Chapter 44: The Gambit
Kamui? The ability to warp space and send parts of an enemy into another dimension?
No... that's not it. Kakashi's Sharingan is only at the three-tomoe stage right now. He's not using the Mangekyō. And Kurenai-sensei has no reason to know about that ability even if he had it.
So why... why does she look like that?
Ryouma frantically ran a hand through his hair, his mind a chaotic storm of confusion and paranoia. The discrepancy between the perceived threat and the reactions of his seasoned opponents was screaming that he was missing something critical.
"HAH!"
Thud!
A sickening impact, followed by the warm spray of blood. Agony erupted in Ryouma's shoulder as Kakashi's Lightning Cutter, having feinted high, drove deep into the muscle and bone of his sword arm. His grip went limp, nerveless.
Clang.
The Divine Wind Sword - Chooser slipped from his fingers, its point embedding itself in the earth.
"The plan was successful," Kakashi stated, his voice laced with a palpable relief he couldn't entirely conceal. He withdrew his bloodied hand, leaving the Chidori to dissipate.
In truth, the entire engagement had been a colossal gamble.
Kakashi's initial strategy was straightforward: use the barrier to neutralize the Instant Eye, then enter and subdue Ryouma using his superior experience and skill as an elite Jōnin.
But Ryouma's power had exploded beyond all projections. He had defeated a Seven Swordsman, a feat that placed him squarely in the realm of high-level threats. Kakashi knew that without resorting to Kamui—a card he was loath to reveal and which carried a devastating cost—a straight fight was far from guaranteed. And that newly materialized sword... it radiated a lethal sharpness that set every one of his instincts on edge. A single touch from that blade could be fatal.
So, he gambled.
He used the Lightning Cutter, an A-Rank technique he knew Ryouma would likely deem inferior, as the centerpiece of his bluff. Its purpose was threefold: to attack, to confuse, and most crucially, to serve as a signal to Kurenai. Her job was to provide the misdirection, to wear a look of complex worry that would seed doubt and hesitation in Ryouma's mind, causing him to overthink and falter at the critical moment.
It was a desperate play. If Ryouma had ignored the psychological warfare and simply teleported behind him for a counter-attack, Kakashi would have lost the bet, and likely his life.
But he had won.
"Ryouma!"
The barrier vanished as Kurenai cried out, rushing forward to his side. Her eyes were wide with a genuine, frantic worry as she looked at the grievous wound on his shoulder, tears welling.
"Don't worry, he'll live. I avoided all vital points. The village's medics can fix this," Kakashi assured her, his gaze steady. "The rest is up to you."
Kurenai nodded, the relief clear on her face. She looked at Ryouma, whose eyes had lost their focus, staring blankly ahead as if in shock. She formed a series of hand seals and then pressed her palms against his chest.
Hum~!
Vibrant, crimson flower petals materialized from the air, swirling around Ryouma and enveloping him in a thick, fragrant cocoon, binding him in a powerful genjutsu.
An illusion... Ryouma's external expression remained one of shattered defeat, but internally, he let out a slow, controlled breath.
The gambit... succeeded.
Kakashi had been gambling, but so had Ryouma.
He had been racking his brain for a way to return to Konoha to complete the absurd "Become a Jōnin" mission. Kakashi's convoluted attack and Kurenai's misleading expression had presented the perfect opportunity.
After the initial confusion, Ryouma's sharpened intellect had pierced through the deception. He realized this was Kakashi's desperate scheme. A high-risk, high-reward play.
His first instinct had been to exchange for a powerful skill and fight. But upon discerning Kakashi's true intent—capture, not kill—a new plan crystallized. A plan within Kakashi's plan.
A voluntary surrender would have been far too suspicious. But being defeated, captured, and brought back? That was a narrative Konoha's leadership could accept. It gave him a legitimate reason to be within the village walls again. The initiative, while seemingly lost, had subtly shifted into his hands.
If things went south, he could always escape later. With his doubled power and points reserve, breaking a barrier like this was now a feasible option. And Kurenai's genjutsu? It was a binding on his physical body. His consciousness, protected by his World Eye and his own will, remained his own. He could break free the moment he sensed a true, lethal threat from the danger warning.
It was the perfect cover.
Within the illusory world of petals, Ryouma looked at the spectral version of his bleeding shoulder, grinned a pained but knowing grin, and then closed his eyes. "Take care of my sword for me," he murmured, knowing his words would be heard in the real world. "Thank you."
Kakashi's brow furrowed slightly at the request. He bent down and pulled the Divine Wind Sword from the ground. As his fingers touched the hilt, a jolt of surprise went through him.
"This sword..." he whispered, examining the blade that seemed to slice the very air around it. He took a deep breath, storing it away with his own gear. "Bandage his wound. We're returning to the village."
"Understood," Kurenai replied, her hands already moving to stem the bleeding.
High on a cliff overlooking the scene, a figure clad in a black cloak with red clouds stood observing. His face was bizarrely split—one half black, the other white.
"How truly interesting," the figure, Zetsu, mused in his cold, rasping voice. "I initially thought this rogue ninja was of little consequence. But to defeat Chōjūrō... He possesses unexpected strength. I shall observe him more closely. If he proves sufficiently powerful, he must be recruited. He could be of significant use to the plan..."
His form sank into the cliff face, vanishing without a trace.
As Kakashi's team began the slow journey back to Konoha, with Ryouma as their prisoner, one thought circled in the captive's mind.
Who will deal with me when we return? The Hokage? Or Danzō?
He knew the answer mattered little in the grand scheme. Tomorrow was the day, according to the original timeline, that the Third Hokage would fall. He had the power to potentially change that history, just as his presence had already altered so much.
But some events, he felt, were like mighty rivers. You could divert a stream, but the current's flow towards the ocean was inevitable. For now, he would play his part as the captured prodigy, and wait for the river to reveal its course.