Conflict

On the street outside the hospital.

Ryōken and Tsuki Uchiha stood facing each other, exchanging cold stares.

Suddenly, Tsuki Uchiha tilted his head up slightly and spoke, his voice carrying its usual coldness and arrogance, like a god looking down upon all living things from high above.

"Kneel and accept death."

His tone was calm.

Ryōken showed a faint trace of astonishment. What gave him the confidence to think Ryōken had become someone whose life and death could be decided at will, someone to be slaughtered as he pleased?

After all, Ryōken had killed a jonin before.

There was no way Tsuki Uchiha did not know that.

A mocking curve lifted at the corner of Ryōken's lips, but he had no intention of responding.

He abruptly drew Starry Night from his waist, and a dazzlingly sharp sword qi shot forth.

There was not the slightest ripple in Tsuki Uchiha's eyes as he mocked him calmly.

"Is this the confidence behind your resistance?"

He drew his katana and slashed fiercely.

The nearly tangible sword qi collided with the katana.

Clang!

Sparks flew everywhere.

A surging force came crashing over him. Tsuki Uchiha could no longer maintain the calm on his face, and his expression changed dramatically.

He frantically mobilized his chakra, yet Ryōken's sword still forced him back several steps, leaving him slightly disheveled.

A trace of disbelief appeared in Tsuki Uchiha's eyes.

He had long known that Ryōken's swordsmanship was fairly strong.

But he had not taken it seriously.

So what if he had killed a jonin? At most, it had been an ordinary jonin, and he could fight ten ordinary jonin at once.

He was Kage-level, and a Kage-level warrior of the Uchiha Clan at that.

Shouldn't a Kage-level warrior utterly crush a boy who was not even eleven in every regard?

A faint sneer appeared in Ryōken's eyes. Tsuki Uchiha actually dared to compete with him in swordsmanship. So what if he was Kage-level? Ryōken was not afraid even of a Kage.

Without hesitation, Ryōken lunged forward, leaving a string of afterimages behind him.

Seeing Ryōken actually take the initiative to advance, Tsuki Uchiha snapped out of his shock, only to be overcome by rage.

He felt that his dignity had been fiercely provoked.

Even so, he had to admit that he truly could not match Ryōken in swordsmanship.

With a flick of his hands, several kunai shot toward Ryōken at tremendous speed.

Ryōken casually knocked the kunai aside, though the motion briefly halted him.

Tsuki Uchiha formed hand seals and directly unleashed a ninjutsu.

Even if it drew the ANBU here, he could not care less. So long as he killed Ryōken, he would at most receive a punishment that was neither too severe nor too light.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet."

Terrifying flames condensed into a visible form, like a fire dragon capable of scorching the heavens, with torrents of blazing heat flowing through it.

The scorching temperature warped the air in that area, creating layers of afterimages that obscured everything within.

This was the power of a Kage-level expert.

In Ryōken's eyes, this B-rank ninjutsu was even stronger than the A-rank ninjutsu used by that Rain Ninja jonin last time.

The blazing flames were condensed to an extreme, their radiance restrained, yet they seemed all the more terrifying for it.

A trace of gravity appeared in his eyes. Ryōken abruptly held Starry Night horizontally, chakra surging throughout his body as he poured it all into the blade.

Previously, Ryōken would not have dared to do this.

First, ordinary swords lacked excellent chakra conductivity, so the chakra poured into them would dissipate extremely quickly.

Second, ordinary swords could not withstand so much chakra.

However, now that he possessed the fairly decent ninja blade Starry Night, Ryōken could try infusing it with more chakra to increase the power of his swordsmanship.

The fire dragon was incredibly fast, tearing through the air as it rushed toward Ryōken, ready to reduce him to ashes.

"Heavenly Lightning Slash."

Ring!

A heaven-shaking sword cry echoed across the area. A thunder-dragon-like sword qi burst forth, and an even larger bolt of lightning sword qi than before crashed head-on into the fire dragon.

Thunder and fire collided. The nearly tangible fire dragon was ultimately a little inferior. The vast thunder dragon, like a heavenly sword, slashed straight through it, scattering sparks in every direction.

Witnessing this unbelievable sight, Tsuki Uchiha felt as though he were dreaming, unable to believe it.

The remaining force of the thunder dragon surged onward, tearing toward Tsuki Uchiha.

As expected of someone Kage-level.

Though startled, Tsuki Uchiha did not panic. He formed hand seals and forcefully exhaled an enormous fireball.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique."

The Great Fireball Technique at its peak collided with the remaining thunder dragon sword qi. The thunder dragon sword qi showed no weakness at all and actually broke through once again.

The disbelief in Tsuki Uchiha's eyes deepened.

It was already too late for hand seals.

Left with no choice, he drew his katana again and slashed with all his strength at the thunder dragon that was already nearing its end.

Almost instantly, Tsuki Uchiha's entire body shook, and he was blasted backward as the remaining electric arcs leaped over him.

As Tsuki Uchiha flew backward, blood even seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Every strand of his black hair stood on end, and a faint burnt smell drifted through the air.

That attack had been quite powerful, thanks to the newly acquired ninja blade Starry Night, which had greatly enhanced its force.

Otherwise, Ryōken truly would not have been able to block Tsuki Uchiha's Fire Style attack.

At that moment, figures came rushing in from the distance, drawn by the tremendous collision.

Among them was Tsunade.

Her face was full of anxiety as she silently blamed herself. She had forgotten about Tsuki Uchiha.

She had learned about Kouichi Uchiha through Nawaki Senju.

Someone who had tried to harm a companion deserved to die.

However, she also understood the Uchiha Clan's domineering temperament and knew they would not let the matter go easily. Still, she had not expected Tsuki Uchiha to try to kill Ryōken the moment she left.

Ryōken was White Fang's student, a ninja of Konoha, and someone she had found as support for the future of the Senju Clan.

Moreover, Ryōken had left a good impression on her. He suited her tastes well, and she had only recently acknowledged him as her younger brother.

Boom!

She stomped down hard, leaving several savage cracks in the ground beneath her feet. Her figure abruptly accelerated, and after a few flashes, she arrived before Ryōken, her golden hair flying behind her.

Before she had even steadied herself, she shouted angrily without a second thought, "Tsuki Uchiha, I won't allow you to touch Ryōken."

Her domineering bearing was fully displayed.

However.

The air fell into an eerie silence.

No one responded. She turned to look at the two of them, confusion filling her beautiful eyes.

Something was wrong.

Shouldn't Ryōken have been lying on the ground badly injured? Why did Tsuki Uchiha look utterly bedraggled instead?

After thinking for a moment, Tsunade understood. She could not help revealing an incredulous, contemptuous look as she gazed at Tsuki Uchiha.

She had never expected a Kage-level warrior of the mighty Uchiha Clan to suffer at the hands of a mere boy. How embarrassing.

Turning around, she gave Ryōken a rather approving look.

"Nicely done."

She patted Ryōken on the shoulder, and he immediately sucked in a sharp breath.

Having overdrawn his chakra, Ryōken's body was still somewhat weak. How could he endure Tsunade's strengthless palm?

"Uh..."

Seeing Ryōken's pale face, Tsunade realized what she had done. She coughed awkwardly, withdrew her hand in embarrassment, then turned around and said boldly, "Rest. Leave the rest to me. I absolutely will not allow Konoha's rules to be challenged."

"This is the place my grandfather poured his life's work into. I will never allow anyone to destroy it."

As she spoke, a sharp glint appeared in her beautiful eyes, and her heroic aura was overwhelming.

Not far away.

Tsuki Uchiha trembled somewhat awkwardly, his hands and feet shaking. Fortunately, he could still stand steadily and did not collapse to the ground.

Unable to accept what had happened, having been driven back and blasted away time after time by a mere brat like Ryōken, he went mad. Even Tsunade's appearance could not stop him.

He rapidly formed hand seals, and an indescribable aura immediately spread out, stirring the currents of air and changes in the sky as howling winds gathered.

"Not good, that's an S-rank ultimate technique."

Tsunade's composed expression abruptly changed, and she cried out in disbelief.

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