Ryo didn't look at Hiruzen, nor at Homura or Koharu. His gaze calmly swept across the conference hall before returning to Hiruzen.
His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly echoed through the silent room, carrying an air of effortless certainty.
"I refuse."
Three words. Crisp, direct. No explanation. No hesitation.
The room instantly fell silent, the air almost frozen.
Everyone was stunned. Even the "sincere" smile on Hiruzen's face completely stiffened. In the depths of his eyes, a flash of disbelief and unguarded shock flickered.
Refuse?
He actually refused?
And in such a direct, blunt manner, with no regard for face, rejecting an appointment made personally by the Hokage, one that symbolized trust and heavy responsibility?
It was a public slap in the face to the Hokage, and by extension, all of Konoha's leadership.
For the first time, Homura's brow furrowed visibly. Koharu gasped sharply, her face instantly turning ashen, eyes filled with fury and disbelief.
The muscles on Hiruzen's face twitched slightly. He suppressed the rising anger and embarrassment in his chest, struggling to maintain the Hokage's dignity. His tone dropped, laced with a subtle chill.
"Jōnin Ryo, this decision was made after careful consideration by the council. The role of ANBU Division Captain is of utmost importance, one that only those with exceptional skill can fulfill. You..."
"I already said, I refuse." Ryo interrupted calmly, his tone unchanged, but firm enough to leave no room for argument. "I have no interest in the ANBU."
He knew all too well what the ANBU was—007-style work around the clock, always on standby, constantly dealing with dirty, high-risk missions, all while demanding absolute obedience.
Trust of the Hokage? A position at the power core?
To Ryo, that was just a fancy excuse the old guard used to decorate their cage.
The Uchiha scrambled to get in for the sake of hollow recognition, to prove their clan's worth. But Ryo didn't need anyone's approval, much less a title in ANBU to prove anything.
What he pursued was freedom. To live how he wanted. To protect the people he cared about. Not to be shackled inside the Hokage's tower, doing tasks that could be meaningless, or outright filthy.
Make him a glorified errand boy who brings his own food? Dream on.
He'd rather spend that time with Kushina and Mikoto.
Hiruzen's face darkened completely. He never imagined Ryo would be so blunt, not even going through the motions of polite refusal. Beneath the table, his clenched hand trembled slightly. His voice was now heavy with restrained anger, carrying the tone of a final warning.
"Ryo! This is an order. A decision made by the village. As a Konoha shinobi, obedience is your duty. You may have made great contributions, but that doesn't give you the right to grow arrogant and ignore the rules of the village!"
"Rules?" Ryo's lips curled ever so slightly into a faint, almost mocking smirk. It vanished in a blink. "My rule is simple. I don't do things I don't want to do."
He paused, his eyes calmly sweeping past the grim-faced Hiruzen, the icy gaze of Homura, and the near-exploding Koharu. Then he gave the most half-hearted excuse possible.
"Also, I'm still recovering. I need rest. I'm not up for the ANBU's intense workload."
Recovering? Need rest?
Everyone present looked like they'd just seen a ghost.
Who didn't know that the so-called "Asura of Konoha" had rampaged through the battlefield in the Land of Rain like a demon, single-handedly crushing enemy forces? Just a few days ago, he returned to the village full of life, even kissed Kushina in public. And now he's claiming he needs rest?
That excuse was so lazy and blatant, it was like dragging the council's intelligence through the mud.
This was naked contempt.
"You!" Koharu could no longer hold it in. She slammed the table and shot to her feet, pointing at Ryo, her voice shaking with fury. "Kamiyama! You've gone too far! Is there still any respect for the Hokage in your eyes? Any respect at all?"
Homura also spoke, his tone cold and stern. "Jōnin Ryo, you'd best watch your words and attitude. Refusing an official appointment requires a valid reason. 'Recovering'? According to the latest report from the medical corps, your body is in perfect condition. You are openly defying orders!"
Hiruzen's face was black as coal. Ryo's light dismissal and perfunctory excuse were like a loud slap, striking him and the entire upper echelon square in the face.
His carefully crafted "promotion" and "arrangement" looked utterly laughable in the face of absolute strength and Ryo's unshakable will. His authority had never been so directly challenged, especially not in front of Konoha's elite and leadership.
The air in the conference hall turned icy. Suppressed shock, fury, and a touch of schadenfreude twisted together, creating a suffocating tension.
Tsunade looked at Ryo's calm, indifferent expression—one that said "this is just how I am, deal with it"—then looked at Koharu trembling with rage and Hiruzen's dark, stormy face. For some reason, she felt strangely satisfied.
She knew this would only escalate tensions. But seeing the old man completely helpless, crushed not by brute force, but by a rogue who couldn't be tamed with "rules" and "big-picture talk," it was oddly cathartic.
She even turned her head slightly to hide the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
Shikaku sighed inwardly. As expected. This "Asura" didn't play by conventional rules or yield to power structures. The council's attempt to bind him with the ANBU was doomed from the start. Now that the conflict had gone public, things would only grow sharper. He glanced at Hiruzen's grim expression and knew this wasn't over.
Fugaku sat with his head lowered, his Sharingan spinning faintly in the shadows, his thoughts unreadable. Hiashi kept his gaze on the floor, clearly pretending not to see anything.
Ryo didn't seem to notice Koharu's outburst, Homura's chilling rebuke, or even the fire practically shooting from Hiruzen's eyes. He opened his mouth again, voice calm, signaling his absolute refusal.
"I reject the appointment. Don't bother me while I'm recovering."
With that, he didn't spare another glance. He turned and walked straight toward the conference hall doors. That black figure, under all the shocked, furious, and complicated stares, walked with steady steps. No hesitation. No pause.
Just like that, in Konoha's highest-level merit recognition meeting, before the Hokage and two advisors, in front of the village's elite Jōnin, he casually refused the "appointment of trust and importance" to become ANBU Division Captain. Gave the most half-baked excuse imaginable, then... left.
Leaving behind a silent room, and the four members of Konoha's leadership with faces darker than the bottom of a pot.
Hiruzen watched Ryo's back disappear beyond the doors. His fingers gripping the pipe had gone pale from force. The embers in the bowl flickered, casting his eyes in a glow of burning fury, embarrassment, and a deep, almost suppressed powerlessness.
Koharu's chest heaved, her trembling hand still pointed at the door. After a long moment, she finally squeezed out a sentence through clenched teeth.
"Tsunade! Is this how you teach your disciple?!"
"Hmph. I don't need Advisor Koharu to tell me how to teach my student." Tsunade rolled her eyes. Finally, she remembered she was part of this circus. What, they couldn't control Ryo, so they were trying to push her around now? As if she would humor the so-called village elders.
"Old man, forget it. I'm out of here." Tsunade had no interest in staying in this boring meeting. What, were the gambling dens and bars no longer tempting? Without looking at Hiruzen's grim face, she walked straight out.
Homura removed his glasses, rubbed his temples hard, and muttered, voice heavy with fatigue and helplessness.
"Outrageous. Absolutely outrageous. No respect for his elders, no regard for law or order."
The conference room remained silent, broken only by a few shallow breaths and occasional coughs.
But Ryo's effortless display of defiance, backed by overwhelming strength, left everyone with the same clear understanding.
When you're strong enough, you can do whatever you want.
(To be continued.)