Dealing with the Opponent

Ryosuke and the other two seemed to be locked in a bitter struggle.

Only Sanhe was faring slightly better, though his chakra consumption was staggering.

Meanwhile, Shisui, watching the scene from within the woods, showed no intention of intervening.

"Die, you brat of the Uchiha Clan."

Raizo, who was engaged with Ryosuke, made the first move. He twisted his large hand, snapping Ryosuke's head to the side.

Yet, the gruesome scene of decapitation and blood that Raizo had imagined did not occur.

Instead, the Ryosuke in his grasp transformed into a log.

"Substitution Technique? When did he do that?"

Raizo looked around in surprise.

Suddenly, he felt a tremor beneath his feet, and the next moment, he plummeted into a hole.

"Ah, help me!"

Raizo let out a cry of alarm, immediately calling out to the other two for rescue.

But soon, the hole he was trapped in was buried over.

Ryosuke appeared above.

He brushed off his hands, then pulled out an apple and began to eat it.

[Ding, congratulations to the host for killing an enemy. Randomly plundering a ninjutsu: Lightning Style: Lightning Curtain.]

Lightning Curtain? Why does this move sound so familiar? It sounds like that technique of Asuma's; shouldn't that be a move only a Jonin could use?

Ryosuke was stunned for a moment, but he immediately broke into a smile.

It seemed his luck was good; this was a ninjutsu that could be used for both offense and defense, and it shouldn't be ranked lower than B-grade.

He didn't test the plundered ninjutsu immediately, choosing instead to look toward the other side of the battlefield.

Miyuki and Sanhe were both mired in difficult fights.

Although they were both elites of the Uchiha Clan, it was still a struggle to fight against Cloud Ninja Chunin without utilizing the power of the Sharingan.

Miyuki, in particular, was being heavily countered by the Night Demon Clan ninja.

Fortunately, she had successfully used a clone to block the opponent's first wave of attacks and was currently playing a game of cat and mouse.

As for Sanhe, his side had turned into a chaotic brawl of ninjutsu.

Ryosuke received several more system notifications.

"It seems they don't intend to reveal their trump cards yet, so this will drag on for a while. I'll go see if there are any other clues."

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

This was a small village of only a dozen households.

It had been burned almost to the ground.

However, Ryosuke faintly heard the sound of a child crying.

"A child?"

He paused, feeling a moment of hesitation, but ultimately activated his Pesquisa skill.

With the assistance of his Sharingan, he quickly discovered a four-year-old child crying in a corner of a basement beneath the flames.

The basement was already filled with smoke; in a few more moments, the child would likely succumb to smoke inhalation.

Ryosuke did not hesitate this time.

He immediately created three clones and used the Water Dragon Technique in unison.

However, the fire before him was unstoppable, and the water dragons were quickly evaporated.

Still, Ryosuke seized that split second, using Sonido twice in succession to appear inside the basement.

He felt the surroundings glowing a fiery red, and his lungs began to burn.

The little girl had already fallen unconscious.

He had no time to check her condition and, relying on his memory, used Sonido twice more to appear back outside.

Smoke was rising from his body, and the hem of his pants had caught fire.

Sonido was merely high-speed movement, not space-time ninjutsu, so he had still been burned.

"This was my last pair of pants," Ryosuke wailed, but he immediately began to tend to the little girl.

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

Damn it, why don't I know medical ninjutsu? What should I do? CPR? Or pinch her philtrum? But where is the philtrum?

Faced with this situation, Ryosuke became flustered.

Just then, a figure appeared by his side.

"Leave it to me; you go and help them."

Shisui smiled at Ryosuke and then gathered the little girl into his arms.

A green light shimmered in his hands—it looked like medical ninjutsu, yet Ryosuke's system provided no notification.

Ryosuke let out a sigh of relief and nodded.

He had originally approached this battle with a rather relaxed mindset.

That was until he "saw" the horrific scene unfolding in the village through his Sharingan amidst the sea of flames.

By now, his state of mind had undergone a subtle shift.

Miyuki was being cornered by the enemy.

Do I have to use that technique?

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 lowered his head with great difficulty, only to see his own shadow twisting and coiling around him.

"Shadow? The Nara Clan? What is the meaning of this?"

"Miyuki, do it now! I can't hold him for much longer!"

Ryosuke shouted toward the stunned Miyuki.

"Thank you, Ryosuke-kun."

A smirk tugged at the corner of Miyuki's mouth. She performed a backflip, landed on the Night Demon Ninja's shoulders, drew a katana from her scroll, and drove it straight down through the top of his skull.

"No..."

The Night Demon Ninja's body convulsed once before collapsing to the ground.

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

"Are you alright?"

Ryosuke walked over and helped Miyuki up as she nearly stumbled.

Miyuki shook her head. "My chakra is just a bit depleted. Do you have any Military Ration Pills left?"

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

Ryosuke pulled out a bento box and handed it to her.

"Did you make this yourself?"

Ryosuke nodded.

"Ryosuke-kun, you're quite thoughtful. Any girl who marries you will be truly blessed."

Miyuki didn't stand on ceremony; she immediately took the bento and walked over to a nearby tree to eat.

The bento could replenish physical strength and promote chakra recovery, though the effect was quite slow.

Having resolved the situation on this side, Ryosuke looked over toward Sanhe.

Sanhe was currently squatting on the ground, gasping for air, relying entirely on his Shadow Clone Technique to fight the enemy.

But he only had a few shadow clones left.

"Do you need my help?"

Ryosuke shouted toward Sanhe.

Sanhe glared at Ryosuke.

"No need."

Then, as if acting out of spite, he charged toward the enemy.

This time, he activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

The enemy's body suddenly froze in place, looking as if he had been caught in a genjutsu.

Sanhe gave Ryosuke the middle finger, then picked up a kunai, intending to finish the opponent off.

But the man suddenly exploded on the spot, spraying Sanhe with slime.

"What is this disgusting stuff?"

Sanhe jumped back in shock.

Shisui appeared beside Sanhe, carrying the now-conscious little girl, and tossed a water ball onto him.

"It was a summoning technique. The enemy has already fled."