Chapter 314: Suzuki Toichiro
"Your name."
"Kuashan."
"Tell me about the situation in your world."
"I belong to a terrorist organization called Claw..."
…
One question, one answer.
In the dark and damp prison, a thug with an extremely ferocious face and a tuft of yellow hair answered without hesitation.
How could Ryosuke tell he wasn't lying? Simple—mind reading. With it, he could directly verify the truth behind every word.
The world Kuashan came from resembled Ryosuke's previous life in terms of technological progress, though it hadn't reached any real depth yet. However, unlike that mundane world, this one had Espers, ghosts, and evil spirits...
"Espers" was the general term for individuals with special abilities like Kuashan. These abilities could be either acquired through training or awakened naturally from birth. Naturally awakened abilities were generally stronger than those gained later.
Kuashan himself was an acquired telekinetic user. The Seventh Detachment he belonged to also had members with powers like flying techniques, sorcery, ghost control, and more.
No matter what kind of power it was, as long as it transcended the limits of humans and nature, they were called "Espers" in that world.
"Interesting..."
Ryosuke's eyes gradually lit up.
He couldn't read the fates of these people from other worlds, but by scanning their minds, he could still verify the truth of their words.
Two intriguing worlds were now laid before him.
One was the Tiga World, where he'd already made progress.
The other—this unknown superpower world.
He couldn't help but hesitate.
Based on what Kuashan revealed, the highest-tier super-powered individuals in that world couldn't even shatter stars. At most, they were capable of destroying a country.
But in the Hyuga Clan, there were already many who could destroy a nation.
Devil Fruits weren't collected for nothing. In essence, Devil Fruit users were no different from these so-called psychic awakened types.
Moreover, the Hyuga Clan had an extremely complete training system, both in ninjutsu and physical arts.
If Ryosuke could extract anything useful from this Espers, it might even serve to further refine Hyuga's spiritual training methods.
"I've told you everything I know."
After a pause, Kuashan added nervously, "I'm willing to join you. If you need, I can even return to my world and help persuade others to surrender."
It seemed that in his original world, Kuashan was used to being arrogant because of his powers. Now, having been captured, one foray into spiritual mysticism had completely broken his will.
He quickly surrendered, even pledging loyalty to the Hyuga Clan.
It was likely he had no family or affiliations in that world. As an orphan, surrendering was an easy choice.
In just a few days, the Hyuga Clan had already unraveled the backgrounds and life experiences of every outsider they captured. Ryosuke's questioning served only to confirm authenticity.
"What does the clan plan to do about this matter?"
Ryosuke didn't answer Kuashan but turned to Hanabi.
"You should have confirmed the plan before syncing this information to me."
"Of course. We'll use their identities to seize control of the Space-Time Gate."
Hanabi glanced at Kuashan and continued, "But getting control of the gate is a pain. We'll have to put on a show."
They couldn't allow an outside world to maintain free access to a space-time gate that linked back to their own. That would be a fatal weakness.
"Yes, yes, I can help you!" Kuashan quickly chimed in, desperate to show his value.
But unfortunately, as a temporary permission holder, he had no idea just how difficult it was to truly seize ownership of a space-time gate.
Back when Ryosuke and the others had first come into contact with space-time gates, they thought the easiest way to seize control was to capture someone from another world and force them to summon the gate.
In theory, a solid plan.
In reality? Utterly flawed.
After gaining his own gate in the Teigu World, Ryosuke learned the truth: authority must be stolen from the true controller, not temporary permission holders.
In the Teigu World, Ryosuke himself held the core authority of the space-time gate.
He could grant temporary access to people like Hyuga Iroha, Hyuga Hizashi, and others.
But if someone from the Teigu World wanted to reverse the situation and take control, they'd need to kill Ryosuke—or have him willingly transfer that authority.
Attacking Iroha or Hizashi wouldn't change a thing.
Only the controller could access deeper data:
How much energy was needed for a jump,
how long it had to idle before recharging,
and how many more traversals it could handle.
"Either we launch a direct assault... or cooperate strategically."
Hanabi's tone sharpened as she glanced at Kuashan, who looked timid and clueless.
"We need to head back first with this guy and evaluate whether the world over there poses a real threat to us. We also have to see if their rules conflict with ours before we decide how to proceed."
She then looked at Ryosuke.
"But you'll probably have to take part. This world is less stable than the Ultraman World."
Her gaze was serious.
Only then did Ryosuke realize—Hanabi, the little girl who used to follow him and Hinata around, making noise and laughing, had truly matured.
Compared to the Ultraman World, the situation was far riskier.
Over there, even though the Hyuga didn't control the space-time gate, Sasuke Uchiha maintained a relatively stable relationship thanks to the goodwill of the Hyuga Clan.
That world had balance.
But in the Espers world?
It was all foreign ground.
Unknown powers.
Unknown enemies.
Unknown rules.
Without someone with overwhelming power to stabilize the mission, one slip-up could lead to disaster.
If Kuashan betrayed them, or even accidentally exposed them, the space-time gate on that side could be permanently severed.
Worse still—once Suzuki Toichiro, the true controller of the gate in that world, caught wind of Hyuga's presence, he might deliberately isolate his world.
Hyuga's agents would be stranded.
Even if they managed to survive, they wouldn't return unless Suzuki Toichiro himself reopened the gate—likely only when he was ready to launch a full-scale counterattack.
"Their mission window is one week. They're returning tomorrow."
Ryosuke's eyes narrowed.
"And the location of their return..."
He exhaled slowly.
"...will be chosen by Suzuki Toichiro."
"That is to say... when we arrive, we'll most likely be surrounded by thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of Espers individuals."
"It's even possible that Suzuki won't be at the return location."
"In other words, once we get there, we'll need to eliminate any surrounding enemies immediately and then hunt him down to seize control of the space-time gate—before he can do anything irrational in desperation."
In his mind, Ryosuke had already simulated every possible scenario countless times.
"Of course, we won't get the luxury to test anything. We can't send people ahead to check for exclusion rules like we used to when exploring other worlds."
"For this mission, we'll have to keep the team small. Ideally, it will just be me and Shanks. Right now, we're undoubtedly the two strongest individuals in the clan."
"Whether it's me or Shanks, even if chakra ends up being restricted, we still have enough raw power to turn a world upside down. So don't worry—if we can't seize the gate's authority right away, we'll still be able to manage unexpected situations."
Then, Ryosuke quickly laid out the plan.
"After we arrive, I'll immediately target Suzuki and take control of the space-time gate. Shanks will focus on monitoring Kuashan and ensuring the gate remains active."
"If—if before I subdue Suzuki, Kuashan's temporary gate access gets revoked, then he'll be responsible for controlling the situation from that end."
There was only one day left before the return date Suzuki had set for Kuashan and the others. Ryosuke didn't have the time to hold a formal clan meeting or ask for additional support.
Following Ryosuke's orders, Hanabi quickly left to prepare the necessary equipment.
Soon, medical and illusion ninjas entered the prison to treat Kuashan and the other prisoners' injuries caused by their earlier interrogations. Illusion specialists were then tasked with modifying the thoughts of some of them.
Ryosuke, wasting no time, opened a space-time gate to the Teigu World and contacted Shanks, who was serving as a military instructor.
With only a few words, he conveyed the mission.
The Hyuga Clan's massive infrastructure roared to life under Ryosuke's command. Within half a day, everything—equipment, personnel, and logistics—was assembled at the training grounds.
Surrounded by thousands of Hyuga elites, Ryosuke and Shanks were now dressed in modern military gear, mimicking the uniforms worn by Kuashan and his companions.
Next, they would use transformation techniques to replace two Claw organization members and blend in seamlessly.
"Ancestor, the ninja world is counting on you."
Ryosuke looked at Kaguya Ōtsutsuki standing silently at the forefront of the crowd.
"If the ones returning through the space-time gate aren't Shanks and me... protect the Hyuga."
Then, his gaze shifted briefly to Hiashi, standing further behind. Their eyes met—an unspoken understanding passed between them.
Ryosuke had temporarily transferred full control over the Teigu World and limited control of the Ultraman World to his father.
If things went wrong, the clan would have a chance to evacuate and survive elsewhere.
Still... Ryosuke was confident.
According to Kuashan's intel, while people from other worlds had appeared in the Psychic World, Suzuki didn't possess access to other space-time gates.
Meaning: his travel was limited to the Psychic World and the Ninja World.
If that was true, then Ryosuke could absolutely corner him.
The only real variable was the possibility that Suzuki had hidden the existence of a second gate and gained access to another world in secret. But the odds were low—if he had, there would've been no need for him to risk exposing himself in the Ninja World.
"The time is almost up, Ryosuke-sama."
In the crowd, Kuashan—now wearing his captain's uniform—walked up with a sly smile. He had adapted quickly. After being freed from prison, he stuck closely to Hyuga's team, even learning how to properly address Ryosuke.
"When we get there, just behave as you normally would."
Ryosuke looked over the other outsiders—most of whom had been reduced to obedient shells by illusion techniques.
"If anything goes wrong, follow Shanks. If you help us capture Suzuki and seize the gate, you'll have earned great merit."
He wasn't just saying that to manipulate Kuashan.
The guy may have no sense of loyalty—he surrendered in the blink of an eye and betrayed his world without hesitation.
But merit is still merit. Ryosuke wouldn't kill him afterward just because he was spineless.
Even if this man might one day betray the Hyuga, it didn't matter.
Ryosuke had no intention of ever letting the Hyuga Clan grow weak enough for betrayal to become a threat.
"Move out!"
After scanning every operative preparing to "return" with his Tenseigan and confirming there were no anomalies, Ryosuke gave the cold command.
"Open the space-time gate. Begin the jump!"
The moment the words left his lips, changes rippled across him and Shanks.
Their bodies gradually morphed into the forms of the two Claw members they were impersonating.
"Yes!"
Kuashan responded loudly, then began his connection with the space-time gate.
As the familiar light formed, opening the gate between worlds, he turned to Ryosuke for confirmation. At a single glance from him, Kuashan stepped forward without hesitation.
Ryosuke followed close behind, almost sticking to him.
Then Shanks and the others moved.
Rules...
As Ryosuke passed through the dimensional threshold, he immediately focused on the changes in himself.
And he felt it.
A sensation he had never experienced before in any world.
His growing chakra, which had been slowing down due to reaching its upper limits, suddenly accelerated.
So much so that his soul nearly felt as though it was separating from his body.
"This is..."
There was no time to dwell on it. The very instant he emerged, Ryosuke ripped through the void—targeting the exact individual he came to subdue.
"Withdr—"
Before Suzuki could finish a single word, Ryosuke's hand was already clutching his head with frightening precision.
"Please introduce yourself. Ryosuke—your future superior."
Ryosuke's voice was calm and gentle in his ear.
Yet, in that moment, Suzuki realized in horror that the superpowers he had always relied on… were useless.
They were locked inside his own body.
Trapped.
Completely neutralized.
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I have a new Naruto fanfic out, guys!
The main character is Orochimaru's disciple, and I'll say this upfront: he is also a scientist and just as evil as his teacher.
So for those who don't like evil or morally dark main characters, you might want to skip this one.
The fanfic is titled Naruto: Orochimaru's Disciple.
You can search the title directly, or just click on my profile and you'll find it there.