22: Might of a Kage

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Ryoichi reached the Core in seconds and saw two Jonin guarding it, he quickly weaved a set of hand signs and launched a Jutsi.

-WATER STYLE JUTSU: HIDDING IN MIST JUTSU-

The sudden mist immediately alerted the Jonins guarding the entrance, their eyes moved to find the culprit when they felt two cold objects in their throats. Before the light of their lives snuck out they saw the cold face of their killers retrieving his hand from the Kunai in their throats.

Ryoichi didn't even wait for Jonin's body to fall. He went past them and entered the Fuin-core room where he saw a team of eight controlling it.

Ryoichi quickly killed the Fuin-masters without them making any resistance and moved to control the core, the Fuin-masters didn't even notice how they died as they were too busy with their task.

Ryoichi raised his hand to touch the core that was connected with the countless seals lying around Kumo's camp. But before he could his body suddenly froze as a thick potent killing intent broke from behind, threatening to consume him.

Ryoichi's body completely stopped listening to him. Ryoichi himself can use killing intent, but this felt different. This killing intent felt like it originated from a higher-level being that overruled his command over his own body.

The situation felt extremely similar to Naruto's and Sasuke's when they confronted Orochimaru's intent and completely froze. But he was not Naruto and Sasuke, he isn't like them who have never felt the killing intent before.

Ryoichi gritted his teeth and planted the matrix before turning back and facing the man standing at the entrance. He now just has to wait for his matrix to take over before retreating.

Ryoichi scanned the man standing before him.

'Tall' was the first thought that entered his mind, but on other thoughts most of the Kumo-nins are tall.

The second thing was the overwhelming Chakra, the kind that chokes people with just its presence.

And the third Ryoichi noticed was the affinity of the man standing in front of him. A mere touch from his Chakra the ground reacted in ecstasy.

'Earth affinitity… good.' Ryoichi thought such because Chakra affinity affects their build.

Fire and Lightning affinities are destructive and explosive which are good for attack and direct confrontation.

Water and Earth are tranquil and defensive which is good for defence and stability.

Air is the most versatile, it is good at both attack and defence.

Of course, Earth affinity doesn't mean Ryoichi's chances increased, No. Defensive or not the man standing in front of him is a bonafide Kage that could fill the whole camp in earth spikes in a Jutsu.

"Who are you?" The man Ryoichi recognised as Zee: Kumo's Earthen Pillars and commander of this camp spoke, breaking him out of his musing.

Ryoichi gave a warm smile and opened his mouth to speak only to be interrupted by Zee.

"Don't give me that disgusting smile with those eyes." Ryoichi raised his eyebrows at the man's word. Clearly, the Kage rank Shinobi saw through his Fuin-glasses.

'It needs to be improved.' Thought Ryoichi before raising his hand and making a cross sign like Naruto. It was quite hard to figure out how Naruto did it but after months of practice, Ryoichi finally got the trick behind it.

*POOF* Immediately four Shadow clones got summoned as Rypichi felt most of his Chakra slipping away.

Rhoichi hated the Jutsu for this exact reason and couldn't wait to get his hand on MULTI-SHADOW CLONE JUTSU. He can't just waste his 93.75 percent Chakra on a single Justu. If someone else pulled something like this they would be already wobbling from sudden loss of thier energy.

Ryoichi's Shadow clones moved to surround Zee, and as the room was huge, they easily formed a four-way formation and launched a Jutsu from each side.

Zee saw the attack and nonchalantly made a Ram sign while slamming his feet down which raised a circular wall surrounding him.

The attacks landed on the wall and destroyed it, but in doing so most of their energy also got snubbed out.

Ryoichi took Zee's lack of vision as an opportunity and Substituted with a piece of flying rock to appear above the unprepared Kage. His left hand started to go through multiple hand signs as a high pressurised water started coiling around his right first like a chakram.

Ryoichi hammered down his pressurised water fist on Zee's skull but prepared or not, a Kage is a Kage. He easily rotated his body out of Ryoichi's attack path while simultaneously delivering a high round rick.

The kick connects with Ryoichi's temple and his head jerks back with an audible cracking noise.

*POOF* Ryoichi's body exploded in smoke, revealing he was just a clone. And just as it exploded, three other Ryoichi jumped out from the ground and caught Zee's each limbs.

The Kage-level Shinobi tried to shrug the clones off, but they suddenly exploded which caught him off guard.

*BOOOM*

The explosion was huge as the clones were packed with explosive tags. Good thing the room was reinforced with seals or else the explosion would have destroyed Kumo's camp main building while also killing and injuring many Shinobis nearby.

After the explosion subsided, Zee could be seen standing alone in the room with no visible injuries other than a few burn marks on his clothes. Zee's furious eyes scanned the room for Ryoichi, but seeing no signs he slammed his feet and turned around to leave the room.

But his long strides suddenly halted as he saw a corner of the room ripple when one of the flying stones touched it. Zee squinted his eyes as he launched multiple spikes with a single-hand sign.

The space broke like a mirror when the spikes passed it, revealing Ryoichi standing while holding his bloodied stomach.

Zee and Ryoichi stared at each other as the former approached the latter to subdue him. Just as Zee caught Ryoichi's shoulder, Ryoichi's body blurred as he disappeared without any trace.

Zee stood dumbfounded for a minute before releasing a roar that shook the whole camp.

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Ryoichi appeared some distance away from Konoha's camp, where he had left a Raijin mark. The undeveloped Thunder God can't teleport far so Ryoichi left marks wherever he does missions.

Ryoichi summoned a bird to inform his team before plopping down and circulating the refined nature energy alongside the Iryōjutsu to heal the gaping hole in his stomach.

It took Ryoichi fifteen minutes before he stood and started running towards his team. He could have told them to meet here, but that action would have made him reveal his mastery of FLYING THUNDER RISING JUTSU.

Around thirty minutes later Ryoichi reached his team's location and informed them.

"So, you had to retreat because you got found out and still need a few minutes inside the Fuin-core to take over the seals, huh?" Questioned Oni as he summarised the information Ryoichi relayed.

"Yes… that's pretty much it but even if I haven't taken over the seals, they won't be a problem even if we attack now."

"Why?"

"Because I killed the Fuin-master controlling them."

"How are you so confident? Can't they still attack automatically like normal seals?"

"I'm hundred percent sure the seals won't attack as there is no one to direct it to differentiate between friends or enemies, and once I take over I can use it to attack Kumo-nins."

Oni looked into Ryoichi's eyes and thought about the feasibility of his plan before speaking again.

"Let's return, I'll inform the commander, it is his decision to make."

The team nodded at Oni's words and returned to the camp. Once there, the team except Oni went to their makeshift house to rest while Oni went to the Commander and informed him of everything.

"How confident are you on this Anbu's word, Oni-san?" Questioned the Commander, a man named Masamune Ryouta.

Ryouta had known Oni since they were kids, he was a scion of a small clan and Oni was from the Senju clan. So they met quite a lot in their younger days.

"I have full confidence in Hawk. He's not someone to speak his words lightly, if he said he'll take over the seals in minutes then he will do it." Said Oni. His hoarse voice contained an underlying confidence that showed Ryouta how much he trusted Ryoichi.

"…then we'll proceed as planned."

"Understood. I will go and take care of Kumo Shinobis monitoring our movements"

"Yes, take the third unit with your team to ensure a quick wipeout without any mistakes."

"Hai."

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After two hours at midnight. Ryoichi, Oni, and Ryouta appeared outside Kumo's patrol range.

In these two hours, Team Oni with the third unit consisting of ten Jonin squads specialised in Assassination wiped out Kumo's seven scouting teams. While Ryouta rallied and informed the other units of this attack.

"So I will attack Zee while Hawk will sneak and takeover the seals… after he succeeds and signals, Oni will lead our troops to attack the camp," Ryouta said as his eyes scanned the fortress.

""Hai.""

"Then go!"

Ryoichi and Oni flickered away at Ryouta's words, leaving him standing alone. Ryouta looked at retreating duo before his eyes sharpen as his hand blurred and formed a set of quick signs

-WATER STYLE JUTUS: DESTRUCTIVE TIDAL WAVES-

A tremendous amount of Chakra weaved of Ryouta as he released the Justus.

Waves of waves of water released from him and formed a massive Tsunami over five hundred feet.

The patrolling Kumo-nins despaired as they watched the Giant Tsunami towering over their walls approaching them, destroying everything in its path. The huge trees, the massive rocks and the small hill started to swept away. The whole terrain started collapsing at might of the giant waves. And just as they thought the Tsunami would collapse the walls, their Commander appeared before them with enormous amounts of Chakra releasing from him.

-EARTH STYLE JUTSU:GREAT MUD WALL-

A wall bigger than Kumo's raised from the ground, reinforcing the smaller one for the incoming still bigger waves.

*BOOM* the waves collided with walls, creating a defining sound. The walls wavered a few times but ultimately managed to stop the giant Tsunami from engulfing the whole base.

But even if the walls stopped the Tsunami it doesn't mean the giant wave didn't do any damage.

The waves towering above them still reached the smaller wall, killing many patroling Shinobis.

Ryoichi watched the apocalyptic sight as he clenched his fist in excitement. He can't wait to achieve such power that could be only called a natural disaster at this point.

Not even a nuke could hold a candle against a Tsunami towering over five hundred feet that could flatten most of the cities in his previous life.

Ryoichi stopped his thoughts and controlled his excitement before accelerating towards the core. He had already wasted valuable time watching the exchange between the two Kage, he couldn't afford to waste anymore if he wants to keep his word.

Ryoichi reached the core in seconds and took out the Shinobi guarding it, once he reached inside he found the room empty which alerted him. If he had time, he would have tried to figure out the trap before jumping in it, but he didn't have any.

He reached for the core and touched it to connect with the small matrix piece he had left.

The black tendrils moved from his hand and latched on to the core he tried to hack before , but after a few seconds, Ryoichi frowned as the matrix didn't find the piece he left.

Ryoichi's frowning face returned to his cold one and he suddenly jumped forward as multiple Wind Chakra-coated kunais landed where he was. He did a flip in mid-air and landed face-to-face with his attacker.

"Failed to take over the seals, huh?" Ryoichi's attacker questioned playfully before continuing.

"You think even after taking over the seals of a checkpoint we still would not know about you."

Ryoichi looked at the woman standing in front of him. She was tall like a Victoria model and was voluptuous which was unlike a supermodel, but her smooth tan skin and beautiful face wasn't less from any supermodel.

Ryoichi put on a smile behind his masked face as he replied to the Kunoichi.

"I expected Kumo to find it, but not just this fast. Were you the one who found and deactivated my seals? I didn't know Kumo had a Kunoichi of your level." Rhoichi question, laying multiple traps in his sentence.

"Ohh hush you, sweet talker, flattery won't get you nowhere~" The woman playfully avoided his question, totally aware of his intentions, but she underestimated Ryoichi.

"So, you weren't the one to remove my seal…"

"Ooh! And how would you know that?" She asked with a raised eyebrow making Ryoichi reply in a similar playful voice.

"I wonder~"

"You brat!" Shouted unknown Kunoichi as she charged at him.

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AN: If you want to read more go to my Patr*on/41_Claws. There are 10+ advance unedited chapters on it…]

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