Despite everything, Ryan still retained his memories, his combat experience, and his skill with bladed weapons.
Although... He hadn't seen any firearms since he arrived here.
-So this world works differently... -he whispered to himself.
His thoughts stopped when he saw the bone that the white-haired man had given him to defend himself.
How was it possible for someone to use his own bones as a weapon? It was all starting to come together. This world made no sense under the rules of his own.
Here, the ninjas were the real soldiers. He took a deep breath. It didn't matter how, but he had to adapt.
A new life was in front of him, and he was not alone. Ryan looked at Lia. She was the only person he could count on right now.
He clenched his fists. Whatever fate had in store for him, he would face it head-on.
The ride in the chariot was not smooth. The roads were full of dangers.
First, they were attacked by bandits armed with katanas and kunais, who attempted to assault the chariot.
Ryan took care of them with ease, disarming them with precision and using his own weapons against them.
One bandit lunged at him with a kunai in hand, Ryan deflected the attack, grabbed his arm and twisted it into a fracture.
The bandit screamed in pain before being knocked down with a single blow. Another enemy tried to attack him from behind, Ryan spun at the last second, narrowly dodging the edge of the katana.
Without hesitation, he broke his leg with a kick and knocked him unconscious with a punch to the jaw.
The bandits were no problem. But wild animals...that was another matter.
One night, as they camped near the forest, a giant black wolf attacked them from the shadows.
Its red eyes glowing in the darkness, Ryan reacted at the last second, dodging a somersault from the beast.
He unsheathed a kunai he had taken from the bandits and waited for the next attack. The wolf snarled, showing its sharp fangs.
Ryan waited no longer and lunged forward, dodged the creature's claws, and plunged the kunai into its neck with lethal precision.
The wolf fell dead on the spot. Nobu and Lia watched silently, amazed by his skill. But Ryan said nothing. He knew this was just the beginning.
After several days of traveling, they finally spotted it in the distance. The Hidden Village of the Blade.
Ryan felt a shiver. The dirt road led them toward a giant wooden wall that protected the entrance to the village.
Two ninjas with metal bandanas on their foreheads guarded the main gate.
Ryan looked at their black uniforms with green vests. They were not soldiers with rifles, nor mercenaries with heavy armor. They were ninjas.
The architecture of the village also caught his attention. The houses and buildings were unlike anything he had seen in his previous world.
The roofs were curved and pointed, with a clear Japanese influence. The streets were filled with merchants, ninjas, and ordinary citizens.
At the top of the village, atop a mountain, Ryan saw four faces carved into the rock. They were imposing, with serious and dignified expressions.
-Who are they? -Ryan asked curiously.
The merchant Nobu smiled.
-Those are the Hokages, the leaders of this village. Each of them was a great ninja who protected the village in their time. -
Ryan nodded slowly.
So this place had leaders who were powerful ninja. This was all too strange. But for some reason... Ryan felt he had come to the right place.
Here, his new life was beginning. Ryan strode confidently towards the entrance of the village next to Nobu and Lia, but before he could take a step inside Konoha, the guards at the entrance stood in his way.
-Stop. -
One of them had his face covered by a black cloth, and the other looked more relaxed, but with a firm stance.
-Identification? -asked the one in the mask.
Ryan frowned.
-I don't have... -
The guards exchanged glances.
- He's a bum to tell you, I'll take responsibility for him," said Nobu
. The one in the mask bowed his head.
-That's a problem. -
-We can't let you in without an ID," added the other ninja.
Ryan sighed.
-Where did you come from? - asked the guard
Ryan stared at them. He couldn't tell the truth, so he lowered his head and feigned frustration.
-I don't know... I don't remember anything. -
The guards tensed up.
-Don't you remember anything? - said the guard
-Just my name. -
The unmasked ninja sighed.
-You'll have to come with us. -
Ryan put up no resistance. After a few minutes, Ryan found himself in a security room inside the village.
Several ninjas were looking at documents, and others were guarding the doors. One of the officers looked Ryan up and down.
-So you don't remember anything... but you know how to fight. -
Ryan nodded.
-My reflexes are intact, but my memory is not. -
- How convenient... - The man snorted.
But after a long evaluation, they decided to give him an official identity so he could move around the village.
When he left the place, Lia was waiting for him sitting on a bench. She smiled as she saw him leaving.
Ryan only sighed.
-Let's go... I made you wait too long. Don't you want to know more about this place? -
Lia nodded with great joy. Konoha market was full of life.
Merchants shouted bargains, children ran around, and the smells of freshly made food filled the air.
Ryan and Lia were walking aimlessly, observing everything around them, but suddenly, something fell at Ryan's feet.
A scruffy blond boy quickly got up from the ground, covering his head with his arms. An angry shopkeeper pointed at him and shouted angrily.
-I don't want you to set foot in my store again! -
The boy was trembling, his eyes filled with tears; he was a little younger than Iia.
Ryan didn't react right away. He thought maybe he was a thief, but when the boy got up and ran away, sobbing, He felt something inside him.
Something strange and familiar, He turned to the merchant.
-Why are you treating him like this? -
The man folded his arms and snorted.
-That child should not exist. -
-He's just a child... - Ryan frowned.
The merchant clicked his tongue.
-He's not just a child... -he replied. In a bitter voice, the merchant began to tell the story of the Nine-Tailed Fox's attack.
Ryan listened carefully.
A giant creature, full of hate, that destroyed the village years ago. Thousands of people died. Among them, the merchant's wife and daughter.
The man looked down.
-That monster... is now sealed inside that child. -
Ryan stared at him.
-It's not fair. -
-What? - The merchant frowned.
-That child wasn't to blame. He was just a baby when it all happened.
The man clenched his fists, but didn't respond. Inside, he knew what Ryan was saying was true, but he couldn't accept it because of the bitterness that remained in his heart.
Ryan walked away, saying no more.
Ryan walked in silence while the image of the blond boy was still present in his mind. He couldn't stop thinking about the story he had just heard: a demon in the form of a fox, massive destruction... creatures sealed in humans. What kind of world was this?
"If things like that exist... what else could there be?" he thought.
He remembered the words of the goddess before he came to this world. She spoke of dominion over the five elements, of blood as a weapon, of a curse that would make him stronger yet more fragile. He also remembered the voices in his dream-or maybe it was a memory-the scientists discussing his body, its potential, as if it were a machine they could experiment with. They were talking about "chakra." Of how his body manipulated energy like no other.
Ryan paused. He looked at his palm.
-Chakra...?
It wasn't just physical strength. There was something inside him. Something he didn't quite understand. Something that was growing.
Author's note: As I said, I will be more consistent with the stories, so I ask for your patience. For now, on my official website, you can find advanced chapters of:
1. NARUTO RONIN TRAIL: REINCARNATE WITH THE POWERS OF MALENIA.
2. Harry Potter: Dion, the magician who changed everything.
And this week, I will upload advanced chapters of:
3. DANMACHI: THE ECHO OF FALLEN HEROES.