Absolute Defense

He turned back in shock, unable to understand what had happened. Ryuuzaki Eiji's upper body emerged from the flames.

But there was a gap between Eiji and the fire. The flames couldn't burn him at all!

Eiji smiled confidently at Shimura Shio.

"That's impossible! How can a defense have no blind spots?"

Shio's expression darkened.

"According to our intelligence, your eyes can only control objects! Why can they repel Ninjutsu?"

"Control objects? Joining Root didn't just brainwash you. Looks like it washed away every last bit of your intelligence, too."

Eiji raised an arm and swept it casually through the air. The flames around him vanished at once, leaving only a few sparks drifting upward.

"Not only did you choose the wrong master, your intelligence analysis is terrible, too. How stupid do you have to be to think my ability controls objects?"

Shio was one of Danzo's Ninja. Eiji had expected him to have a little sense. Did the Cursed Tongue Root Seal damage brain cells, too?

Eiji raised his arm and activated Cursed Technique: Blue again. Powerful gravity sent Shimura Shio hurtling toward him.

Then Eiji clenched his right fist, ready to punch.

Shimura Shio's mind raced. A thought sent the corners of his mouth soaring.

No Ninjutsu is invincible.

If nothing can touch him while that Ninjutsu is active, he'll have to deactivate it when he attacks. Otherwise, his attack can't land!

If he's throwing a punch, there must be an instant when he drops the technique. That's my chance to strike back!

Stupid brat. You think a newly awakened Kekkei Genkai is enough to defeat someone with my combat experience? How naive!

You'll pay for your arrogance!

Leave your eyes behind!

The distance between them shrank rapidly. Eiji drove his fist toward the side of Shimura Shio's face!

Shimura Shio's eyes flashed.

"You've left yourself open! Die!"

He pulled out the Kunai he had prepared and stabbed hard at Eiji's abdomen!

But the Kunai never pierced Eiji's stomach. Just as before, it stopped short of him and could advance no farther.

At the same moment—

Thud!

Eiji's fist connected!

The force of the blow, combined with its angle against Shio's cheek, instantly warped his face. He flew through the air, spinning wildly like a top!

He kept tumbling until he landed face-first on the ground.

"Th-this is impossible..."

Eiji folded his arms across his chest and waited for Tsunade or the Anbu to arrive. Then the Root Ninja spoke again, his voice thick with resentment.

What is this, a shonen hero? If Eiji didn't have a system, he might have suspected Shio was the real protagonist.

Watching Shio slowly climb to his feet, Eiji thought of a Cockroach.

Shio wasn't entirely useless. He could certainly take a beating. Even that hadn't given him a concussion.

Shimura Shio staggered upright and roared at Eiji, his composure gone.

"Why? Why can you hit me, but I can't hit you? How can a Ninjutsu this absurd exist?"

In a sense, Shio's approach had merit. It was simply too crude to work as a counterattack.

When Eiji threw his punch, he had only dropped Limitless around his fist. Attacking his abdomen was pointless.

Would attacking his fist have worked?

No.

Minato could catch Obito with the second stage of Flying Thunder God, but he could never land a hit on Eiji. Trying to exploit a split-second opening was pointless!

The precision of the Six Eyes let Eiji reduce the time between dropping and restoring Limitless to less than 0.0001 seconds.

Landing a hit on his fist in that window was about as difficult as landing a Black Flash.

And the Six Eyes could read an enemy's intentions. If Eiji sensed real danger, he could simply cancel his attack or change how he struck.

Of course, he could avoid the trouble entirely by adding Azure's effect to his fist and striking without dropping Limitless.

But that was still difficult for him. He needed more practice before he could pull it off.

"So what will you do now? If you run, I'll drag you back. Attacking is pointless. All you have left is to end your own life. Otherwise, Danzo won't let you off easy."

"Damn it!"

Shimura Shio knew he had nowhere left to go, so he charged at Eiji like a madman.

He drew the Ninja Blade at his waist and slashed furiously, but not one strike connected!

This Ninjutsu has to have a limit. Either it has openings, or it consumes a huge amount of energy. Otherwise, it's too broken!

Eiji's expression didn't change. Shio was right: before Eiji mastered Reverse Cursed Technique, Limitless took a heavy toll on him.

He had to control it manually and couldn't keep it running indefinitely. At most, he could maintain it for two or three days before switching it off and resting for a full night. Then he could run Limitless for another two or three days.

But Eiji hardly thought he needed two or three days to deal with this clown. He was only dragging things out so Tsunade or the Anbu would arrive and see solid evidence for themselves.

Just as Shio prepared to slash again, heavy, hurried footsteps approached. A figure rushed toward him at incredible speed!

"Stop right there! You dare attack a Ninja from your own village? What do you think the Shinobi Code is for?"

It was Tsunade. The fury on her face was impossible to contain.

Kushina's anxious words when she got home had made even Mito Uzumaki frown. Tsunade, young and hotheaded, had been angrier still.

At the sight of Tsunade, Shimura Shio went pale and tried to flee.

He sprang high into the air, but Tsunade was faster. She leaped in front of him and smashed him into the ground with a single punch!

The road cracked instantly, spraying sand and stone everywhere!

Every fragment that flew toward Eiji stopped against Limitless, hung in midair, then fell to the ground.

Eiji looked at the web of cracks across the road and raised an eyebrow.

That's some terrifying power. If he gets up from that, I'm calling foul.

"Honestly. I don't even need to look to know Danzo, that old dog, is behind this."

Tsunade clicked her tongue. Only then did she notice how relaxed Eiji looked. She glanced at the cracks in the wall, and a smile tugged at her lips.

"Not bad. Even a Root Ninja can't threaten you now. And from the look of you, you didn't even use thirty percent of your strength, did you?"

"Tsunade, you arrived just in time. I might not have held out much longer otherwise."

"You're an interesting kid. No wonder Kushina cares so much about you. You hid your strength well at the Ninja Academy. Why stop now?"

"I'm still a long way from matching Lady Tsunade's Monster Strength."