Stunned.
Completely stunned.
The four highest authorities of the Senju Clan froze where they stood.
Their eyes locked onto Ryujin—
Filled with utter disbelief.
They—
The mighty Senju—
Had just been defeated by an Uchiha.
And not merely defeated—
But utterly crushed in the very domain they had always taken pride in the most.
"…Uchiha Ryujin… you… what… what are you…?"
Senju Genma forced the words out, his chest tightening violently as though something inside him was about to rupture.
Yet the question never fully formed.
How could he ask it?
How could he question why Ryujin was this powerful?
Wouldn't that mean admitting—
That the Senju were inferior?
For generations, the Senju and Uchiha had stood as equals.
Rivals.
Opposites.
But now—
That balance had been shattered.
No—
Annihilated.
Their princess—
Carrying his child.
Their strength—
Inferior to his.
Under the weight of that overwhelming humiliation, Genma's body trembled violently.
"Pfft—!"
A mouthful of blood burst from his lips.
His vision blurred—
And in the next instant—
He collapsed unconscious.
"…You're old."
Ryujin's voice remained calm.
Cold.
Unshaken.
"You're no longer fit to lead the Senju."
A brief silence followed.
"The era has changed."
Yes.
It had.
And Ryujin—
Would be the one to define it.
Truthfully, he had long intended to move against the Senju.
And now—
The perfect opportunity had finally arrived.
The three remaining elders exchanged glances.
No more hesitation.
They attacked simultaneously.
But—
Ryujin vanished.
Again.
Their combined assault struck nothing but empty air.
And in the next instant—
He appeared behind them.
The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan spun slowly within his eyes, radiating a cold and ominous glow throughout the chamber.
Ryujin raised his kunai.
If he intended to dismantle the Senju—
Then he would begin with its foundation.
This time, the elders reacted immediately.
Hand seals formed at blinding speed.
In that brief instant, they had already analyzed the situation completely.
Ryujin possessed overwhelming superiority in close combat.
Speed.
Strength.
Reaction time.
All monstrously beyond reason.
So there was only one option.
Distance.
Long-range suppression.
Their only chance at survival.
"Water Release — Vortex Piercing Spear!"
A spiraling mass of water condensed within one elder's hand—
Compressing.
Sharpening.
Until it transformed into a deadly, high-density lance of water.
It shot forward with explosive force, tearing through the air with a deafening sonic boom.
An S-rank technique.
Powerful enough to pierce steel itself.
At the same moment—
The other two elders moved.
"Water Release — Raging Dragon Devour!"
A massive pillar of water erupted skyward, twisting violently before taking the form of a colossal dragon.
The beast roared as it surged toward Ryujin with jaws wide open.
"Earth Release — Quicksand Torrent!"
The ground beneath Ryujin instantly liquefied, transforming into a violent current of mud that sought to drag him underground.
And it didn't stop there.
The instant the techniques were unleashed—
The elders retreated.
Farther.
Farther still.
Creating distance.
Maximizing their chances of survival.
At the same time, a storm of kunai rained toward him, sealing off every possible escape route.
"Water Release — Water Dragon Bullet!"
"Water Release — Flowing Surge!"
"Earth Release — Stone Dragon Barrage!"
Wave after wave—
Relentless.
Precise.
Deadly.
Every attack was lethal.
Every movement was cautious.
Because they knew—
If they made even a single mistake—
They would die.
Just like the Great Elder.
For the first time in their lives—
The Senju were forced to fight carefully.
Fearfully.
Cautiously.
Against—
An Uchiha.
"…A reasonable strategy."
Ryujin's calm voice echoed through the battlefield.
"But meaningless."
Within his eyes, the Eternal Mangekyō spun slowly.
Everything slowed before him.
Every technique.
Every trajectory.
Every movement.
Clear.
Predictable.
"Even if I stood still…"
"…you would still lose."
His figure flickered—
And disappeared.
Every attack missed effortlessly.
The evolved Flying Thunder God Technique made evasion absolute.
"…So this is why this technique is feared…"
Ryujin muttered faintly.
His body reappeared—
Then vanished again.
Like a phantom.
Like a god.
Untouchable.
Unreachable.
Yes, the technique consumed chakra.
But Ryujin's reserves were beyond imagination.
After being tempered by world-origin energy, both his chakra and physical stamina had undergone a complete transformation.
And beyond that—
There was still more.
Saeko.
Shizuka.
Through the Life-Bound Contract, they continuously supplied him with additional energy.
Individually, they were not especially powerful.
But together—
It was enough.
Enough to push him even further beyond human limits.
To the elders—
Ryujin no longer resembled a human being.
He looked like—
A monster.
"…How is this possible…?"
Space-time ninjutsu—
They could accept that much.
But this?
He had been using it continuously from the moment he entered the battlefield.
Without pause.
Without exhaustion.
"…Impossible…"
They couldn't understand it.
They couldn't comprehend it.
And soon—
They wouldn't need to.
Because the battle—
Was over.
Completely.
Even against four near-Kage-level elites, Ryujin achieved total domination.
No struggle.
No injuries.
No damage whatsoever.
Only—
Absolute superiority.
The combination of the evolved Flying Thunder God Technique and the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan—
Was simply overwhelming.
Silence returned to the battlefield.
Ryujin did not linger.
Turning away, he began searching through the Senju compound.
For one person.
Tsunade.
Pregnant.
That single fact still echoed endlessly within his mind.
Unexpected.
Unbelievable.
Yet undeniably real.
A strange mixture of emotions surfaced within him.
Surprise.
A faint trace of joy.
And something else—
Weight.
Responsibility.
"…I'm going to be a father?"
Even now, it still felt unreal.
He didn't know whether he should feel happiness—
Or pressure.
But one thing was certain.
First—
He needed to find her.
Everything else—
Could wait.
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