'Konan… got caught!'
Deidara stared blankly at the scene and suddenly had countless thoughts spring up.
He was obsessed with art, and at times looked silly and dumb, but Deidara wasn't truly dumb. No idiot could master clay bombs, a technique that combined brilliance and power.
'Something's off. This whole thing is very off.'
Ryosuke was very strong, but no matter how strong, it shouldn't be possible for him to face Konan, Deidara, and Uchiha Itachi together and still display such overwhelming pressure.
Deidara quickly reviewed the battlefield.
'Where did things start going wrong?'
He suddenly realized, 'From the beginning! From the moment Itachi cast genjutsu, something was wrong!'
'Why is it that the wielder of the Sharingan, the most famous genjutsu master, couldn't even handle one move from Ryosuke?'
'No one knew Ryosuke could only summon one evil spirit at a time. That was Itachi's intel. Because of that, Konan approached Ryosuke directly, and got caught.'
'And now…'
Deidara looked at the battlefield.
He himself was flying above Ryosuke. Konan had closed the distance. Only Uchiha Itachi had stayed the farthest away.
Deidara's gaze toward Uchiha Itachi grew more and more hostile.
"You... you bastard... don't tell me you're Konoha's spy?!"
If that were really the case, everything made sense.
Ryosuke and Uchiha Itachi both came from Konoha.
This time, Itachi behaved unusually determined, insisting on coming along.
"Did Konoha see that among the people coming here was Akatsuki's deputy leader, Konan, so they decided to 'close the net'?"
Deidara had devoted his life to art. The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, had seen the kid's talent and treated him with great care.
Though Deidara looked like a long-haired blond, he was actually pure-hearted. He'd never experienced such betrayal, such traitorous filth.
Deidara's mind instantly became chaotic.
Just then, he heard Uchiha Itachi shouting, "Bombs! Drop all your clay dragons, birds, every clay bomb you've got! I'll use Amaterasu to help you, we'll create a sealed zone he can't escape from!"
Facing Ryosuke, who could regrow limbs and was nearly immortal, the only method Uchiha Itachi could think of was ultra-high saturation, wide-range, non-stop bombing.
After hearing that, Deidara's brows shot up. He poked his head from atop the clay bird and shouted down at Uchiha Itachi, loudly and clearly, "Blow up your f**ing mother!!!"
The only reason Deidara hadn't ended up like Konan was because he was flying up in the sky, maintaining high mobility.
If he had really believed Itachi's bullsh*t and dropped all his clay explosives, Deidara would've been the next Konan.
This completely confirmed Deidara's belief, 'Itachi is on Ryosuke's side! They're putting on a show for me!'
Thinking of this, Deidara didn't hesitate anymore. As arrogant as he was, he didn't think he could 1v2 and kill Ryosuke and Uchiha Itachi.
Deidara controlled the clay bird, turned around, and fled. In just a moment, he disappeared into the clouds.
Uchiha Itachi didn't know what Deidara was going crazy about. When he saw Deidara had truly fled, his heart sank to the bottom.
His chakra had been heavily drained by Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi earlier.
On the other hand, Ryosuke, not only had a nearly immortal body, but could also summon two Stands at once.
"If only I could unleash Susanoo again…"
Uchiha Itachi channeled chakra into his eyes again. Orange-red chakra gathered around his body, faint outlines of ribs started to form.
But in the next second, along with a fluctuation of chakra, poof, it all dispersed again.
Still no good.
The last time he faced Ryosuke, he had activated Susanoo under the pressure of life and death, but after that, he hadn't been able to use it again.
"I'll have to retreat first... then find a way to assassinate him."
Uchiha Itachi looked deeply at Ryosuke, then transformed into a flock of crows and scattered away.
Thus, the battlefield fell silent.
Ryosuke did not go after Uchiha Itachi.
The escape skills of ninjas were too impressive. There were dozens of meters between him and Uchiha Itachi, it was too late to chase.
Ryosuke turned his head and glanced at Konan, whose eyes were dull and unfocused. He recalled what she had said about "ideals." After a moment of thought, he decided,
He would check her memories first before deciding whether to kill her.
'Is it over?'
The scouts didn't dare blink, afraid that the next second, another legendary powerhouse would jump out of some hidden corner. They waited for over ten seconds, only then did they confirm, it's over.
This battle, worthy of being recorded in history, was over.
Kabuto collapsed onto the ground.
Even now, he still couldn't believe what had happened in front of him.
One man, one Stand, stormed into another ninja village, repelled the First Hokage, the Second Tsuchikage, forcefully killed Orochimaru, captured Konan, scared off Deidara, and drove away Uchiha Itachi.
'What the hell kind of monster is this?!'
"Would you mind pouring me a cup of tea?"
Kabuto's mind went blank. He thought it was his own hallucination.
Ryosuke pointed to the teapot beside them.
Only then did Kabuto shakily get up and walk over to pour the tea.
He didn't know why he obeyed Ryosuke. Clearly this monster had killed Lord Orochimaru. But when he met Ryosuke's gaze, his body moved on its own.
'Genjutsu? It must be genjutsu… right?'
Kabuto looked at the teacup in his hand. With his skills, he could poison it without leaving any trace. It wouldn't even take a second, but...
He didn't dare.
"Thank you."
Ryosuke took the hot tea, looked around, and felt countless gazes fall upon him.
Curiosity, hatred, anger, longing... the emotions in those gazes were too complicated. Ryosuke couldn't be bothered to distinguish them all. He raised his cup slightly and said to everyone, openly or hidden, "This was a private grudge between me and Orochimaru. It has nothing to do with you."
"Of course, if you want to avenge Orochimaru, I understand. Anyone who wants revenge can step forward now."
After speaking, Ryosuke pulled over a chair, sat down, and slowly sipped his tea, one mouthful at a time.
Until the tea was finished, not a single person stepped forward.
Ryosuke handed the teacup back to Kabuto.
"Thank you."
He stood up again. "Everyone, let's meet again if fate allows."
Ryosuke strapped the Ruin Greatsword back on his back, slung Konan over one shoulder, and swaggered away.
———
Konan was awakened by cold. Night wind blew on her body.
She curled up. A blanket was thrown over her, it still held warmth. Konan instinctively hugged it and inhaled its scent,
Suddenly, Konan snapped out of it. She remembered everything that had happened earlier.
'I was captured by Ryosuke!'
Her instincts told her to open her eyes, but years of ninja training overrode that instinct. She pretended to stay asleep, groaned softly, and turned over with her back to Ryosuke.
Only then did Konan slowly open her eyes.
She was in a forest of unknown location. It was night. Through the gaps in the trees, she could see a scattering of stars. Warm yellow firelight shone from behind, warming her back.
Ryosuke's breathing could be heard just a few meters away. She could also smell grilled meat.
'He actually didn't kill me?'
When the white snake came right up to her, Konan really thought she was dead.
But, being alive was the most important thing.
She formed a seal with both hands at her chest, deciding to first get out of Ryosuke's attack range, then make another plan.
But at that very moment, a powerful compulsion arose in her heart, 'I must not leave. I must stay beside Ryosuke. I must obey him.'
The ninjutsu she was halfway through forming, stopped.
"Since you're awake, stop pretending to sleep." Ryosuke's voice came from behind her.
Konan suddenly sat up, holding her chest with her left hand, feeling the absolute obedience that came from deep inside.
"What did you do to me?!"
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