"Who the hell are you!? How dare you interfere with my mission!?"
The Steel Patriot howled through its speakers, heavy cannons unfolding from its arms as it blasted toward Ryuuto with nonstop fire.
"You're a terrorist threat. Unforgivable."
"Wrong," Ryuuto replied. "You're just glitching junk with a superiority complex. Time for a factory reset."
Wind Style: Air Drill Bomb.
Ryuuto compressed chakra into tight swirling pockets of air, launching them one after another like invisible grenades. They met the Steel Patriot's barrage head-on, detonating in the sky with a storm of shockwaves. Smoke and fire layered over one another until even the wind screamed.
The Patriot scanned wildly.
"Where did you go!? Don't tell me that rat ran—"
"Up here. Look up."
The Steel Patriot jerked its head upward.
Konoha Gale.
Ryuuto descended like a meteor. His kick cracked across the armor's faceplate with enough force to make sparks burst from every joint. The Patriot staggered, weapons malfunctioning, aim scattering.
"Yeah! Go! Teach that tin can a lesson!"
"Blow him apart, Red Mirage!"
The soldiers who moments ago were drowning in despair suddenly erupted in roaring cheers, hurling helmets skyward as hope surged back into their chests.
"You fools!" the Patriot spat. "I am an anti-terror defender! How dare you insects—!"
It aimed at the soldiers, cannons humming as they charged up a laser blast.
"Hey. Your opponent is me," Ryuuto snapped. "Point those weapons at civilians again and I'll dismantle you bolt by bolt."
Wood Style: Wooden Ingot Wall.
A forest of thick, interlocked wooden pillars erupted before the blast, absorbing the full laser impact. Before the Patriot could recalibrate, wooden tendrils wrapped around him, coiling like a titan's arms and binding the armor completely.
The suit strained, servos screaming.
"Let me go! You'll regret this!"
"I've never once regretted anything," Ryuuto said. "And you're already mine."
Gentle Fist — Eight Trigrams Air Palm.
Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms.
Three Hundred Sixty-One Palms.
Byakugan activated, veins pulsing around his eyes.
Ryuuto's palms slammed into every critical point on the armor—vents, joints, arc regulators, micro-circuit clusters. Chakra surged inside the suit, shorting systems like lightning frying a building.
Sparks burst everywhere. Lights flickered.
The Steel Patriot froze midair, stunned.
"You… what did you do to me!?"
For the first time, its voice trembled. "My systems—my body—I can't move!"
"Relax," Ryuuto said cheerfully. "Just making sure you become a harmless ball of scrap iron. You'll lose consciousness soon."
"BASTARD! I'll take you with me!"
In a desperate lunge, the Patriot expelled a surge of energy. The wooden restraints snapped apart. He unleashed a barrage of wild energy blasts at Ryuuto, then immediately turned and dove toward the ground.
"Not again! Fire! Hold him back!"
"Evacuate! Move the civilians out! Leave the rest to our hero!"
Soldiers sprinted backward, herding civilians away while pouring bullets upward to slow the suit's descent.
"Hmph. Pathetic humans," the Patriot sneered, sweeping its scanners across the panicking troops. "If not for that brat, you'd all be dead."
Its thrusters flared. It shot toward a massive company tower.
Because it felt Ryuuto's eyes locked on him—cold, merciless, unblinking.
He couldn't win in the air.
He needed cover.
Or he'd be dismantled.
"Think you can escape?" Ryuuto's voice whispered behind him.
The Steel Patriot jolted.
How—how did he close the distance so fast!?
Gritting his metallic teeth, the Patriot forced out a mocking laugh.
"Come then, boy! If you're not afraid to die, follow me! I'll make it worth your while!"
"Perfect. Run faster," Ryuuto called back. "Otherwise I'll get bored and cut off your legs."
He swung his execution blade, sword-light rippling through the air like chains of lightning.
The Patriot's confidence cracked.
What the hell was wrong with this kid—
"Fine! Eat these!"
Two missiles erupted from the armor's shoulder launchers, streaking directly toward Ryuuto.