---Ryouma's POV---
I watched as Inoichi used the Mind Body Disturbance Technique, and after a grueling battle, the opponent's mental state deteriorated.
He had no way to break free from his control.
Drawing Lostvayne, I instantly close in on the enemy. My body became a blur even to trained eyes.
The cut was clean—a diagonal slash from shoulder to hip. For a moment, the enemy remained standing, eyes vacant from Inoichi's jutsu, unaware that death had already claimed him. He was defeated.
The cooperation between Inoichi and I had grown increasingly seamless.
"Are you two hurt?" he asked with concern, wiping sweat from his brow as he looked at Heiji and Shiori.
As expected, it was still too much for them to handle a jonin. As for me, well, I couldn't be judged by ordinary standards.
"No injuries. My apologies," Heiji responded concisely, giving a formal bow.
Although I hadn't spent much time with Heiji, I understood why he was apologizing.
"It's okay. The opponent was a puppeteer; they are indeed tough to deal with," I reassured him. "Your close-quarter style was at a disadvantage."
Heiji straightened his posture. "A ninja should adapt to any situation. I failed to do so."
Shiori seemed oddly subdued. She stood slightly apart from us. Her arms were crossed tightly across her chest—not in defiance, but as if holding something in. In an uncharacteristically quiet tone, she muttered, "I'm fine."
Normally, her speech would have a strange upward lilt at the end, often giving the impression she was difficult to approach.
I had originally guessed she would say something like, "I could have handled it even if you hadn't come," accompanied by her peculiar verbal tic.
This withdrawal was concerning. In battle, predictability in your allies was as important as unpredictability to your enemies.
However, now wasn't the time for idle conversation. We quickly tidied up the battlefield and adjusted our state before hurrying back to escort the supply convoy.
After all, for our team, the mission's goal was to protect the supplies, not to defeat enemies. If the supply line was cut off, the mission would still be considered a failure.
Midway through our journey, we encountered a small squad from a combat unit sent to provide reinforcements.
It was a four-man cell. Their flak jackets were worn and faded, patches of darker green where repairs had been made.
The fact that a squad could be spared to assist us meant the main force protecting the supply convoy must have successfully repelled Suna's ambush.
Upon returning to the convoy, I used my Rikugan and confirmed there was no damage to the supplies, though there were numerous injured personnel.
Among them, one individual stood out—the elite jonin from the Sarutobi clan.
Of all the injured, his wounds were the most severe. His body showed signs of extreme dehydration, appearing almost mummified. His eyes were sunken, lips cracked and bleeding. Even unconscious, his face was contorted in agony.
I pondered what kind of ninjutsu could inflict such damage.
The convoy continued onward, while the Sarutobi jonin was escorted to the frontlines of the Land of Rivers. Normally, he should have been sent back to the village for treatment, but his injuries were so severe that he was taken to the frontlines, where the medical prodigy Tsunade was stationed.
I had already deduced the identity of the enemy: Pakura, Suna's war hero. Only her bloodline limit, the Scorch Release, could create injuries that left victims looking like desiccated corpses.
To repel such a powerful enemy, the Sarutobi elite jonin must have fought desperately.
The Sarutobi clan had a sterling reputation in the village. Although they didn't possess a bloodline limit, their expertise in Fire Release ninjutsu was renowned throughout the shinobi world.
As one of the founding clans of Konoha, they had always been at the forefront of the village's battles.
---
As evening fell, our team gathered around a small, carefully shielded fire to eat rations and chat.
Military rations, compressed bars designed for maximum nutrition rather than taste, were passed around.
Inoichi mentioned my display of power earlier in the day and couldn't help but ask for the name of my technique.
"The blue orb ninjutsu is called Rasengan, and the advanced version is the Rasenshuriken," I explained.
"That's amazing!" he praised without hesitation. "The chakra control required must be extraordinary."
"Who taught you? It doesn't seem like a standard Konoha technique."
"I developed it through research and experimentation," I replied vaguely.
"Very strong," Heiji added tersely, never one to miss a chance to comment, a rare smile crossing his face.
I noticed a stare coming from Shiori and turned to her. It wasn't just casual observation. It was scrutiny, assessment, almost accusation.
"Um, is there something wrong?"
"Hmph～"
She snorted lightly, turning her head and using a stick she'd picked up to doodle aimlessly on the ground.
What did I do to earn the Uchiha death glare?
Ever since we had returned to the convoy earlier, she had been occasionally glaring at me.
I was particularly sensitive to being watched. I was the type who couldn't even relieve myself properly if someone was staring at me.
"Why didn't you show your true strength in the Ninja Academy?" Shiori suddenly asked. "You held back."
For a moment, I didn't know how to respond. I couldn't very well say: Because beating up kids didn't require going all out.
"At that time…"
"Forget it. You're definitely not going to tell the truth anyway," Shiori interrupted, muttering, "I really don't understand what people like you, who act all nice, are thinking when you get stronger."
Hearing this, I put down the rations in my hand. I didn't see myself as one of those overly kind people like my father.
I turned to Shiori, intending to argue, but then I saw her expression.
At some point, she had tossed away the stick she had been doodling with. She was now sitting quietly, her hands propped against the ground behind her. Her black ponytail had fallen loose as she gazed slightly upward at the night sky, lost in thought.
Inoichi seemed to have left some time ago, taking Heiji with him.
I figured I'd eaten enough and decided it was best to leave before anything weird happened.
Just as I was about to get up, Shiori spoke.
"I won't give up."
"?"
In my eyes, her gaze changed. Her black pupils transformed into the spinning two-tomoe Sharingan, and then a third tomoe appeared.
The three-tomoe Sharingan.
"You're right, but this is the burden of the Uchiha clan. Ordinary ninjas only need training to become stronger, but we Uchiha have so much more to consider."
"I don't understand what you're talking about," I said, genuinely confused.
Shiori stood up, dusting herself off. "You don't need to."
---Third POV---
"Achoo!"
Far away at the frontlines, Rin sneezed while restocking supplies.
"Are you sick?" asked Kakashi, who was nearby with a small squad and had appeared at the entrance.
"It's nothing. Maybe some sand got in my nose. I wonder how Ryouma is doing."
"Don't worry. That guy is so strong. If anything happens to us, he'd still be fine," Obito said with a soft smile.
"Idiot, you should say, 'Even if you're in trouble, we'll all get through it together.'"
"What? Why?"
---Ryouma's POV---
I absolutely hated people who spoke in riddles. They need to leave Konoha already.
Last night, Shiori had inexplicably said, "I won't give up," and awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan. When I asked what she wouldn't give up on, she said weird things, stood up, dusted herself off, and walked away.
The second half of our journey passed smoothly without any further attacks. The enemy had committed their resources to the failed ambush, leaving our path relatively clear. Even so, we maintained constant vigilance, rotating watch duties and sending regular scout patrols.
Along the way, I gained a deeper understanding of the so-called "sorrow of small nations" that Nagato had once spoken of in the original storyline.
In the Land of Rivers, many villages along the road had been ransacked by bandits.
We passed through what had once been thriving farming communities. But now, it was just skeletal structures stripped of anything valuable. Abandoned tools lay where they had been dropped, rusting in fields that were turning back to wilderness.
The once-productive farmlands lay barren, with no inhabitants left to tend them.
We often saw refugees from the Land of Rivers wandering aimlessly.
These people were dressed in rags, their faces gaunt, and their eyes void of light. They resembled the walking dead, drifting through this hellish landscape.
A young boy, no older than six, watched our convoy pass with empty eyes. No fear, no hope, no curiosity... just the hollow gaze of someone who had seen too much and expected nothing good.
No major nation would take in these refugees. For those living in the cracks between great nations, the arrival of death might even be considered a mercy.
When we reached Konoha's frontlines in the Land of Rivers, Inoichi began explaining the layout.
"This is Konoha's main base on the Land of Rivers front against Suna. That over there is the mission hall for the frontlines. That's the temporary medical unit, and over there…"
"Looks like they've reinforced the eastern perimeter recently," I observed.
Inoichi looked impressed. "Good eye. Suna sent scouts through that sector last week."
"Where do we sleep?" Shiori asked practically.
Inoichi gestured toward a cluster of tents. "Our unit is assigned the southwestern quadrant. It's quieter there."
After emphasizing all the important precautions and leading us to the tent assigned to our group, he left on his own. Task handovers were naturally not something we needed to worry about.
The tent was spartan but functional—four bedrolls, a small table with a map of the region, and storage for personal equipment. The canvas walls would provide little protection from attack, but that was the reality of frontline accommodations.
Out of habit, I used my Rikugan to sense my surroundings.
---
So far, the suggestions for the body and talent are:
- Roger
- Ace
- Kaido
- Redfield
- Luffy
- Rocks
If One Piece wins, which is highly likely, those will be the characters. So, there will be a poll after the current one has ended.
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