First battle

Ryuto leaned against the cave entrance, his ears pricked.

The noise outside drew closer and closer, a rumbling mixed with battle cries and the crackle of something burning.

"Something's wrong." He turned and called into the cave, "Uncle Tarō!"

Yamano Tarō had just settled the last child in and hurried out. "What is it?"

"The fighting's reached us. It's close." Ryuto pointed toward the noise. "Listen. People are running, too."

The two held their breath.

Sure enough, a jumble of footsteps came from the woods, along with heavy panting.

"Quick! Fall back that way!"

"Captain! They're catching up!"

Several wounded people in armor stumbled and scrambled out of the woods, three dark figures close behind.

Yamano Tarō's expression changed. "Ninja! From their clothes... the ones in front are Senju, and the ones chasing them are Uchiha!"

Ryuto grabbed him and pulled him back. "Hide inside. Don't come out."

"But you..."

"I'll see what's happening." Ryuto watched the outside. "They might not come this way."

No sooner had he spoken than the Uchiha ninja at the head of the pursuit formed hand seals.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A huge fireball roared through the air. It missed the fleeing Senju ninja ahead, only to veer into the cliff above the cave.

Boom!

Broken rocks came cascading down.

"This is bad!" Yamano Tarō looked up, his face white.

If the cave roof collapsed, all twenty-odd people inside would be buried.

Ryuto had no time to think.

He raised his right hand. Pale golden ki gathered instantly in his palm, and he flung it upward without a second thought.

"Off you go!"

The ki blast traced a golden streak through the air, striking the largest falling rocks with perfect accuracy.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The rocks burst into fragments in midair and clattered down in front of the cave entrance, throwing up a cloud of dust.

The cave was safe.

But Ryuto's heart sank.

Damn it. I've given myself away.

The three Uchiha ninja turned their heads in unison, three pairs of Sharingan glowing red through the dust.

"More rats hiding here?" The one in the middle sneered. "Let's clean them out, too."

The three dark figures lunged straight at him.

Ryuto's scalp prickled.

Over the past five years, he had struck rocks and trees countless times, but fighting living people... this was his first time.

"Ryuto!" Yamano Tarō tried to rush over.

"Get back!" Ryuto roared, pushing off the ground to meet them head-on.

The first Uchiha ninja was already in front of him, a kunai thrusting straight at his chest.

Ryuto twisted aside, his movements a little stiff, and nearly tripped over his own feet.

"That's all you've got?" The ninja scoffed. His Sharingan shifted, predicting Ryuto's path as he dodged. A second kunai was already waiting there.

In his panic, Ryuto instinctively released ki from the soles of his feet.

Whoosh!

His whole body suddenly shifted half a meter sideways, and the kunai grazed his clothes.

"Huh?" The Uchiha ninja froze.

In that brief moment of hesitation, Ryuto's fist was already upon him.

There was no technique to it, just a straight punch, but a thin layer of golden ki wrapped his fist.

Bam!

The blow caught the ninja in the chest, sending him flying backward into a tree with a muffled grunt.

The other two Uchiha ninja exchanged a glance, their eyes turning serious.

"Together!"

They flanked him from either side, scattering shuriken as though they cost nothing.

Ryuto scrambled to dodge, but his ki circulated faster and faster.

At first, he had been clumsy and panicked, but as the fight went on, he felt the ki inside him begin moving on its own, ten times more smoothly than during his usual training.

His dodges grew more nimble.

His punches grew stronger.

Once, he even raised his hand instinctively, and a ki blast shot from his palm, knocking away every incoming shuriken.

"What the hell?" Even Ryuto himself was shocked.

Fighting actually worked this well?

The two Uchiha ninja grew more alarmed as they fought. This kid had clearly been a rookie at first, his movements unbearably stiff, yet after just a few exchanges, he seemed like a different person. His speed and strength were both increasing.

And his way of attacking was too strange. No hand seals, no ninjutsu, just punches and kicks mixed with those golden energy blasts. They were impossible to guard against.

"Retreat!" one Uchiha ninja barked under his breath.

Covering one another, the three fell back into the woods in a few bounds and vanished.

Ryuto did not chase them. He stood where he was, panting.

His hands trembled slightly, but not from fear. It was excitement.

He could clearly feel that the ki inside him had grown much stronger than before, like a stagnant pool stirred to life, its waters rushing freely.

"Ryuto!" Yamano Tarō ran over and looked him up and down. "Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine." Ryuto shook his head, looking at his hands. "Actually... I'm better."

"What?"

"I said fighting works better than farming." Ryuto grinned. "Five years of training didn't give me as much of a boost as this one fight."

Yamano Tarō did not understand, but he saw Ryuto's eyes shining with a light he had never seen before.

Nearby, the wounded Senju ninja helped one another to their feet, looking at Ryuto with gratitude, surprise, and uncertainty.

Ryuto did not look at them. He turned toward the distant battlefield, where explosions still rumbled.

"Uncle Tarō."

"Hmm?"

"I don't want to hide anymore," Ryuto said. "Hiding in a cave, waiting for someone to bring the fight to our door-it feels too stifling."

"Then you..."

"I'm going out." Ryuto clenched his fists, ki flowing through his palms. "I'll use this strength to protect the people I should protect. And while I'm at it... get into a few more fights."

He finally understood. This body of his might be just like those Saiyans in the manga from his previous life: the more they fought, the stronger they became. Fighting meant leveling up.

Yamano Tarō fell silent for a while, then gave his shoulder a firm pat. "Have you thought this through? You'll be risking your life."

"I have." Ryuto looked toward the cave. "But I have to get stronger. Strong enough that nobody dares come here and cause trouble."

He walked over to the Senju ninja.

"Can you walk?"

"Yes... yes, we can. Thank you for saving our lives," the lead ninja said through the pain.

"Head west. It's quiet over there for now." Ryuto pointed in a direction. "Hurry."

The Senju ninja thanked him and left, supporting one another.

Yamano Tarō watched them go, then looked at Ryuto. "You saved them, but you didn't ask which side they were on, and you weren't planning to go with them?"

"I saved them. Why make it so complicated?" Ryuto turned and headed toward the cave. "Right now, I'm not on either side."

He reached the cave entrance and glanced back at the smoke-filled woods.

The last bit of hesitation and doubt in his heart vanished completely.

A world in chaos, huh?

War, huh?

Bring it on, then.

Let's see who reaches max level first.