Naruto: Limit Breaker

Chapter 118: Jonin Is Just a Weed

When Homura launched the signal flare, Ryuunosuke had already guessed its purpose.

Only one person in Konoha could command such weight—only one worthy of being summoned like this by a Hokage's advisor.

The Third Hokage.

So, the moment the massive net surrounding the Komu-Iwa coalition began to contract—tightening its hold as the alliance solidified—Ryuunosuke slipped away from the crumbling village. He circled around the far side of the island and began observing the sea.

And sure enough, he found him.

The aged figure of Sarutobi Hiruzen, leading a swift Anbu team across the waves.

But he wasn't alone.

He was entangled.

---

Ryuunosuke crouched in silence atop a seaside ridge, his Byakugan narrowing as the voice of the Fourth Raikage echoed across the sea—loud, arrogant, and unrelenting.

It wasn't hard to guess his goal.

He wanted Hiruzen's head.

And in that, he and Ryuunosuke had aligned—for very different reasons.

This was Ryuunosuke's first time seeing the Fourth Raikage in person.

And his first impression?

A warrior who had completely deviated from the traditional ninja path.

Loud. Physical. Relentless.

Everything Ryuunosuke wasn't.

He preferred silence in battle. Quiet precision.

From all his experiences—both as a reincarnator and a reader of countless biographies in his past life—he had learned one golden rule:

Talking too much during a fight gets you killed.

Even the Academy's shinobi handbook was clear:

Do not speak unnecessarily to the enemy. Venting emotions mid-battle is reckless and endangers your mission.

Yet, the Raikage did exactly that. And not because he was stupid.

Far from it.

Beneath that blunt exterior was sharp intent.

He was using distraction as a weapon. Much like Killer Bee—Kumogakure's Eight-Tails Jinchūriki—who fought with unpredictable rhythm and deceptive flow.

It worked because of one thing: his Lightning Chakra Armor.

He could afford to provoke. He could afford to take a hit.

---

In contrast, Ryuunosuke's eyes lingered on Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Though both hailed from Konoha, this was the first time he had seen the Third Hokage fight. And it was... startling.

That frail-looking old body—thin, trembling, seemingly moments away from collapse—burst with breathtaking precision and strength.

He wasn't fighting with raw force. He wasn't trying to match the Raikage blow for blow.

He was calculating.

Every evasion, every pivot, was executed with subtle adjustments—just enough movement to slip past the edge of the Raikage's strike radius.

He knew exactly where the lightning-infused punches would land. He knew how far the current extended from his opponent's skin.

It wasn't speed. It was mastery.

And Ryuunosuke—who had thought he understood the limits of ninja combat—found himself enthralled.

This was what it meant to turn battle into art.

---

Originally, Ryuunosuke had planned to use Shinji—his puppet command unit—and temporarily pull away from the main battlefield in the Land of Waves to assist Sarutobi.

But now?

Now he didn't want to interfere.

He didn't dare disturb this duel.

Above the sea, a light blue barrier shimmered. Not large, but just enough to contain the duel within.

Yes—only a few were inside.

And in mere minutes, since the clash had begun, the sea had already claimed the voices of dozens of shinobi—Konoha and Kumogakure alike.

Some had died directly in combat.

Most... were simply collateral damage.

Torn apart by a fight far beyond their level.

Even among them were jōnin.

But it didn't matter.

Blood had already turned the ocean crimson.

Yes, the title "Kage" denoted leadership.

But more than that, it denoted power.

The pinnacle.

To become Kage wasn't just about politics—it required absolute dominance.

They were shinobi renowned across nations.

Masters of ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu.

Wielders of forbidden arts, kekkei genkai, and ancestral techniques.

A Kage wasn't just stronger than a jōnin.

They were in an entirely different league.

---

Ryuunosuke watched the fight unfold and saw the truth:

Everyone else inside that barrier... might as well be weeds.

Even if they launched compound ninjutsu or forbidden techniques—it didn't matter.

Their jutsu couldn't even scratch the titans at the center of the storm.

They were rabbits caught in the crossfire of wolves.

Every accidental shockwave, every stray step from the Raikage or Hiruzen, could vaporize them.

They were nothing but embellishments.

Cannon fodder in a battle between legends.

---

And then, as if to prove it—

BOOM—!

The Fourth Raikage's lightning-cloaked fist tore through the air—and crashed directly into one of his own men.

A Chūnin from Kumogakure.

With a flash of light and a sickening crunch, the unfortunate shinobi was launched backward, slammed into the glowing barrier, and crumpled like a ragdoll.

His body hit the water with a dull splash.

And then... silence.

He sank beneath the waves, limp and lifeless.

"Even if it means killing your own people... you're still willing to go that far?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice was low, but not accusing—more contemplative, as if trying to understand the sheer ruthlessness of the man in front of him.

The Fourth Raikage didn't flinch.

His fists crackled with electric fury, and his response came with a sneer.

"Is that all you've got to say, you sly old monkey?"

The honorifics were gone now. No more "Lord Hokage." Just open contempt.

"Don't count on reinforcements. No one's coming to save you. You won't live long enough."

The killing intent pouring off of him was suffocating.

In a battlefield this tight, there was no holding back—not from the enemy, and not even from his own comrades. Both Konoha's Anbu and his own Cloud shinobi had already fallen to the storm unleashed by his fists.

And still, he surged forward.

All it would take was one solid hit. Just one.

He knew it.

Hiruzen knew it.

This fight... was kill or be killed.

---

The Fourth Raikage exhaled.

He steeled himself.

"Heavy Flow!"

Lightning bloomed from his elbow as he lunged, his arm arcing like a live wire through the air. It came down like a thundercrash—only to carve through empty space as Hiruzen twisted sideways, narrowly avoiding it.

"Furious Thunder Axe!"

Without pause, the Raikage vanished again—reappearing above, crashing down in a brutal whip-kick from the sky. His entire leg was wreathed in lightning.

The sea exploded beneath him.

WHAM—!

Only waves rose to greet him.

---

"Fire..."

Hiruzen finally had a moment to breathe.

He raised his hand, fingers already forming seals—but he never got the chance to finish.

The Raikage was already there.

"Lightning Style: Chiyo-Mai!"

It wasn't elemental sharpness. It was raw—the force of sharpened muscle and reinforced chakra, slashing toward Hiruzen like a blade forged from lightning and willpower.

The old Hokage had no choice but to cancel the jutsu.

---

Elbow strike. Whip kick. Knife-edge slash.

The barrage never stopped.

The Fourth Raikage's fighting style was vicious and relentless—refined savagery. A predator's rhythm, every move chained into the next with no openings. He fought like a lightning-charged cheetah, yet hit like a steel gorilla.

Every step, every motion—designed to crush, to overwhelm, to not let the enemy breathe.

And it was working.

---

The barrier wasn't large to begin with. In a matter of minutes, both Konoha's and Kumogakure's support shinobi had been driven out or killed.

Now, only two figures remained at its center.

Their feet stood on blood-tainted waves, chakra-charged seafoam lapping at their legs.

It had become a battle of giants.

---

"There's no other way…"

Hiruzen's hand formed a half-seal, his voice quiet as a whisper.

"…Enma. I need your help."

In a flash of space-time, a shadow tore open the air.

A massive ape burst forth into the barrier, fangs bared, muscle rippling.

No words were needed.

Enma had fought beside Hiruzen for decades. As soon as he appeared, he moved—vaulting in front of his partner, ready to intercept.

But even that loyalty and power meant little against the Raikage's brutal momentum.

BOOM—!

Before Enma could even growl, a fist wreathed in lightning slammed into his chest. The force sent him flying like a cannonball, his colossal body smashing into the barrier's edge with a tremor that rattled the sea.

The barrier, already strained, flickered—its edges trembling.

---

But Hiruzen had used the brief window well.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Two identical copies sprang into being, already in mid-seal.

"Earth Dragon Flame Bomb!"

"Thunder Water Dragon Bullet!"