Naruto: Limit Breaker

Chapter 73 - 73 – I'm Not Floating

Chapter 73 – I'm Not Floating

The scorching sun filtered through the thick canopy of the woods.

The ceaseless chirping of cicadas buzzed in the air—loud, sharp, and painfully annoying under the weight of summer.

Spring had slipped by unnoticed, and more than a month had passed since Naruto graduated.

Boom!

A thunderous roar echoed through the forest.

At the Hyuga clan's training ground, Ryosuke struck the air repeatedly, palms slicing forward with precision. It resembled the way he used to practice Gentle Fist, but there was a clear difference now. His current techniques carried far more force and refinement—both from his internal energy and his sheer physical power.

There was no actual opponent, yet every blow created a piercing whistle, strong enough to make the air scream.

Without relying on chakra, Ryosuke was testing the limits of his taijutsu with pure physical strength.

Each strike held such intensity that it sounded like the air itself was being torn apart.

Naruto's graduation had left Ryosuke feeling strangely empty.

He hadn't formed many attachments at the Academy, but Naruto was one of the few people he respected, even if just a little.

As for Uchiha Sasuke—the so-called prodigy—Ryosuke had already stopped seeing him as any kind of threat, even with the potential for him to go rogue and grow exponentially in the future.

Once Hinata had taken her rightful place in the social circles of the clan and gained the ability to connect with heirs from other major families, Ryosuke's reason for staying in the Academy was basically gone.

So, after Naruto graduated, he stopped going too.

Thanks to his status, taking an indefinite leave wasn't an issue.

But "leave" was just a formality. He'd been isolating himself at home, throwing everything into solitary training.

Hiashi's deal still hung over his head:

Defeat me, and you'll earn your freedom.

But since there hadn't been anything worth leaving the compound for, Ryosuke had no intention of challenging him just yet.

He was focused on improving in silence.

"Master Ryosuke..."

That soft voice pulled him out of his training trance.

The deep-blue chakra lion head forming in his palm slowly faded away as he turned toward the entrance of the training ground.

Just as expected—Hyuga Hoshicai stood there, scroll in hand, waving him over.

Ryosuke exhaled, calming the surge of blood and chakra still running hot from his training. Then he walked toward him, casual and unhurried.

"What's up?" he asked, voice calm.

"There's word from Souji," Hoshicai replied, not stepping into the training ground out of respect. He waited until he reached him, then handed over the scroll. "It's about the daimyo—he's following through on the original agreement and is giving us a share of the benefits."

He paused, watching his reaction. "The benefit in question is a small vassal state under the Land of Fire. They've agreed to hand over full jurisdiction—population, resources, everything."

"The clan head said that since you were the one who earned this, it's your call whether to accept or not."

"Hmm... a small country?" Ryosuke unfolded the scroll and scanned it.

His perception was so sharp now that a single glance was enough for him to absorb everything written.

"They're being generous this time," he muttered, lips curling into a faint grin. "I guess with the Uchiha's fall, they've been able to reclaim a bunch of stuff they previously gave up."

There was genuine interest in his eyes now.

Since arriving in this world, few things had truly intrigued Ryosuke.

But this was different.

The name of that small country?

Wave Country.

"It's more like a large fishing village than a country," Hoshicai explained, giving him the intel he had gathered. "Population's only in the thousands, and it sits on a tiny island."

"It doesn't have a ninja village protecting it. But because of its location and proximity to the Land of Fire, it's been maintaining diplomatic relations with us, usually through tributes."

"In exchange, we occasionally lend a hand when they face trouble."

He paused here, his expression turning serious.

"But... I heard their king recently died from a serious illness. Several ministers followed him to the grave."

"No exact word on what caused it, but if it's some kind of infectious disease, then a population that small... it could already be wiped out."

"So accepting this from the daimyo might be... a bad deal."

Hoshicai voiced his thoughts cautiously.

"Maybe it wasn't a disease," Ryosuke murmured, brows furrowed in thought.

"Let's send a few clansmen to investigate first. Since there's no deadline from the daimyo, there's no need to rush."

In the original timeline, the Wave Country would remain peaceful for at least another ten years.

There shouldn't be any plague or collapse.

But Ryosuke wasn't the type to blindly trust the plot anymore.

His presence had already shaken the story's foundation—it was hard to say how far reality had diverged.

Still...

"Looks like I might need to head into the village," Ryosuke sighed.

It had only been a month since he promised Hiashi he wouldn't leave until he could beat him.

Now it looked like he'd have to break that promise.

To be honest, he hadn't taken on the challenge yet for two reasons:

One, there hadn't been any pressing need to leave.

Two, he didn't want to embarrass his father in front of the clan.

After spending years together, Ryosuke understood Hiashi well.

The man had pride—serious pride.

But then Ryosuke paused, a new thought forming.

Was I being too confident this whole time...?

He walked toward the main estate, Hoshicai quietly trailing behind.

He didn't say anything to him, nor did he ask more about the Wave Country.

Instead, his mind drifted back to something strange.

Why didn't I ever feel pressure from the goal Father set for me?

Not once did it cross his mind that he might lose.

He'd always felt like Hiashi had given him a free pass—like the man was just letting him go.

Realizing this, Ryosuke began evaluating their power gap.

And the deeper he thought about it, the more confident he became.

Sure, after the second transformation, his stats had skyrocketed.

His strength was growing fast—faster than anyone could've expected.

But he wasn't arrogant.

Far from it.

He kept his head down and trained.

Quietly. Obsessively. Relentlessly.

The reason he felt no pressure from the goal wasn't because he looked down on Hiashi...

It was because, deep in his heart, he didn't even see him as a target anymore.

Yeah, it sounded arrogant.

After all, Hiashi was clan head and a seasoned jonin.

But that was the thing.

Because Hiashi was clan head...

Because his responsibilities leaned more toward politics than the battlefield...

Ryosuke had slowly stopped seeing him as a warrior.

That's the image that had taken root over the years.

Hiashi wasn't just a ninja anymore.

He was a politician first.

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