Chapter 47: The Giant Serpent
"Ryuzen-kun, that is..."
As the three of them emerged from the venue, their attention was immediately seized by a nightmarish sight.
A massive three-headed serpent towered above the village rooftops, its colossal body coiling and crashing through buildings as it advanced. Each head struck with independent malice, fangs dripping venom that sizzled where it touched stone and wood. The creature moved with terrible purpose, destroying everything in its path.
Hinata and Hanabi both showed traces of fear on their faces. Even from this distance, the scale of the beast was overwhelming.
Ryuzen frowned, his eyes tracking the serpent's trajectory. "The direction it's heading..."
Hinata's expression shifted dramatically as realization struck. "Oh no! Its path—it's heading very close to your home, Ryuzen-kun!"
A cold light flashed through Ryuzen's red eyes.
"Stay here. Both of you. I'm going to kill it."
He knew the Konoha Crush plan would destroy many buildings. He knew that years from now, Pain's invasion would level the entire village. But knowing something intellectually was very different from watching a giant monster approach the place that mattered to him.
That apartment wasn't just a building. It was his shelter from the world. It was where he and Hinata had shared six years of meals and naps and quiet moments. It was where their future would be built.
He would not allow some summoned beast to destroy it.
Without waiting for a response, Ryuzen vanished from his position, speeding toward the three-headed serpent.
The giant serpent had been summoned by Sand ninja early in the invasion. It had already crashed through Konoha's outer wall and was now rampaging through the residential districts, destroying dozens of buildings with each passing minute.
Konoha ninja swarmed to stop its advance. Fire Release and Water Release techniques hammered its scales. Kunai bundled with explosive tags detonated against its hide. Nothing penetrated. The serpent's defenses were absolute against conventional attacks.
Worse, Sand and Sound ninja used the chaos to their advantage. While Konoha ninja focused on the beast, enemy forces picked them off with ranged attacks—ninjutsu, kunai, shuriken launched from cover. Casualties mounted with every passing second.
Then a young figure stepped into the war zone.
"Hey! You there with the forehead protector—get to the shelter!"
A Konoha ninja who hadn't noticed Ryuzen's rank shouted urgently, his face twisted with concern. "You can't be here! Get back!"
Ryuzen didn't acknowledge him. His red eyes remained fixed on the three-headed serpent, cold and calculating. He stepped onto the tiled roof of a nearby house, and his figure transformed into an afterimage.
He leaped from rooftop to rooftop, closing distance with terrifying speed. When he judged the position right, he launched himself into the air like an arrow released from a bow.
"That brat has a death wish!"
Watching Sand and Sound ninja caught sight of his trajectory. Sneers spread across their faces. Disdain filled their eyes.
In their experience, this was suicide. Explosive tags couldn't penetrate the serpent's defense. Elemental ninjutsu couldn't harm it. No way some kid—
The next scene horrified them to their core.
Ryuzen landed on the serpent's massive body, chakra adhering his feet to the scales. He ran up its length like running on flat ground, sprinting toward the central head.
Thwip—
His right hand settled on his sword hilt. He pushed off with explosive force, launching himself toward the right head while simultaneously—
Dazzling white light flashed. So fast it barely registered. The blade passed through the central head in a single, perfect arc.
SPLAT—BOOM!
Blood sprayed like a fountain as the massive snake head—fangs still bared, eyes still glowing with malice—separated from the body and crashed down, destroying the building below.
Swish—RIP!
Ryuzen twisted in midair, landing on another section of serpent body and immediately launching toward the next head. Another flash of white light. Another sound like tearing cloth.
BOOM!
A second head fell, crashing like a collapsing hill.
Ryuzen used the falling body as a springboard, launching toward the final head. In midair, his form twisted into the familiar drawing stance.
A layer of black coated the sword—blade, hilt, even the scabbard. Armament Haki: Full Hardening.
"Armament Drawing Slash!"
Shing—CLICK!
The sword light flashed. The blade returned to its sheath.
The final snake head dropped from the body.
Three decapitations. Three seconds per head. Less than fifteen seconds total.
The three-headed serpent that had terrorized Konoha's defenders, that had shrugged off every attack thrown at it, that had seemed invincible—lay dead, its heads scattered across the ruined streets.
Ryuzen landed lightly on the ground, the impact barely disturbing the dust beneath his feet.
Around him, combat had frozen.
Konoha ninja stared with wide eyes and slack jaws. The man who had shouted at Ryuzen to find shelter now stood motionless, mouth opening and closing without sound.
Then someone shouted:
"So... so powerful! He's incredible!"
"Yeah! The snake is dead! Now it's our turn to fight back!"
The shouts broke the spell. Konoha ninja shook themselves awake, renewed energy flooding through them. If that kid could kill the serpent, they could definitely handle the remaining invaders.
The Sand and Sound ninja, meanwhile, had gone pale.
The creature that had given them such advantage was gone. The balance had shifted. Now they were the ones at risk.
"Damn it! It's all that kid's fault!" A Sand ninja's face twisted with rage, murderous intent radiating from his eyes. "Kill him! Kill him now!"
Swish! Swish!
Two Sand ninja nearest Ryuzen launched themselves at him without hesitation, kunai extended.
Ryuzen's expression didn't change. His voice emerged cold and flat:
"The weak should remember their place."
Shing—
He vanished. Instinctive Body Flicker combined with his already incredible speed made him literally disappear from their perception. When he reappeared, he was already past them, his tachi—still coated in Armament Haki—extended in the aftermath of a draw cut.
THUD.
Two bodies, cut cleanly in half, fell to the ground.
No dramatic blood spray. No prolonged death throes. Just perfect cuts that ended life instantly.
Ryuzen stood with his back to the corpses, sheathing his sword with quiet finality.
Blood rained down around him. It stained his silver ponytail, dripped from the ends of his hair. But his kimono—that self-cleaning garment—repelled every drop, remaining pristine despite the carnage.
The remaining enemy ninja stared at him with expressions of pure horror. None dared step forward. None dared even breathe too loudly.
Ryuzen didn't pursue them. He had more important concerns. He turned and walked away from the battlefield, retracing his path toward where he had left Hinata and Hanabi.
Behind him, the Konoha ninja watched him go with expressions of profound respect.
War was cruel, but it created heroes. Powerful ninja were never underestimated because of their age—power spoke for itself. And Ryuzen's power had just spoken very, very clearly.
He found Hinata and Hanabi exactly where he had left them, huddled together near the venue exit. Both sisters straightened when they saw him approaching, relief flooding their features.
"Ryuzen-kun!" Hinata rushed forward, checking him for injuries despite knowing he was unharmed. "Are you alright? The snake—"
"Dead." He caught her hands gently. "It won't threaten our home."
Our home. The words settled warmly between them.
Behind Hinata, Hanabi watched the exchange with wide, wondering eyes. This man—this incredible, terrifying, gentle man—had just killed a giant serpent and then walked back to her sister like it was nothing.
What are you, really?
Ryuzen looked past Hinata to Hanabi. "Your father will be busy. Can you make your way back to the compound alone from here? The worst fighting is concentrated elsewhere."
Hanabi straightened, pride and determination flickering across her young face. "I'm a Hyūga. Of course I can."
Ryuzen nodded shortly. "Good. Stay off the main streets. Use the roofs. Don't engage anyone—just run."
Hanabi nodded, then hesitated. She looked at her sister, then back at Ryuzen. "You'll... you'll keep her safe?"
It was almost a challenge. Almost a demand.
Ryuzen met her pale eyes evenly. "With my life."
That seemed to satisfy her. Hanabi turned and vanished into the ruins, moving with the trained grace of a Hyūga heir.
Ryuzen turned to Hinata. "Ready?"
She nodded, her hand finding his.
Together, they moved back into the chaos.
There was still work to do.
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