I'm Stronger Than You Think!

"The Hyuga Clan's Eight Trigrams Empty Palm?!"

The words flashed in her mind the moment she felt the impact.

Thump!

She stumbled back, catching herself before she fell. When she looked up, her face relaxed a little.

"It's not... a Hyuga after all..."

Sarutobi Ryo's arrival had given the scattered group the chance to pull themselves together.

"Young Master Ryo! Be careful… she's very strong!" Yakushi Nonou called out, trying to warn him.

"Yeah."

Sarutobi Ryo nodded, getting ready to fight again.

At the same time, he was thinking to himself, Enemies at the Jonin level are something else...

As everyone knew, the world of Naruto was powered by Chakra.

This special energy lived inside everyone, even animals and plants.

Those who knew how to use Chakra were called Ninja, Samurai, or Priestesses.

As they got stronger, Chakra gave them incredible abilities.

One of the most common was resistance to injury.

A Chunin, like Obito in the old stories, could be hit by a giant rock and barely survive, even with serious injuries.

A Kage-level ninja, like Kakashi when he got his Mangekyo Sharingan, could be thrown through a forest of trees and be back on his feet in seconds.

Chakra was an energy that made the body stronger and could even change it.

For example, the Second Kazekage, Shamon, created Magnet Release by studying Shukaku's powers. Once people learned Magnet Release, their very DNA would change, making them different from normal people.

So, it made sense that this woman was only pushed back a few steps after being hit by his palm from a distance.

If it had been a regular person, like those Yakuza from before, one hit would have stopped their heart.

Sarutobi Ryo figured this woman was even tougher than those Blood Mist Ninjas he fought in Land of Whirlpools.

Of course, it was hard to say who was stronger between her and Ringo Ameyuri.

"The Third Hokage's son… Sarutobi Ryo…"

She clearly knew who he was.

"We meet again."

She said this suddenly.

As she spoke, her Chakra seemed to explode.

It looked like she had suddenly gotten a lot stronger.

Based on what she said and did, Sarutobi Ryo guessed that she had probably gotten rid of the Shadow Clone that had just touched him.

Shadow Clones took Chakra from the original body.

But when a Shadow Clone disappeared, that Chakra went back to the original.

That was why she seemed to have gotten stronger all of a sudden.

Also, the memories of the Shadow Clone would also go back to the original body and be shared.

Watching the enemy's Chakra grow, giving off even more heat, Sarutobi Ryo… felt a rush of excitement.

Because…

"You're the one taking advantage of the country's problems, right?" He had to ask before he attacked.

"Heh… that's right, so what?"

While they were talking, Yakushi Nonou raised her hand, ready to give an order.

But Sarutobi Ryo looked at her and said, "You all stay here. I'll handle this!"

From the dead bodies on the ground and what they had just said, Sarutobi Ryo knew that Yakushi Nonou and the others couldn't beat this woman.

It wasn't that the Root Ninja weren't strong.

It was just that within the organization, the ninja had different levels of strength.

Danzo had many strong fighters, but they weren't here.

This was just a training mission for the Anbu, a first taste. They wouldn't send a bunch of powerful people to watch.

Nonou hesitated, then told her team to stay put.

So, everyone watched the fight about to happen.

"Then, let's begin! I'm arresting or killing you for betraying the country!"

Sarutobi Ryo yelled.

A Jonin, even one not in the Anbu, had the power to do this.

Betraying the country was a crime that could be punished right away.

"Hehehe…"

A silvery laugh rang out. The woman seemed to be back to her cocky self.

"A spoiled Young Master, what strength could you have…"

"I wouldn't be so sure, Old Woman!" Yamanaka Hui interrupted, starting to make hand signs as she spoke.

Seeing the Yamanaka Clan's blonde ponytail, pale skin, and thin lips, the enemy knew who they were.

The enemy jumped back, starting to move around.

Yamanaka Hui, with her hands in a strange pose, was just trying to scare her.

She wasn't really using her secret technique.

After all, it was hard to hit a strong enemy with the Mind Body Switch Technique.

But this could confuse her and keep her from attacking.

The next moment, Sarutobi Ryo saw his chance, took a step forward, and with a loud bang, the stone floor broke.

He shot forward like a bullet.

Nonou and the Root Ninja gasped.

"Is this… the strength of a Jonin?"

They had heard that Sarutobi Ryo had become a Jonin.

Now, seeing Sarutobi Ryo break the stone with a step, they believed it.

Strength… was always important for earning respect.

At that moment, everyone realized that the Hokage's son was not weak.

He was actually very strong!

But Sarutobi Ryo was about to show them even more.

Because…

"I'm stronger than anyone thinks!"

Chih!

The enemy slashed out with her katana, aiming for Sarutobi Ryo's face.

Sarutobi Ryo's eyes narrowed, and he could see everything clearly in the dark.

Everything became as bright as day.

So…

Bang!

Sarutobi Ryo slapped the blade to the side with his palm.

Then, his right palm struck out again from a distance, making a crackling sound.

The energy released from far away was even stronger!

"Ah!"

A sharp scream filled the air.

Everyone blinked. The fight was over, and the enemy, one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, was flying through the air.

"So strong…!"

That was what everyone was thinking.