Uchiha Ryun stepped out from behind Orochimaru, his deep eyes fixed on the red-haired, red-bearded man wearing a hat and dressed in pink-purple clothing.
Inside Rōshi, Son Gokū exclaimed in shock, 'This can't be! How is he still alive?'
"Hey, Son Gokū, what's wrong?" Rōshi quickly asked.
"That guy reminds me of a monster I once knew." Son Gokū said with lingering fear as he observed Ryun, only relaxing after confirming his chakra felt different from Madara's.
"Who could make our Four-Tails so worried?" Rōshi chuckled. As one of Iwagakure's hermits, he rarely left home but still knew much about the ninja world.
Hearing Rōshi's teasing tone, Son Gokū retorted, 'The Shinobi Demon, Madara Uchiha. This kid looks exactly like him. Probably his descendant.'
Rōshi's smile faded. Madara was no ordinary man—he had captured over half the tailed beasts, leaving them all with deep-seated fear.
Rōshi was one of Iwagakure's elite hermits, known alongside Han as the Twin Pillars of Iwa. His Lava Release was unmatched, and had Ōnoki not mastered Dust Release, Rōshi might well have been considered Iwa's strongest.
'Madara's descendant? I'm surprised the Uchiha clan allowed his bloodline to grow this strong.' Rōshi mentally communicated with Son Gokū.
Son Gokū: '...'
Brother, shouldn't we be more concerned about ourselves? This guy is clearly here for trouble!
"Are you Rōshi, the Four-Tails Jinchūriki of Iwagakure?" Ryun asked with a faint smile, his fighting spirit rising.
Rōshi crossed his arms. "That's me. And who are you? State your name!"
Kitsuchi widened his eyes at Ryun. "Uncle Rōshi, he's Uchiha Ryun, a Konoha elder. The one rumored to have single-handedly killed the Third Kazekage and defeated Yugito, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki."
"He has the Mangekyō Sharingan!" Kitsuchi shouted.
At this, Rōshi's pupils contracted, and even the Four-Tails within him shuddered.
'Rōshi, take Kitsuchi and run. The Mangekyō counters us absolutely.' Son Gokū's voice trembled with fear.
Madara had once subdued him with just a glance. Remembering that control, Son Gokū broke into a cold sweat.
Rōshi tensed. His earlier arrogance vanished as he hesitated, at a loss for words.
Then Ryun spoke. "Rōshi, I won't use my Mangekyō. How about it? A fight between us. If you win, I'll let you and Kitsuchi go. What do you say?" His tone was mocking.
Rōshi was tempted. He asked Son Gokū, 'Is this doable?'
Son Gokū hesitated, then said, 'Be careful. That Uchiha Ryun isn't simple.' Still, it was tempted. No Mangekyō? No using the Mangekyō? Then fight. Fight like hell.
The humiliation Madara inflicted on me—today, I'll take it out on his descendant.
"Do you mean it?" Rōshi narrowed his eyes. At this point, he and Ōnoki were still aligned politically, so Ryun's offer to spare him and Kitsuchi carried weight.
As for the other Iwa-nin, he didn't care. As long as Kitsuchi survived, Ōnoki wouldn't complain. The lives of these shinobi?
From the moment Ōnoki assigned these thousand men to Kitsuchi, he never expected them all to return. Using their lives to temper his son was, to Ōnoki, a worthwhile trade.
"Of course. I, Uchiha Ryun, keep my word." Ryun smiled. Orochimaru's eyes gleamed. In his view, Ryun wasn't one to boast. If he said this, he had at least a ninety percent chance of victory.
"Can you even make that call?" Rōshi tried sowing discord.
"Ryun's word is mine!" Orochimaru shot back with a sneer, as if saying, 'Old fool, you think you can drive a wedge between us?'
Ryun gave Orochimaru an approving glance, and Orochimaru smirked. Even if they lost, it didn't matter. They could just deny the deal later.
Ryun's strength already placed him at Konoha's pinnacle. Now, with Sage Mode mastered, who else would Orochimaru side with if not him?
Besides, Ryun was still so young. There would be countless future opportunities to rely on him.
Rōshi fell silent, his gaze toward Ryun now heavy with wariness.
'Son Gokū, lend me your power!' Rōshi thought.
'Understood!' Son Gokū replied, battle-ready. He channeled his chakra into Rōshi.
Instantly, Rōshi's body transformed into molten lava, the surrounding temperature skyrocketing until the air visibly wavered.
"Undersea Needle!" Rōshi roared, condensing tailed beast chakra into his fists, their heat intensifying further as he punched toward Ryun.
Ryun's hair whipped wildly from the scorching wind. His lips curled as his body turned white in an instant. Sage markings appeared, and golden scales armored his abdomen.
He took Rōshi's punch head-on. Rōshi's eyes widened. His Undersea Needle, which normally pierced through flesh and incinerated organs, merely sparked against Ryun's golden armor before fizzling out.
'The chakra of Ryūchi Cave's sages... This guy has mastered Sage Mode. Rōshi, we're in trouble. Sage chakra is on par with the tailed beast chakra I give you.'
'In other words, Uchiha Ryun is effectively a human tailed beast! He can easily block our attacks.' As a tailed beast, Son Gokū was well-informed. It knew of the three great sages.
Rōshi's heart sank. As he pondered, Son Gokū suddenly yelled, 'Dodge, Rōshi!'
Rōshi barely registered the warning before Ryun smirked and struck back with a punch.
Son Gokū hastily controlled Rōshi's tail to block.
Boom!
Fist met tail, unleashing a shockwave of violent chakra. Orochimaru anchored himself by driving his Kusanagi sword into the ground.
Kitsuchi used the Light-Weight Rock Technique to steady himself before forming hand seals and slamming his palms down. A massive Earth-Style Wall erupted, shielding him and the two hundred Iwa-nin.
Rōshi's tail trembled, pain radiating through their shared senses.
In this semi-tailed beast form, he and Son Gokū felt each other's injuries. Against Ryun's punch, even the Four-Tails struggled to endure.
'Perfect Sage Mode. And Rōshi, see that reverse scale over his heart? It means his Sage Mode can rival the three great sages' own! Run—you're no match!' Son Gokū urged through gritted teeth.
Rōshi shook his head. 'If we flee now, do you think Ryun will let us go? My death doesn't matter. You, Son Gokū, can find another host. But Kitsuchi can't die. He's Iwa's future, Ōnoki's son.'
'If he dies, what happens to my family? Ōnoki is a ruthless man. Kitsuchi's death would doom them all! I can't retreat. So Son Gokū, I beg you—give me all your power!' Rōshi said coldly.
Son Gokū sighed. 'Then let's go down fighting together!'
It unreservedly shared its chakra.
Four tails materialized behind Rōshi as he glared at Ryun. "Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique!"