Fearless Advance

Fourteen skills would require one hundred and forty Skill Points to max out, but Skill Points alone apparently were nowhere near enough. How was he supposed to upgrade his skills like this?

As if sensing Ryōken's confusion, the system's voice echoed in his mind again.

Independent training, comprehension, and breakthroughs can improve skills.

Fusing related items may improve related skills.

"Is that so?"

Half a month later, Training Ground Seven.

In the center of the field stood a wooden post covered in scratches, its original appearance nearly unrecognizable.

The sky was gradually darkening, yet Ryōken showed no intention of leaving. He continued training.

He had been doing this every day for the past half month.

Half a month was short, but Ryōken's physical strength and chakra reserves had already reached the bottleneck of a genin.

He was just one step away from breaking through to genin level. Once he did, he could draw skills again.

Still, this level of strength was truly insignificant. Ryōken did not feel the slightest pride, even though he was already considered quite strong among those his age.

Because of his Tenacity talent, Ryōken trained to the absolute limit, crazily pushing his body beyond its boundaries.

He would recover afterward anyway.

Moreover, Ryōken had discovered that such extreme training clearly helped improve his Tenacity talent. It had not leveled up yet, but it had improved by a noticeable amount.

Of course, he also practiced Fearless Advance often. It was his only offensive skill.

As for the target, it was naturally the wooden post on the training ground. Its countless scratches were proof enough. He had worn out several kunai already, and his money was nearly gone.

"Two hundred eleven, two hundred twelve, two hundred thirteen... three hundred ninety-nine, four hundred!"

"Phew!"

"Already close to my limit? Then I'll stop here."

Although he could continue, it was necessary to conserve some stamina at all times. That was a ninja's basic discipline.

Ryōken sat down cross-legged, calming his mind and focusing his breath. A faint green glow slowly gathered around his body.

A moment later.

Ryōken had recovered seventy to eighty percent of his stamina, though he was still somewhat mentally exhausted.

"It's already evening. I should get something to eat first."

Ryōken looked up at the darkening sky and muttered to himself.

Just as he was about to leave the training ground, bursts of whistling air suddenly sounded in the distance. A figure abruptly shot out from the nearby woods.

Only after seeing Ryōken did the figure come to a halt.

"Hm?"

The instant he heard the sound cutting through the air, Ryōken turned around, a trace of vigilance appearing on his young face.

When he saw clearly, Ryōken could not help but be startled.

Before him stood an ordinary-looking middle-aged man, holding a girl about Ryōken's age hostage.

Looking closely, he could clearly see the girl's striking white pupils.

She was struggling constantly. When she saw Ryōken clearly, the hope in her eyes instantly turned to disappointment.

Then she looked at Ryōken anxiously, shaking her head repeatedly to tell him to run.

"Hiwa Hyuga?"

"Though I knew these sorts of mutual probes happened often, I never expected to run into one myself."

"I can't run. If I run, I'll definitely die. He won't let me go."

Countless thoughts flashed through Ryōken's mind, and he instantly understood the situation.

A chilling glint flashed through Ryōken's eyes. He drew a kunai from his ninja tool pouch and assumed a fighting stance.

This battle was unavoidable. Only one of them would walk away alive.

At the same time, the ninja reacted as well. Silently, he took out a kunai, intending to end the fight as quickly as possible. This brat had to die. If his whereabouts were exposed, it would all be over. The village had sacrificed too much for this mission. Failure was absolutely unacceptable.

Ninjas sent into other ninja villages to carry out missions were all elites. Even the worst among them were deathsworn accustomed to killing, and they would not easily make the mistake of underestimating an enemy.

Especially not here, in Konoha, the cradle of geniuses.

Although Ryōken was not famous at the moment, his swift and correct reaction made the ninja take him seriously.

For a moment, the surroundings were deathly silent.

Even the insects seemed to sense the surging aura between the two and hid away.

"Only one chance. The throat!"

Ryōken murmured inwardly. He understood his own strength very well. Although he had made great progress, there was still a vast gap between him and ninjas seasoned by slaughter.

Even if this ninja was merely a genin, at most an Elite Genin, he was not someone Ryōken, who had yet to break through to genin level, could contend with.

Turning and running was not an option. Ryōken would never place his fate in an enemy's hands.

He could only rely on Fearless Advance. In that instant of piercing forward lay Ryōken's sole chance. If he failed, he died!

With that thought, Ryōken suddenly took a step forward. That step seemed to unlock something.

Ryōken's will immediately condensed, as though he had become a long spear, its sharpness fully revealed.

Yet that small step made Hiwa Hyuga's heart leap into her throat. What was Ryōken trying to do? This was an Elite Genin from Amegakure.

Ninjas who came from a place as chaotic as Amegakure needed no explanation for their strength. They were no weaker than Elite Genin from any major ninja village, perhaps even stronger.

Before she could think further, Ryōken showed her what he was doing through his actions.

He began to jog, holding the kunai in a reverse grip. His speed grew faster and faster.

At the sight, Hiwa Hyuga's gaze froze, and her heart trembled violently.

"Tch!"

Seeing this brat actually run toward him, the Rain Ninja curled his lips disdainfully. His cold eyes stared at Ryōken with bone-chilling frost, as if he were looking at a dead man.

The Rain Ninja stomped the ground, exploding forward in speed. He held Hiwa Hyuga in one hand and a kunai in the other, his body becoming a streak of light.

Deep anxiety and worry filled Hiwa Hyuga's eyes. You fool, I already sent out a distress signal. You only needed to run. Why are you risking your life like this?

She struggled continuously, tears brimming in her white eyes as though they might fall at any moment.

At this point, less than five meters separated Ryōken and the Rain Ninja. They would collide in the blink of an eye.

Hiwa Hyuga opened her mouth, her heart seeming to stop beating.

At that moment, there was only one thought in her mind.

It's over.

Suddenly, Ryōken vanished.

It was as if lightning flashed through the air. A point of cold light arrived first, incomparably swift, gone in an instant.

Even space seemed to freeze.

Ryōken appeared not far behind the Rain Ninja, while the Rain Ninja had stopped as well, his body rigid and motionless.

Silence. A terrifying silence!

"Drip."

A faint sound rang out, yet in that silent space, it was especially abrupt.

Then the Rain Ninja toppled forward, his face filled with disbelief and regret.

At his neck was a line as thin as a thread. Blood seeped out, turning that thread into a line of red.

In the end, he had underestimated his opponent.

But who could have known that such a brat had mastered a body-flicker technique that required no hand seals?

Hiwa Hyuga stared blankly at the ground close before her, then turned to look at the disbelief on the Rain Ninja's face. Her heart remained unable to calm for a long time.

The one who had died was actually this Elite Genin Rain Ninja. For a moment, she had even doubted whether his strength had been real.

But that was naturally an illusion. She had seen this Rain Ninja fight before. He had been swift and ruthless, easily subduing her.

Even if the escape had drained some of his strength, he should not have been killed by Ryōken, an unknown dead last, should he?

"Was that really Ryōken?"

"That useless nobody who hasn't even extracted chakra yet?"

When she finally came to her senses, she struggled to stand and looked toward Ryōken. Yet there was no sign of him anywhere.

Under the soft moonlight, only scattered bloodstains remained, trailing into the distance.

Inside a dark room.

"Lord Danzo, the Rain Ninja squad has been wiped out. They failed to escape Konoha, and the Hyuga clan member has been rescued."

A ninja wearing a demon-faced mask knelt on one knee and spoke without emotion.

"Understood. Withdraw."

A hoarse voice came from the shadows. Then a middle-aged man with bandages wrapped around his head stepped out, his voice low.

"Yes!"

The masked ninja responded, then used the Body Flicker Technique to leave.

Danzo turned around, his back facing the door. A contemplative expression appeared on his face. After a long while, he murmured, "Though we failed to obtain the Byakugan, it is enough that outsiders did not get it. Any stray dog dares to provoke Konoha now? It seems it is time to teach them a profound lesson."

As he spoke, a vicious glint appeared in his eyes, killing intent fully exposed.

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