Chapter 31: Breaking the Deadlock

"Water Style, Super Great Water Arm Wave."

Releases a large amount of water, covering the enemy within a super-sized water sphere. No matter which direction the enemy moves, the water sphere will follow.

A perfect counter to enemies like Ryosuke, who excel at close-range combat.

This was a tactic Zabuza Momochi once learned while drinking with a little brat named Kisame Hoshigaki.

Of course, such a large-scale ninjutsu consumes a tremendous amount of chakra. With Zabuza's chakra reserves, maintaining it for ten minutes or so is his limit.

Trying to suffocate someone like Ryosuke, who has mastered the breathing method, within ten minutes is nothing short of a fantasy.

But there's still Raiga Kurosuki.

Bursts of lightning flickered, falling into the giant water sphere.

Trapped at the center, Ryosuke only felt his skin burning hot.

If not for a layer of Ripple power over his skin, insulating the lightning from his internal organs, he might have already suffered cardiac spasms and full-body paralysis.

'What should I do?'

Ryosuke clenched his fists, drawing in the last breath of air before being submerged, storing it in his chest. He adjusted the frequency of his Ripple.

A green Ripple capable of manipulating water was released from his hands.

The previously stable water flow began to stir unnaturally.

"Damn it! What kind of ability is this?!"

Zabuza, who was controlling the water sphere from the outside, spat out a mouthful of blood and shouted at Raiga, "Stop holding back! Kill him quickly! He's trying to seize control of the Water Style jutsu from me!"

'Seize... control?'

Raiga didn't quite understand what his old teammate was saying, but he got the gist of the first half. He raised his twin blades once more, converting all his chakra into lightning nature.

"Lightning Blade Technique, Lightning Drop!"

Bolts of lightning continuously struck the water sphere. From afar, the entire sphere glowed brightly, looking like a crystal-clear gemstone.

Standing at the edge, the magistrate of Sen Village dumbly stared at the massive water sphere and the falling thunder, mumbling,

'So this is the power of ninja… too powerful!'

Compared to these two, that Wolf Squad was just a bunch of riffraff.

The magistrate, who was still mourning Fuguchi's death, now became ecstatic thinking about the possibility of recruiting Zabuza in the near future. His thoughts even became clear.

Well, not just seemingly.

Because the lightning constantly striking the water sphere was electrolyzing it into hydrogen and oxygen, everyone in the city was now essentially breathing oxygen, making their minds clearer and breath smoother.

In contrast, suffocation was gradually surrounding Ryosuke inside.

He withdrew the outward flow of Ripple and instead coated it entirely over his skin to resist the lightning transmitted through the water.

This was the greatest crisis Ryosuke had faced since arriving in the Naruto world.

Unlike Uchiha Itachi who underestimated him, there's no intelligence gap here.

Unlike Kakashi who held back.

And unlike the battle with Fuguki Suikazan, which was a one-on-one brawl, where if Ryosuke got the upper hand, he could use Star Platinum's absolute melee dominance to beat the opponent into submission.

This time, the opponents cooperated seamlessly, supported each other, were skilled in various combat techniques, and had a detailed understanding of Ryosuke's capabilities.

This was a battle without luck, clashing head-on.

'The tougher the 'question' I can't solve, the more I need to stay calm.'

Ryosuke didn't let suffocation strip away his rationality by blindly flailing around. Once the oxygen ran out and Ripple disappeared, he really would die, just as his enemies hoped.

Plans never keep up with changes.

This applied to Ryosuke, and equally to his enemies.

Ryosuke closed his eyes. In the darkness, his thoughts gradually became clear, 'Sort out the clues I have.'

'Ripple?'

'No good. This water is filled with Zabuza's chakra. I can't breathe, and the remaining bit of Ripple I have can't seize control of the water and let me escape.'

'Star Platinum?'

'It can't throw me out. The water will act as resistance and readjust rapidly.'

Aerosmith, Hermit Purple, Ruin Greatsword… none of them can help him break free either.

With each electric jolt, his Ripple diminished. The oxygen in his chest grew thinner.

If he couldn't come up with a way… Ryosuke would really die.

He opened the system interface.

[Slayed elite jonin Fuguchi, Gained 240 soul fragments.]

[Current soul fragments: 820.]

'Should I draw?'

82 draws, maybe he'd get a five-star Stand that could help him break the situation.

Just as his finger was about to press the draw button, Ryosuke slowly retracted it.

He couldn't draw.

At least… not now.

Gacha is Ryosuke's last hope.

If he failed to draw a useful Stand, or drew one that couldn't help him escape the water sphere…

Ryosuke was human, not a machine. In a desperate situation, if his hope crumbled, it would wreck his mental state.

After five seconds of thought.

'There's no solution, or rather, no shortcut. To break out of this situation, I can only use the dumbest method to walk the longest road.'

He suddenly opened his eyes.

'Star Platinum!'

Star Platinum appeared once more behind him.

Zabuza and Raiga tensed up when they saw him open his eyes.

They didn't know what Ryosuke was planning. Logically, he'd already been forced to the brink. But Ryosuke's calm gaze still unsettled them.

Ryosuke handed the Ruin Greatsword to Star Platinum.

Star Platinum grabbed the giant blade in both hands, raised it above his head, and then spun.

The Ruin Greatsword was nearly two meters long, half a meter wide, with a sharp edge. From afar, it looked like a massive tombstone. Under Star Platinum's hands, it began spinning rapidly, churning the surrounding water into turbulence.

"What's the point of this? You want to pretend to be a ship propeller and spin yourself out of the water sphere? Daydreaming!" Zabuza shouted.

But his eyes flickered.

This line seemed more for himself than Ryosuke. Just as he was about to say more, suddenly, he saw it, Ryosuke extended a single finger, pointing straight at Zabuza.

His mouth moved silently, no sound escaping through the water, but to a ninja, lip-reading is basic training. Every ninja present could tell, Ryosuke was saying, 'Don't rush. Just watch.'

A surge of rage swelled, Zabuza shouted, "Raiga!"

"I know!"

Raiga recklessly summoned more lightning, far beyond his control. Some of the lightning bolts even struck him directly.

He clenched his teeth, saying nothing.

At this moment, the two Seven Ninja Swordsmen forgot the Mizukage's orders, forgot profit, forgot themselves, only one thought remained.

'Kill Ryosuke!'

'Kill him!'

'Kill!'

Under Star Platinum's swing, a vortex formed within the water sphere. Ryosuke stood at its center. The water above him was growing thinner and thinner.

He never planned to escape.

The enemy had accounted for that possibility, calculating for both Ryosuke and Star Platinum's speed.

Escaping would only lead to death.

The real path to survival lay at the deepest part of the water sphere.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

Zabuza tried with all his might to recompress the vortexed water sphere. Veins bulged, and blood seeped from his blood vessels.

The vortex slowed.

Ryosuke's escape route was blocked.

Suffocation devoured him. His vision darkened. His consciousness wavered. As the Stand user's will dispersed, Star Platinum's image also began to blur.

"It worked!"

Zabuza clenched his fists, overjoyed.

Just then, despite being out of oxygen, Ryosuke's chest faintly rose and fell.

A wisp of golden lightning appeared.

'Amber Ripple!'

Cut off from the outside world by water and electricity, in the depths of suffocation, the Ripple rippled to the deepest parts of Ryosuke's body, and from within, a wisp of Qi was born from the void.

Not from breathing external air.

But energy born from within Ryosuke's own meridians. Or rather…

'Internal energy!'

This was the moment Ryosuke had been waiting for.

Previously, while training in the lakes outside Falling Snowy Village, he had always been missing one spark.

Now, he had found it.

Ryosuke slowly released the finger hovering over the "Draw" button.

Looks like he didn't need it.

Surrounded by Amber Ripple energy, Ryosuke no longer summoned Star Platinum. With one hand, he gripped the Ruin Greatsword and swung with all his might.

Zabuza vomited blood and dropped to his knees.

He lost control of the water flow.

The torrent scattered outward in a whirlpool, flooding over Zabuza and Raiga's legs.

"Run!" Raiga shouted.

Zabuza nodded heavily and retreated.

"Water Style, Water Dragon Bullet!"

Two water dragons appeared out of thin air, sealing off their escape routes.

Normally, this level of water dragon would be nothing. They could easily slice them apart with a single swing.

But now, Zabuza was heavily injured, and Raiga exhausted. For a moment, they were bound by the dragons.

"Who?!"

Zabuza turned his head, and saw a stunningly beautiful woman's face.

"Mei Terumi?! You dare betray the village?!"

Mei gently shook her head. "The ones who betrayed the village… are you."

Zabuza didn't have time to curse.

The whirlpool came crashing down.

'Crap!'

Both were caught in the vortex, like two boats out of control, spiraling toward Ryosuke in the center.

For the first time, Ryosuke gripped the blade with both hands. Amber Ripple infused the blade edge.

Buzz!

The blade hummed. The Ruin Greatsword trembled lightly. A surge of brilliant golden light erupted from the back of the blade.

Zabuza and Raiga locked eyes.

There was no escape.

Their only chance was to use the momentum of the vortex to strike Ryosuke together.

They each held their Ninja Blades, leaped high out of the water, left and right, slashing toward Ryosuke.

A flash of golden blade light swept through.

The whirlpool dispersed, turning into torrential rain.

What also fell were two corpses, and two shattered ninja blades.

Ryosuke stood at the center of the downpour, completely unscathed.

[Slayed Zabuza Momochi, Gained Soul Fragments, 480.]

[Slayed Raiga Kurosuki, Gained Soul Fragments, 460.]

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