Chapter 71: Moon Step, Instant Draw
"Byakugan! Activate!"
The moment Ryuzen moved, the veins on either side of Hinata's temples bulged as her kekkei genkai activated. Her telescopic and penetrating vision swept across a full kilometer radius.
Then she frowned in confusion. "Ryuzen-kun? What's wrong?"
Her Byakugan detected nothing—no chakra fluctuations within range.
"The insects sense nothing following us," Aburame Shino added, though both he and Hinata remained tense, ready for anything. Their trust in Ryuzen ran too deep to dismiss his instincts.
Ryuzen sheathed his sword, staring at the dissipating dust cloud where his attack had landed. His brow furrowed slightly.
"Perhaps I was mistaken. There was definitely a presence there moments ago." He shook his head. "Forget it. Let's keep moving."
With Pakkun leading, Team 8 pressed on toward the Land of Rivers.
In a sealed cave somewhere within that country, the demonic statue loomed, its fingers extended as the Phantom Nine Dragons worked to extract the tailed beast from Gaara's unconscious form.
Zetsu, half-black and half-white, spoke in his characteristic rasping voice: "It seems a troublesome one has arrived. My sensory technique was detected."
"Who?" Pain demanded from his position at Zero.
"Yagyu Ryuzen. A swordsman."
Deidara curled his lip dismissively. "Tch. Never heard of him."
Kisame Hoshigaki's shark-like face split into a grin. "Don't underestimate him. He's just a teenager—around the same age as Itachi-san's younger brother, I believe. When Itachi-san and I visited Konoha, they exchanged blows. His swordsmanship is... unreasonable. He can unleash slashes with the power of S-rank ninjutsu."
Deidara's arrogance dimmed slightly, but he still sneered. "Then let me handle him. I'll see if he's as impressive as you claim."
"Don't act rashly," Pain interrupted calmly. "You're the main body now. This extraction requires three days. Once it's complete, we leave immediately. No need to waste thirty percent of your chakra on unnecessary combat."
Before Deidara could protest, Pain turned to Kisame. "Since he's a swordsmanship specialist, Kisame, I leave him to you. You have the most chakra here."
Kisame grinned wider. "Leave it to me."
Zetsu spoke again: "More arrivals. Konoha ninja this time."
Pain's gaze shifted to Deidara—and this time, there was something almost ominous in those Rinnegan eyes.
Sasori of the Red Sand snorted coldly. "I told you. That brat's abilities are unsuited for stealth."
"Why?!" Deidara looked genuinely wounded.
Itachi Uchiha opened his mouth for the first time, his voice quiet: "Leave it to me."
Pain nodded. "Very well."
The Land of Rivers was a region of rocky mountains and arid valleys.
After parting ways with Pakkun, Aburame Shino picked up Kakashi's scent trail, and Team 8 accelerated to full speed.
Ryuzen spoke quietly: "Careful. Something's approaching."
"Byakugan!" Hinata's veins bulged again as she scanned. "Seven o'clock... there! So fast!"
CRACK—
A bandaged blade erupted from the ground like a shark's fin, streaking toward them in a subsurface charge.
Ryuzen's expression didn't change. "Child's play."
SHING—
He drew and swung in one motion—a casual downward chop.
BOOM!
Twelve, maybe thirteen meters of sword energy exploded from his blade like a crimson tsunami. The earth shook. Dry soil tore apart as the attack raced forward.
The hidden blade was swallowed instantly.
BANG!
A figure burst from the ground, launching into the air.
But someone was faster.
Ryuzen had already leaped. Using the force of his own sword energy, he kicked off the air itself and ran toward the sky.
His sword slid back into its sheath. His hand settled into the drawing stance.
SHING—RIP!
The instant Kisame Hoshigaki emerged, silver sword light caught him at his weakest point—midair, unable to dodge. The blade passed through his waist.
The shark-like missing-nin looked down at his bisected body, dead-fish eyes wide with shock.
"So fast... so terrifying..."
He had felt it—a slash that swordsmen could spend lifetimes trying to comprehend, delivered by a teenager.
The body fell, split in two. Then, before hitting the ground, it transformed.
Substitution.
The Rinnegan's ability—the Outer Path's power to transfer chakra from Akatsuki members into sacrificial vessels, creating perfect replicas capable of using bloodline limits.
Ryuzen landed gracefully, his descent controlled.
Aburame Shino stared at him, actual shock breaking through his usual calm. "That... was that the Moon Step? Humans can actually run in the air?"
"Mm. It's a technique Ryuzen-kun developed." Hinata nodded, her eyes shining with admiration.
In the cave, on the Demon Statue's finger, Kisame's consciousness returned to his main body.
"Hey..."
He grinned, utterly unashamed of being "killed" in under a minute. After all, that had only been a thirty-percent chakra clone.
"Pain. I was defeated instantly. That kid's something else."
Pain's Rinnegan fixed on him. "Explain."
Kisame recounted everything without embellishment. "A swing of his blade produced over ten meters of sword energy—absolute S-rank forbidden-level power. He has a technique that lets him run through the air. And his draw speed... I couldn't track it. If that blade connects, you're cut."
He paused, then added: "That kid is more terrifying than the legendary White Fang of Konoha."
Silence filled the cave.
Finally, Kakuzu broke it, his voice contemplative. "Tch. Konoha really is full of talent. Hiding someone like that... If they put him on the market, his head would be worth a fortune."
Pain's gaze shifted between Sasori and Deidara. "Both of you, be careful."
Most of his attention rested on Sasori.
Elemental disadvantage. Whether in the pirate world or the ninja world, it remained as deadly as ever.
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