Naruto: Limit Breaker

Chapter 106: I Want to Be a Partner of Justice!

Boom!

Gravel exploded in all directions. Even the seemingly sturdy puppet couldn't withstand the sheer penetrating force of Ryosuke's palm strike. The sharp blade it raised was shattered on impact.

Yet the power in Ryosuke's strike didn't stop there.

His palm crashed into the puppet's polished chest, and with the force of a speeding train, the mantis-shaped humanoid puppet was sent flying. Its bladed limbs scraped a deep groove across the valley wall as it slammed into the rock.

The chakra threads tethered to it whipped tight. The puppeteer—a jōnin from Sunagakure—stumbled and nearly fell off the cliff, barely managing to regain his balance.

Ryosuke didn't give him time to recover.

Still controlling Tamao's body, he pushed forward with the last of his chakra, using every ounce of strength to charge through the dust cloud. His goal: take advantage of the chaos and end the enemy's life.

But a jōnin was no chūnin.

Despite the shock of seeing his proud puppet destroyed so easily, the Sand shinobi didn't falter. His combat instincts were razor-sharp. Just as Ryosuke closed in, ready to unleash his Gentle Fist and sever the enemy's chakra network, the jōnin had already finished weaving hand seals.

A wind blade—sharper than steel—howled through the air.

Ryosuke's eyes narrowed. He twisted Tamao's body into a strange, contorted angle to dodge the lethal gust, but the moment had passed. The window for a decisive blow was gone.

He clenched his jaw.

He couldn't win against a jōnin, not with Tamao's drained chakra and battered body. His only choice now… was to retreat.

But just then, he saw it. The jōnin had locked onto him. His figure blurred into a flickering afterimage as he lunged with killing intent.

Hide…

Ryosuke calmed himself.

He tried to control Tamao's body again, shifting to dodge. His mind was sharp—he could sense the attack, predict it, and even visualize the perfect movement to evade it.

But Tamao's body couldn't keep up.

Overused, damaged, and sluggish—it simply didn't respond fast enough.

A flash of cold light.

Slice—

The jōnin's sword severed Tamao's arm cleanly.

There was no pain, but Ryosuke immediately felt the loss through his connection. A gaping void where an arm should have been. Blood sprayed from the wound, and the limp, dismembered arm plummeted down the cliff.

Sorry.

Ryosuke mouthed the word silently.

He'd had a plan. Just not far from the battlefield, a Hyūga chūnin was waiting to retrieve Tamao's body once the chakra ran out. That was why Ryosuke had been so liberal with his chakra use—so aggressive.

He thought it was calculated risk.

But he misjudged the jōnin's mental fortitude.

I still lack experience fighting against high-level opponents, he admitted to himself bitterly.

As the jōnin slashed at Tamao's neck with the clear intent to kill, Ryosuke knew it was over.

He had overestimated himself, underestimated the enemy, and now Tamao would pay the price.

Even if Tamao had fought alone, he probably wouldn't have made it out alive. But Ryosuke had used his body in this losing battle, and now…

It was defeat.

"Retreat!"

Just as Ryosuke resigned himself to witnessing Tamao's death through his own eyes, a shadow leapt between them.

Clang!

A kunai blocked the jōnin's blade.

It was the Konoha Anbu captain in charge of this mission.

Without hesitation, Ryosuke pulled Tamao's body back and handed it off to the waiting Hyūga chūnin. He immediately disconnected, exiting Tamao's consciousness and observing the battlefield from a distance.

If the situation worsened, he was ready to deploy Unit Two.

But what he saw made him pause.

The tides had turned.

Of the five Sunagakure jōnin and their two puppets, only two jōnin remained. One of them was the one who'd just severed Tamao's arm. The rest—along with the second puppet—were already dead.

Apparently, while Ryosuke was immersed in battle, the rest of Konoha hadn't been idle.

Hizashi and the other elite shinobi had launched coordinated attacks. The moment Ryosuke engaged one jōnin and puppet, the others exploited the distraction to overwhelm the remaining enemies.

Because Ryosuke had tied up two opponents by himself, the numbers had evened out. Konoha's forces didn't rush to save him—they used the opportunity to crush the others.

Only after their side had secured victory did the Anbu captain step in to protect him.

Ryosuke stood silently in a crevice along the cliff wall, his expression complicated.

"So… I was abandoned."

This was the reality of the ninja world.

Until now, Ryosuke had always been at the center of any formation. He'd never really experienced what it meant to be expendable.

But just now, if he hadn't been in Tamao's body and instead fought in his own— Hizashi and the others probably would've dropped everything to help him. His identity and talent guaranteed that.

But Tamao?

Tamao was just another clan member. Disposable, if necessary.

Through this experience, Ryosuke understood the brutal truth: a ninja's life is often sacrificed for the mission.

Once, a legendary Konoha shinobi had made the mistake of prioritizing his comrades too much. He failed a critical mission, extending a war that should have ended, and countless more died because of that.

Unable to bear the guilt, the man took his own life in atonement.

Ryosuke didn't know if sacrificing a few to save many was right or wrong. Even if he reached the level of Uchiha Madara or Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, he doubted he'd find an answer that satisfied his conscience.

But one thing was clear.

He'd fought desperately—risked everything—only to be abandoned for the sake of the mission.

Logically, it made sense. That was the very reason he'd charged in to begin with.

But emotionally?

It stung.

He wasn't the one who lost an arm. It was Tamao.

Still, the guilt lingered.

The battle ended quickly. Konoha suffered some losses, but no elite shinobi died.

Later, Ryosuke tried to reconnect with Tamao through the illusion technique—and what he felt was overwhelming.

Tamao's pain was suffocating.

Despair. Frustration. Suppressed anguish.

For a ninja, an arm wasn't just a limb—it was life itself.

Ryosuke hesitated.

Then, through the illusion, he spoke with a heavy heart.

"After we return… would you be willing to follow me?"

Tamao's response was immediate.

"I do! But…"

His voice trembled—not with doubt in Ryosuke, but in himself.

Excitement. Hesitation. A flickering hope buried beneath uncertainty.

Ryosuke could feel it all.

"I'll find a way to repair your arm," he promised, firm and clear. "Once this mission is over, you'll join Hoshicai's team. From now on, you'll work under me."

Then he added one last line.

"You'll be working for the us."

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