As soon as Ryoma finished speaking, the Mist-nin led by Yagura Karatachi erupted in fury.
"It's you!"
Yagura still managed to restrain his anger, but the three shinobi behind him couldn't hold back.
"Wait!"
Yagura barked, trying to keep them in check. But it was useless—the three already moved.
"Water Style: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
"Water Style: Water Severing Wave!"
"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!"
Ryoma only smiled coldly. "A bunch of squawking chickens and barking dogs."
The moment his words fell, the entire Hokage Building trembled. From beneath the floor, massive roots and vines burst upward, piercing through the ground of the first floor, then the second, forming a wall of twisting wood before Ryoma.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The Mist-nin's Water Release techniques didn't even touch Ryoma's shadow clone. Every jutsu smashed harmlessly against the thick, swaying roots.
Upstairs, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt the building shake and immediately stood. "An earthquake?"
A masked Anbu rushed in. "Hokage-sama! Shinobi from the Hidden Mist are clashing with Lord Ryoma on the second floor!"
Hiruzen's face darkened with fury. "They dare start a fight inside the Hokage Building?!"
"It was the Mist who struck first, but…"
"But what?"
"But Lord Ryoma's Wood Release pierced through the entire building…"
Hiruzen's chest heaved in anger. "After this fight, they'll pay for the damage. Ten times the cost!"
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
...
Second floor, Administration Department.
Seeing the fight spiral beyond control, Yagura immediately formed hand seals.
"Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
A thick fog poured across the floor, swallowing the room in a suffocating white haze. Sight vanished in an instant, and the dense mist pressed against the lungs like a living weight.
At the same time, the three Mist-nin charged forward.
This was the man who had slain the Third Mizukage. To them, nothing short of blood could soothe that hatred. Even if they died here, they would uphold the honor of Kirigakure.
Yagura's brow furrowed. He knew the situation was dire. Konoha was no place to rampage freely—not with the Third Hokage himself upstairs, a man hailed as the Professor of Ninjutsu.
But Ryoma stood here, provoking them. They had no choice but to act.
"Don't kill him!" Yagura ordered firmly.
[Ding! Based on the current situation, the system offers three choices!]
Option 1: Kill them all as an example.
Reward:Wind Style: Vacuum Blade (A-rank)
Option 2: Spare only Yagura.
Reward:Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique (A-rank)
Option 3: Defeat them all but spare their lives, showing Konoha's magnanimity.
Reward:Golem Technique (Basic)
Ryoma smirked. "Perfect. I'll take Option 3."
The two A-rank jutsu barely tempted him anymore. But a puppet-style Golem Technique? That was something fresh.
Even as he made his choice, murderous intent burst from the mist.
"Water Clone Jutsu!"
Multiple watery figures rushed forward, each launching attacks.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
"Water Style: Water Severing Wave!"
"Water Style: Water Shark Bomb!"
But from beneath Ryoma's feet, a massive wooden head surged upward. He landed lightly on its crown as the colossal wooden construct rose.
The barrage of water techniques smashed against the Wooden Golem's skull.
Boom!
Cracks spread across its head, but it held firm—and in turn, the wooden giant's roots lashed out, seizing the three attackers.
Yagura's eyes widened in alarm. He leapt back just in time as roots burst from the ground beneath him. Had he reacted slower, they would have entangled him.
But more and more vines surged, writhing toward him.
Ryoma's shadow clone had unleashed both the Wooden Golem Technique and Tree World. In an instant, the lower two floors of the Hokage Building became a living forest.
The chakra drain was immense. With a puff of smoke, two of Ryoma's shadow clones at the entrance dispelled.
Yagura was drenched in sweat, horror twisting his face.
This man was insane! Did he not care about the Hokage Building's safety?
The Hokage himself was upstairs!
"Ryoma!"
As Yagura expected, Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice thundered in rage from above.
If he had known Ryoma would go this far, he would never have made him head of the Administration Department.
His first day in office, and he was tearing down the Hokage Building!
The restrained shinobi at the entrance—Shinto and Mito Ryosuke—stared at the towering Wooden Golem and the sea of roots with eyes wide as saucers.
Please… be human. The Hokage is upstairs, and you dare to pull this stunt?!
Boom!
Immediately, a brick fell onto the head of the restrained shinobi, splitting his scalp open in an instant.
"Help!"
The tied-up hostages screamed in terror.
Before the cry even faded, the colossal Wooden Golem took a single step forward.
Swish!
Ryosuke Mito, who was closest to its path, was crushed underfoot, his body reduced to nothing but mangled flesh.
The remaining captives shrieked in horror, straining desperately against their bindings to break free.
This is terrifying!
Meanwhile, Ryoma and Kushina were resting together atop Hokage Rock, overlooking Konoha from the north.
It was here, on Hokage Rock, that Ryoma and Kushina had first deepened their bond. The place always stirred memories of that warm night they had spent talking together.
Kushina's hand tightened unconsciously around Ryoma's.
Just then, Ryoma received the feedback of a shadow clone dispelling itself near the Administration Department. He chuckled wryly.
So my very first day at the Administration Department… is already a complete disaster?
But Ryoma wasn't particularly worried. The Mist were the ones who had struck first. This was entirely their responsibility.
In fact, the thought crossed his mind—could this incident be used to pressure Kirigakure into concessions?
Ryoma grinned to himself. Truly, I'm a genius.
At that moment, he turned sharply. His gaze locked on the forest behind them.
From the shadows, a figure emerged—cloaked in black, aura shrouded in mystery.
Ryoma's eyes widened. No way… Uchiha?!
The moment he realized, the man revealed his eyes. The Sharingan spun to life.
"Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion—Hell Viewing Technique."
Ryoma cursed.
"Tch!"
Without hesitation, he pulled Kushina behind him and unleashed one of his strongest Wood Release techniques.
"Wood Style: Wood Dragon Jutsu!"
A massive wooden dragon, far larger than usual, erupted from the ground and lunged toward the intruder, tearing him apart instantly.
Boom!
But what burst apart wasn't flesh and blood. It was only a shadow clone.
Ryoma exhaled in relief. What he had seen was a younger version of Uchiha Madara, and for a moment, it had terrified him.
He almost thought Madara had discovered a forbidden technique to regain his youth.
"What's wrong, Ryoma?" Kushina asked anxiously.
She hadn't clearly seen Madara in that brief instant.
Ryoma shook his head. "It's nothing."
He had overreacted, pouring too much chakra into the technique. As a result, all of his remaining shadow clones had dispelled at once.
Honestly… Ryoma sighed at himself.
Back at the Hokage Building, Yagura Karatachi and his three subordinates were already bound tightly, seated in a row, gagged and helpless.
But before their eyes, Ryoma's figure suddenly vanished with a puff of smoke.
They were dumbfounded.
"That was… a shadow clone?!"
"We were defeated by a clone?!"
At the same time, countless of Ryoma's shadow clones across Konoha disappeared in unison.
Some had been mediating disputes between villagers.
Others had been teaching Team 7—Kakashi, Obito, and Rin.
One had even been speaking with Orochimaru, discussing the possibility of retrieving Terumi Mei.
And then, all at once—poof—they were gone.
Everyone froze in disbelief.
Team 7's laughter stopped abruptly. When Obito and Kakashi saw Ryoma vanish, their faces darkened. Rin's eyes welled with tears.
"Our teacher… was only teaching us with a shadow clone? That's… that's so disrespectful!"
In the Medical Corps, Orochimaru raised an eyebrow before chuckling. "How fascinating… Even I didn't realize it was a clone."
Far away, deep within a hidden cave, an ancient figure—an old man with a massive tube embedded in his back—let out a heavy sigh.
"As expected, even illusions are useless against him. Not even exploiting his feelings for his beloved works… Truly, he is the heir to Hashirama's bloodline. Exactly the same…"
This time, it had only been a test.
A test from Uchiha Madara.
...
TN:
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