It had been a week since Ryusuke and his younger siblings fled the Land of Lightning, triggering a Honkai Eruption. Now, traveling on foot, they finally arrived at the capital of the Land of Hot Water, a region renowned for its vast geothermal hot springs.
As they entered a small restaurant and placed their order, they overheard a conversation among the locals.
"Did you hear? The Land of Lightning is cursed by a monster! One-third of its territory has become so deadly that everyone had to flee." one civilian said.
"Yeah," another added. "Those who enter that region either come back half-dead, covered in strange purple lines, and slowly wasting away... or they turn into those pale, lifeless monsters."
Despite the noise of the bustling capital, Ryusuke heard them clearly. After all, he was the one who had 'cursed' the Land of Lightning. Yet, he remained silent, there were more important matters to focus on.
─Flashback──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────────
After Sirin and Joyce awakened as Herrschers, Ryusuke received a mission from the system. "Find a new home."
Before leaving the Land of Lightning, they made one final visit to their old home, the ancestral grounds of the now-fallen Hyoudou clan. Ryusuke used his Herrscher Authority of Fire to burn the remains of his fallen clansmen, gathering their ashes in jars. He then collected every belonging of the clan, storing them in an imaginary space using his Herrscher Authority of the Void.
─Flashback─End─ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────────
"Big brother, we're hungry." Joyce and Sirin said in unison. Ryusuke simply nodded and handed them two gold ryō each, watching as they ran off to buy udon.
Later that night, after ensuring his siblings were asleep at the inn, Ryusuke headed to the hot springs to relax. He found a quiet spot in the deeper part of the bath, letting the warm water soothe his body. A neatly folded white towel rested atop his head as he leaned back, nearly dozing off.
Unfortunately, his peace was short-lived.
"Hey, kid! That's my spot!" a loud, arrogant voice rang out.
Ryusuke opened one eye, glancing at the man a short but bulky figure, his attitude as repulsive as his physique.
"I was here first. Find another spot." Ryusuke replied coldly.
"Why, you little brat!" The man raised his fist, about to strike, but before he could react, Ryusuke effortlessly caught his wrist with lightning-fast reflexes. With a single motion, he twisted the man's arm, forcing him to his knees.
As Ryusuke stood up, the entire bathhouse went silent. The fat man, who had assumed dominance, suddenly looked tiny in comparison, Ryusuke towered over him at 6'7", his body a masterpiece of raw power and speed. His perfectly sculpted muscles made every other man in the hot springs envious, as if they were in the presence of a god among men. Yet, what truly unnerved them was Ryusuke's icy, soul-piercing gaze.
Without a second thought, Ryusuke lifted the man as if he weighed nothing and hurled him over the dividing wall, straight into the women's bath.
A moment of silence passed. Then...
"KYAAAH! PERVERT!!!"
The once-proud man's cries quickly turned into helpless wails as a group of furious women began to "discipline" him.
Meanwhile, back in the men's bath, another guest turned pale, deciding it was best to mind his own business. Moments later, the bathhouse manager, a sharp-eyed woman, approached Ryusuke.
"Is it true? Did you throw that man into the women's bath?" she asked.
Ryusuke remained expressionless. "No. He tried to climb the wall to peek at the women and fell on his own. You can ask them." he said smoothly, his tone indifferent.
The other men, eager to be rid of the entitled fool and too intimidated by Ryusuke to argue, immediately nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, that guy was always causing trouble. Serves him right." one muttered. Just like that, the fat man was thrown under the bus, his own arrogance sealing his fate.
─SCENEBREAK!─ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────────
The next morning, Ryusuke woke up early and began planning their next destination and where they would eventually settle.
"Since this is the Warring States Period… The Land of Wind? No, that country is poor and mostly desert. What about the Land of Water? Nah, that place will become the Bloody Mist under Madara Uchiha's control in the future… and the people there look kind of fish weird, plus the Kaguya clan they are absolute nutcases. The Land of Fire? Definitely not. The future Konoha F4 will ruin everything Hashirama Senju stood for, especially Danzo. That guy's involvement with my family? No thanks, I'll pass. Plus, it's too close to the descendants of the Sage of Six Paths' sons, which means endless conflict, political chaos after Hashirama's death. The First Great Ninja War, all the way to the Fourth, is basically a disaster thanks to Black Zetsu who pulling the strings in the shadows." Ryusuke thought, recalling the Naruto timeline from his past life.
"Hmm... the only truly safe country for my siblings would be the Land of Whirlpools and Uzushiogakure. But again that place gets destroyed during the First Great Ninja War, and Hiruzen Sarutobi, as the Third Hokage, lets Danzo do all sorts of shady stuff. That probably led to the downfall of both the Senju and Uzumaki clans. Maybe they just wanted Kushina Uzumaki as the next Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, since Mito Uzumaki was getting old and running out of time...
Welp, guess I'll help Uzushiogakure, change their fate, and turn them into a superpower using Honkai-based technology at a Previous Era level."
Ryusuke muttered to himself as he sat at the dining table.
"Morning, big brother!" Joyce greeted me cheerfully. Ryusuke sighed as Sirin quietly took a seat beside him.
"Next time, prepare your own meals. But I'll teach you and Sirin how to cook, okay?" His tone was indifferent, but there was a warmth to it.
Joyce and Sirin had already adjusted to his attitude, so they simply nodded.
"Hai!" both responded in unison.
Ryusuke's lips curled into a faint smile one that didn't go unnoticed by Joyce and Sirin. Seeing it, they smiled too.
"You two go play outside, but don't go too far, okay? And don't use your chakra or Herrscher Authorities. Understood?" Ryusuke instructed.
"Hai, big brother!" the twins chimed in happily before running off to play.
Watching them, Ryusuke let out a small sigh. "Kids and their boundless energy... Maybe it's just me, but my mental age feels like 50,000+ years old, even though my body is only 14."
After finishing breakfast, he stepped outside the inn, deep in thought about Uzushiogakure.
"The real question is, how do I get into Uzushio legally? It's an island nation, but they don't exactly welcome outsiders..." he muttered to himself.
His words, however, caught the attention of a passerby.
"Hey, lad, you want to go to Uzushio?" A red-haired, athletic-built man approached him, his sharp gaze studying Ryusuke. "You seem to know a lot about the Land of Whirlpools. Why the sudden interest?"
The man was an Uzumaki ninja from the merchant sector of the clan, and his name was Toshi Uzumaki. He was surrounded by his bodyguards who are elite Senju and Uzumaki ninjas, who were already on high alert. They had noticed Ryusuke's presence, and their hands were ready to reach for their weapons.
Toshi's eyes narrowed as he continued to assess Ryusuke. "What do you want with my home?" he demanded. However, his expression shifted slightly as he took in Ryusuke's youthful face.
He's just a kid? Toshi estimated him to be around 14–17 years old. But what stood out even more was Ryusuke's sheer size, standing at a towering 6'7", he was far taller than Toshi, who was only 5'11". And then there was his godlike muscular build, a perfect balance of strength and power.
The air between them grew tense.
"My younger siblings and I just want to live in peace. We're looking to settle in Uzushiogakure." Ryusuke said, his voice honest but carrying its usual cold indifference.
Hearing this, most of Toshi's bodyguards misunderstood his tone, assuming some sort of threat. Some of them moved to attack, but before they could, Toshi raised his hand, silently ordering them to stand down.
Unlike his men, Toshi could sense the truth in Ryusuke's words. Thanks to his clan's Mind's Eye of the Kagura, an ability that allowed him to detect emotions and intentions, he could tell that Ryusuke was being truthful. His tone might have been cold, but his heart remained warm.
"He's closed off… but maybe he has his reasons. Even so, his love for his siblings is genuine." Toshi thought, coming to his own conclusions about Ryusuke.
Just then... "Big brother!"
Sirin and Joyce appeared, running toward Ryusuke. Joyce hugged him tightly, while Sirin clung to his side.
For the first time since the conversation started, a tiny smile appeared on Ryusuke's lips. He ruffled both their heads, messing up their hair, causing them to pout at him in annoyance.
Toshi, watching the scene, noticed the shift in Ryusuke's emotions. His cold demeanor softened when it came to his siblings, and the innocent affection between the twins was undeniable.
After a moment, Toshi made his decision. "Alright, you can come with us to Uzushiogakure." he said.
Ryusuke's eyes met his, and in that brief exchange, an understanding passed between them, two men who knew there was more to the world than just what was on the surface.
Toshi's bodyguards remained silent, though some glanced at each other. They trusted Toshi's judgment, he wasn't just any Uzumaki, he was the first son of the Uzushio Daimyō and a powerful ninja in his own right.
By the afternoon, Ryusuke, Joyce, and Sirin packed up their belongings and made their way to the port in the Land of Hot Water. From there, they would set sail toward their new home, the Land of Whirlpools.
─SCENEBREAK!─ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────────
A large boat sailed across the sea. Joyce, struggling with seasickness, hunched over a bucket, vomiting miserably. Meanwhile, Sirin stood by the railing, her golden-orange eyes sparkling with excitement as she admired the view.
Toshi observed the siblings quietly. His gaze lingered on Ryusuke, Sirin, and Joyce, assessing them. As he watched, one of his bodyguards approached and bowed respectfully.
"Toshi-sama, according to our intelligence report, that Ryusuke, Sirin, and Joyce are from the fallen Hyoudou clan. Furthermore, Ryusuke is the one responsible for the 'curse' that rendered one-third of the Land of Lightning completely uninhabitable... and for the appearance of those pale monsters." the guard reported.
Toshi fell into deep thought. Had I trusted him too quickly? If what the report said was true, Ryusuke might bring disaster upon Uzushiogakure. Possibly even wipe it out completely.
But every ninja clan knew of the Hyoudou clan's public humiliation at the hands of the Lightning Daimyō two generations ago. And now, the news of their downfall had spread.
"I'll talk to him." Toshi finally said.
"But… Toshi-sama—" the guard started to protest but stopped, bowing his head in reluctant acceptance.
Toshi made his way toward Ryusuke.
"Ryusuke, we need to talk." he said firmly.
Ryusuke simply nodded, following Toshi into a sealed room, soundproofed so that no conversation would leak to the outside world.
Once inside, Toshi wasted no time.
"I have a question for you. Are you and your siblings from the Hyoudou clan?"
"Yes."
Toshi hadn't expected such a straightforward answer. He continued, pressing on with the more critical issue.
"Then, about the destruction of one-third of the Land of Lightning… what caused it?"
Ryusuke's voice was cold and emotionless as he answered.
"I caused it. I unleashed Honkai energy upon my enemies, triggering a Honkai Eruption."
Toshi froze. He's the monster responsible? His mind struggled to process the revelation. And what was this Honkai he spoke of?
Forcing himself to stay composed, Toshi asked, "What exactly is Honkai? And what is a Honkai Eruption?"
Ryusuke's gaze was unreadable as he responded.
"Honkai energy is far more powerful than chakra. It is a force of chaos, existing since the beginning of time. A Honkai Eruption occurs when a massive concentration of Honkai energy gathers in one place, causing supernatural disasters. It also creates a chance for the birth of a Herrscher."
Toshi's grip tightened. "What is a Herrscher?"
But Ryusuke's next words shook him to his core.
"Herrschers are godlike beings capable of bending physical laws at their whim. But the ones you've heard of, if any, are merely false Herrschers. They are shadows and fragments of the Authority of Finality."
Ryusuke's next statement was even more unsettling.
"I am the True Herrscher of Finality, the one who controls the flow of the world's Honkai energy and time itself."
Toshi's thoughts raced, his mind screaming 'Fuck!'
Before he could fully process the weight of those words, Ryusuke's cold voice cut through his panic.
"Your next question?"
Toshi swallowed hard. He hesitated before asking, "Is the Sage of Six Paths… an Herrscher?"
Ryusuke shook his head.
"No. But he and his brother were alien-human hybrids. The Uzumaki, Senju, Uchiha, Hyūga, and Kaguya clans are their descendants. But you are not allowed to spread this secret to the world."
Toshi's breath hitched. Ancient secrets... lost to time… Had he just uncovered truths that had been forgotten for centuries?
He forced himself to focus and asked his final question.
"How do you know all of this? No… never mind." Toshi exhaled. "You said Finality controls the flow of time and Honkai…" Ryusuke nodded, "So here's my last question, why did you choose to settle in my homeland?"
Ryusuke's response was simple.
"Because of your clan. You value your family, and I value mine. We share the same ideology. My second goal, however, is a secret, not even my siblings know it."
Toshi fell silent.
He had his answers, but something told him that bringing Ryusuke into Uzushiogakure was only the beginning of something much bigger.