Prisoner

A thunderous voice rang across the entire site. Everyone at the construction yard raised their heads and looked over.

Once they saw Ryōken, their faces filled with mockery. Even the Konoha ninja were somewhat baffled, and a few even looked rather annoyed.

"Where did this brat come from?"

"He actually dares to yell here!"

"Is he not afraid of getting killed on the spot?"

Even the Konoha ninja responsible for supervising them looked irritated. They had worked hard to persuade these prisoners to get to work.

Now, some little brat had shown up and started shouting the moment he arrived. If he provoked the prisoners, it would only cause another round of trouble.

Thus, one Konoha ninja stepped out of the crowd. After softly explaining a few things to the prisoners, he strode over with fire in his eyes, looking ready to demand answers.

"Hey, brat, leave this place now!

"Luckily, their boss isn't here, or there'd be trouble again."

"And you! Morino Shingen, weren't you in charge of the watchtower outside? Why did you bring a brat in here?"

By the end, he sounded stern and severe, but his face kept signaling for them to leave quickly, concern visible in his eyes.

Suddenly, the sound of something stomping across the ground came from afar.

Rumble!

"This is bad. Hurry and leave."

The ninja's expression abruptly changed. He actually looked panicked as he hurried forward, intending to push Ryōken and the other man out.

"Morino Shingen, don't be in such a hurry."

"It's not easy for a newcomer to show up in this godforsaken place, and he's such a tender little boy. If you push him away like that, the brothers won't be happy."

"Aren't you going to introduce him to us?"

The speaker was a giant standing nearly two and a half meters tall. His face was covered in flesh, his muscles bulged, and a scar ran across the corner of his eye, making him look savage and terrifying.

At that moment, he watched Morino Shingen with a half-smile, looking rather absurd.

Morino Shingen's heart sank, and he secretly cried out in misery. Still, he could only turn around and say with a conflicted expression, "Honda Tadakatsu, don't mess around. This is Konoha."

By the end, he sounded completely lacking in confidence, meek and submissive.

Although this was Konoha, the prison had never been valued. Most wardens assigned here were merely Chunin, so they naturally could not act tough around prisoners who were also Chunin.

The guards were even worse off.

"Hmph, of course I know this is Konoha. But this is a prison, and in prison, I make the rules!"

Honda Tadakatsu sneered. His huge body suddenly took a step forward, producing a dull boom as dust scattered in all directions.

At the same time, he reached out with an arm thicker than an ordinary man's thigh and lifted Morino Shingen up as easily as if he were a little chick.

The surrounding prisoners immediately erupted in jeers, praise, and a flood of flattery.

"Lord Honda truly possesses extraordinary strength!"

Ryōken looked a few more times at the meek and submissive Morino Shingen. They shared the same surname—could this be Morino Ibiki's father from the original story?

Morino Ibiki was a real man. Even brutal torture could not make him yield, so why did his father look so timid and submissive?

Interrupted by the uproar, Ryōken raised his head.

Seeing the noisy scene before him, Ryōken grew somewhat impatient.

After watching for a while, he had roughly understood the situation.

He could not help feeling disappointed in these Konoha ninja, and rather puzzled as well.

Ryōken had never imagined Konoha Prison would be like this, as though the prison guards and prisoners had switched roles.

Still, it had been the same in the original story. The two fat men, the Wind God and Thunder God, had also acted without restraint.

After thinking about it, Ryōken gave up on finding an explanation. He did not care anyway.

He only needed to use his own methods to complete this mission.

This was probably why his teacher had given him this assignment.

No limits on the methods used. Heh.

"I'll count to three. Put him down, or bear the consequences."

His cool voice spread across the entire site, strangely overwhelming the noise and ringing in everyone's ears.

An eerie silence fell over the scene before booming laughter erupted. Some prisoners laughed so hard that they bent over, coughing violently.

"What did that brat say? Bear the consequences?"

"Are Konoha brats all this arrogant nowadays?"

"Put him down, put him down," one prisoner said with an exaggerated expression. Then his face turned grave. "Or bear the consequences!"

As soon as he finished, everyone around him burst into laughter.

Looking at the mocking prisoners, as well as the few Konoha ninja standing nearby who could barely hold back their laughter, Sanada Nobumura could not help observing a moment of silence for them in his heart.

You know nothing of true power!

When he turned to see Ryōken's face dark as water, he fell silent in fear and quietly backed away several steps.

"Three."

Ryōken's handsome little face revealed neither joy nor anger. He suddenly stepped forward, light as a feather, as though he exerted no force at all.

Yet, an aura as vast and unfathomable as an abyss or sea suddenly erupted from his small body. He seemed like a true sword freshly drawn from its sheath, stirring the winds and clouds as piercing howls rang through the air.

Those strange howls seemed to ring beside everyone's ears. They all shuddered, as though an unparalleled weapon were scraping against their skin, chilling them to the bone.

The clamorous jeering abruptly ceased. The prisoners looked at one another, then stared at Ryōken with uncertainty in their eyes.

"Two."

As Ryōken stepped forward one step at a time, his movements seemed to carry an inexplicable rhythm. Each footfall sounded like an evening drum or morning bell, making their hearts beat in time with it.

An inexplicable oppression filled the air.

Thump. Thump!

The aura around Ryōken grew stronger and sharper. Like a sword drawn from its sheath, its edge was fully revealed, and the howling grew even fiercer.

The prisoners felt as though they had been cast into a mountain of blades and sea of flames. A tremendous sense of danger bore down on them. Even these men, who prided themselves on being vicious criminals with countless killings on their hands, began to sweat. They could barely endure it. One after another, they lowered their heads, not daring to meet Ryōken's piercing gaze.

They had only felt such an aura from truly powerful people.

Yet now, a child not even ten years old possessed an aura as imposing as those powerhouses renowned throughout the ninja world.

It was even more concentrated, even sharper, filled with the distinctive vigor and defiance of youth.

"One."

A few prisoners could no longer endure it. With a thud, they collapsed to the ground, trembling in terror.

Even the aftershock was this terrifying. Honda Tadakatsu, whom Ryōken was directly targeting, naturally felt it even more strongly.

However, he was comparatively the strongest, so he did not lose his composure. He merely stared at Ryōken in surprise and suspicion.

At that moment, Ryōken slowly raised his head. A sharp light shone in his clear eyes, like tiny swords piercing straight into people's hearts.

"Put him down!"

Honda Tadakatsu's heart turned cold. He instinctively took a step back, and his hand loosened unconsciously. Morino Shingen immediately fell to the ground.

Before Morino Shingen had time to be surprised, a figure suddenly flashed through his mind. He hurriedly ran aside and saw that Sanada Yukimura had already retreated far away. He immediately became furious, silently cursing that bastard for not telling him Ryōken's identity.

Four months ago, Ryōken had overwhelmed the young prodigies and seized the championship.

After becoming the disciple of the White Fang of Konoha, his strength had actually reached such a level.

That sharp aura alone had already crushed their spirits before the battle even began, filling them with terror and leaving them without the will to resist.

Terrifying beyond belief!