Nearly half an hour after Ryou and his team left the place, Mangetsu Hozuki arrived at the scene with the Mist Ninja who had escaped from the earlier fight.
"They should be long gone by now," the Mist Ninja said. "That boy... he's very strong. None of us stood a chance. If the fight hadn't taken place at sea, I doubt I would've survived either."
Mangetsu's eyes narrowed as he gazed out at the sea. "He's strong enough to kill two of our best Jonin and nearly defeat you? Konoha truly has no shortage of geniuses.
During the Second Great Ninja War, they produced the Three Sannin and the Konoha White Fang. In this war, there's the Yellow Flash and Wicked Eye Fugaku. Now, another one is about to emerge."
He then turned to the mist ninja and said, "Send his photo and details to all our units. If any team encounters him, tell them to kill him at all costs. I'll also report this to the Mizukage. Such talents must be dealt with before they fully grow."
"Yes,"
With an expressionless face, Mangetsu thought in his heart. 'Konoha ninja, the next time we meet, I'll show you the true strength of the Mist Village.'
Just then, two more Mist Ninjas arrived, their expressions slightly dark. One of them reported, "Juzo escaped. We were no match for him. We couldn't stop him from leaving."
Mangetsu said. "Since Juzo-san no longer considers himself a ninja of the Mist, then there's no need to hesitate anymore. No matter where he goes, I will find him. I'll kill him myself and retrieve the sword that belongs to the village."
With that, the group of four vanished into the mist, returning to Kirigakure.
---
The next day, Ryou and his team arrived in Konoha, and their journey back to the village was without any troubles. Upon reaching the village, Daichi wasted no time and went to the Hokage's office to report it.
Inside the Hokage's office,
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind his desk and listened as Daichi relayed the mission details. He recounted the ambush, the arrival of Juzo and Kirigakure hunter-nin, and Ryou's incredible display of strength.
When Daichi finished, Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, exhaling a stream of smoke from his smoking pipe. "I've been doing all I can to prevent another war, but someone is stirring up trouble behind the scenes. Their goal seems to be to increase tensions between Kiri and Konoha.
Ok. I will deal with this matter. Is there anything else?"
Daichi nodded, his expression serious. "Hokage-sama, I plan to recommend Ryou for promotion to Jonin. Despite his age, his skills, strength, and composure on the battlefield are far beyond the average Jonin. He's more than capable of handling the responsibilities of a Jonin."
Hiruzen looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "Indeed. Ryou's strength is good. He has proven himself on this mission. With our current shortage, promoting someone like him will strengthen our ranks. I will make arrangements for his promotion to Jonin."
Daichi bowed slightly. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. I will take my leave."
--
Meanwhile, Ryou, Tenga, and Shisui went to a breakfast shop located at the center of the village. As they entered, Ryou spotted several familiar faces—Might Guy, Kurenai, Asuma, Ebisu, and other young shinobi seated together.
Might Guy greeted them enthusiastically. "You three are the recently graduated Chunin, right? Are you guys coming back from a mission?"
Kurenai gave them a warm smile and said, "Take a seat. You three look pretty worn out."
Ryou, Tenga, and Shisui joined the table, exchanging polite greetings. Tenga, looking slightly worn out, said, "We ran into some trouble during our mission at the borders, so we returned without taking any rest to report."
"When will these conflicts ever end? Even though the large-scale war in the Land of Grass has ended, ongoing skirmishes between Konoha, Stone, and Sand still continue in the Land of Rain. Not to mention the minor clashes between Cloud and Mist," Genma said with a sigh.
"Indeed. Even if the Hokage-sama sends a peace treaty, there's no guarantee Iwagakure will sign it. And even if they do, it's just a piece of paper. It'll take time for tensions to truly subside."
"Most of our recent missions have been near the Land of Water's border. Let's hope we don't end up at war with the Mist," Ebisu said, his tone filled with worry.
After some light conversation and breakfast, Ryou, Tenga, and Shisui returned home to rest, knowing there was a high chance they might be called for another mission tomorrow.
---
As the evening sun dipped below the horizon,
Ryou came to his usual training spot, a secluded area away from where others usually train. After a few hours of rest, his mind and body felt refreshed, and he was ready to continue his training.
After an hour of his usual Natural Breathing training to enhance his physique, Ryou decided to resume his practice on mastering a Kekkei Genkai by combining Fire and Water nature chakra.
After his chakra control advanced to Kage-level, his proficiency in all his jutsu had significantly improved. His ability to master the Rasengan so quickly was a good example.
It also gave him the confidence that he could successfully combine the Fire and Water nature chakra this time.
Like the previous time, Ryou channeled his chakra to flow into both hands, concentrating on changing the chakra's nature individually.
In his right hand, flames came to life without any problem, exuding a fiery heat. In his left hand, the chakra shifted and morphed, transforming into flowing water that flowed along his palm.
Thanks to his enhanced chakra control, this initial step was completed smoothly.
"Good. Next, let's get into the hard part of combining the two." Ryou thought, bringing his hands closer.
Slowly, the fire and water chakras began to interact. At the point of contact, the two elements clashed violently, producing a sharp hissing sound as steam rose into the air. The fire chakra evaporated the water, transforming it into steam.
However, there was a major problem—rather than merging into a harmonious new form, the fire and water canceled each other out. All the chakras in his hand turned into steam and dissipated into the atmosphere, leaving no trace of a new chakra nature.
Ryou frowned, his brow furrowing in thought. "What did I do wrong? Combining the two didn't produce a new nature. Instead, the entire chakra just vanished into steam.
They're completely incompatible... I need to figure out a way to blend them instead of letting one overpower the other."
Ryou tried once again, carefully balancing the opposing chakra natures, but this time, the water extinguished the fire entirely, leaving only a faint mist in its wake.
Unfazed, he repeated again and again, adjusting the balance between the two, timing, and increasing chakra intensity. But none of it worked. There's something else he's missing.
After an hour of practice, Ryou panted slightly with his chakra reserve exhausted to the limit. His hands trembled slightly with slight burn marks, but it wasn't as serious as the last time. He treated the wounds himself.
"Mastering a Kekkei Genkai is indeed difficult. I thought it would be easy with my chakra control!" Ryou sighed and thought, "There has to be a way… I just need to find it."
After resting for a few minutes to recover his chakra, he decided to call it a day and come back in the morning to try again with a fresh mind.
--
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