Before the Third could even send someone to summon him, Ryan showed up on his own—much to the old man's amusement.
Now, the three of them—Ryan, Natsuhoshi, and the Third Hoshikage—walked along one of the paths within the Star Village encampment.
The air was oddly tense.
"Ryan," the Third said, tapping his pipe gently against a tree trunk, "you want to leave the village to explore the world, don't you?"
His cloudy eyes, though aged, seemed to pierce through Ryan's thoughts with perfect clarity. It wasn't due to his strength—but because he knew Ryan's character so well after all these years.
Ryan froze for a moment… then slowly nodded. "Yes. I feel like I've reached a bottleneck. I need real combat experience—fighting strong enemies. I want to grow."
He didn't ask for permission. He knew the Third Hoshikage wasn't the kind of man who would selfishly hold him back out of fear.
Danger had always been part of the deal. The moment Ryan became a shinobi, he had accepted that. In a world filled with war and death, no place was truly safe—not even the Hidden Leaf.
"Hmm… I understand," the Third said thoughtfully. "But before you go, you'll need to pass one trial."
Both Ryan and the usually quiet Natsuhoshi looked up in surprise.
"What trial?" Ryan asked.
The Third Hoshikage smiled. "Defeat Akahoshi—and I'll grant you permission to leave."
He didn't actually think Akahoshi could beat Ryan. In fact, this was more of a formality, a way to announce Ryan's strength to the village and prepare them for his eventual rise to power.
Right now, Ryan was strong—but still unknown. Many villagers didn't even know who he was. This trial would help him earn their respect.
And in the ninja world, there was no better way to earn respect than through strength.
Ryan looked at the smiling Third Hoshikage, then nodded.
"Alright."
Ryan, who had been missing from Star Village for four years, had suddenly returned—and what's more, he was set to publicly challenge Akahoshi, one of the village's top five jonin, in just three days!
The news spread like wildfire through the village, leaving many civilians stunned.
But while the villagers were mostly surprised, the shinobi stationed in the Star Encampment were far more excited. The duel would be open to the public, allowing everyone to witness it firsthand. This, of course, was the Third Hoshikage's deliberate arrangement—a strategic move to showcase Ryan's current strength to the entire village.
Naturally, the Third had informed Akahoshi beforehand, and far from objecting, Akahoshi readily agreed. In truth, it wasn't that he was eager for the fight—it was more that he was curious. Curious to see just how far Ryan had come. After all, the boy had once absorbed the entirety of the Star's chakra—an act so astonishing that it left a lasting impression.
And just like that, three days flew by amidst growing anticipation.
Early Morning – Star Training Grounds
The first golden rays of sunlight had just begun to pierce the fading darkness, casting soft light across the tranquil Star Village.
At the training ground entrance, Ryan sat cross-legged, a single emerald leaf balanced on his palm. His hands were clasped together in a focused seal, palms pressed tightly around the leaf.
To his side sat a neat pile of unbroken leaves, while his knees and the floor beneath him were scattered with perfectly sliced fragments—every edge cut razor-clean.
"Sigh… Still not there yet," Ryan muttered as he opened his hands.
The leaf had been cut into seven or eight pieces, each fragment landing delicately on the ground.
He was training in Wind Release nature transformation. But rather than simply slicing the leaf, his goal was to grind it into powder with pure wind chakra control. Clearly, he had not yet reached that level of precision.
"The time's about right… guess I should get going."
Dusting the bits of leaf off his clothes and casually sweeping the floor clean, Ryan rose and stepped out into the morning light.
Star Village – Central Grounds
The training field was buzzing with life. A crowd of over a hundred had gathered, creating a low but excited clamor that filled the wide-open space.
Normally, this time of day wouldn't see such a crowd. Most shinobi would be on patrols or assignments. But nearly everyone who was in the village had come out. For the lower-ranking genin and chunin, chances to witness a battle between elite jonin-level shinobi were extremely rare—some had never seen one in their lives. Naturally, they came to watch, if not out of curiosity, then out of sheer awe.
"Did you hear?" one tall, lanky shinobi whispered to his group. "The kid going up against Lord Akahoshi today—he's only twelve!"
A kunoichi nodded, eyes wide with memory. "I saw him years ago. He was just eight then… already a genin. A real prodigy, they said."
A stocky male shinobi chuckled bitterly. "Man, makes you wonder what we're doing with our lives. We'll probably be stuck as chunin forever—and here he is, challenging a veteran jonin like Akahoshi at twelve."
"No kidding…"
"I just hope it's a good fight. But still, I don't see how a twelve-year-old could possibly defeat someone like Lord Akahoshi…"
Conversations like that rippled through the crowd. Meanwhile, Night Hawk and Death Burial exchanged quiet glances from the sidelines.
They had seen Ryan's refined Peacock Method—even just a glimpse of it had left them shaken. Despite years of working alongside Akahoshi, neither felt optimistic about his chances today.
Akahoshi may have had more experience, sure—but chakra-wise, Ryan had absorbed a tremendous amount of the "Star's" chakra back then. His potential was clearly on another level.
Not long after, the Third Hoshikage, Natsuhoshi, and Akahoshi himself arrived at the grounds, chatting casually.
To the Third and Natsuhoshi, the outcome of the battle was already decided. Ryan would win—what remained to be seen was how he would perform. That alone was worth observing.
And then, right on cue, Ryan arrived.
Dressed in a sleek, purple and white battle outfit, he walked calmly into the arena. All eyes instantly turned to him.
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T/N:
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