsmanship reaching an otherworldly level, Guy would have suggested he focus solely on taijutsu.

The Eight Inner Gates themselves released the body's limitations on chakra, allowing for an explosive surge of excess chakra that could increase one's strength several times over.

"Is opening the Fourth Gate already my limit?"

Ryujiro furrowed his brow, feeling somewhat dissatisfied. 

Even with just the Fourth Gate, his body felt waves of stinging pain. Opening the Fifth Gate forcibly would likely result in uncontrollable chakra backlash.

"The power of the Gate of Pain when activated will increase several times."

Ryujiro's deep eyes suddenly sharpened.

Zing!

Accompanied by the unsheathing of his sword, dazzling blade lights suddenly flashed.

A terrifying aura erupted, and sudden winds overturned everything around in an instant.

Boom!

A pitch-black slash, spanning over twenty meters, explosively surged forward like a roaring dragon, its might truly astonishing.

The ground trembled incessantly, and rubble turned to powder beneath the slash. When the dust settled as the slash disappeared...

A crack, spanning hundreds of meters due to the slash, appeared before Might Guy's eyes.

Rumble!

The earth shook, and due to the force of the slash, another crack, jagged and sprawling, suddenly spread from the other end, extending towards Ryujiro's feet.

"The power of the slash has approximately doubled."

This outcome was within Ryujiro's expectations.

At this moment, Guy, with widened eyes, looked on in shock, staring at the deep crater before him.

Even an S-level ninjutsu might not be as powerful as that slash, and in Guy's eyes, the slash was instantaneous.

Even Guy didn't see clearly what just happened right now, he only heard the sharp sound of swords.

He just heard a deafening sound, and then saw the abyss crack in front of him.

"Ahem, cough, cough!!, It seems I have nothing to teach you except the Eight Gates."

Guy looked at Ryujiro with a bitter look on his face.

If Ryujiro hadn't been attracted to Eight Gates, would he still have chosen him?

"Guy-sensei, as a ninja, I still need your guidance."

"You don't have to say such things." Ryujiro said modestly.

Ah!!

Due to his mature and humble personality, even Guy was attracted by Ryujiro's unique temperament.

After Ryujiro left, Guy came there with a few people.

Kurenai, Asuma, and Kakashi all looked at the scene in front of them with shocked expressions in their eyes.

"Is this the effect of Ryujiro's swordsmanship?"

"During the last assessment, Ryujiro concealed his true strength. Is this his true power?"

"Even Sakumo-san swordsmanship wouldn't be able to produce a slash like Ryujiro's."

"This level of power has already surpassed us..."

"Indeed..."

The four fell into silence. They didn't know what else to say besides shock and horror. 

Such a young boy at the level of a Kage, was unheard of in the history of the ninja world; they were grateful that such a monster was born in Konoha.

If born in an enemy nation, undoubtedly, it would have added a formidable enemy to Konoha.

Kakashi, looking at the slash stretching a hundred meters before them, fell into deep silence.

-----

In five months, Ryujiro's template progress had slowed compared to before. It seemed that fighting with Mihawk was no longer significantly enhancing his swordsmanship.

[Character Template: Dracule Mihawk]

[Character Unlock Progress: 76%]

In five months, it had only increased by less than three percent. He needed to find a way to enhance his strength as soon as possible.

His current strength was not enough for him to be content and feel safe.

Only with great strength could one find peace of mind.

As Ryujiro walked down the street, he suddenly stopped, looking at the young boy whose aura was now filled with coldness, different from before. Ryujiro sighed silently in his heart.

"Sasuke, if you have any thoughts of challenging me, it's best to dismiss them early."

"We are now in different dimensions."

Sasuke's face twisted with ferocity as he looked at Ryujiro.

"I'm different from before! I have improved!"

Ryujiro looked into Sasuke's eyes, his expression changing slightly, but soon he calmed down.

His sharingan has been awakened.

But it's still not enough.

A terrifying aura suddenly erupted from Ryujiro's body, sweeping towards Sasuke.

Sasuke's Sharingan returned to its normal black color instantly, staring at Ryujiro in shock, his legs unable to support him as he fell to the ground.

As Ryujiro passed by Sasuke, his cold voice reached Sasuke's ears.

"Compared to Itachi, you're not even a genius. I advise you to give up on revenge as soon as possible. When you meet Itachi, you won't even have the power to escape."

Sasuke's face froze for a moment, then twisted suddenly, his fists weakly pounding the ground as he let out a hoarse roar.

Under Ryujiro's provocation, the seeds of hatred in Sasuke's heart began to grow madly.

Hearing Sasuke's hoarse roar from behind, Ryujiro's lips curled into a faint smile.

With his Observation Haki, Ryujiro could feel the skyrocketing hatred emanating from Sasuke, he knew doing this would increase Sasuke hatred towards Itachi, but he didn't care. 

Even if Itachi saw this scene, he wouldn't say anything. On the contrary, he might thank Ryujiro in his heart for nurturing the seed of hatred in Sasuke's heart.

'Conqueror's Haki.'

'It's so useful in these situations, especially against fodders."

The aura that erupted from Ryujiro earlier was precisely Conqueror's Haki.

And this Conqueror's Haki wasn't awakened due to Mihawk's template; it was Ryujiro's own Conqueror's Haki.

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