Once the Third Hoshikage had delivered a few formal opening remarks, the crowd instinctively retreated to the edges of the field, leaving the wide central space to the duel's two stars—Ryan and Akahoshi.
"Lord Akahoshi, it's been a while," Ryan said respectfully with a bow. No matter what, Akahoshi had once been his teacher, and unlike his arrogant counterpart in the original Naruto timeline, this Akahoshi was worthy of respect.
Akahoshi stared at the young man before him, surprised at how the frail child he once knew had matured into such a composed and formidable-looking youth.
He laughed heartily. "Indeed, it has been years! You've grown… Well then, don't hold back. Let's see what you've become!"
Ryan smiled slightly and nodded. He hadn't fought many opponents, but he could sense it—his strength already surpassed Akahoshi's. Especially in close combat, where his speed and precision outclassed the older jonin.
"Then… here I come!"
In an instant, Ryan exploded forward, his body a blur. Like a wild beast unchained, he hurled himself toward Akahoshi.
As he moved, his hands flicked—three kunai launched in a tight formation, slicing through the air toward Akahoshi.
The crowd gasped. Ryan's speed was unlike anything they'd expected—his purple silhouette seemed to leave behind afterimages as he moved.
"So fast!" someone whispered in awe.
"Peacock Method: Avian Beast Manifestation!"
Akahoshi's eyes narrowed. With swift hand seals, he growled out the name of his technique.
Behind him, a surge of purple chakra erupted and instantly took the shape of a fearsome chakrafied beast, fangs bared in a snarl. The creature lunged toward Ryan with a deafening roar.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The kunai struck the chakra beast's form and were deflected with a metallic clash. But the beast wasn't done—it kept charging, aiming to rip Ryan apart with its massive jaws.
Boom!
Ryan twisted mid-air with feline grace, narrowly dodging the snapping jaws. The beast crashed into the ground behind him, leaving a two-meter-wide crater in its wake.
Without pause, Ryan's hands blurred again.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
In a flash, he formed the seals. A blazing fireball nearly nine meters wide erupted from his mouth, roaring toward Akahoshi like a comet.
Gasps echoed through the crowd.
The intense blaze lit up the field, raising the temperature dramatically. The fireball slammed into Akahoshi's chakra beast just as it returned to shield its master.
BOOM!
The explosion sent a wave of heat rushing outward. Smoke and embers billowed across the field, obscuring everything.
As the smoke cleared, the battlefield lay scorched and cracked. But Akahoshi still stood—unharmed. His chakra defense had held.
"Such power from just a basic Fire Jutsu… He must have added fire nature transformation into it. Looks like he's already mastered fire chakra manipulation," Natsuhoshi said with an impressed smile. Standing beside the Third, even she was a little surprised. She'd only visited Ryan a few times in recent years and hadn't realized just how much he had learned.
Ryan narrowed his eyes. As I thought… even an enhanced fireball can't pierce through a fully manifested Peacock Method shield.
But he didn't stop.
With a burst of speed, he shot forward like a shadow streaked in crackling lightning.
"Peacock Method: Demon Bear Manifestation!"
Akahoshi shifted his stance. The purple chakra surged again, this time forming a massive feral bear, its jaws wide and gleaming with razor-sharp fangs. It lunged at Ryan, faster and larger than the last beast.
ROAR!!
But Ryan was faster.
Electric arcs exploded around him, his entire body cloaked in lightning. The surge of energy doubled his speed, letting him slip right past the lunging bear.
The bear's jaws snapped at thin air.
In a heartbeat, Ryan appeared in front of Akahoshi—too fast for the jonin to react.
WHAM!
A vicious spinning kick landed clean on Akahoshi's side, sending him flying across the field.
Ryan didn't let up—he immediately gave chase.
But on the sidelines, the Third and Natsuhoshi exchanged knowing glances.
They had noticed it—a deliberate slowing of movement, just a fraction of a second—but enough to know Ryan had held back.
The rest of the shinobi could barely comprehend what had happened. All they saw was a black-and-purple blur of lightning flash forward and a veteran jonin get launched into the air.
None of them even caught how Ryan had moved.
"So fast… Even I can barely keep up with him," Natsuhoshi murmured in awe, her gaze fixed on Ryan's blur-like movements as he darted across the field like a black phantom.
The Third Hoshikage took a slow drag from his pipe, eyes narrowing with satisfaction as he watched Ryan relentlessly pursue Akahoshi. A smile played on his lips.
"That's likely Lightning Release," he remarked calmly. "Using electric currents to stimulate the nervous system and drastically boost physical speed. Judging by the precision, he's already achieved a high level of mastery. Wouldn't surprise me if he's inherited all of the First Starshadow's lightning techniques. And so far, the only jutsu he's shown is a basic Fire Style. This kid's still hiding a lot."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Akahoshi's stomach churned with pain. As he was knocked backward, he quickly regained his footing mid-air, directing his chakra beast to intercept Ryan's continuous onslaught and barely managing to stabilize his form with a flip.
Fortunately, this was just a sparring match, and Ryan had been holding back. Had he gone all-out with that first kick, Akahoshi would've already been coughing up blood. Years of tireless taijutsu training had made Ryan's physical power anything but weak.
Bam! Bam!
Ryan kept attacking, striking at the chakra beast protecting Akahoshi with ferocious precision. Then, he spotted an opening.
In a sudden feint, Ryan dodged the beast's swipe and accelerated—his body twisting like a serpent—as he closed the final distance. Before Akahoshi could react, Ryan appeared beside him, moving faster than his teacher's eyes could track.
Just as Akahoshi tried to leap away, a cold glint pressed gently against his throat—a kunai, held firmly in Ryan's hand.
Feeling the chilling metal at his neck, Akahoshi gave a wry smile. With a helpless shrug, he retracted the Peacock Method and raised both hands in defeat.
"Thank you for the match, Lord Akahoshi," Ryan said respectfully, withdrawing the blade and dispersing the crackling lightning around his body with a faint hum. He bowed, then calmly stepped back.
Truth be told, if Ryan hadn't held back for Akahoshi's dignity, the battle would've ended even sooner. His base speed alone far exceeded the reaction time of Akahoshi's Peacock Manifestation technique. The added lightning stimulation was merely to give the illusion of effort—after all, a jonin being instantly overwhelmed by a twelve-year-old would be humiliating no matter how talented the boy was.
Ryan's natural speed was already higher than what he'd just demonstrated with Lightning Release. And if he had truly wanted to end it fast, he could've mirrored the way Rock Lee overwhelmed Gaara during the Chunin Exams in the original series—relentlessly striking like a barrage of cannon fire.
Akahoshi didn't have Gaara's Sand Armor to protect him. A few of those bone-breaking kicks and he'd be out cold, if not worse.
In truth, Akahoshi's taijutsu was weak—especially compared to Ryan's. And his chakra beast couldn't keep up with Ryan's sheer speed. Losing in such a short time wasn't even surprising.
The Third Hoshikage nodded in approval, then smiled and said softly to Natsuhoshi beside him, "Just from what Ryan's shown today, he's already on par with the two of us. And considering how much he's holding back… I think it's safe to say, he's ready for a real journey. As long as he stays cautious, he should be fine."
"Mmh… Akahoshi didn't lose unfairly," Natsuhoshi said with a proud smile, watching Ryan walk toward them. "The Peacock Method's weakness is clear. It can't handle close-range combat with speed-based fighters. And Ryan… is too fast."
With a pupil like this, she had every reason to be proud.
"A jonin… lost that quickly?" a stunned chunin murmured, staring at Akahoshi's bitter smile. The entire duel hadn't lasted more than a few minutes.
"He only used one Fire Jutsu. That lightning technique was probably Lightning Release, right?"
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