Chapter 24: The First Battle

Ryo calmly watched the Root ninja closing in on him. There wasn't a trace of panic on his face. Instead, he smiled and shook his head slightly.

A surge of mental energy spread from him, lifting him into the air along with several stones around him.

"You didn't really think I was just a regular human, did you?"

With a wave of his hand, the floating stones shot toward the approaching Root ninja at high speed.

The squad leader halted abruptly, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Impossible! He has no chakra—how is he doing this?"

Ryo remained silent, simply watching the stones approach.

In the blink of an eye, the stones reached the Root ninja. Instinctively, the ninja grabbed a kunai from his waist and tried to block them.

Clang!

The sound of metal striking stone echoed sharply through the air.

The ninja stared in shock. "How can this be? How are these stones so powerful and durable?"

His gaze shifted to Ryo in disbelief, wondering if he had fallen into a genjutsu. The stones carried far greater force than any thrown kunai, and their impact didn't even cause them to shatter.

Whoosh!

Another stone closed in, leaving him no time to think. He quickly infused chakra into his feet, dodging to the side.

Ryo silently waved his arm again, sending more stones flying toward him.

At his current level, Ryo could only control a limited number of stones at once, but he couldn't help but imagine how awesome it would feel to unleash a volley of them.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sound of the stones cutting through the air filled the battlefield.

The Root ninja knew better than to be careless. His hands formed seals at lightning speed.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"

A three-to-four-meter-long fire dragon shot from his mouth, roaring toward the incoming stones.

The fire engulfed the stones, and the ninja sighed in relief.

But before he could fully relax, the stones burst out from within the flames, still hurtling toward him.

His eyes filled with disbelief. "This… this is impossible!"

Ryo shook his head at the remark. "Nothing is impossible."

Stones wrapped in mental energy were far more resilient than anything reinforced with ordinary chakra.

Without offering further explanation, Ryo guided the stones toward the stunned ninja once more.

The ninja's face showed his panic. His eyes darted around, knowing full well that the Dragonite nearby was still watching him like a predator.

He quickly formed seals again, this time combining jutsu.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"

A fire dragon shot out, and before it fully formed, he added another jutsu.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Wave!"

A sharp wind gust wrapped around the fire dragon, causing it to expand and roar with enhanced intensity.

The massive fire dragon collided with the stones again.

Ryo frowned as he felt the mental energy around the stones rapidly disintegrating.

The ninja, now visibly tense, kept his eyes on the flames. When no stones emerged, he finally exhaled in relief.

But as the fire dragon devoured the stones, it continued on toward Ryo.

Ryo watched the approaching flames, the heat causing a wave of discomfort.

He extended his hand toward the fire dragon and clenched his fist in midair.

Mental energy exploded outward, stirring the air into a whirlwind.

The fire dragon froze in midair as if it had been caught by an invisible hand, unable to move further.

The Root ninja's face went pale. His lips trembled as he muttered, "Impossible… utterly impossible… How can this be!?"

He couldn't comprehend what he was witnessing. The fire dragon, a pure chakra construct, had been stopped in its tracks.

If there were chakra involved, he could've rationalized it as some rare kekkei genkai. But from the beginning, Ryo hadn't shown any chakra fluctuations at all.

Ryo paid no attention to the ninja's shock. His brow furrowed slightly as he clenched his fist harder.

Boom!

The fire dragon disintegrated into glowing embers, scattering harmlessly into the air.

"Huff… huff…"

Ryo panted, feeling the strain. Stopping the fire dragon had consumed nearly three-quarters of his mental energy.

His body felt fatigued, but he kept his eyes on the ninja below.

The Root ninja noticed Ryo's condition and immediately turned to flee.

There was no point in continuing this fight. He still had no clue what kind of power Ryo possessed. If this dragged on, he would surely lose.

Of course, had he known that Ryo was nearly out of mental energy, he wouldn't have thought about retreating at all.

Just as he turned, a lightning-charged claw flashed before him.

His eyes widened, but there was no time to dodge.

Bam!

He was struck directly, crashing into the ground unconscious.

Ryo slowly descended, his feet touching the ground.

"Rooar…"

Dragonite hurried over, its eyes filled with concern.

Ryo shook his head and reassured it. "I'm fine, Dragonite. Don't worry. You've already done great."

"Rooar…"

Dragonite shook its head, guilt evident in its expression. As a Pokémon, it believed its duty was to protect its trainer. Yet in the end, Ryo had to fight himself.

Seeing Dragonite's expression, Ryo patted its belly gently, unsure how to comfort it.