Chapter 230: Crushed
"Goodbye, Ryosuke."
"Hinata, remember to visit the village when you can."
"We'll come see you in the Land of Rain someday."
...
At the entrance of Konoha Village, the final group of Hyuga clan members prepared to migrate.
Among them were many high-ranking officials—including Ryosuke—and several elders who had retired from combat due to old age.
They stood together, waving farewell to the villagers who were reluctant to see them go.
Familiar faces dotted the crowd—former classmates of both Ryosuke and Hinata.
"Konoha and the Hyuga will always be allies."
As the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya stood at the front, shaking hands with Hyuga Hiashi, the current clan head.
After parting ways, the long journey began.
This final migration consisted entirely of Hyuga clansmen—no one from any other clan had joined them.
They were the largest group to leave in terms of both manpower and cargo.
Not just numbers, but they carried the Hyuga clan's most confidential assets:
—The secret techniques of the Gentle Fist.
—Information about the other world.
—Research on Wood Release and the Sharingan, along with specialized machinery.
—And several Devil Fruits acquired from across the globe.
Each of these alone was enough to tempt major powers—including Konoha—but all were entrusted to Ryosuke's team for safe relocation to their new homeland.
From a bird's-eye view, the entire convoy stretched like a massive serpent slithering across the land.
Atop each carriage sat a dimly glowing crystal ball.
These orbs resonated with one another, forming a barrier under the influence of the clan's ninjutsu.
If an outsider approached, the illusion-based seal would activate immediately—transforming the landscape through sight, sound, and touch to reflect something familiar. They would naturally overlook the convoy's presence.
Ninja were forces of nature.
No terrain—be it towering city walls, jagged cliffs, or deep ravines—could truly hinder them.
This high-level barrier technique was common among great shinobi villages. It served both as camouflage and as a form of surveillance.
However, even the most advanced barriers couldn't stop a truly experienced ninja.
"Pass down the order. The entire convoy must maintain constant scouting and sensory surveillance within a hundred-meter radius—no slacking."
In a central carriage, Hyuga Hiashi spoke in a calm but commanding tone.
Although this had already been arranged, he wanted to reinforce its importance.
"Father, no need to worry about that."
In the lead carriage, Ryosuke's eyes shimmered faintly with light.
The image of the entire convoy was etched into his mind—every movement, every expression, every word.
Hiashi couldn't see Ryosuke's figure, but the young man's voice rang clearly in his mind.
This wasn't new to Hiashi. He was well-acquainted with his son-in-law's abilities.
But the clansmen nearby, who had been listening attentively to his earlier instructions, looked puzzled when he suddenly fell silent.
Raising a hand to reassure them, Hiashi replied mentally, "You're going to handle the surveillance alone? Won't that wear you out? The journey's still long."
"Don't worry," Ryosuke responded calmly. "Since the last evolution of my abilities, this kind of consumption isn't an issue anymore."
"My recovery keeps pace with usage. As long as I don't activate anything beyond passive detection, I'll be fine."
It was like a game—mana regenerated automatically every few seconds.
As long as he didn't cast powerful techniques, he could maintain this sensory state indefinitely.
"But you'll still need rest eventually, won't you?"
Hiashi still sounded unconvinced. "Don't push yourself too hard over something so minor. Step in only if something happens."
"The main thing is... I don't want to give anyone a chance."
Ryosuke shook his head. "With my current stamina and mental resilience, I could go a whole month without rest—so long as I don't exert myself physically."
"...I see. You've always known how to weigh things properly," Hiashi finally relented. "I'm only offering my advice."
He turned back to the surrounding clansmen.
"No need for further instructions. This will be a good test of their awareness and discipline."
With the conversation concluded, Ryosuke returned his focus to the convoy.
Though physically seated in a carriage, his perception floated above—like a god watching from the heavens.
It gave him a strange déjà vu, an eerie sense of omnipotence.
The Hyuga intelligence unit continued operating as usual during the migration.
Each day, they compiled information gathered from the previous 24 hours and delivered it to Hiashi via specialized messenger beasts.
For now, the shinobi world was quiet.
Most nations were only beginning to assemble their strategies against the Akatsuki.
As Ryosuke had predicted, the Land of Water chose to remain uninvolved.
Both the country and the Hidden Mist Village had cut all ties to the outside world. Even the Hyuga's elite spies couldn't penetrate their sea-locked borders.
As the cold winds of late autumn swept in, the convoy pressed forward.
Aside from short rests and brief conversations, everyone stayed committed to their assigned roles.
Days passed uneventfully.
Nothing occurred until they crossed the Land of Fires border.
Due to the large volume of cargo, Ryosuke had opted not to take the sea route like the other teams.
Instead, his group followed a longer overland path—navigating mountains, rivers, and forests.
Their route passed through the Land of Wind, the Land of Hot Water, and the Land of Snow before reaching the Land of Rain.
While more troublesome, this method spared them the logistical nightmare of loading everything onto ships.
Still, concealing such a massive caravan from other nations was no small task.
Not impossible—but certainly difficult.
They avoided all populated areas, bypassing towns, villages, and even official roads.
Wrapped in the barrier technique from head to tail, the convoy moved in absolute secrecy.
To an average traveler, there was no sign that a vast migration was unfolding right under their nose.
As for those who are interested...
"Why are they…?"
It had been a few days since we left Konoha, and we finally detected the presence of outsiders at the border between the Land of Hot Springs and the Land of Snow.
Sitting cross-legged like a statue in the front carriage of the convoy, Ryosuke's usually unreadable face showed a faint change—not of joy, but of resignation.
The previous migrant groups had all been wiped out. Logically, this final group had to come.
Ryosuke was determined to capture the perpetrators alive and uncover the mastermind behind the attacks.
But after waiting for so long, no one appeared.
Instead, an old acquaintance did.
"Father, the people from the Saki family are catching up with us."
Rather than appearing in person, Ryosuke relayed the message to Hyuga Hiashi, who was seated in the central carriage.
"Oh?"
Hyuga Hiashi looked up, momentarily pulling himself away from strategizing the future of his clan in the Land of Rain.
He was already accustomed to Ryosuke's sudden voice in his mind.
"They're in a horse-drawn carriage, heading this way. They must've taken a boat to get ahead of us."
Ryosuke continued, "Their numbers are small. The eldest son of the Saki family head, Saki Yu, is among them—but not Shanks."
"They're carrying valuables. Judging by their setup, this seems to be an exploratory team."
He relayed everything he saw to Hyuga Hiashi.
In response, Hiashi ordered the convoy to halt temporarily and wait for the Saki family's arrival.
Soon, when they got close, members of the Hyuga clan were already in place to escort them through the barrier and into the main convoy.
The Saki family didn't seem surprised that the Hyuga had anticipated them. Obediently, they followed the escort's lead.
Just as Ryosuke predicted, Saki Yu's team was probing for an opening.
According to their own explanation, the Saki family's financial foundation in the Land of Fire was too deep. Relocating a clan wasn't easy—it would take time to process and transition.
They made their intentions clear, not even bothering to conceal them.
They didn't want to abandon their wealth and connections in the Land Of Fire, but they also didn't want to lose their stake in the Hyuga's future. This was a trial investment—observe how Hyuga fared in the Land of Rain. If things went well, they'd deepen their cooperation, perhaps even sever ties with their centuries-old foundation in the Land of Fire.
To avoid offending the Hyuga by seeming insincere, they had sent Saki Yu—the heir himself—as a gesture of respect and commitment.
The Saki family came prepared on two fronts.
Objectively, their approach made sense.
They had accounted for Hyuga's emotions and made contact earlier than other families.
Naturally, Hiashi didn't reject their goodwill.
Now that the Hyuga were entering a new land as its rulers, talents with administrative skill—like the Saki family—would be welcomed.
Though the Land of Rain still retained its own officials, their competence was uncertain.
Rather than relying on unfamiliar locals, it made more sense to bring in dependable, cooperative allies from the Land of Fire to help govern and manage the populace.
As long as the Saki family managed the land effectively, increased its prosperity, and continued to support the Hyuga clan—just as the Land of fire funded Konoha—then the Hyuga wouldn't mind if the Saki family rose as rulers among commoners.
"Everyone… don't panic about what happens next."
That night, after the Saki family joined the convoy, a calm voice suddenly echoed in everyone's mind.
The Hyuga remained composed. But the Saki members were visibly shocked.
Still, seeing the Hyuga's unwavering calm, they followed their lead and stayed quiet within their carriages.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions rang out near the Hyuga convoy—rapid and violent, like cascading firecrackers.
Under the faint moonlight, figures rained from the sky like meteors, slamming into the ground around the resting base and forming deep craters.
Though startled by the noise, the Hyuga didn't move.
Following Ryosuke's instructions, they stayed put, activating their Byakugan to scout the surroundings instead of stepping out.
In moments, they detected chakra signatures—hundreds of them.
Many of the signatures flickered and vanished quickly, indicating a rapid loss of vitality.
In the front carriage, Ryosuke floated out of the window, calmly drifting toward the impact site.
"This ability really is convenient. I don't even need ninjutsu to clean up small fry."
Ryosuke descended slowly, hovering above the craters.
His Tenseigan possessed the same gravitational control as the original Rinnegan.
Unlike Nagato, who burned through chakra and life force with each use, Ryosuke's Rinnegan was a product of true transformation—his mastery far exceeded Nagato's.
When Ryosuke sensed the disturbance nearly a thousand meters away, he had instantly pulled the attackers toward the convoy using gravitational force and then suppressed them with crushing pressure.
Suicide was no concern. The moment they were dragged in, Ryosuke had already marked a few of their higher-ranked members—likely Jonin level—and used mental control on them.
The air reeked of blood.
In a pit soaked with pulverized bodies, a few figures staggered forward like puppets, stepping over the corpses of their comrades.
Their eyes were empty, their minds shackled.
Countless memories poured into Ryosuke's mind, playing out like slides before his eyes.
Any mental defenses meant to shield their thoughts were useless.
"A dog can't change its nature."
Ryosuke didn't even glance at their faces or search their belongings.
He had already extracted the information he needed.
His body rose once more, gliding back toward the convoy.
Behind him, the controlled figures stood still for a beat—then were flattened under immense force, crushed into the earth like the rest.
From the moment the enemies arrived to the moment they were dealt with, less than a minute had passed.
Hundreds of attackers—including Jonin—were annihilated.
Every scrap of intelligence they carried was now Ryosuke's.
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