Chapter 177: Homeward Journey
In front of him was an invisible yet overwhelmingly powerful repulsive force.
It was divine power—enough to obliterate the entire Hidden Rain Village.
He raised his palm.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds...
The muscles in his arms stretched to the limit like forged steel. Chakra surged violently through his veins like crashing waves, mixing with his blood.
His thick spine twisted like a coiled dragon, its roots spreading across Ryosuke's back.
Tremendous force—enough to shake mountains and split rivers—coursed from his legs to his hips and gathered at the dragon-tail extension of his spine.
Using the ferocious momentum of the twisting dragon, all that power surged upward, guided by the vision of his Byakugan. Ryosuke slammed his palm forward, releasing chakra of various attributes in one decisive strike.
His palm moved with astonishing speed, yet the force stopped just before him—frozen in the air, as if time itself had paused.
He could see the vibration of the strike with his eyes. The very air rippled like disturbed water, faint waves distorting the space before him.
Four seconds.
Five seconds.
Snap—
A sound like shattering glass echoed.
When only the last remnants of chakra remained in his body, Ryosuke could no longer hold back. His palm strike erupted.
Like a caged tiger unleashed, his strike exploded with overwhelming power. Enhanced by the Byakugan's pupil force, it contained the full essence of the five elemental natures—fire, wind, water, earth, and lightning—alongside the Soft Fist style and elite-level taijutsu. In just five seconds, over four hundred palm strikes detonated simultaneously.
Even the miraculous Shinra Tensei couldn't react in time. The repulsive force was shattered before it could be unleashed.
The next instant, that divine blow—condensed into a single strike—landed directly in front of Tendo Pain.
In a flash, his lofty figure vanished from the world. Not even a trace of debris remained.
---
In a bustling town on the outskirts of the Land of Rain
At the heart of the market stood a modest inn under the Seagull Shipping Chamber of Commerce banner.
"Haa—"
Ryosuke suddenly awoke, eyes blinking as he sat up in a daze.
Then, a faint, absentminded smile crossed his face.
Perhaps it was the excitement from mastering his new eye technique. For the past two days, he'd been dreaming of the final moments of his battle with Pain again and again.
It had only been one day since the battle.
Yesterday was spent in full recovery. After such a high-intensity burst, his body had been drained. Aside from eating and sleeping, he did nothing but rest.
With messy hair, Ryosuke lazily got out of bed and strolled over to the window.
Below him…
Bustling markets stretched across the square.
This place felt completely different from the desolate interior of the Land of Rain. It pulsed with life, crowded with travelers and merchants. Built through the efforts of traders from many lands, the town was a thriving commercial hub.
Here, one could buy goods from virtually every country—even rare items were relatively affordable.
Because of that, half the Land of Rain's population came here to trade.
As for Akatsuki, they hadn't destroyed or restricted this place. They needed an influx of outside funds, too.
This town had become a second center for the Land of Rain—though it didn't belong to the Land of Rain at all.
The Hidden Rain Village was its military capital, while this was the center of trade and human traffic.
"It's as if nothing ever happened…"
Ryosuke glanced down at the lively streets before stretching lazily and heading to the bathroom.
Peace and quiet surrounded the town. Aside from the occasional arguing vendors, there were no signs of trouble.
The people here were completely unaware of the earth-shaking battle that had taken place just a day ago in the very heart of their country.
Given how slowly information spread in the ninja world, it was understandable. Especially now, when the Hidden Rain Village was surely short on manpower after such a major upheaval.
Outside of the capital, it might take three to five days before the news reached the fringes.
Hualalalal—
Water gushed from the showerhead in the bathroom.
Warm streams cascaded over Ryosuke's well-built body, soaking his hardened muscles. On his skin, faint black markings traced the paths of his veins—patterns that seemed alive.
"There's still enough chakra in the Yin Seal for one more use… I need to replenish it soon."
Ryosuke's fingers traced the black pattern. He could feel the chakra stored inside the seal.
"But just relying on storing and draining chakra like this... it's too inflexible."
"The amount of chakra I can naturally produce isn't enough to support a second activation of the new eye technique. Every time, I have to tap into the chakra stored in the seal."
"Even if my next transformation releases the limiter on my body and boosts my chakra reserves…"
"I can't always count on breaking through limits. I need a new path…"
That seal—black like ink etched into his veins—was a Yang Release-based self-healing technique Ryosuke had developed himself.
As a time traveler, he'd always viewed the world from above—perched on the shoulders of the ninja world's greatest giants.
He remembered everything. Every moment of the past. Every prophecy of the future. Every technique that might ever be born.
When his research into the Five Elements and Yin-Yang Release peaked, the jutsu he recalled—those whose development principles he understood—were easily recreated.
From Wind Style: Rasenshuriken…
To Five Styles: Five Dragon Bullet Technique…
To the black tattoo seal, inspired by Tsunade's Yin Seal, Creation Rebirth, and the Hundred Healings Technique.
They were all possible, simply because he stood on the shoulders of giants.
This seal functioned similarly to Tsunade's forbidden medical jutsu. Chakra that overflowed during downtime was stored inside.
In battle, if Ryosuke was wounded, the chakra would automatically flow out to heal him—eliminating the need to divert attention toward healing.
And when his chakra was depleted, he could simply release the seal and draw from its reserves.
That was why, even after enduring Pain's repulsive force, Ryosuke's combat ability remained unaffected.
That was how he'd unleashed the new eye technique twice in such a short span—and reduced Tendo Pain to dust.
"But… Eighty Gods Vaccum Attack, huh?"
"My eye technique isn't exactly the same as Kaguya Otsutsuki's. Still, if Black Zetsu insists on calling it that…"
"Then so be it—Eighty Gods Vaccum Attack it is."
Looking at himself in the mirror, Ryosuke stared into his own eyes, not even thinking of giving his new eye technique a name.
Eighty Gods Vaccum Attack was one of the Byakugan-based techniques once mastered by Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. It allowed the user to harness the Byakugan's power and an almost limitless amount of chakra to condense countless fists of pure, high-concentration chakra—fists that could overwhelm enemies or block devastating attacks. It was a bloodline-limit technique that embodied both offense and defense.
Perhaps... the Hyuga clan's signature techniques, such as the Gentle Fist and the Eight Trigrams Palm, were mere diluted versions of this ancestral technique—adapted by the Hyuga forebears out of necessity. Limited by bloodline degradation and chakra capacity, ordinary descendants simply couldn't reproduce the divine-level feats of Eighty Gods Vaccum Attack. What remained were lesser forms, refined into techniques that suited the clan's capabilities.
Yet, the records from that ancient period had long been lost to time.
Thus, Ryosuke had no way of studying the foundational principles of the Eighty Gods Vaccum Attack from his clan's history. He could only rely on himself.
Gentle Fist, Finger Gun, Iron Body, Storm Kick, Ninjutsu, Elemental Release Techniques...
Ryosuke had studied much. He had combined many arts. And yet, no matter how he blended taijutsu and ninjutsu, they remained conventional techniques—powerful, yes, but lacking that final, lethal edge when facing godlike opponents such as Nagato, wielder of the Rinnegan.
He needed a new method of attack—something unprecedented. But crafting a unique ocular technique from scratch was no simple feat.
After countless trials and failed ideas, Ryosuke finally birthed a new eye technique during the battle against Pain—one born from a spark of inspiration. His own version of Eighty Gods Vaccum Attack.
Just like how he had previously developed the Eye of Pressure—a technique forged through willpower, Yin Release chakra, and ocular force—this new technique emerged from everything he had learned, synthesized through his Byakugan.
Although it resembled Kaguya's Eighty Gods Vaccum Attack in appearance, the mechanics were entirely different.
At least, Ryosuke believed his version was more suited for real combat than Kaguya's.
The essence of his technique lay in superposition—the buildup and sudden release of force.
The final breakthrough had come to him in the Chibaku Tensei space, when he applied the Navy's Six Styles technique Shave to his palm strikes. Through that, he completed a precise calculation model.
By using the Byakugan's control over internal chakra flow, he could restrict the explosive energy of his palm strikes until they reached their peak... then release all that force in an instant. A strike for defense that became overwhelming offense.
"The matter has been successfully completed. It's time to go home..."
Dressed in clean attire, Ryosuke murmured to himself with a small, satisfied smile as he looked into the mirror.
...
One month later
The outer defensive line of the Land of Fire welcomed a lone figure, cloaked in dust and weariness.
"Hey! You there!"
From a distance, one of the Konoha border guards—an older chūnin—noticed the approaching figure. Something about the posture, the aura, the gait—it was clearly a ninja.
The man's shout drew the attention of the other stationed guards, who all turned to look.
"Konoha Genin—Hyuga Ryosuke."
Before the shinobi patrol could get closer, Ryosuke held up his forehead protector, his voice calm.
There was no longer any need for disguise. He was on home soil.
"Hyuga... Ryosuke?"
The name stirred a flicker of recognition in the middle-aged ninja. He walked toward Ryosuke cautiously. Despite seeing the forehead protector, protocol demanded that identities be verified.
But before he could proceed, several other figures caught up from behind.
"You... You are Lord Hyuga Ryosuke?"
The voice came from behind, filled with nervous respect.
The chūnin turned, startled. The speaker was an older shinobi—his senior in age and rank. Several more seasoned jonin appeared behind him, their expressions cautious, even reverent.
A group of veteran shinobi addressing someone so young as "Lord"?
The memory clicked. The name. The aura. The rumors.
"Yes, I'm Hyuga Ryosuke. Here are my ID and forehead protector. Please, feel free to check."
Ryosuke handed over his documents politely. Though his body was still young, his strength and age of experience justified the honorifics.
"Ah, sorry—standard procedure."
One of the senior shinobi stepped forward quickly, taking the items from Ryosuke with both hands, bowing slightly in apology.
"I understand. No need for formalities."
Ryosuke smiled lightly. He could guess why they were so nervous.
After confirming his identity, the Konoha shinobi respectfully returned his items and even helped arrange a carriage for his trip back.
Even as the carriage began to roll away, Ryosuke could still faintly hear their whispered conversations behind him.
"I heard he didn't even show up to his own commendation ceremony. Thought he was one of those arrogant Uchiha types, but... he seems pretty chill."
"Yeah, I assumed he was fierce too. Guess he's just low-key. Very Hyuga."
"He's so young though... Goes to show, talent really can't be measured by age."
...
Ryosuke smiled faintly. He wasn't offended.
Reclining on the carriage seat, he finally let his guard down, allowing himself to relax after the long journey by sea.
Returning to the Land of Fire—even if not yet in Konoha—brought him a quiet sense of joy.
It had been nearly a year since he left. Most of that time had been spent at sea, but it had been worth it.
He'd gathered valuable intel from another world. Developed a new ocular technique. And yes... he'd even gone to Hidden Rain to reclaim the very battlefield where Konoha had once been invaded.
Though the invasion had been orchestrated by Black Zetsu, they were all part of the same game.
As for Nagato—was he dead?
Ryosuke wasn't sure. Probably not.
Black Zetsu wouldn't allow it. Even when half of Obito's body had been obliterated, Zetsu and Madara had managed to save him. Saving Nagato would be even easier.
So... what was Black Zetsu's next move?
Ryosuke had pondered this question. But with so many variables at play, he had stopped wasting time on it.
One thing was clear: now that his identity and strength had been exposed, Black Zetsu would likely keep his head down—or disappear altogether.
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