**Chapter 14: Killing a Chūnin**

After purchasing ninja tools and obtaining training methods, everything was set. Ryo took a nap, and after about two and a half hours in the time acceleration state, he woke up, ate, and headed to his usual training location.

Ryo's usual training spot was in the back mountains of Konoha, a place where many ninjas trained, though it was now quiet and empty under the night sky.

**Under the moonlight.**

Ryo began his intense training.

The Eight Gates technique was something that could only be achieved through hard work—there was no shortcut, no permanent gate-opening method, or reverse training. Those were all nonsense and impossible in practice.

...

Four hours later.

Ryo, at some point, had removed his weights and was resting against a rock, his clothes soaked with sweat, as if he had just emerged from water.

Training the Eight Gates was far more grueling than ordinary ninjutsu or taijutsu. Even though Ryo had the time acceleration ability, it only affected his time relative to the outside world, and there were no shortcuts in the training process.

"Ha..."

This was already the seventh time he had rested. Though his body was almost fully recovered, Ryo still leaned there, reluctant to stand up.

Four hours, in triple time acceleration, equated to twelve hours.

"That should be enough. I'll go back and sleep before continuing."

Ryo felt mentally fatigued, so he gave up on continuing and stood up. He tidied up the weights he had removed and was about to return to rest.

However, just then, he suddenly froze, stopping his actions and placing the weights back down, his ears straining.

*Crack, crack...*

He faintly heard sounds coming from the forest, as if someone was moving through the trees.

It was already midnight, and encountering a person in the forest at this time was likely not a good sign. Ryo frowned slightly, his expression growing cautious.

Although he didn't know who it was, he didn't want to meet them. The sounds suggested that whoever it was was heading in his direction, likely passing by the nearby path.

"Ha..."

Ryo analyzed the situation and circled halfway around the rock to a spot where he could avoid detection.

The footsteps quickly passed by, fading into the distance, and it seemed the person had not noticed him, hurrying along.

However.

Just as the footsteps disappeared into the distance, several flashes of silver suddenly appeared in the air under the night sky, accompanied by the sound of something whizzing through the air. Seven or eight shuriken flew towards Ryo's hiding place, blocking all possible escape routes.

"Damn!"

Ryo cursed softly. With his chakra blade already in hand, he quickly deflected the incoming shuriken with a few swift flicks of his wrist, then leapt upward, landing on top of the rock. He looked toward the direction the shuriken had come from.

In that direction, he could clearly see a figure, and the moonlight illuminated a forehead protector, which, although not Konoha's, was still familiar to Ryo.

Mist Village!

A ninja from the Mist Village!

"So it's just a kid..."

The figure of the mist ninja, Lin Qinyu, gazed at Ryo, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes. The next moment, he charged at Ryo, drawing a short sword as he swung it towards him.

He was a scout from the Mist Village, a sensory-type elite chūnin who had spent some time infiltrating the Land of Fire, intending to sneak into Konoha. However, he had sensed Ryo's presence.

At first, he had been startled, thinking he was walking into an ambush. But after careful sensing, he realized there was only Ryo, and his chakra signature wasn't strong. After a brief moment of thought, he decided to use a clone to make noise and draw attention while launching a surprise attack on Ryo.

Ryo had blocked his attack, which surprised him, but upon seeing that Ryo was only about ten years old, he relaxed slightly and decided to act quickly.

Must be fast!

They were very close to Konoha, and even a little noise could attract trouble. He had to quickly eliminate Ryo and attempt to sneak into the village.

"The village isn't safe anymore."

"Looks like I can't train here at night anymore."

As he watched the silent Ryo, whose intentions were clear, Lin Qinyu tightened his grip on his short sword. Ryo responded with his chakra blade, White Fang, and the two clashed.

*Clang, clang!*

Ryo's chakra blade clashed with Lin Qinyu's short sword in the moonlight, sparks flying as metal clanged against metal.

In an instant, the two exchanged more than a dozen blows. Lin Qinyu, who had been full of murderous intent at first, began to show signs of surprise. The kid in front of him was not as easy to deal with as he had expected.

"Silver-haired kid... using a chakra short blade... Could he be the son of White Fang from the intel?"

Lin Qinyu's eyes flashed with realization.

It couldn't be a mistake!

Konoha's genius, Hatake Kakashi, was famous, and undoubtedly on the assassination list of the Mist Village. No one wanted to see another White Fang emerge from Konoha.

If they could kill this kid, it would be a huge victory. Even if no intel was gained, they could still return to the village with a significant accomplishment.

Rather than risking a major infiltration, killing a kid was far easier—and since Ryo had already discovered him, he had no choice but to eliminate him before sneaking into Konoha.

*Whoosh!!*

Without hesitation, Lin Qinyu's eyes burned with murderous intent. After a brief exchange, he leaped back, biting his short sword between his teeth and rapidly forming hand signs.

"Jutsu! Mist Technique!"

"Wind Release! Gale Technique!"

Before the white mist could fully spread, Ryo almost seemed to predict his move, releasing his own wind release almost simultaneously. A gust of wind instantly dispersed the mist, though it still slightly obscured his vision.

Lin Qinyu frowned but pressed on through the mist toward Ryo.

For Ryo, this was his first real combat, a life-or-death battle. While ordinary people might be intimidated, Ryo remained calm and focused, especially given that everything around him seemed to slow down in the time acceleration state.

The chakra blade White Fang gleamed in his hand.

"White Fang—Air!"

Watching Lin Qinyu charge through the mist, Ryo's eyes gleamed coldly, and he pushed his speed to its maximum.

To Lin Qinyu, Ryo seemed to move with almost supernatural speed, the chakra short blade creating afterimages as it slashed toward him.

Lin Qinyu's expression changed.

"How could he be so fast!"

Before he could think further, he had no choice but to block Ryo's terrifying speed with his own short sword.

*Clang!*

Lin Qinyu's short sword barely blocked White Fang's blade, but before he could fully comprehend what had happened, his body froze, his eyes wide with disbelief.

A distinct line of blood appeared across the center of his Mist Village forehead protector, extending from his forehead to the back of his head.

His short sword had blocked the actual blade, but he hadn't expected Ryo's attack to reach beyond the sword's edge, extending a foot beyond the blade!

This was... the renowned sword technique of the Hatake clan!

Countless ninjas had fallen to this move during the Second Great Ninja War. Even if one knew about its effect, it was impossible to block!

As consciousness faded, Lin Qinyu recalled the terror that blade had inspired.

Without a sound, his body slumped, falling to the ground.

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**End of Chapter**

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