Chapter 17: Ryuzen vs. Yūhi Kurenai — ConclusionThe Battle Continues
CLANG—CLANG—
Shigure Kintoki, fully transformed from bamboo into true steel, collided repeatedly with Kurenai's kunai.
Sparks flew with each impact, tiny flames dancing across the weapons' surfaces. Ryuzen pressed his advantage, his blade flowing from one strike to the next with inhuman smoothness. Then, in a momentary pause during their exchange, his palm shifted almost imperceptibly on the hilt.
Shigure Kintoki disengaged from the lock and curved in a devastating arc toward Kurenai's neck—blunted back edge leading, but carrying enough force to incapacitate.
The reach advantage of his blade proved decisive.
Facing this merciless assault, Kurenai dropped low. She hit the ground rolling, once, twice, three times, before springing up into a half-crouch several meters away. Even as she moved, her hands had already found the shuriken in her pouch.
SWISH-SWISH-SWISH—
Three shuriken flew toward Ryuzen in an overlapping pattern, designed to limit his evasion options.
TING-TING-TING—
Ryuzen's blade danced. The shuriken fell to the ground in pieces, each sliced cleanly in half.
Without pausing, he raised Shigure Kintoki overhead and brought it down in a single, devastating motion.
SWISH—BOOM—
Another sword energy erupted from his blade—this one three or four meters high, visible as a dark crimson crescent that roared across the clearing like a living thing. The air itself seemed to part before it, creating a rushing wind that swept everything in its path.
Kurenai had no choice but to dodge.
She threw herself sideways again, less gracefully this time, hitting the ground and rolling desperately to escape the slash's path. Behind her, more trees shattered, their remains scattering across the forest floor.
But as she scrambled to rise, she failed to notice one crucial detail.
A figure had been moving behind that sword energy, using the air pressure and debris as cover.
SMACK.
Before Kurenai could fully regain her footing, a bamboo sword pressed firmly against her neck.
Behind it stood Ryuzen, blindfold still in place, features composed into calm certainty.
CRASH—
The sword energy's aftermath finally settled somewhere in the distance, sounding almost like an earthquake's echo.
Kurenai froze, staring at the impossibly handsome face before her. For a long moment, she simply couldn't process what had happened.
"You lose, Kurenai-sensei."
Ryuzen didn't remove his blindfold immediately. Instead, his free hand reached down and calmly unhooked the bells from her waist.
A genjutsu specialist was among the most dangerous types of ninja in existence. Every gesture, every movement, could potentially trigger an illusion. Though his Kenbunshoku Haki would likely allow him to perceive the truth even if caught in a genjutsu, he had never tested that theory against a genuine jōnin.
Better to maintain every advantage.
With her illusion abilities completely neutralized, Kurenai had possessed no real means of countering him. The sword techniques from another world were proving devastatingly effective in this one.
Looking across the entire Naruto world, only Susano'o could produce slashes capable of cutting mountains—and even then, only the complete Susano'o wielded by those like Madara or Sasuke.
Though his chakra reserves remained at only chūnin level, Ryuzen's combat ability had already reached jōnin tier.
He understood, in this moment, the enormous advantage his swordsmanship provided. In a world where nearly every technique relied on chakra, his abilities required none. Powerful slashes that cost other ninja significant energy came to him as naturally as breathing.
As long as he could neutralize an opponent's primary skills, he held the advantage.
Against taijutsu masters or those with kekkei genkai, the situation might differ. But ninja who lost their specialties became little more than普通人 with chakra—people who could jump higher and run faster, but possessed no other extraordinary qualities.
Such individuals existed everywhere in the world Ryuzen remembered from another life.
Kurenai had just become the perfect example.
Her performance against him had resembled nothing so much as a genin struggling against an experienced fighter.
"You're incredible, Ryuzen." Kurenai allowed him to take the bells without resistance, amazement clear in her voice. "That sword technique... I've never seen or heard of anything like it. How did you develop such an ability?"
Feeling the bells securely in his hand, Ryuzen finally removed his blindfold. His crimson eyes—so similar in color to Kurenai's own—held a hint of warmth as he offered a carefully prepared explanation.
"To be honest, I'm not entirely certain myself. When I was young, Hinata and I were training by the river. The water surface suddenly split open before us. It surprised both of us as much as anyone."
"As a child?" Kurenai's brow furrowed as she considered his words. Now that I think about it, those sword energies carried no chakra fluctuations at all. Is there a kekkei genkai in the ninja world that doesn't require chakra? Or perhaps this isn't a bloodline limit at all...
"Sensei? Is something wrong?" Ryuzen asked, though he could guess her thoughts well enough.
The Breath of All Things belonged to an entirely different power system. Only someone with his particular advantages—namely, the system—could ever hope to master it. Even if he explained the training method in perfect detail, no one in this world could replicate his results.
"Ah, no... nothing at all." Kurenai shook herself from her thoughts, refocusing on the boy before her. A faint gleam entered her eyes as she regarded him.
She had truly found a treasure!
Becoming an instructor for the first time, she had somehow acquired a disciple this terrifying.
Kakashi, Asuma—I'm definitely winning this unofficial competition!
Aftermath
"Ryuzen-kun!"
Seeing that the battle had reached its conclusion, Hinata and Shino hurried over.
For once, Hinata looked directly at Ryuzen without immediately dropping her gaze in shyness. Her eyes held undisguised admiration—deep, genuine, and full of warmth.
Shino adjusted his sunglasses, his voice carrying its usual flat tone. "Ryuzen, you hid yourself too well. If you had wanted to, you could have graduated from the Academy years ago."
The last sentence came out as a statement, not a question.
"I still have many shortcomings." Ryuzen's response was soft, almost dismissive.
In truth, even he didn't fully understand the extent of his own abilities. Today's battle suggested that a genjutsu specialist couldn't truly test his limits. To properly gauge his strength, he would need to face someone like Hatake Kakashi—an elite jōnin with genuine combat experience across multiple theaters.
Shino said nothing further, interpreting Ryuzen's response as simple modesty.
Kurenai clearly shared that interpretation, her approving gaze never leaving her newest student.
Celebration
CLAP.
Kurenai brought her hands together sharply, drawing everyone's attention. A warm smile spread across her features.
"Today's survival exercise was originally designed to test your ability to work together as a team under pressure. I certainly didn't expect to lose to one of my own students."
She laughed lightly, unbothered by the outcome.
"But I'm happy to admit defeat. Let's gather at the Academy gate tonight at six o'clock. Barbecue is on me." She raised two fingers in a peace sign. "For now—dismissed."
And with that, her figure vanished.
Shunshin no Jutsu.
Ryuzen stared at the spot where she had disappeared, a flicker of realization crossing his features.
He had nearly forgotten—the Body Flicker Technique.
Such a movement ability could easily evade his sword energy if used properly. He didn't know why Kurenai had chosen not to employ it during their battle, but he made a mental note for future reference.
In truth, Ryuzen had been holding back throughout the confrontation.
If he had fought with genuine intent, Shigure Kintoki would never have collided with Kurenai's kunai—it would have simply cut through. He wouldn't have needed to use the blunted back edge when targeting her neck. During those few moments of close combat, he could have left several scars on her body without difficulty.
But she was his instructor now.
And more than that—she was a good person, genuinely invested in her students' development.
A little restraint seemed the least he could offer in return.
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