"Magneto must've done something unspeakable this time… even gods are sending his minions running. Honestly, poetic retribution."
With every faction scrambling to locate Wanda, the Scarlet Witch, Ryuuto was of course dispatched as well.
But he wasn't worried. With the strength he carried now, whatever trick Magneto thought he was playing… it wasn't ending well for him.
What Ryuuto didn't expect?
Someone else decided to be stupid first.
A silent figure appeared in the middle of the road—black coat, gloves, gas mask. Standing perfectly still.
Ryuuto blinked, then smirked.
"Yo. Broad daylight, full gas mask? Respect. That's a commitment to the aesthetic."
The man didn't react. Not a twitch. Not a breath. Just cold, motionless presence—like a corpse that forgot to lie down.
"Oh, you're one of the quiet types. Fine. I'll make you scream."
Wind Style — Vacuum Bullets!
Chakra spun tight in the air, forming razor jets of compressed wind.
Ryuuto fired several volleys at once.
"Boom—boom—boom!"
The ground erupted, dirt and rock exploding like fireworks.
But the masked man ghosted through the barrage—body twisting at unnatural angles, leaving after-images in the dust.
He landed perfectly still again.
Right in front of Ryuuto.
"You've got discipline, I'll give you that," Ryuuto said. "Too bad you can't stop me."
Shadow Clone Technique!
Hundreds of clones swarmed forward, blitzing the masked stranger while Ryuuto himself bolted past the chaos.
"Your body…"
The man finally spoke—voice hoarse, feverish.
"…is perfect for surgical transformation. Become my masterpiece."
A scalpel slid into his hand with a metallic hiss.
Then he moved.
The blade danced in an insane blur, carving through clone after clone. Each strike hit a vital point dead-on, dispelling dozens of Ryuutos in a single heartbeat.
His breathing grew ragged.
His eyes reddened.
He lunged directly for Ryuuto's head, scalpel flashing.
Ryuuto cracked his knuckles.
"Oh? A little arrogant, aren't you? Fine—let's play surgeon."
Medical Ninjutsu — Chakra Scalpel!
Blue-white light flared around his hands.
The two blades collided.
"Klang!"
The stranger's scalpel snapped clean in half.
Ryuuto grinned.
"Hey. Your knife is too short… and not sharp enough. Embarrassing, really."
"You—WANT—TO—DIE!"
The man roared, losing what remained of his composure. He swung a fist straight at Ryuuto's face.
"Wrong. You're the one courting death."
Ryuuto's arm coiled with Tsunade-style monstrous strength.
His punch hit like a meteor.
The surgeon flew backward, crashing into the dirt so hard his gas mask nearly flew off.
Ryuuto laughed.
"How's that? Pretty good, right? I'm kinda invincible."
"Boy… I'll cut off your limbs!"
The man snarled, tearing open his coat.
Hundreds of scalpels gleamed inside, strapped to his body like a metal porcupine.
"Seriously?" Ryuuto said. "A moving operating table?"
Dozens of scalpels launched toward him in a silver storm.
Ryuuto stepped forward instead of back.
"Heard you like surgery," he said calmly. "You even cut off your own eyelids once. That makes you a freak—half-human, half-nightmare fuel."
His body blurred—
—and every scalpel missed by a hair.
In one breath, Ryuuto was in front of him.
The surgeon snapped.
"I WILL KILL YOU—!"
He lunged wildly, abandoning all technique, all mission orders. Bloodlust replaced thought.
Ryuuto sighed.
"A mad dog like you shouldn't be alive. Let me put you down."
Medical Strike — Nervous System Rupture!
Chakra surged through Ryuuto's palms, slamming into the man's vital neural pathways.
The surgeon spasmed violently as nerve signals broke apart.
Ryuuto's body hardened with sand armor, rendering the man's frantic attacks useless.
Each strike only mangled his own hands further.
"Ryuuto, you'll NEVER find the Scarlet Witch—HAHAHA!"
The man laughed hysterically, even as pain racked him.
Then something strange happened.
His body twitched—
His fist didn't rise.
Instead, his leg jerked forward and tripped him.
He faceplanted so hard the ground cracked—and two front teeth skittered across the rocks.
Ryuuto's gaze sharpened.
"So you were Magneto's dog."
He stepped forward, eyes gleaming with a dangerous smile.
"In that case… I definitely can't let you walk away."