Ryusuke's Weakness, Returning to the Village

"Hinata, is Teacher Kurenai all right?"

After merging the five white orbs of light, Ryusuke came before Hinata and Aburame Shino, looking at Yuhi Kurenai lying on the ground as he asked.

While casting a healing technique on Yuhi Kurenai, Hinata replied, "Teacher Kurenai is fine. She was only knocked unconscious by the electricity."

"That's good."

Ryusuke nodded, his mood slightly heavy.

Yuhi Kurenai's condition had served as a warning to Ryusuke.

In terms of destructive power, Ryusuke, having developed the Hard Vortex Water Blade, already possessed the ability to kill enemies above his level.

After all, aside from the Fourth Raikage, who specialized in Nintaijutsu, the other Five Kage had physiques no different from ordinary people.

As long as they were hit by a Water Spear, death was inevitable.

The same was true for Ryusuke.

Aside from a few exceptional experts, ninjas in the world of Naruto were all fragile mages with high offense and low defense.

Yuhi Kurenai had merely taken a Lightning Ball head-on and been knocked unconscious.

Ryusuke felt that he would not fare much better if he took such an attack himself.

Before his Sage Body fully developed and granted him Markless Healing, or before he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and gained the absolute defense of Susanoo, Ryusuke's current weaknesses were defense and speed.

If he encountered an enemy with astonishing defenses or Body Flicker speed faster than his own, Ryusuke, who possessed only high destructive power, would be put at a considerable disadvantage.

With that thought, Ryusuke knew what aspect he needed to improve next.

"Ryusuke-kun, Teacher Kurenai is awake."

At that moment, Hinata's delighted voice reached his ears.

Turning his head, he saw Yuhi Kurenai, who had been lying on the ground, slowly open crimson eyes identical to Ryusuke's. Her gaze was somewhat unfocused, as though she had just woken from sleep.

"Teacher Kurenai, are you all right?"

Ryusuke's voice pulled Yuhi Kurenai back to her senses.

Seeing Ryusuke before her, along with the mountainside and sky behind him, Yuhi Kurenai abruptly sat up, then stood, looking around vigilantly. "Ryusuke, are you all right?"

Before the three of them could reply, Yuhi Kurenai, having risen too quickly, suddenly saw darkness before her eyes. With insufficient blood flowing to her brain, she toppled toward Ryusuke.

Only a few centimeters shorter than Yuhi Kurenai, Ryusuke immediately reached out and supported her, soothingly saying, "Don't worry, Teacher Kurenai. Raiga Kurosuki is already dead."

"What?"

Yuhi Kurenai, whose heart had been full of worry, froze instantly. Her beautiful eyes widened. "Raiga Kurosuki is dead?"

Before Ryusuke could nod, Aburame Shino said, "He was killed by Ryusuke's new ninjutsu. His body is over there."

Following the direction Aburame Shino pointed, Yuhi Kurenai indeed saw a corpse. It was Raiga Kurosuki, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

Yuhi Kurenai's emotions immediately became complicated.

She was both proud of her disciple and deeply ashamed of herself.

As their teacher, not only had she failed to protect her disciples, she had even needed her disciple to protect her. What a failure!

At that moment, Yuhi Kurenai recognized her own weakness and regained the motivation she had lost long ago.

She could not keep drinking and wasting away. If she did not train hard, she would truly become a joke among the jonin instructors.

Thus, Yuhi Kurenai patted Ryusuke's shoulder as he supported her and smiled. "Ryusuke, well done!"

Seeing Yuhi Kurenai's aura suddenly change, Ryusuke was somewhat puzzled, but he still smiled respectfully. "It was thanks to the Body Freeze Technique you taught me, Teacher Kurenai. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to catch that man's opening and kill him."

So that was it!

Yuhi Kurenai and Aburame Shino both seemed to realize something.

The former now knew how Ryusuke had killed Raiga Kurosuki, while the latter finally understood why Raiga Kurosuki had not dodged just now and had instead stood still and taken Ryusuke's attack.

He had thought the rain had obstructed Raiga Kurosuki's vision. It turned out Ryusuke had immobilized him with the Body Freeze Technique.

"Raiga Kurosuki was a rogue ninja from Kirigakure and one of the first Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Because he took Kirigakure's Lightning Blade: Kiba when he defected, his bounty on the Black Market is very high—but only if he and Lightning Blade: Kiba are turned in together."

Having recovered, Yuhi Kurenai came to Raiga Kurosuki's corpse and looked around. She soon found the Lightning Blade: Kiba lying on the ground.

After picking it up, Yuhi Kurenai looked at Ryusuke and asked, "Ryusuke, you killed Raiga Kurosuki. His head and Lightning Blade: Kiba are both your spoils of war. Do you want this ninja blade, or Raiga Kurosuki's bounty?"

"Teacher Kurenai, I want this ninja blade." Ryusuke answered without hesitation.

Having already decided what he needed to improve next, Ryusuke needed this ninja blade's abilities to assist him.

"Fine, this ninja blade is yours."

Yuhi Kurenai handed Lightning Blade: Kiba to Ryusuke. "Use it without worry. Once we return to the village, I'll report it to Lord Hokage."

After speaking, Yuhi Kurenai took out a Storage Scroll and prepared to store Raiga Kurosuki's corpse.

Raiga Kurosuki's brain had not been damaged, so this corpse was extremely valuable to Konoha, which had the Yamanaka Clan.

Once they handed this corpse over to the village, even if people from Kirigakure saw Lightning Blade: Kiba in Ryusuke's hands, they would not have to fear Kirigakure using diplomatic means to force Ryusuke to return it.

Watching Yuhi Kurenai handle the corpse, Ryusuke seemed to think of something, and his expression suddenly changed.

He hurriedly said, "Teacher Kurenai, can you let me handle this corpse?"

Hearing that, Yuhi Kurenai's movements paused slightly. She turned to look at Ryusuke's serious expression.

A few seconds later, Yuhi Kurenai smiled and took out an Exploding Tag, placing it on Raiga Kurosuki's corpse—or rather, on his head.

"Get back!"

As the Exploding Tag began burning on its own, Team 8 immediately vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.

Boom—

With a tremendous explosion, Raiga Kurosuki and the youth inside the raincoat were both blown to pieces.

After destroying the evidence, Yuhi Kurenai clapped her hands and smiled. "All right, let's return to the village."

Seeing this, Ryusuke could not help asking, "Teacher Kurenai, aren't you going to ask why?"

"There's no need. Everyone has secrets they don't want discovered."

Yuhi Kurenai patted Ryusuke's shoulder again and smiled. "You can use Lightning Blade: Kiba without worry. As for Raiga Kurosuki's corpse, I'll explain to Lord Hokage that we used a scheme to blow him to pieces."

Looking at Yuhi Kurenai, who had chosen him without hesitation between loyalty and her disciple, warmth surged through Ryusuke's heart. He smiled sincerely. "Thank you, Teacher Kurenai."

At the same time, Ryusuke felt a lingering fear in his heart.

His secret had nearly been exposed!

When he saw Yuhi Kurenai dealing with the corpse, Ryusuke suddenly recalled Kakuzu from the original story, as well as the Yamanaka Clan's secret technique—Mind Reading Technique.

This ninjutsu required no equipment to read someone's thoughts and the memories in their brain, even if the target was merely a dead person.

The technique Ryusuke had used to immobilize Raiga Kurosuki had not been the Body Freeze Technique at all. It had been the Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique from the Sharingan.

Ryusuke did not know whether Kirigakure had placed a seal on Raiga Kurosuki's brain, but he did not dare gamble on that possibility.

If Konoha F4 learned that he possessed the Sharingan, Ryusuke could already imagine what would happen next.

At that moment, Ryusuke learned his lesson.

Even the dead could not keep secrets. The bodies had to be destroyed completely.

Thus, Ryusuke took out a Storage Scroll and went to collect the fragments of Raiga Kurosuki's and the youth's corpses.

Watching the busy Ryusuke, Team 8 did not stop him or ask questions.

However, Yuhi Kurenai and the other two were filled with curiosity.

Clearly, the method Ryusuke had used to take down Raiga Kurosuki was not as simple as it appeared.

They just did not know whether it was a secret technique or a Kekkei Genkai.

After Ryusuke finished clearing away the remains, Team 8 began their return journey.

Unlike the five days it had taken them to come, Team 8 used the Body Flicker Technique to travel and returned from the Land of Rivers to Konoha in less than half a day.

By then, it was just dusk.

"I'm going to report the mission results to Lord Hokage. You three should go home."

The moment they entered the village gates, Yuhi Kurenai said to the three of them, "You have three days off. Get some proper rest during this time."

"Yes, Teacher Kurenai."

The somewhat exhausted Ryusuke and the others all nodded in response.

After they parted ways, Ryusuke separated from Hinata and Aburame Shino as well. He did not invite Hinata over to his house for dinner.

During this time, all three of them had been exhausted.

It was not only physical exhaustion, but mental exhaustion as well.

Ryusuke only wanted to go home, take a bath, eat a simple meal, and then get a good night's sleep.

Just as Ryusuke was preparing to buy fresh ingredients, he suddenly brushed past someone.

His steps paused slightly. Ryusuke turned to look at the person behind him, and a sharp glint flashed through his eyes.

It was an old man wearing a conical hat, carrying a wooden box on his back and holding a bottle of sake.

Although the manga and anime had become reality, and this was the first time Ryusuke had seen the old man, he recognized the man's identity at once.

There was no other reason. Over the past twelve years, whenever Ryusuke sorted through the main plot and important events, this man was always the first person to come to mind!

The bridge builder from the Land of Waves... Tazuna!