Chapter 23: Can I Be With You?

Bodies cut in half lay strewn on the ground, dark red color painting the earth in a crimson hue.

These wounds were fatal cuts.

He already knew who did this.

Guy's expression darkened gradually, not because he was displeased with Ryujiro's actions.

But because on the border of the Land of Fire, there were so many shinobi from other village- Iwagakure, Kumogakure….

What did they want gathering at the borders of Konoha?

The situation here was beyond his authority as a Jonin; he had to report this to the Third Hokage.

However, how could Ryujiro endure the bloody scent in the air?

He endured it because he had been in battles before; the number of corpses here was nothing compared to what he had seen.

But Ryujiro, such a young boy who had never been to war. How could he withstand something he had never encountered before, the world of ninja and blood?

"Ah!"

A wail of agony echoed not far from Guy.

Guy's expression shifted slightly, immediately rushing towards the source of the cry.

He saw Ryujiro, but he was also struck by what he witnessed.

Ryujiro was covered in blood, his clothes now stained with blood, and the tiny droplets of blood still dripped incessantly from the tip of his sword.

What shocked Guy the most was that Ryujiro, as he looked at the corpses before him, showed no change in his eyes, as if he had become numb.

In Ryujiro's eyes, Guy couldn't see any emotion, only indifference.

"Guy-sensei, you're here."

A faint smile appeared on Ryujiro's face.

But this smile made Guy feel somewhat uneasy.

"Ryujiro, are you okay?"

Guy was not worried about Ryujiro's physical injuries but his mental state. 

After all, all of this was the first time for Ryujiro; could his mind handle the amount of blood on his hands?

Because on the battlefield, there were many who collapsed mentally, especially someone like Ryujiro, a child.

"Guy-sensei, don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"I'm more clear-headed right now."

"In fact I haven't felt this great since a long time."

Ryujiro sheathed his sword, turning to look at Guy with a faint gaze.

Before, perhaps he had been somewhat unaccustomed, but now Ryujiro was also numb to all these killings. 

With the number of shinobi dying at his hands, regardless of whether they were Iwagakure or Kumogakure shinobi, they were sliced apart by Ryujiro like cutting through a watermelon.

These shinobi had no chance to resist before dying at Ryujiro's hands.

"I'm fine."

Guy murmured softly as he looked at Ryujiro.

What a terrifying mental resilience.

Were geniuses like Ryujiro stronger not only in terms of mental strength but also in adapting to their environment than ordinary people?

"As expected of you, It might not be easy to handle the situation here."

"Let's return and report the mission first. You should clean up as soon as possible."

After returning to the village, Guy submitted the mission and then returned to the Hokage's office. When Ryujiro arrived at the Hyuga house, almost everyone was taken aback.

Hinata rushed out anxiously, not caring much, and threw herself onto Ryujiro, who was covered in bloodstains.

"Ryujiro-kun, what happened exactly?"

"Are you hurt?"

"Why is there so much blood on you?"

As Hinata spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, as she carefully inspected every inch of Ryujiro's body.

"I'm fine. This blood is from the enemy."

"I need to clean up. Hinata, wait for me to finish cleaning up before you check again."

The sticky blood made Ryujiro feel uncomfortable.

Even though Hinata listened to Ryujiro's words, she still wasn't particularly reassured because the bloodstains on Ryujiro hadn't dried yet, and some had stained her as well.

With her head bowed, she said softly, "Ryujiro-kun, can I be with you?"

After saying this, tears instantly welled up in Hinata's eyes.

Anyway, Ryujiro was a young man full of vitality. Hinata had already said it herself; could he refuse?

However, during the process, Ryujiro didn't do anything. After all, Hinata was still young, and Ryujiro himself felt a sense of guilt.

Now, Hinata's heart was already on Ryujiro, even if they waited a few more years, it wouldn't matter.

However, in front of Ryujiro, Hinata seemed quite petite, as the Ryujiro was already very tall.

---

[Character Template: Dracule Mihawk]

[Character Unlock Progress: 78%]

"Killing them has boosted my progress quite a bit."

After Ryujiro killed a shinobi, his progress would increase a bit, which was somewhat similar to gaining experience points in an online game.

It seemed like he would have to do more missions with Guy-sensei in the future for his progress to grow quickly.

When his Mihawk template reached one hundred percent, it might unlock the second character template.

During the next period of time, most of Ryujiro's time was spent training with Hinata in the village.

And Naruto also seemed to be diligently training to improve his strength.

In the Hyuga dojo, there were many wooden stakes placed, which were used for the Hyuga clan's gentle fist training.

Since Ryujiro came to the Hyuga clan, this dojo had always been used by Ryujiro and Hinata alone. Of course, no one dared to vie for it.

After all, this was under the order of the clan head; no one could disturb Hinata and Ryujiro in the dojo.

"Eight Trigrams Air Palm!"

The shockwave produced by the Air Palm easily shattered the wooden stakes, and while accompanying Hinata's training, Ryujiro was also improving his Observation Haki.

He allowed Hinata to attack him at any time. And now even if it was the Hyuga clan's Sixty-Four Palms, Ryujiro could easily dodge it.

Reaching the pinnacle of Observation Haki allowed one to see the future. He wondered if he could reach such a level himself.

Just Hinata alone was no longer enough to make Ryujiro feel pressured.

"Hinata, stop for a moment."

Hearing Ryujiro's words, Hinata stopped and looked at Ryujiro in confusion.

Ryujiro pushed open the dojo's door and instructed the servant at the door, "Go call Neji."

"Yes, Ryujiro-sama."

After a while, Neji arrived at the dojo. Seeing Ryujiro and Hinata, he respectfully greeted them, " Hinata-sama and Ryujiro..."

Ryujiro smiled at Neji in front of him. "Neji, from today onwards, you will train with us."

Neji widened his eyes in surprise, showing a grateful expression.

"Ryujiro, this won't do any good. I am just a branch family member, and besides, the clan head has ordered that no one can disturb you and Hinata-sama."

"It's okay. I will speak to Hinata's father about it. From today onwards, accompany me and Hinata in training."

"I don't like repeating myself. I hope you understand."

After hesitating for a moment, Neji looked at Ryujiro with gratitude in his eyes.

"I understand, Ryujiro."

---------------

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.