In a deserted corner, Ryūjin, having already used Transformation Jutsu to take the form of a masked Anbu operative, slapped the ground. He left behind a Flying Thunder God Sealing Formula.
"Alright, there are enough marks now. With three Flying Thunder God kunai, that should be plenty," Ryūjin muttered to himself. He popped a soldier pill into his mouth, and his drained chakra began to recover rapidly.
"Time to see what I'm really capable of," he said, stretching his muscles with a faint thrill. After all, someone who had lived in a modern city in his past life had never experienced fighting with real blades and guns. The recent clash with Ōnoki had been both thrilling and exciting, and just recalling it sent a spark of adrenaline through him.
Swish! Activating the Body Flicker Technique, Ryūjin vanished in an instant, reappearing at the entrance of the Ninja Academy.
Clang! Clang! Slash! Slash! Slash! The sounds of metal striking metal and blades tearing flesh rang continuously. The Anbu members stationed there had already been eliminated by Iwagakure's ninja. It was a cunning tactic: using the Hiding in Surface Technique to travel underground, they quietly surrounded and annihilated Konoha's scattered forces, only to disappear again.
The village was in chaos. Small groups of Konoha ninja struggled alone, unable to coordinate in time. Many had already been wiped out before they even knew what hit them.
"Done. Tetsuyama, sense the other Konoha ninja nearby," Fūga, leader of the team, instructed the sensory ninja.
Tetsuyama closed his eyes, focusing. "Eight hundred meters southeast, four Anbu. We can apply our usual tactics… Wait, another ninja is coming. Chakra signature indicates a Genin."
"A Genin…" Fūga's expression hardened. All four of them were seasoned Jonin, honed through countless life-and-death battles. To them, a Genin was an insignificant pest.
Swish! A figure appeared in a flash, wearing sunglasses and a confident expression. Without a doubt, it was Ryūjin.
"Tetsuyama, no time to waste. Eliminate him and move to the next target," Fūga commanded casually. Handling a Genin was trivial for a Jonin-level sensory ninja.
"Understood!" Tetsuyama flipped his hand to reveal several kunai and, with a flicker of motion, appeared directly in front of Ryūjin. Using expert Jonin-level Taijutsu, he launched a lethal strike.
"Hmph" Ryūjin murmured with a cold smile. With a thought, he activated the Asura Path, firing two missiles directly at Tetsuyama. At that range, the attack struck instantly.
Tetsuyama barely had time to react. He raised his kunai, trying to block.
Boom! A violent explosion engulfed him, heatwave blasting outward. When the smoke cleared, Tetsuyama was in fragments, scattered across the battlefield.
Silence. The air seemed to hold its breath.
Fūga and the others were stunned. They had expected the Genin to be no challenge. Who could have imagined he would annihilate Tetsuyama so effortlessly? What kind of power could generate such a violent explosion?
Their underestimation of Ryūjin vanished in an instant.
"Earth Release: Earth and Stone Bamboo Shoot!" Fūga recovered first. He formed seals rapidly, and four sharp earth spears erupted around Ryūjin, lunging from all directions, sealing off escape.
An ordinary Body Flicker Technique would struggle to evade that.
Before the spears could strike, he teleported to the side, vanishing in an instant.
"So fast!" Fūga muttered, shocked. Ryūjin's speed was extraordinary, even exaggerated. None of them could track his movements.
Swish! Ryūjin reappeared moments later. The Jonin could not determine how he had returned.
"Animal Path!" Ryūjin declared. He summoned a group of beasts. Not the massive summons of Pain, but fierce creatures the size of dogs and eagles, enough to disrupt the enemy without overtaxing his chakra.
Some flew, others charged on the ground, swarming Fūga and his team. These beasts were provided by the Rinnegan, so Ryūjin needed no additional contracts or summons.
"This Genin… he has so many summons?" Fūga and his comrades were taken aback. Typically, a ninja had one summon. But here was a Genin with an entire pack, a highly unusual display.
Still, they were veteran Jonin. They did not panic and countered calmly, neutralizing the beasts' threat.
Ryūjin knew this. The summons were not the main attack; they were distractions, tools to obscure his real strike.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Using the Asura Path, Ryūjin launched shells in a relentless bombardment, combining the Animal and Asura Paths into a flawless assault. Fūga and his team were immediately caught in a bitter and perilous fight.
As for their counterattack? With the Flying Thunder God technique, they could not touch so much as a strand of Ryūjin's hair.