Chapter 341 – Ryoha and Madara
On a wide street filled with prosperity and life, a man walked along the road at an unhurried pace. Yet the scene around him looked strangely unnatural.
Although the street bustled with people moving back and forth, the pedestrians deliberately kept their distance, forming an empty space around the man as if guided by an unspoken rule.
This peculiar sight caught the attention of a young boy wearing black sunglasses. Driven by curiosity, he stepped closer and looked at the cold man before him.
"Konoha… has truly become prosperous," Madara said as he watched the people passing by. The sight seemed to amuse him somewhat. But then a faint, disdainful smile appeared on his lips. "To think even I could be carried away by an atmosphere like this."
As Madara returned fully to his senses, he noticed the presence of a strange-looking boy standing nearby. Although he hadn't paid much attention to his surroundings before, the fact that a child had approached him without making a single sound—without him even noticing—still felt odd. Of course, that was also because the boy showed absolutely no hostility.
Madara looked at the boy and felt a vague sense of familiarity that he couldn't quite explain. Still, he paid it no mind and continued walking forward.
After some time, Madara finally couldn't ignore him any longer.
"Boy, what exactly do you want?" Madara asked in a cold voice.
"Oh, oh, how scary," Ryoha said with a teasing smile curling at the corner of his lips.
Seeing that smile and hearing that tone, Madara immediately understood something.
"Hmph." Madara snorted. He had no intention of making a fuss over a mere child. He simply continued walking.
"You're very strong. What's your name, strong man?" Ryoha dropped his playful expression. His face turned serious as he stared sharply at Madara.
"Oh?" Madara turned his head and looked at Ryoha. He hadn't expected this boy to be able to see his strength. That alone surprised him slightly.
"Boy, when asking someone else's name, you should state your own first," Madara said, looking directly at him.
"Me? I'm the strongest man in the future. My name is Hatake Ryoha," Hatake Ryoha said with a confident smile.
"The strongest?" A flicker of disdain flashed through Madara's eyes.
"What? You doubt me?"
Madara didn't answer, but his expression alone made it clear that he didn't believe the boy's words.
If Ryoha had said that one day he might surpass Madara, perhaps Madara wouldn't have objected. He could see limitless potential within this boy. But surpass his father? That was almost impossible. That man had already surpassed the limits of this world.
"Tch. Then let's test it," Ryoha said.
"I have no interest in playing house with you," Madara replied dismissively.
At that moment, Ryoha vanished from where he stood and appeared directly in front of Madara. The small figure, not even reaching Madara's waist, now stood right before him.
Madara was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected this boy to have mastered space-time ninjutsu.
"Boy, aren't you afraid of dying?" Madara asked coldly.
"You can't kill me," Ryoha said.
Madara opened his Sharingan, preparing to teach the boy a lesson. His gaze hardened, and the power of his dōjutsu surged toward Ryoha.
But to Madara's surprise, the boy was completely unaffected.
"Sharingan? You're from the Uchiha clan? But Sasuke never mentioned you. Don't tell me you're Uchiha Itachi?" Ryoha said.
"No… according to Sasuke, his older brother shouldn't be this strong," Ryoha continued.
"Why aren't you affected?" Madara stared at Ryoha sharply.
"Oh? Because I'm immune to all kinds of genjutsu," Ryoha said as he removed his sunglasses, revealing his eyes.
"No wonder… the same glasses as your father," Madara said, showing no sign of surprise.
"You know my father?" Ryoha grew even more curious.
He knew that lately his father spent more time playing with his younger sisters or accompanying his mothers shopping, and rarely traveled around the shinobi world.
"I came to Konoha this time precisely because of him," Madara said.
"Oh? So you came to fight my father?" Ryoha asked, full of curiosity.
Madara glanced at him. At first, he had no intention of paying any more attention to this boy, but in the end, he gave a faint nod.
"Tch. If you want to defeat that annoying father of mine, you'll have to get past me first," Ryoha said.
Madara looked at Ryoha, whose body was filled with fighting spirit, and inwardly nodded. This child was indeed talented. Madara had always appreciated gifted shinobi who loved battle.
"Since you inherited Hatake Yusuke's Six Eyes, you must have inherited his Limitless Technique as well. Even so, you're still not my opponent. Boy, perhaps in the future you might surpass me, but right now—that's impossible," Madara said coldly.
Ryoha fell silent for a moment. He also realized he was not Madara's opponent. Even though he believed the Limitless was extremely powerful, he had a strong intuition that this man could certainly break through it.
Besides, he was still too young, and his mastery remained limited. If the Limitless were neutralized, relying on Jōnin-level taijutsu alone would clearly not be enough.
"…Alright," Ryoha finally said.
He put his sunglasses back on, then looked at Madara and said, "I don't know why you want to fight my unbeatable father, but there's one thing you should know. My father is invincible."
Ryoha spoke seriously, making Madara look at him again with a hint of appreciation.
"I will not lose," Madara said arrogantly.
"Actually, I don't want to interfere in this matter, but since I have a fairly good impression of you, I'll tell you this. You are indeed very strong. In fact, I think you're far stronger than my uncle," Ryoha said.
Madara paused.
"Then why are you so certain I'm not his opponent?" Madara asked.
"With these eyes, even if I can't see all the strength you're hiding, I can at least estimate it. But my father's power—from the very beginning until now—I've never been able to understand it at all," Ryoha said.
Madara said nothing. He simply walked toward Yusuke's house.
Ryoha also remained silent and followed behind him.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Tsunade looked extremely furious.
"Damn it! Where did that brat run off to again? Why isn't he home yet? Is he trying to make me die of anger?" Tsunade grumbled.
"Ahem, Sister-in-law, please don't be angry yet. After Ryoha left my place earlier, he said he just wanted to take a walk," Kakashi said.
"Hmph! Look at your good son. Just like you, not one of you ever gives me any peace," Tsunade said, redirecting her anger toward Yusuke.
"Ahem, Tsuna-chan, what does this have to do with me? When I was a kid, I was far more obedient than that brat," Yusuke said with a face full of grievance.
In truth, Yusuke's words weren't entirely wrong. After all, he had possessed the soul of an adult since childhood. No matter how fast Ryoha developed, he was still just a child.
Outside the door, Ryoha had already returned and happened to hear his mother's furious roar. His body trembled instinctively. Still, he didn't dare run away. He knew that if he fled, Tsunade would only become even angrier.
"Mom… um, I'm home," Ryoha said nervously as he looked at Tsunade.
Tsunade stared at Ryoha with a face full of anger.
Ryoha immediately turned toward Yusuke on the sofa, silently begging for help with his eyes.
Yusuke simply shrugged, showing that there was nothing he could do.
Seeing father and son exchanging signals right in front of her, Tsunade actually laughed out of sheer anger.
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