Dealing with the Opponents

Ryosuke and the other two seemed to be having a hard time.

Sanhe was doing a little better, but his chakra consumption was astonishingly high.

Shisui watched from the woods, but showed no intention of stepping in.

"You little brat from the Uchiha Clan, die!"

Raizo, who was fighting Ryosuke, made the first move. He twisted his big hand, and Ryosuke's head lolled to one side.

But the scene Raizo had imagined, with Ryosuke's head separated from his body and blood everywhere, never happened.

Instead, the Ryosuke in his hands turned into a piece of wood.

"Substitution Technique? When?"

Raizo looked around in surprise.

Then he suddenly felt the ground shake beneath his feet, and the next moment, he fell into a hole.

"Ah! Help me!"

Raizo cried out and immediately called to the other two for help.

But the hole he was in was soon buried.

Ryosuke appeared above it.

He dusted off his hands, then took out an apple and started eating.

[ Ding! Congratulations, host. You have killed an enemy and randomly plundered a ninjutsu: Lightning Style: Lightning Curtain. ]

"Lightning Curtain? Why does this move sound so familiar? It seems like Asuma's move. Shouldn't this be a technique only the previous generation could use?"

Ryosuke froze for a moment, then quickly grinned.

Looks like he was in luck. This ninjutsu could be used both offensively and defensively, and should be at least B-rank.

He didn't immediately test the ninjutsu he had plundered, but looked toward the other side of the battlefield.

Miyuki and Sanhe were both having a hard time.

Although they were both elites of the Uchiha Clan, fighting Cloud Ninja Chunin was still difficult without using the power of the Sharingan.

Miyuki in particular was clearly at a disadvantage against the Night Demon Clan ninja.

Fortunately, she had successfully used a clone to block his first attack and was now playing cat and mouse with him.

The battle on Sanhe's side had turned into a full-blown ninjutsu brawl.

Ryosuke received several more notifications from the system.

"Looks like none of them plan to show their trump cards. This will take a while, then. I'll go see if there are any other clues."

After finishing his apple, Ryosuke headed toward the ruins, where flames were reaching into the sky.

It was a small village with only a dozen or so households.

It had nearly burned to the ground.

But Ryosuke thought he could faintly hear a child crying.

"A child?"

He paused, hesitating for a moment, but still used the Pesquisa skill.

With the Sharingan's help, he soon spotted a child of about four crying in a corner of a basement beneath the flames.

Smoke had already filled the basement. If much more time passed, the child would suffocate.

This time, Ryosuke didn't hesitate.

He created three clones, then had them all use Water Dragon Technique.

But the fire in front of him was already out of control, and the water dragons quickly evaporated.

Still, Ryosuke seized that brief opening and used Sonido twice in quick succession, appearing inside the basement.

Everything around him was glowing red, and his lungs were beginning to burn.

The little girl had already lost consciousness.

He had no time to check on her. Relying on his memory, he used Sonido twice more in quick succession and appeared outside.

Smoke rose from all over his body, and his pant legs had caught fire.

Sonido was just high-speed movement, not Space-Time Ninjutsu, so he had still been burned.

"These are my last pair of pants!"

Ryosuke wailed, but immediately began tending to the little girl.

She had no external injuries, but her face was deathly pale.

"Damn it, why don't I know Medical Ninjutsu? What should I do? Mouth-to-mouth? Or press her philtrum? But where's the philtrum?"

Ryosuke was in a panic.

Just then, someone appeared beside him.

"Leave her to me. Go help the others."

Shisui smiled at Ryosuke, then took the little girl in his arms.

A green glow appeared in his hands. It looked like Medical Ninjutsu, but Ryosuke's system gave no notification.

Ryosuke breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

He had initially taken this fight fairly lightly.

That was, until he saw the horrifying scene in the village through the flames with his Sharingan.

His state of mind had subtly changed.

Miyuki was being forced into a corner by her enemy.

"Do I have to use that move?"

She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her eyes growing even colder.

Just then, the Night Demon Ninja's body suddenly stiffened.

"What's happening? My body?"

The Night Demon Ninja struggled to lower his head. His shadow was twisting and coiling around him.

"A shadow? The Nara Clan? What's going on?"

"Miyuki, hurry! I can't hold him much longer!"

Ryosuke shouted to Miyuki, who was just as stunned.

"Thank you, Ryosuke."

Miyuki's lips curled into a smile. She flipped onto the Night Demon Ninja's shoulder, pulled a katana from a scroll, and drove it straight down through the top of his head.

"No..."

The Night Demon Ninja's body twitched, then fell.

He never would have imagined that a little brat from the Uchiha Clan would use a secret technique of the Nara Clan instead of the power of the Sharingan.

"Are you all right?"

Ryosuke went over and helped Miyuki up before she could fall.

Miyuki shook her head. "I just used up quite a bit of chakra. Do you have any Military Ration Pills left?"

Ryosuke shrugged. "Those are military supplies. I had to trade a whole lot of game just to get one, but I do have this."

Ryosuke took out a lunchbox and handed it to her.

"Did you make this yourself?"

Ryosuke nodded.

"Ryosuke, you seem pretty thoughtful. Any girl who marries you will be lucky."

Miyuki didn't stand on ceremony. She took the lunchbox and went to eat beneath a nearby tree.

A lunchbox could restore the strength she had expended and help her chakra recover, but the effect was still slow.

With this side settled, Ryosuke looked toward Sanhe.

Sanhe was crouching on the ground, panting heavily, relying entirely on Shadow Clone Technique to fight his enemy.

But he only had a few clones left.

"Need a hand?"

Ryosuke shouted to Sanhe.

Sanhe glared at him.

"No."

Then, as if in a fit of pique, he charged at his enemy.

This time, he activated the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

His enemy suddenly froze in place, seemingly caught in a genjutsu.

Sanhe gave Ryosuke the finger, then grabbed a Kunai and moved to finish his opponent.

But the man suddenly burst apart, spraying Sanhe with sticky fluid.

"What the hell is this disgusting stuff?"

Sanhe jumped in surprise.

Shisui appeared beside Sanhe, carrying the little girl, who had regained consciousness. He tossed a ball of water at him.

"Summoning Technique. The enemy has already escaped."