The Raikage, A, was indeed very strong, his fighting style similar to Ryosuke's.
And precisely because of this, A, who was being suppressed by Ryosuke in every aspect, was unable to inflict any real damage on Ryosuke.
The key still lay in the Eight-Tails, Gyūki.
The small aircraft continuously fired bullets.
Eight bullets carrying bombs, one after another, fell onto Gyūki's head and chest, precisely covering all fatal areas.
The continuous explosions blasted the Eight-Tails into a headless "corpse."
A crack split open behind the Eight-Tails, and Killer B's incomparably weak body fell down.
Gyūki's voice appeared in Killer B's heart, ["B… this is the last thing I can do to help you. For a short time, I won't be able to enter tailed-beast transformation anymore. Next… run…"]
"Run?"
Falling from the air, Killer B strenuously turned his head, locking eyes with Ryosuke, who was rushing in with a blade.
In Ryosuke's eyes there was no hatred, only boundless focus. Facing the enemy's past invasion, he was only doing what he ought to do, just like what he had learned in his previous life,
"The invader may advance, so may I."
So, Ryosuke came.
Out of courtesy, he had even specially gone to Falling Snow Village to take the Ruin Greatsword, just so he could converse with the people of Hidden Cloud Village calmly and peacefully.
Ryosuke felt that fighting to this point was about enough.
After all, Hidden Cloud Village and Ryuchi Cave were two different matters.
But A's "can die, but will not lose" reminded Ryosuke, that in this world, there was something called cultural differences.
Since that's the case…
"Then let's do as the locals do."
Ryosuke gripped the blade with both hands, instantly chasing up to the falling Killer B from behind the Eight-Tails.
His left foot stabbed fiercely into the ground, halting the momentum of his charge, and he converted all that force into the strength of swinging his blade.
A, who had just been swept away by a tail, appeared once more, using his only remaining hand to desperately catch the Ruin Greatsword.
He had already prepared himself for the Lightning Release chakra explosion, for his arm to once again be severed by the blade's edge.
But the explosion did not appear.
What appeared was, a fist larger than his own head.
"Ora!"
Star Platinum's fist smashed into A's head.
Even with Lightning Release chakra's protection, this punch still made his head buzz, his whole body frozen in place.
"Ora ora ora ora!"
It was neither time-stop, nor Killer Queen's explosions.
All of that was too fast.
Ryosuke was simply relying on a pair of iron fists, little by little, right before Killer B, right before all the ninja of Hidden Cloud Village, to completely blow apart… the Raikage, whom they regarded as their strongest.
He wanted everyone to see clearly, and remember it in their hearts.
Countless bursts of blood splattered from A's body, all his internal organs shattered. To prevent him from escaping midway, his legs were also beaten and broken directly, both calves flying off, landing dozens of meters away.
With an uppercut, A was punched into the air. Star Platinum narrowed its eyes slightly, right fist clenched tightly.
This punch would be the end of him.
Suddenly, with a thud, Killer B dropped to his knees on the ground.
"We admit defeat! Ryosuke! I beg you, don't kill big brother!"
Star Platinum's final punch did not swing out. A's body heavily slammed onto the ground, as he roared in fury, "B! Begging an enemy for mercy, what are you doing! I would rather die than have my life exchanged for my brother's kneeling!"
"But big brother…"
Killer B looked at A, who was nearly beaten into a cripple, his eyes red, filled with nothing but despair, "We can't win!"
Star Platinum silently disappeared.
Ryosuke's gaze fell onto Killer B, "So now you want to talk with me calmly?"
"Y-yes."
"No… not yet."
Seeing Ryosuke slowly clench his fist again, Killer B's heart sank to the bottom. But Ryosuke merely punched A's face.
Zzzzt… click!
Two discs popped out.
Ryosuke collected A's memory and ninjutsu discs.
"Brother Ryosuke, here."
Sasuke walked over, holding freshly brewed hot tea.
Ryosuke accepted two cups, gently sipped one, and handed the other to Killer B.
"Stand up. Now…"
"We can talk."
Killer B looked at the hot tea handed over, then at his big brother lying on the ground, missing one arm and two legs. For a moment he felt dazed, thinking the scene before him was absurdly simple, as if a dream.
Just then, a pile of girl photos slipped out from A's pocket, scattering onto the ground, these were the partners he had sought out for Sasuke earlier.
Killer B sighed.
What dream?
No matter how absurd a dream, it could not compare to reality.
'Suddenly… I've got inspiration.' Killer B thought.
For the first time in life, he felt joy at inspiration arriving.
———
The war ended along with the boiling of the tea.
Hidden Cloud Village was defeated by one man.
This was unimaginable news, yet it was a fact witnessed by countless eyes.
Indeed, only the Raikage and the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki had been defeated. Hidden Cloud still had tens of thousands of ninja troops, as well as numerous war weapons.
But under Ryosuke's explosive speed, not a single ninjutsu or weapon could land a hit on him.
Even… the Raikage and the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki together had not forced Ryosuke to reveal his ability of ultra-speed regeneration.
Surely they couldn't really gamble on the phrase, "Even if Ryosuke is that strong, it's impossible for him to wipe out the entire Hidden Cloud Village"?
———
[One Hour Later]
Ryosuke sat in the Raikage's building.
The Raikage was sent for emergency treatment.
With Hidden Cloud Village's medical technology plus A's physical resilience, saving his life was naturally not difficult.
But with his memories and ninjutsu discs in Ryosuke's hands, unless Ryosuke nodded, he would never wake up.
Bandaged Killer B sat opposite Ryosuke. Behind him stood the Raikage's secretary, Mabui, and the Raikage's guard, Darui.
Both of them looked extremely tense, as if afraid Ryosuke would draw his blade in anger and cut them down.
After a short silence, Mabui said, "Mr. Ryosuke, regarding your purpose… we already fully understand. Hidden Cloud Village will prepare the reparations for the previous Mist Village attack."
Ryosuke shook his head slightly. "No, reparations are only one part. I have three demands."
Ryosuke said, "First, compensation for the personnel and building damage caused by your attack on Mist Village… this point we already mentioned."
"Second, within Hidden Cloud Village's ninja academy, add a course. I will give you the specific details."
"Third, stop the arms race."
After hearing Ryosuke's demands, Killer B's expression grew increasingly worse.
He looked around, then finally clenched his teeth and said, "Ryosuke, the first and second requests, I have no issue. I can agree to them right now. But the third… I cannot agree."
"Hidden Cloud Village, or rather, at least one village, must fully develop its military."
After Killer B finished, he thought Ryosuke would fly into a rage, after all, the ferocity he had shown during the battle was deeply engraved into everyone's hearts.
But Ryosuke only politely asked, "May I ask the reason?"
In truth, not only Ryosuke, even Darui was equally curious.
Hidden Cloud Village seemed to have carried out an arms race for generations, every Raikage a man who would rather die than retreat.
What kind of reason could shape such a culture?
Killer B and Mabui exchanged a glance, then nodded slightly.
Mabui walked to the cabinet beside the Raikage's desk, pulled out a file from the very bottom, and placed a photo on the desk.
The photo seemed to be taken with a celestial telescope, showing the craters of the moon, something Ryosuke was all too familiar with.
And within one of the craters, there faintly appeared a blurred humanoid shadow.
'On the moon… a person?'
Killer B extended his hand, pointing at the photo, "Ryosuke, do you know, that long ago in this world, the moon did not exist?"
"So…"
Ryosuke half-opened his mouth, "You're preparing military power, for the day you may have to face aliens?!"
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