"Okay, round three." Ryu said, and then he used blood on his body as ink to activate the [Reflex Guard].
Tsunade, Shizune, and others were surprised looking at the fuinjutsu seals on Ryu's body like some fancy tattoos.
Hiruzen thought, 'He used blood for this seal too. Very smart. So he had slotted this seal also.
The seal is directly on his body, so the speed and efficiency must be really high this way. But this way of using seals on the body is very hard. Slight chakra leak, and there will be interferences. Even I cannot use seals in this way. His chakra control is very good.
But slotting of such a complex seal requires a scroll nearby; I didn't see any scroll being used.'
Ryu formed multiple small shields in layers, one on top of another, right in front of his fist. With a slight backward gesture of his fist, all the shields condensed and packed into a small volume. He had further developed his strategies and jutsu around [Reflex Guard] and his lightning affinity.
Ryu smiled and thought, 'Let's see how it works in actual battle.'
Tsunade thought, 'What is this brat up to? That must be the barrier seal sensei told me about. But what is he doing with it?'
She put her guard up. Ryu used his ground footing like an athlete and launched himself from his position and, with Blitz speed, reached into close proximity of Tsunade. He then punched with the hand that had condensed layers of [Reflex Guard].
When the punch landed, the [Reflex Guard] shields expanded, and Tsunade was thrown off of the ground from the impact of the [Reflex Guard-Jackhammer]—Ryu's new move.
Hiruzen thought, 'Amazing. I never knew the barriers could be used in this way.'
Natsurama was also shocked but not more than Tsunade.
Tsunade rolled over multiple times and finally managed to get herself on her feet. She looked up, but Ryu was not in view.
She then noticed him coming from the side. Ryu then again punched her from the side using [Reflex Guard-Jackhammer], and she was again thrown off of her feet. But this time she quickly managed to get herself back on her feet.
Tsuande thought, 'This kid is dangerous.'
He tried the same tactic again, but this time Tsunade was ready for a counter. She punched him faster than Ryu, but Ryu was also prepared for this.
Tsunade punched him, but a [Reflex Guard] appeared and blocked her. The [Reflex Guard-Shield] shattered but was able to take away most of her momentum and force and also slow it down enough for Ryu to dodge.
Ryu then punched her again using [Reflex Guard-Jackhammer], point-blank.
'Damn, the frontal punch was cushioned by her…,' Ryu thought.
Tsunade and Ryu were excited; they kicked and punched, and Ryu was also using [Reflex Guard] to block, to attack, and to parry all her strong punches. Ryu knew if he took one clean hit, he would be lying on the ground.
Hiruzen thought, 'No wonder Kakashi was able to fight Orochimaru with this barrier and hold him back for some time. Now I know why Orochimaru was more interested in this seal than Kakashi's Sharingan.'
Natsurama was having similar thoughts. He turned to Hiruzen and said, "This is not a defensive seal anymore. We got this seal for very cheap. I never imagined it could be used offensively like this. Tsunade is having trouble there.
Now I really want insight on this seal."
Hiruzen nodded and said, 'She has yet to use her full strength, but still. Ryu is doing good to hold his own against her.'
Tsunade was fed up with holding back now. She then used her full strength and punched Ryu, anticipating Ryu's [Reflex Guard] barrier would take most of the force.
And the expected happened. A series of barriers formed and all cracked and broke, but more formed till the punch lost most of its power. Tsunade smiled and used her other hand and punched again, and this time overwhelmed Ryu and his defence.
Ryu was thrown off his feet this time and rolled many times before he stopped.
Tsunade did not wait for Ryu to regain his balance. She jumped at him, but Ryu was very fast to regain his composure. He jumped in the air and stepped on a [Reflex Guard-Trampoline] and jumped from one shield to another. His moves further surprised everyone watching the fight.
Ryu smiled and thought, 'After my fight with Itachi, I improved this move further. With two lightning-charged shields and a rubbery top layer, I was able to recoil more and use them as a trampoline.'
Tsunade was watching him circle her. She was not worried, but she smiled at his flexibility, thoughtfulness, and ingenuity in using his jutsu in multiple different ways, suiting his different needs.
Hiruzen thought, 'One can learn a jutsu, but it takes brilliance in using it efficiently and 100 different ways to suit 100 different needs. This boy is a genius in every field he steps into.'
Hiruzen was smiling as he thought, 'I am glad I came to see this fight. I will tell the ANBU trainers about these use cases. I doubt everyone will be able to control it like he does, as I can only imagine the mental load of controlling this many fuinjutsu at the same time with this much precision. But someone like Kakashi will be able to replicate it to a certain level.'
Ryu jumped at Tsunade and tried to punch her using [Reflex Guard-Jackhammer]. Tsunade also punched back, and both punches collided.
A shockwave was generated, blowing the dust away and getting strong winds. Many of the shields broke after blocking and absorbing most of the impact.
Then Tsunade readied her other hand; Ryu did the same, and both again punched each other. One more shockwave was generated.
Hiruzen grabbed his hat and prevented it from blowing away. He could be seen smiling through the wind and shockwave.
He thought, 'I thought he was chunin level, but he is already at jonin level when it comes to jutsu application and manoeuvrability. Tsunade is enjoying this fight. She is still holding back, but to fight this long against her is very impressive.
But I can see Ryu is exhausting his chakra fast; this fight would be over soon.'
Ryu also thought the same, 'I need to end this soon. I am getting low on chakra reserve.
I want to give up now, but I can't.
Let's end this.'
Ryu pushed his feet and jumped using [Reflex Guard-Trampoline] and punched Tsunade, who towered over him, making her fall back.
Ryu landed on top of Tsunade and said, "Let me show you a new move.
I call this move the Go-to-sleep technique".
He punched Tsunade, using [Reflex Guard-Jackhammer], going into overdrive. The shields compressed and expanded a few times a second with good enough force, and Ryu had been punching her continuously for a straight 10 seconds.
All punches were rapid-fire and strong. Even if it lacked strength compared to someone like Tsunade, it still packed a punch.
At the end, Tsunade used her hand and redirected Ryu's hand slightly, and the punches landed on the ground beside her.
Ryu stopped when he realised he had been countered and ended the jutsu.
Tsunade recovered very fast from the initial punches and grabbed Ryu's hand. She smiled and tried a powerful kick; Ryu crossed his other hand, trying to protect himself, and [Reflex Guard] also instinctively activated to protect him.
The shields were shattered, and Ryu was kicked in the gut, and he flew and landed on the ground and rolled over many times before coming to a halt.
Hiruzen said, "It's over now."
Ryu was already low on chakra, but this kick knocked him out of the fight.
Tsunade stood up and cracked her neck and thought, 'This brat made it hard for me to hold back.'
Shizune landed near Ryu and started healing him. She thought, 'This kid is amazing. Even I would not last this long against her.'
After healing his chest, Shizune made Ryu sit up and started healing his back.
Tsunade walked towards Ryu and stopped right in front of Ryu and asked, "Why do you work so hard?"
The question surprised everyone. Hiruzen also had this question, but he never asked. He listens attentively.
Tsunade continued, "You have a sharp mind. Also, you are physically strong. It shows you must have put a lot of effort into building your strength.
You are also good at medical ninjutsu and fuinjutsu.
Why? Why do you work so hard?
What drives you?"
Ryu smiled and said, "Do you know what doctors said a year ago about me?"
Tsunade, Shizune, Hiruzen, and Natsurama all were listening attentively.
Ryu continued, "All the doctors said that without a miracle, I would not survive past three months.
Even the Root Ninjas, who came to take away kids from the orphanage I used to live in, rejected me because I would die soon. But I survived against all odds.
Now I want to live my fullest. And I also want to change this world and make it better. I want to live a life without regret.
But without strength, I cannot even live my life as I want to in this world; then how can I protect my dreams without power?
That is why I work hard. You may call it a dream, but I would call it my purpose."
.....
Can I get some power stones, please?
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