When Ryosuke thought of those two Kage-level figures, he couldn't help feeling sick.
But he was far too weak right now to change anything.
It looked like, if he kept the "plot" on track, the Hyuga Clan would become victims again.
Fortunately, he hadn't been affected.
Then he heard the Fourth Raikage say to the Third Hokage, "Third, if you want to sign a peace treaty with the Cloud Ninja, Konoha will have to take responsibility for what happened this time."
The hot-tempered Fourth Raikage was the sort of man who wouldn't let an opponent off even when he had the upper hand. Trying to reason with him was like playing a lute to a cow.
Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Hiashi, standing by the door, both looked displeased.
This was Konoha, the strongest ninja village in the Shinobi World. So what if he was the Raikage? What gave him the right to act so brazenly here?
But to their surprise, the Third Hokage backed down first.
"Tell me, how do you want to resolve this?"
The Third Hokage, who should have had the upper hand, had yielded to the Raikage first.
That made Ryosuke despise him even more.
"I want him."
Ryosuke thought the Raikage meant Hinata.
But when he looked up, he saw that the man was pointing at him.
What the hell? No way. What does this have to do with me? I just happened to be passing by. Even if I did ruin your plans, shouldn't you follow the script? Wasn't the Byakugan your target?
Ryosuke was shaken to the core.
He knew exactly what would happen if he fell into the Cloud Ninja's hands. Having his eyes gouged out would probably be the best-case scenario.
And he knew even better that, for Konoha and his so-called peace, the Third Hokage was willing to sacrifice anyone.
Sure enough, the Third Hokage glanced at him but didn't immediately refuse. Instead, he looked thoughtful.
That old geezer was rotten to the core. Was he really going to agree to the Raikage's demand?
Ryosuke's heart sank.
Was he going to get butchered before he even made it to the Uchiha massacre?
"This is absolutely impossible."
"Lord Hokage, please think carefully."
Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Hiashi stepped forward together, one firm and the other gentle, rejecting the Raikage's proposal.
"This child is a member of the Uchiha Clan. If the Cloud Ninja dare to take him, they'll be declaring war on the Uchiha Clan," Uchiha Fugaku said forcefully, revealing his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
"The Sharingan!"
When the Fourth Raikage saw Uchiha Fugaku's eyes, greed and wariness appeared on his face.
He dared to pressure the Third Hokage because he knew what the man was like.
But he didn't dare provoke the Uchiha directly. A man named Uchiha Madara had once swept across the entire Shinobi World, and his fearsome reputation still endured.
Hyuga Hiashi continued, "Lord Hokage, the Cloud Ninja were the ones who broke the rules this time. If this Uchiha boy hadn't intervened, Hinata would have been taken away. The Byakugan is Konoha's Kekkei Genkai. Please think carefully, Lord Hokage."
The Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan were both among Konoha's most prominent families. Even the Third Hokage had to take their opinions into account.
"Well, Raikage, your demand is unreasonable. I can't agree to it."
"Then you're choosing war?"
The Raikage slammed a powerful fist into the desk in front of the Third Hokage.
With a crash, the desk broke into pieces.
[System notification: A-rank ninjutsu "Lightning Release: Lightning Armor" detected and recorded]
Huh? Ryosuke had been feeling anxious, but when he heard the system notification, his eyes immediately lit up.
This was the Fourth Raikage's signature technique. It had even held its own against the Uchiha's ultimate technique, Susanoo. He couldn't believe he'd recorded it by pure chance.
System, I love you so much. But why is it only an A-rank ninjutsu?
While Ryosuke was secretly celebrating, he heard the Third Hokage say, "We can discuss this calmly. War is no trivial matter."
The Raikage looked pleased.
He had the Third Hokage completely under his thumb. Professor of Ninjutsu, strongest in the Shinobi World—those were just empty boasts.
"Unless Konoha hands over the person who killed our Cloud Ninja, there's nothing more to discuss about the peace treaty. Otherwise, get ready for war."
The Raikage continued to pressure the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage only sat silently in his chair, smoking in frustration.
Being Hokage really was a miserable job.
Maybe he'd grown timid with age.
He'd had a winning hand, yet somehow played it terribly—all in the name of peace.
But the more Ryosuke thought about it, the more something seemed wrong.
Oh no. He was the one who killed those three Cloud Ninja.
If they really wanted the killer handed over, wouldn't that mean handing him over?
Why do I always have to meddle? I only needed to leave Konoha before the night of the Uchiha massacre. Why did I have to mess with the timeline? Now I'm paying for it.
While the Third Hokage was still thinking, Ryosuke stood up.
"I'm the one who killed those three bastards. What are you going to do about it?"
His words left the adults in the room staring at him in shock.
Only Hyuga Hinata stared wide-eyed, looking utterly confused.
"Ryosuke, don't say that. I killed them," Uchiha Fugaku said, immediately stepping forward.
"This matter concerns the Hyuga Clan too. We won't stand by and do nothing," Hyuga Hiashi added, stepping forward as well.
The Raikage clenched his fist until his knuckles cracked.
"Fine. You want to fight? Then come on."
Blue Lightning Armor instantly covered the Raikage's body.
"Everyone, stand down," the Third Hokage finally said.
Uchiha Fugaku glared at the Hokage, then tried to pull Ryosuke over to his side.
But Ryosuke refused.
"I'm telling the truth. Those Cloud Ninja bastards tried to kidnap Miss Hinata. I don't think I did anything wrong."
"How dare you say that!" the Third Hokage scolded.
"Grandpa Hokage, if you'd been there, would you have stood by and done nothing?"
The Third Hokage was left speechless. He was the Hokage—how could he abandon a villager in danger?
Even in the name of the peace he talked about?
The Raikage, however, didn't care about any of that.
"Kid, you've got a lot of nerve. Since you killed my men, you can compensate me with those eyes of yours."
The Raikage's large hand reached straight for Ryosuke.
Ryosuke gritted his teeth and immediately activated the "Lightning Release: Lightning Armor" he'd just recorded.
Then he vanished from the spot.
Everyone present was startled by the sudden turn of events.
They hadn't expected the Raikage to attack without warning, much less Ryosuke to evade his strike.
"Body Flicker Technique?" Hyuga Hiashi asked in surprise.
"It wasn't the Body Flicker Technique." Uchiha Fugaku shook his head. His Sharingan was active, and Ryosuke's movements hadn't escaped his notice.
But that only shocked him even more.
Ryosuke had used the same technique as the Raikage.
What was going on?
Before you continue