At that moment, Asuma could hardly believe that his most powerful technique had been completely evaded by Ryosuke. He had been so sure—just a fraction of a second more and Ryosuke would have been reduced to ash in the blast. The street lay in ruins, shopfronts destroyed, innocent civilians injured or unconscious. But none of that mattered to Asuma now. His mind was consumed by one singular goal—kill Uchiha Ryosuke.
Furiously gathering chakra again, he prepared to unleash another Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning technique, the only jutsu in his arsenal with enough raw power to potentially hurt Ryosuke. In terms of taijutsu, he had no chance. The earlier clash made that painfully clear.
But Ryosuke wasn't about to let him act so freely again. The moment Asuma began forming hand signs and gathering chakra in his mouth, Ryosuke activated his Sharingan and cast a Genjutsu—Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique.
In an instant, invisible mental waves surged toward Asuma. He was still glaring at Ryosuke, ready to time his jutsu with surgical precision, but suddenly—his body stiffened.
A red haze enveloped his vision, and in his mind's eye, four giant stakes drove through his limbs, immobilizing him completely. No matter how he struggled or screamed, his body refused to obey. He realized, with a bitter curse, that he'd been trapped in a powerful genjutsu.
"Dammit... I fell for it..."
Ryosuke, expression unreadable, ignored the mental shouts of his enemy. He didn't enter the illusion world himself. There was no need.
The massive explosion and damage had already drawn the attention of the Uchiha Clan's police force. Several black-uniformed shinobi with the clan crest emblazoned on their backs arrived at the scene. Leading them was Uchiha Inaho, a known Uchiha clan enforcer.
Inahoi's sharp eyes swept over the damage—collapsed storefronts, bleeding civilians, and a crater in the middle of the road. It looked like a battlefield, not a peaceful Konoha street. Standing in the center were two familiar faces: Uchiha Ryosuke, and... Sarutobi Asuma?
Inahoi rushed forward.
"Ryosuke, what happened here?" he asked, though the devastation already painted a clear picture.
Ryosuke responded calmly, "Asuma attacked me out of nowhere and used a large-scale explosive jutsu in the middle of the street. If I hadn't dodged it, I'd be dead."
Inaho's eyes narrowed. Attacking an Uchiha on patrol, unleashing dangerous jutsu in a civilian zone—and all this from the Hokage's own son?
He frowned. Taking Asuma into custody could trigger a direct conflict with the Hokage. The political consequences could be severe.
"Ryosuke," he hesitated, "what do you think we should do?"
Ryosuke scoffed. "Is that even a question? Arrest him. Throw him in a cell. Look around you—this isn't some spar gone wrong. This is attempted murder and civilian endangerment."
As if on cue, injured civilians began speaking up:
"Please, take that man away! He nearly killed us!"
"My shop is gone! My daughter barely survived!"
"He has to pay for this, or justice means nothing!"
Hearing this, Inahoi straightened his back and declared loudly, "Who says we won't arrest him just because he's the Hokage's son? He's violated multiple laws!"
He nodded toward his subordinates, who moved in with chakra-reinforced ropes to bind Asuma, still trapped in the genjutsu.
But just as they were about to escort him away, a sharp voice rang out.
"Stop right there."
A man in a standard Konoha battle uniform, white-haired and masked, stepped onto the scene—it was none other than Hatake Kakashi, elite jōnin and trusted member of the Hokage's ANBU.
Kakashi had been monitoring Naruto nearby but rushed to the explosion site once he sensed the magnitude of chakra and heard the commotion. His single visible eye narrowed as he saw Asuma tied up, and Ryosuke standing tall, unscathed.
This was bad.
"Ryosuke," Kakashi said evenly, approaching him. "This is a sensitive matter. Asuma is the Hokage's son. Could you allow us ANBU to take custody of him?"
Ryosuke glared at Kakashi with clear irritation.
"ANBU? So you can sweep this under the rug? He tried to kill me—twice—and endangered the entire street. You think I'll let him go with a slap on the wrist?"
Kakashi's voice was calm, trying to defuse the tension. "I'm sure there's been a misunderstanding—"
"You want the truth?" Ryosuke interrupted. "Ask the people around you."
Kakashi turned to the crowd, and several villagers quickly chimed in.
"Misunderstanding? We saw it all! He attacked first!"
"He used an explosive jutsu here! People could've died!"
"ANBU or not, you don't get to cover for him!"
Kakashi's heart sank. This wasn't good. The public sentiment was clearly against Asuma, and Ryosuke had the law on his side.
Even so, Kakashi pressed on.
"Still... let us handle the process internally. I promise the Hokage will ensure justice—"
Ryosuke's Sharingan flared menacingly, his voice cold and forceful. "You forget yourself. The Uchiha Clan has jurisdiction over village security. Not even the Hokage can override that. Or have you all forgotten that law?"
Kakashi felt the oppressive aura radiating from Ryosuke's eyes. He instinctively reached up and pulled down his own forehead protector, revealing his Sharingan, a gift from Obito Uchiha. The sudden boost in spiritual resistance allowed him to withstand the pressure.
The two Sharingan stared each other down.
This was no longer just about justice—it was power versus politics, Uchiha versus Hokage's legacy.
Kakashi understood Ryosuke's position now. The Uchiha weren't weak anymore. At least, this Uchiha wasn't.
Still, Kakashi knew that the Uchiha Clan had been politically cornered ever since the Nine-Tails attack. Though they remained the village police, their autonomy had been gradually stripped. Ryosuke's bold defiance meant one thing—the Uchiha were beginning to push back.
Inaho, stepping forward again, looked between the two Sharingan users.
"Kakashi, we'll take him in. If the Hokage has questions, he knows where to find us."
Kakashi didn't argue further. He gave a small nod. "Just make sure this doesn't blow up worse than it already has."
Ryosuke turned, eyes cooling. "If the Hokage wants to play politics, I'm ready."
As Asuma was hauled away, civilians cheered—not because they hated him, but because justice was finally being served, regardless of a ninja's family name.
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