"Just… be careful tomorrow."
Tsunade looked at Ryujin, her tone more serious than usual, the earlier awkwardness replaced by quiet concern.
"The enemy this time… isn't normal."
Ryujin nodded calmly.
"You too."
"The Rain Village won't sit still. A counter-ambush is very likely."
They spoke for a while longer, exchanging final thoughts before the operation. Eventually, Tsunade turned to leave—
…but not before her gaze betrayed her.
Just for a moment.
It drifted downward again.
Her brows furrowed faintly.
Why is his… development like that?
As a medical ninja, she understood the human body better than most. Muscle structure, bone density, proportional balance—nothing escaped her trained eye.
Which only made this worse.
Because by every standard—
That level—
Was completely abnormal.
Tch…
He looks so refined on the outside…
Who would've thought…
If Ryujin had known what she was thinking—
He might have lost his composure for the first time in years.
Not that it was anything to be ashamed of.
For a man—
That kind of "advantage" was hardly a disadvantage.
If anything—
He might have ended up teaching her a lesson in "proper manners."
The night passed quickly.
And by the following evening—
The operation began.
Under the cover of darkness, Konoha's strike force moved out.
Orochimaru.
Jiraiya.
Ryujin.
Three top-tier combatants leading the mission.
Tsunade remained behind, tasked with developing antidotes and stabilizing the rear lines.
A total of sixty shinobi advanced into the night.
Not too many—too large a force would risk detection.
Not too few—too small a force would lack the power to destroy the target.
Sixty—
The perfect balance.
And among them—
Three monsters stood at the apex.
If nothing unexpected occurred—
This mission would succeed.
Rain fell heavily from the sky, drenching the forest in a relentless downpour.
Shadows flickered through the darkness as the shinobi moved.
Silent.
Swift.
Deadly.
The sound of rain swallowed every footstep, masking their presence completely.
It was the perfect night—
For assassination.
At the front, Ryujin led a squad of elite Uchiha shinobi. Behind him, Orochimaru and Jiraiya followed with the remaining forces, maintaining formation while observing everything carefully.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes.
"…Orochimaru."
"You seeing this?"
He gestured subtly toward Ryujin's back.
Orochimaru lifted his gaze, watching closely.
Then—
His pupils contracted.
"…I see it."
Ryujin's movement—
Was wrong.
Or rather—
Too perfect.
He wasn't running.
He wasn't even exerting visible effort.
Each step was nothing more than a light tap of his toes against the ground, yet it propelled him forward with astonishing speed. Mud clung to everything around them, yet not a single drop touched him. His clothes remained clean, untouched by the rain-soaked terrain.
It wasn't the movement of a ninja.
It was something else entirely.
"…Elegance…"
Orochimaru murmured unconsciously, the word slipping out before he even realized it.
But it fit.
Perfectly.
Ryujin's movement was art.
Controlled.
Precise.
Terrifying.
"That level of control…" Jiraiya whispered, "…isn't normal."
Orochimaru's voice dropped even lower.
"He's far stronger than we estimated."
Jiraiya nodded slowly.
Now it made sense.
Why Tsunade had been reassigned.
Because with Ryujin here—
They didn't need her on the battlefield.
The group continued forward, covering nearly twenty li before finally coming to a halt.
Ahead—
Darkness.
Dense forest.
No visible life.
And yet—
Both Jiraiya and Orochimaru's expressions sharpened instantly.
They felt it.
"Move."
Jiraiya gave a short command.
The squad split immediately into six teams.
Orochimaru and Jiraiya formed the spearhead.
Ryujin led the Uchiha unit.
The strongest forces—
Would strike first.
Six directions.
Six points of entry.
Total annihilation.
The deeper they moved, the darker the forest became.
Rain ninja patrolled endlessly, their vigilance unbroken even in the dead of night. Sensing barriers stretched across the area, invisible yet deadly. The slightest disturbance would trigger alarms instantly.
And everywhere—
Traps.
Hidden.
Lethal.
One wrong step—
Meant death.
The Rain Village could not match the great nations in raw strength. Even with Hanzo of the Salamander, they couldn't win through force alone.
So they adapted.
They relied on terrain.
Defense.
Attrition.
And above all—
Their supply lines.
As long as those remained intact, they could outlast any invading force.
Which meant—
This location was heavily fortified.
Rumor had it—
Even Hanzo himself occasionally inspected the area to ensure its security.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru exchanged a glance.
Then—
Both turned toward Ryujin.
According to the plan—
He would strike first.
And the rest—
Would follow.
Ryujin stepped forward.
His expression remained calm.
Unchanging.
As if everything before him—
Was already decided.
He raised his hand.
"Fire Style…"
The air trembled.
Chakra surged, compressing violently within a single point.
"Dragon Flame Bomb."
BOOM—!!!
A massive fire dragon burst into existence, roaring into the forest with overwhelming force.
Dozens of meters long—
It surged forward like a living inferno, devouring everything in its path.
Trees ignited instantly, reduced to blazing pillars of fire.
The rain struck the flames with a violent hiss—
But instead of weakening them—
It only made them burn brighter.
Hotter.
Denser.
The heat exploded outward in waves, distorting the air itself.
Even from dozens of meters away—
The Rain ninja felt it.
Their bodies froze.
Their pupils shrank violently.
What… is that?!
Behind him—
Even the Leaf shinobi stood stunned.
Eyes wide.
Breath caught.
Because this—
Was no ordinary Fire Style.
This—
Was something else entirely.