Naruto: Limit Breaker

Chapter 119: Extreme Micromanagement

The same stance. The same chakra. The same jutsu.

But in the hands of different people, even identical techniques became something wholly different.

Like the subtle difference between a blink... and a glare.

Jutsu, abilities, the body, the spirit—these were merely tools.

What truly shaped battle... was intention.

---

Thunder crackled as dragon-whiskers thick as roots whipped through the air. A monstrous, serpentine water dragon—wreathed in lightning—roared across the battlefield, baring fangs as it surged toward the Fourth Raikage, who had just sent the great Ape King flying.

The sound of crackling electricity sliced through the air—sharp, savage.

The power within the beast clashed with the Raikage's own lightning armor—equal, if not greater.

At the same time, a shadow clone of Sarutobi Hiruzen completed another set of seals.

With a gurgling roar, muddy chakra-rich water poured from his mouth, pooling into the sea. It twisted into a second dragon—this one formed from earth and mud, its maw a chasm of stone.

Less fluid. More raw.

The fire chakra ignited deep within its throat.

And it breathed hellfire.

One dragon moved like lightning—unstoppable, electric.

The other, like a statue brought to life—fiery, deliberate.

Two titanic beasts converged on the Raikage from both flanks.

Hiruzen's ninjutsu may not have matched the sheer scale of a full shinobi coalition's barrage, but it came terrifyingly close.

It was, without question, not something a single man should be able to block.

The Raikage knew this.

He didn't try to clash head-on.

Instead, his form blurred—lightning igniting as he slipped between attacks with dizzying speed. He didn't stop moving, body flickering within the barrier like a ghost, evading the dragons' relentless pursuit.

It was common knowledge:

The Third Hokage was a master of ninjutsu.

In his prime, he'd been devastating at all ranges.

But now—older, slower—his close-quarters abilities had dulled with time.

That's why the Raikage had sealed them inside this barrier from the start.

He had activated his peak chakra state, stimulating cell activity and neural conduction to amplify his already blinding speed.

The strategy was simple: corner Hiruzen before he had time to adapt.

But it had failed.

Hiruzen was still alive.

"RAHHH!"

The Raikage's roar ripped through the sky.

The dragons were powerful, yes—but not faster than him.

Dodging the incoming water beast with a sidestep, he burst forward—arm cocked back, ready to finish it.

Only to be intercepted.

BOOM—!

A wall of muscle and fur slammed into his path.

Enma had returned.

Massive, wild, and unyielding, the summoned ape met the Raikage's punch with one of his own.

The resulting shockwave tore through the air, rippling across the sea and distorting the barrier.

Both were thrown backward, but Enma flew farther—his paws digging trenches into the water as he slid.

Slight advantage: Raikage.

But the damage had been done.

He'd been stopped.

Behind Enma, Hiruzen struck again.

The twin dragons—unstoppable now—converged on the Raikage once more, one from the left, one from the right.

The Raikage pushed his limits.

His nervous system screamed from overexertion, but he forced his body to twist—dodging the water dragon's impact by a fraction.

Too slow.

The earth dragon's flamethrower breath struck him dead-on.

The fire engulfed him instantly.

Even through his chakra armor, he felt it—the searing kiss of death, the scalding heat racing through skin and muscle, licking down to the bone.

He grit his teeth, body twitching violently.

Escape. Escape. Escape.

He launched himself out of the firestorm, steam and smoke trailing behind him.

Beneath his armor, his flesh bubbled—blisters forming, skin pink and peeling.

He looked less like a man and more like a creature born of molten stone.

He could smell it.

Burning meat.

His own.

---

"What... terrifying ninjutsu."

If he had lingered seconds longer, there would've been nothing left but ash.

But there was no time to dwell.

The pain, the burns—none of it mattered.

He was still alive.

And if he was alive, he could still kill.

His body was screaming. His chakra reserves were trembling.

But the mission wasn't over.

He had to stop the alliance.

"SARUTOBI HIRUZEN!!"

The Raikage's roar was rage and agony and resolve fused into one. He burst forward, chakra flaring anew, murder in his eyes.

He wasn't retreating.

He was charging.

Even with seared flesh. Even with fading vision.

He would punch through fate itself if it meant victory.

---

Enma was still recovering. Too far.

This time, nothing stood in the Raikage's way.

Bang!

A fist covered in lightning crashed against Hiruzen's arms.

The Hokage barely had time to raise his guard—no seals, no counterstrike. Just raw instinct.

CRACK.

The sound of bones breaking echoed like thunder.

The impact sent Hiruzen flying, his body smashing into the edge of the barrier—

—and the barrier shattered.

Like glass cracking under pressure.

"DIE!!"

The Raikage's voice tore from his throat as he launched again.

No pause. No hesitation.

This was the final blow.

The chakra that cloaked his body burned white-hot, mixing with the lingering heat still sizzling in his veins.

Pain was irrelevant.

The only thing that mattered now was the punch.

This one—

This last one—

Would be the end.

---

Hiruzen lay on the water's surface, barely conscious, blood oozing from his arms.

The impact had broken most of the bones in his forearms—his defense had been only partial.

He could still form seals—barely—but not fast enough.

He couldn't move.

Couldn't stand.

All he could see... was a massive shadow descending from above.

And eyes—burning, focused, absolute.

There was no sunlight.

Only the Raikage.

So this is it...

He didn't feel fear.

Only regret.

I never got to see Naruto grow up.

If only he was strong enough to succeed me...

He was tired.

So very tired.

As the longest-serving Hokage, he had carried the village for decades.

If this battle had taken place in his prime, the Raikage wouldn't have stood a chance. But time... time had taken its toll.

Now he was a relic.

A shadow of what once was.

Minato... if only you were here.

When the news of his death returned to the village, Danzo would no doubt celebrate.

With Hiruzen gone, there would be no one left to restrain him.

Konoha would be vulnerable.

Exposed.

All the burdens, all the unanswered questions—every doubt and worry he had shoved to the back of his mind—resurfaced in the final moment.

There was so much he hadn't done.

So much he'd never get to fix.

But the thought only lingered for a second.

The very next moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze hardened.

He couldn't die here. The burden of Konoha—the future of the village—was too heavy. He refused to let it all end now.

He pushed himself upright from the sea, blood dripping from his battered arms, the fire of conviction blazing behind his weathered eyes.

If I must fall… then I'll take him down with me.

As long as the Fourth Raikage died as well, Konoha's place in the alliance would remain unshaken.

But fate had other plans.

---

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

A jutsu that barely earned a second glance on a modern battlefield—an old, mid-tier B-rank technique.

And yet… in that moment, it shone like a star.

Out of nowhere, a massive water dragon erupted from the sea and slammed into the Fourth Raikage mid-air—just before his final punch could connect.

"You—!" Hiruzen's eyes widened.

He turned toward the figure who stood before him—no forehead protector, no village vest. Just a blank expression, sea mist clinging to his clothes.

But Hiruzen recognized the face.

"…Mitokado Shinji ?" he muttered.

One of the newer generation. From the Mitokado family.

---

"WHERE DID THIS BASTARD COME FROM!?"

The Raikage's fury exploded.

Even though the water dragon hadn't hurt him, it had interrupted his strike—his moment. That alone was unforgivable.

But the intruder didn't respond to either of them.

He landed softly on the surface of the sea and immediately rushed toward the Raikage, blade in hand.

"Stop!"

Hiruzen's command rang out, firm and urgent.

Both he and the Raikage were gravely injured now. A third fighter could tip the scales—but it also introduced risk. Hiruzen didn't want a reckless subordinate charging into a battle he didn't understand.

But Shinji didn't respond.

Because it wasn't his will driving the body.

It was Ryuunosuke.

From the far side of the island, with eyes sharper than any falcon, he had been watching. Waiting.

And now, in the final stage of this life-or-death battle between two titans, he made his move.

He was here to secure the kill.

"You dare face me, you nobody?!"

The Raikage snarled, lightning crackling across his body.

He vanished—instantaneous movement—and reappeared beside Shinji with a thunderous punch aimed straight for the newcomer's head.

But to his—and Hiruzen's—shock, Shinji dodged.

Not only that, he slashed at the Raikage with a kunai laced in wind chakra.

SSSSSKK—!

The weapon screeched against the Raikage's lightning armor. It couldn't pierce through—but it came far closer than expected.

Ryuunosuke had predicted this outcome.

His grasp of wind nature transformation was shallow. It couldn't overcome the Raikage's chakra armor—yet.

But the dodge?

That wasn't luck.

"ASSHOLE!"

The Raikage roared and followed up with a brutal elbow strike.

Again, Shinji evaded.

This time, both the Raikage and Hiruzen froze.

Once? Coincidence.

Twice?

Prediction.

They recognized it.

That movement—the slight shift, the narrow dodges—was the same style Hiruzen had used earlier when evading Raikage's blows.

A combat method based on reading the opponent. Precise footwork. Perfect timing. A level of awareness and body control that even most jōnin didn't possess.

Who the hell is this guy?

Even the Raikage was shaken for a moment.

And Ryuunosuke used that moment.

Controlling Shinji's body like a puppet, he twisted with a strange posture, pushing chakra through his core.

A burst of wind chakra surged into the kunai—he stabbed again, this time with more precision.

CRACK—

A sound like shattering glass.

The Raikage's armor flared—and split.

Then came the sickening squelch of kunai piercing flesh.

SSSSSHH—!

Blood spattered the sea.

"RAHHH—!!"

The Raikage's instincts kicked in.

In a rage, he brought down his arm like a blade—and severed Shinji's entire arm.

But the controlled body didn't even flinch.

Shinji reached into his ninja pouch with the other hand, pulled out another kunai, and lunged again.

Ryuunosuke didn't care. It wasn't his arm.

There were no pain signals. No fear.

Just precision.

---

It wasn't just taijutsu. Ryuunosuke had fused Soft Fist technique into his movement.

The kunai was a distraction. His real aim was the Raikage's internal chakra flow—he was attacking from inside.

In close combat, he had the best chance to injure the Raikage, even if it meant trading blows.

This wasn't bravery.

This was calculated brutality.

From a distance, Hiruzen watched the silent, relentless attacks of Shinji and felt a chill.

This wasn't a jōnin.

It wasn't even a shinobi.

This was someone who fought with absolute indifference.

Shinji's eyes were blank. His arm was gone. Blood poured from a puncture in his abdomen.

And he kept moving.

No pain. No hesitation. Just perfect execution.

---

"Enma, stay by my side," Hiruzen rasped as he rose again. "His target is me. Don't let him be distracted."

Enma grunted and moved closer.

The previous punch had wrecked more than just Hiruzen's arms.

The internal damage had nearly knocked him unconscious—and at his age, such trauma could have easily been fatal.

But he was still breathing.

Barely.

---

Still, he didn't relax.

Even if the advantage had shifted slightly, the Raikage was far from finished.

If Enma left his side, the Raikage would use his speed to slip past Shinji and strike at him again—and this time, Hiruzen might not survive.

Ryuunosuke, on the other hand, was calm.

Focused.

He was enjoying this.

Every dodge. Every slash. Every twist of Shinji's body.

No nerves. No fear. No pain.

He pushed the body further than it was ever meant to go—beyond the limits of human tolerance.

He didn't just imitate the movements he'd watched.

He refined them.

Hiruzen's defense.

Raikage's aggression.

Shinji's precision.

He was evolving in real time.

---

Unless the Raikage could shift his entire fighting style on the spot, he only had one option left.

Run.

Because if he stayed?

Ryuunosuke would kill him—no matter what it took.

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