Chapter 15: The Spiral Sphere of Amber
Deep within the tea forests of the Land of Tea, three figures flitted swiftly between the trees. Mayfair now wore a blood-red dress, a veil covering the lower half of her face.
"Boss, Ryosuke was supposed to meet us at the rendezvous point. Do you think something happened during his reconnaissance?" asked one of the men in black behind her.
"Hmph, let's just assume he had an 'accident'. I have no use for useless trash," Fei'er snorted coldly. An image of Ryouma surfaced in her mind.
That big brother... he's a ninja too. Did he also accept a contract from those bad men? To help them?
She frowned, then a sudden, simple realization dawned on her. If I kill all those villains before big brother gets involved, then there won't be a problem!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The three of them materialized within the grounds of Reizan Ichi's mansion. Fei'er noted the sparse attendance and let out a mocking laugh. "Do you think hiding will save you? How ridiculous!"
"Huh?" Every ninja bodyguard present snapped to attention, their stances shifting to high alert.
"A bunch of small fry..." Fei'er closed her eyes, sensing the chakra levels around them. She found only genin and chunin guarding the perimeter—not a single jōnin. A wave of boredom washed over her.
"Oh? Miss," a bohemian voice called out from above. "I wonder, does a big fish like me count in your book?" In a flash, Jiraiya stood before her, meeting her gaze head-on.
"That depends on whether you have the skill to back up your big talk!"
A fierce battle was imminent!
"Ryouma-nii... who were those people?" Hinata asked, her voice full of worry as she tugged hesitantly at Ryouma's sleeve.
"The leader of the Blood Gate," Ryouma stated flatly. He then walked back to their table, closed his eyes, and fell silent.
Stunned by his answer, Hinata and Kiba exchanged a look of pure disbelief.
That girl, who looked younger than them, was the master of the Blood Gate?
Ryouma hadn't closed his eyes just to rest. He was focusing his mind to better communicate with the system.
"System, do I now have sufficient authority to view advanced information and exchange for higher-tier items?"
"Insufficient," the system's grand, emotionless voice responded.
Ryouma frowned, thinking it over.
His escape ability was solid now. His recent training had also shown improvements in his reaction speed. What he lacked most was raw, explosive offensive power.
For the exchange, he could choose one of the powerful ninjutsu from the Naruto world... but there were also other, more esoteric skills that looked incredibly potent...
He was torn. Should he go for the overwhelmingly powerful "Tailed Beast Bomb," which cost exactly his 300 points, or choose other skills to create a more balanced arsenal?
Just as he finally decided to go for the bomb and mentally selected it, a message popped up:
[Warning: Host's current spiritual power is insufficient to fully utilize the "Tailed Beast Bomb." Exchange with caution.]
Ryouma almost swore aloud. After all that deliberation, once he'd made up his mind, he got this reminder?
"Exchange for the Great Ball Rasengan," he decided after a moment's thought. It seemed the most cost-effective choice for his current situation.
Hum...
"Ding~! Congratulations. You have obtained the Skill/Ninjutsu: Great Ball Rasengan."
A stream of light shot from the central sphere and flew deep into the recesses of Ryouma's mind.
Feeling the knowledge integrate, Ryouma judged that this technique would be more than sufficient for his immediate needs.
He would save the remaining 250 Almighty Points for a rainy day.
"Ryouma-nii... are you okay?" Hinata asked, her voice laced with concern. "Your expression just now was... scary."
"Ah? Ha... haha... Was it?" Ryouma rubbed the back of his head, laughing awkwardly. An idea then struck him. "Hinata, I just developed a new ninjutsu. Would you like to see it?"
"Ah? Okay!" Hinata was surprised, then looked at him with admiration. "Ryouma-nii is so amazing."
"Hmph, what kind of powerful ninjutsu could he develop?" Kiba snorted. "Probably another clone technique or something equally basic."
"You're welcome to come and see, too," Ryouma said with a smile.
As the saying goes, a moment of youthful showmanship is priceless. Now that he had acquired such a powerful technique, Ryouma naturally wanted to show off a little. It would serve to establish his prowess and kill two birds with one stone.
"Let's find a different spot. It's not convenient here."
"A clone technique... what's so inconvenient about that?" Kiba grumbled, but he still followed Ryouma as he led them towards a more secluded part of the forest.
Hmph, I'm going to mock him relentlessly, Kiba thought, already picturing himself laughing arrogantly at Ryouma's failure.
Deep in the woods, they found a clearing, far from prying eyes.
"Great Ball... Rasengan!"
HUM...!
Ryouma thrust out his right hand, calling the name aloud. Instantly, the Divine Power within him surged forth, condensing into a vortex of chakra in his palm, which rapidly expanded into a massive sphere. Unlike the original Great Ball Rasengan, which was a brilliant azure blue, the one swirling in Ryouma's hand was a brilliant, shimmering amber gold, radiating immense, palpable destructive energy!
"This... Ryouma... what kind of monster are you...?" Kiba stumbled back two steps, falling onto his rear, his eyes wide and unfocused as he stared at the golden orb. Akamaru, perched on his head, whined in panic.
"Ryouma-nii... is incredible..."
"HAH!"
With a sharp cry, Ryouma swung his right hand forward, driving the Rasengan into a large tree in front of him.
The moment the amber sphere made contact, the tree was instantly obliterated, shredded into splinters and dust by the technique's violent, twisting force.
BOOM! ! !
The Great Ball Rasengan shot forward like an unstoppable cannonball, annihilating everything in its path for ten meters before stopping abruptly and detonating. The explosion left a crater five meters wide in the forest floor.
Its power was, needless to say, devastating.
"A monster... he's a monster..." If Kiba had been unconvinced after his previous defeat, after witnessing Ryouma perform an A-Rank ninjutsu like the Great Ball Rasengan with such terrifying power, he was now completely and utterly cowed, even horrified. A single, bewildering question echoed in his mind: How did he do that?
When Kiba finally regained his senses, he found Ryouma was gone.
"Hinata, where did that monster Ryouma go?" Seeing that Ryouma seemed close to Hinata, and that he'd been standing next to her before vanishing, Kiba naturally directed his question to her.
"Ryouma-nii said he was going back to the Land of Tea," Hinata replied, her gaze drifting towards the direction he had disappeared. "He didn't tell me why. Is he... going to stop that girl?"
Unbeknownst to her, Ryouma was gradually occupying an increasingly important place in Hinata's heart.
Whoosh... Whoosh...
"I hope I can make it in time..." A silvery light flickered continuously in Ryouma's eyes. Due to the three-second cooldown of the Instant Eye, he used it in bursts while running at full speed. Even so, he couldn't be sure he would reach the battle between Jiraiya and Mayfair before it was over.
"Don't get yourself killed!" he muttered to himself, pushing his speed to the limit.