Everything stopped.
Ryuga's world turned silent. The sounds of battle faded, the screams of Konoha shinobi and the clash of jutsu no longer reached his ears. All he could hear was the shallow, ragged breathing of the man in his arms.
"…Dad…?"
Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, lay motionless, a massive wooden spike impaled through his stomach. Blood pooled beneath them, soaking Ryuga's trembling hands.
His mind was blank.
This isn't happening…
This isn't real…
His body wouldn't move. He could barely breathe. His chest felt crushed under the weight of his own helplessness.
I should have never come here…
I should have listened…
I should have stayed out of this…
He had thought he could help. That he could fight alongside his father and protect him.
But in the end… he was the burden.
Minato had taken the attack meant for him.
Orochimaru's cold laughter slithered through the air.
"How pitiful," the Sannin sneered. "All that resolve, all that bravery… and now you freeze up at the worst moment."
He lifted his hand.
Kusanagi no Tsurugi.
The blade extended, its gleaming steel aiming straight for Ryuga's heart.
Hiruzen, still locked in battle with Tobirama and the other reincarnated Kage, saw what was happening.
"Ryuga, move!"
But Ryuga didn't hear him.
He was still trapped in his own mind.
Inside Ryuga's Consciousness
Darkness surrounded him.
Ryuga sat curled up on the cold, empty ground, hugging himself. His entire body trembled, his breath uneven.
This is all my fault…
I should have never existed…
A gentle voice broke through the silence.
"My poor child…"
His head snapped up.
A silhouette emerged from the darkness. A tall, elegant figure wrapped in a flowing white and blue robe. She radiated a soft, calming light, her presence warm yet commanding.
She knelt before him and gently wrapped her arms around him.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice carrying deep sorrow.
Ryuga stiffened. "…Who are you?"
She lifted her hand, touching her forehead to his. A surge of power coursed through him.
"You are not ready to understand," she murmured, "but this is the least I can do for you."
A sudden cold fire erupted inside Ryuga's soul. His chakra flared violently, unlike anything he had ever felt before.
"W-What is this?"
The woman's lips curved into a bittersweet smile.
"This… is the Dragon Force."
Ryuga's heart pounded. Dragon Force?
She pulled away slightly, her glowing eyes filled with warmth.
"I must warn you, after using this power… you may fall into a coma. But if you wish to save your father…"
Ryuga's breath hitched. "Tell me how."
The woman's eyes softened.
"Freeze everything, child."
She stepped back, her forms begin to fade into the light.
"Whether it's a wound, the air, jutsu… or even your enemies."
The Real World
BOOM!
A massive explosion of cold erupted from Ryuga's body.
The battlefield was consumed by an icy mist, freezing wind whipping through the arena. The temperature plummeted in an instant.
Orochimaru stumbled back, his golden eyes widening.
"W-What is this chakra—?!"
It was unlike anything he had ever felt.
Power. Pure, primal power.
A burst of white mist cleared, revealing Ryuga standing in the center.
His breath came out in cold puffs of air. His arms and face were partially covered in shimmering blue ice scales, glowing faintly under the pale light. His usual aura of chakra was now tinted with frost, the sheer density of it making the ground beneath him crack.
Orochimaru's gaze darkened. "You… what did you—"
The air froze.
Before Orochimaru could even finish his sentence, his breath turned to ice mid-air.
The mist had settled over the battlefield… and everything had stopped moving.
The First Hokage's Wood Release, which had been closing in to attack Ryuga, was now completely frozen solid.
The Second Hokage's Water Release, which had been surging toward Ryuga in the form of deadly water blades, was now suspended in ice, locked in midair like a frozen painting.
Even the wind itself had stilled.
Orochimaru took a step back, his heartbeat accelerating.
What the hell is this power?
Ryuga slowly lifted his hand.
Frost swirled around his fingertips.
His ice was not a normal Ice Release. This was something far beyond Kekkei Genkai.
Orochimaru instinctively jumped away as a single snap of Ryuga's fingers sent a massive wave of ice spikes exploding from the ground, nearly impaling him.
He landed on a tree branch, clicking his tongue.
"Fascinating," he murmured. "This power… I want it."
Ryuga's glowing, ice-blue eyes snapped to him.
He vanished.
Orochimaru barely had time to react.
In the blink of an eye, Ryuga appeared right in front of him.
His speed was on par with the Raikage.
Orochimaru tried to block—
CRACK!
Ryuga's fist slammed into Orochimaru's stomach, sending him flying through multiple tree trunks.
He wasn't done.
Ryuga appeared above him mid-air, his hands glowing with frozen chakra.
"Frost Dragon's Wrath."
A torrent of icy energy shot down, consuming Orochimaru in a spiraling hurricane of ice.
Orochimaru barely managed to counter by shedding his skin, escaping his frozen husk before he could be completely encased.
He landed on the ground, panting.
This isn't normal chakra… This is something else entirely.
As the cold mist around Ryuga started to settle, Orochimaru saw something behind him.
Minato.
The wound on his stomach…
It had stopped bleeding.
Orochimaru's eyes widened.
Ryuga's ice had frozen the wound itself, preventing Minato from bleeding out.
"Impossible…" Orochimaru hissed. "Your Ice Release can freeze even wounds? That's beyond ninjutsu…"
Ryuga's chest rose and fell with slow, controlled breaths.
His mind was clear.
His rage was gone.
All that remained was cold determination.
A final voice echoed in his head.
"This is Dragon Might, Ryuga.
This… is the Dragon Force."
The silhouette in his mind dissipated, merging with his soul.
And Ryuga took his first step forward—
As Dragon Force fully awakened.