As soon as Ryosuke finished his ultimatum, he vanished like a cannonball fired at full force. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Danzo Shimura. With a thunderous motion, he raised his leg and launched a brutal kick directly at the elder.
The sheer force and speed behind the attack transcended any need for fancy technique—it was pure, refined physical dominance, boosted exponentially by the Eight Gates.
Danzo's eyes widened in horror. All he could register was Ryosuke's afterimage closing in. Acting on reflex, he raised his arms in a desperate defense against the blow.
The moment their bodies made contact, Danzo felt a monstrous force surge through his arms. His forearms bent grotesquely from the impact. A fraction of a second later, his entire body was launched into the air like a ragdoll, hurtling through the forest.
He slammed into a towering tree with such velocity that the trunk snapped in half. But the momentum didn't stop there. Danzo's body ricocheted off the broken stump and continued flying, crashing through several more trees before finally coming to a halt in a heap of debris.
Silence swept the crowd.
The heads of Konoha's great clans stood stunned, expressions of sheer disbelief plastered across their faces. They knew Danzo's strength well—while perhaps a shade below Hiruzen Sarutobi, he was undeniably one of the village's elite.
And yet, he'd just been launched like a rag doll… in a single strike.
That was the power of the Eight Gates—a forbidden taijutsu that even the mightiest shinobi struggled to counter. Ryosuke had only opened five of the eight gates, and still, the damage was catastrophic. The blue-green steam rolling off his body wasn't just for show—it was the manifestation of power bordering on the divine.
Even Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, was shaken. His heart boiled with rage. That Ryosuke dared to attack Danzo in front of him—no respect for the chain of command, no regard for the laws of the village!
He gritted his teeth. He couldn't let this slide.
Drawing a kunai from his pouch, the Third Hokage lunged at Ryosuke's exposed back with swift, practiced movements, aiming for a lethal strike to the heart. Despite the strain from his previous "beating" training sessions, he could still unleash a precise, killing thrust.
But just as the kunai was about to connect—Ryosuke's hand shot backward and caught it mid-air.
Eyes wide in shock, Hiruzen tried to force the blade forward with all his might. But Ryosuke didn't budge. Even in pain, the Hokage couldn't penetrate the younger man's guard. His strength was simply overwhelming.
Ryosuke turned his head coldly.
"So, the mighty Third Hokage resorts to sneak attacks now? How pathetic."
Hiruzen's face hardened. "You assaulted Danzo in front of me! You've gone too far!"
Ryosuke scoffed. This wasn't about right or wrong anymore—this was about cover-ups and survival. Danzo had threatened him with exposure, and the Hokage had chosen loyalty to his old comrade over justice.
Without a word, Ryosuke delivered a devastating spinning kick that connected squarely with the Hokage's torso. A sonic boom exploded from the contact point. Hiruzen's eyes bulged, and his breath escaped in a choking gasp as he was hurled across the clearing.
The impact sent the Hokage crashing through the ground, tearing a deep trench in the dirt as smoke and debris erupted from his path. He came to a crumpled stop, groaning in agony.
The surrounding clan leaders watched in horror. The Third Hokage—flattened by a single blow?
"Uchiha Ryosuke! Are you out of your mind? You dare strike a Kage?" one elder shouted, veins bulging from his neck.
"Is this rebellion?!" another roared, trying to rally the others.
Ryosuke's glare swept over the gathering like a thundercloud. "Anyone else want to stand in my way?" he growled. "Step forward. I'll give you the same 'treatment' as your precious Hokage."
No one moved.
Even those boiling with fury knew the truth—they couldn't stop him. Not when Ryosuke had just laid waste to both Danzo and Hiruzen, two of the most powerful men in the village, in less than a minute.
And let's be real—many of them didn't even like Danzo. The old snake had been recruiting from their clans under the table, stealing away talented children for his Root division. Most clan heads only tolerated him because of his power and his alliance with the Hokage. Now that both of them were down? The political math had changed.
Someone whispered, "Danzo still refuses to show his right arm. If he really has Uchiha eyes implanted there, then Ryosuke might be justified..."
Still, as Ryosuke began moving toward Danzo's direction again, his pursuit interrupted by the dense forest and smoke, two black-clad ANBU suddenly appeared, landing between him and his target. They removed their masks.
Uchiha Itachi.
Uchiha Shisui.
Ryosuke froze for a moment, visibly annoyed. The two prodigies were known for their strength—but more so for their loyalty to the village above all.
Itachi's face was thunderous. "Uchiha Ryosuke! Are you trying to lead our clan into rebellion? You just assaulted the Hokage himself!"
Ryosuke didn't respond. He had no time for Itachi's moralizing. If the boy got in his way, he'd treat him the same as the others.
Itachi stepped forward. "Shisui! You saw that, right? He kicked the Hokage! We have to stop him. Use your Kotoamatsukami if you must!"
That last part was subtle—but Shisui knew what Itachi meant. Use the most powerful genjutsu in existence to forcibly rewrite Ryosuke's will. Mind control him into compliance.
But Shisui hesitated.
"Wait," he said calmly. "We didn't see everything. We only saw the end—Ryosuke kicking the Hokage. But why did it come to that? What happened before?"
Itachi looked furious. "He still attacked our leader!"
Shisui remained unmoved. "And yet... Danzo still refuses to prove he isn't hiding Uchiha eyes. If Ryosuke's accusations are true, then we are in the wrong."
Ryosuke paused. He could tell—Shisui was different. Not a blind loyalist, not a pawn.
He respected that.
"If it's you, Shisui... I'll give you an explanation," Ryosuke said, stopping his pursuit of Danzo. "But make it quick. That bastard won't stay down forever."
Read ahead with 90+ chapters now and daily updates!
@patreon.com/Zefyrus