"You have already become a dragon, why are you still crawling like a four-legged snake? Don't tell me you still can't fly???"
Facing Ryun's question, the Black Dragon clearly froze for a moment.
"To fly requires borrowing the power of natural winds, and also needs extremely powerful sage chakra as support... It's not that easy to just fly whenever you want..."
The Black Dragon stiffened its neck and retorted.
"I declare you the most useless dragon in the entire universe!" Ryun couldn't help but mock.
"Bastard! If you keep talking nonsense, I'll just return to Ryūchi Cave right now!"
The Black Dragon roared angrily, its tail swinging fiercely, instantly smashing two Rain-nin into bloody pulp. They were clearly not going to survive.
"I've been training hard in sage techniques recently, not daring to slack off, all for the sake of one day being able to ride the wind and soar through the heavens..."
Using its dragon claws to grab a Rain-nin who got too close, the Black Dragon spoke unhurriedly.
"As the son of the White Snake Sage, don't you naturally possess sage techniques and sage chakra? Why do you still need to train?"
Even though there were many enemies around, Ryun couldn't help but ask.
"Don't I need to reproduce? Before, I was busy mating, dedicating my youth to expanding the snake clan of Ryūchi Cave, and didn't have time to practice sage techniques or gather sage chakra..." The Black Dragon awkwardly replied.
"You..."
Ryun was left speechless by its words. He then stopped arguing and swung his sword to deflect the hidden weapons shot by the enemies.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
A Rain-nin Jonin unleashed a powerful water jutsu. A massive flood carrying mud and debris slammed into the Black Dragon.
Facing such an attack, the Black Dragon remained calm, even seeming to flash a hint of excitement.
"Hold on tight, grab my horns, don't let the flood wash you away!"
The Black Dragon charged straight into the flood the next moment.
A dragon is a creature that controls wind and waves. The massive flood couldn't repel it at all. Its body moved with incredible agility in the flood, easily swimming upstream at astonishing speed!
In just a few breaths, the Black Dragon closed in on that Jonin.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Needles!" Ryun flung out a barrage of lightning needles.
The Rain-nin Jonin couldn't dodge in time, getting hit in the legs by several needles. Stumbling, he was caught up by the Black Dragon and promptly devoured.
"Let's retreat, more enemies are coming!" Ryun sounded urgent.
"Wait a bit longer... They're not that strong... What's there to..."
Boom!!!
Before the Black Dragon could finish speaking, a powerful bolt of lightning struck it directly, forcing out a pained dragon roar.
A Lightning Release expert among the Rain-nin had arrived and attacked!
Ryun wasn't directly hit, and at the critical moment, he used Chidori Current to block the conductive lightning, so he was unharmed.
"Even ants can kill an elephant if there are enough of them. Don't underestimate ninja!" Ryun shouted in warning.
"Lightning Release: Divine Punishment!"
The Rain-nin Lightning Release expert attacked again. A massive lightning bolt formed rapidly in the dark sky.
But this bolt didn't land on the Black Dragon as intended. Instead, it veered wildly off course, even accidentally striking several Rain-nin allies.
"How is this possible!!!"
The Rain-nin's face was filled with disbelief.
"That brat... actually diverted my Lightning Release jutsu???"
Ryun was holding a ball of lightning high in his hand. Using Chidori's lightning as a guide and combining it with the Falling Thunder technique, he forcibly interfered with the enemy's Lightning Release jutsu.
This move was originally best used with natural lightning, but the conditions weren't yet right to perform "Lightning Release: Kirin."
"Well done, kid!"
The Black Dragon couldn't help but praise.
Even though it had evolved into a dragon, it still feared lightning. This was an innate fear rooted in its bloodline. Unless it one day evolved into a true dragon, it wouldn't be able to shake off this psychological shadow.
"Enough talk, run now!"
Ryun finally lost his temper this time.
The Black Dragon curled its lips and reluctantly dashed quickly toward the southeast.
Before leaving, it took a deep breath. The surrounding rain instantly formed a funnel shape, all of it sucked into its mouth.
"Sage Art: Water Pillar!"
The next moment, an incredibly powerful water pillar shot out from its mouth.
The unstoppable water pillar instantly crushed a Rain-nin Jonin into bloody paste. Wherever the water pillar passed, everything—people, buildings, trees—was obliterated!
The power of this sage technique left Ryun utterly stunned.
With a turn of its head, the Black Dragon widened the water pillar's attack path. Many Rain-nin were blown apart on the spot, and the encirclement was torn open by the Black Dragon's powerful sage technique.
Through this gap, the Black Dragon slithered out like a four-legged snake, moving at shocking speed.
Boom!!!
A barrage of explosive tag kunai landed beneath it. Enduring the violent explosions, the Black Dragon roared repeatedly as it fled swiftly toward the outskirts of Ryūmon Town.
After its second evolution, the Black Dragon's body was as hard as steel. Even though the explosive shockwaves sent it staggering, its speed barely slowed.
The explosions only caused it pain but couldn't even shatter a single scale. The toughness of its dragon body left Ryun in awe.
"Not bad, Old Black. I didn't expect you to be so tough... And that sage technique was insanely powerful!" Ryun praised generously.
"Old... Old Black??? From now on, address me as Dragon Lord, got it, brat!!!" The Black Dragon snorted two jets of water vapor, shaking its head fiercely as a warning.
"Don't let that beast escape!" A Rain-nin Jonin shouted urgently.
Seeing the enemies still in pursuit, Ryun lost the mood to bicker. Using chakra to stick firmly to the Black Dragon's back, he ran from its head to its tail.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Ryun quickly formed hand seals, unleashing another powerful water jutsu.
With a massive output of chakra, a great flood crashed into the pursuers, cutting off most of their chase.
The Black Dragon seized the chance to speed up, soon breaking free of the encirclement and plunging straight into a river.
In the water, the Black Dragon moved even faster. Faced with the dark, raging currents, the Rain-nin on the shore gave up the chase, all of them staring silently at the massive black shadow drifting away.
"Hahaha!!!"
Standing atop the dragon's head, Ryun couldn't help but laugh heartily.
At this moment, he seemed so triumphant. The feeling of riding a dragon was indescribably wonderful. This was the fantasy dream of every young man, and now, in this world, he had made it come true!
Even though it was dark and rainy, with no one to witness his heroic figure riding a dragon, the thrill of cutting through the waves still made him laugh uncontrollably.