Naruto: Dominating with JOJO Gacha

"Lord… Lord Ryosuke… hello."

In Shin's voice was a fear that could not be concealed.

Among the summoned beasts there was a loose "circle," and Ryosuke's ferocious reputation, Shin had of course heard of it. From the generation of the previous Mizukage until now, it had lived for many years. If possible…

Shin hoped it could continue to live safely and peacefully inside its shell.

Ryosuke asked, "Why did you become Hori Masashi's summoned beast?"

Beside him, Terumi Mei heard the suspicion in Ryosuke's tone and immediately reacted, "You mean… there's something wrong about this?"

Ryosuke nodded.

Hori Masashi was already over forty, yet still only a chunin.

It wasn't that being a chunin was bad, but with his means, he was fundamentally not enough to subdue Shin.

And yet this very person, just happened to obtain Shin, just happened to be Ryosuke's classmate, and just happened to appear right in their path to Kyoto… Behind so many coincidences, most likely, there was a pair of hands designing it.

Ryosuke wanted to know, whose handiwork was it, and for what purpose?

To block the road?

But as long as one wasn't a fool, they'd know that Hori Masashi and Shin's combination couldn't possibly accomplish that.

If it were Hōzuki Gengetsu himself appearing, perhaps he might still cause Ryosuke a little trouble.

To provoke something in Ryosuke's heart?

Terumi Mei put her hands on her waist, her posture full of confidence, "That would be underestimating you way too much!"

Ryosuke fell silent.

At this moment, Shin began to explain the situation.

It had been living well by a river when suddenly it was attacked by a strange enemy. Unable to resist, it fled. The enemy chased closely behind. Only after great difficulty did it shake off its pursuer, but by then, Shin was so heavily injured it could not move.

Just then, it encountered Hori Masashi, who helped treat its wounds.

Out of gratitude, Shin signed a summoning contract with him, becoming his summoned beast.

"Eh…"

Terumi Mei muttered under her breath, "It's practically like the story of the Apple Snail Girl."

Shin wanted to retort that it was the Field Snail, but considering that right beside it stood the infamous Ryosuke,

It dared not make a sound.

"The stranger who attacked you, could you tell from which village the ninja was?" Ryosuke asked.

"I… couldn't recognize."

Shin's answer came without the slightest hesitation.

After reaching safety, it kept wondering who it had provoked. But the other side wore no forehead protector, and the ninjutsu they used were all common techniques. There was no way to distinguish whose orders the enemy was acting on.

Ryosuke nodded.

If unknown, then let it be unknown. As long as the other side still intended to make a move against him, one day they would be dragged out.

Shin had been the summoned beast of a former Mizukage. After Ryosuke asked its and Terumi Mei's opinions, the two signed a summoning contract.

Shin officially became Terumi Mei's partner, after many years once again returning to the ranks of Kirigakure.

When the mist dispersed, Ryosuke led the group of captured people back to Yoma County. On both sides of the county town, the townsfolk lined up to greet them, cheers coming from their mouths.

Of course, this was not spontaneous.

Behind the crowd stood samurai, and at the end of the road was the Shirakawa county magistrate, bowing deeply, smiling in welcome.

Ryosuke walked up to the county magistrate, tilted his chin at the crowd forced to gather here, "Is this fun?"

"Of course it's fun."

The county magistrate smiled with narrowed eyes and said, "It expresses my respect for you, Lord Ryosuke."

"Don't worry, I understand your rules. Everyone who came today is being paid wages, not from the public accounts, I paid from my own pocket."

Ryosuke nodded.

The matter was resolved quickly. It took not even an hour, and it was still early in the day.

Now that the mist had dispersed, Terumi Mei was calling people to prepare to leave Yoma County and continue forward.

The local samurai and attendants were moving food from the magistrate's warehouse and replacing supplies for the carriages.

Taking advantage of the busy moment before departure, Ryosuke beckoned to the county magistrate. The latter hurried over with a nod and a bow, holding two slices of watermelon in his hands.

"County Magistrate Shirakawa, before we leave I want to ask you a question."

"Please, go ahead."

"How did this group of bandits appear in the first place?"

The county magistrate handed him a slice of watermelon, "I don't know how they appeared, but the very second I first saw you, I was certain of how they would die. They were destined to die in your hands."

"Destined?"

"Yes."

Ryosuke pondered for a long while, slowly letting out a breath.

Who was it, that could predetermine such a development?

All the answers pointed to one man.

The Daimyo of the Land of Water, Oda Ieyasu.

"I understand, thank you."

"No, don't thank me. I didn't say anything, and you didn't hear anything."

"Heh."

Ryosuke rose and left.

The county magistrate sat on his chair, silently bowing his head to eat his watermelon.

His middle-aged, plump wife walked over, wiping the watermelon juice from his lips, and asked softly,

"Aren't we people of the daimyo? Why then…"

The county magistrate focused on eating his watermelon. From his mouth came a muddy voice, "Who do you think would win, him, or the daimyo?"

"I don't know."

"Right, I don't know either. So I have to bet on both sides. Besides, Lord Oda, for the sake of the so-called 'greater good,' doesn't treat the lives of my subordinates as lives. I, as the county magistrate..."

He threw away the leftover watermelon rind and spat out the seeds from his mouth.

"...ought to have at least a little temper, don't you think."

———

The rest of the journey went without disturbance.

Ryosuke rode on horseback the whole way, practicing the Golden Spin.

It was just that, his talent in Ripple training was as deep as his talent in the Golden Spin was poor.

It had been almost four months since he gained the Golden Spin technique, and Ryosuke was still stuck at lesson-1, able only to throw an iron ball with spin, nothing more.

"Lesson-2, Don't let the muscles notice", was still nowhere in sight.

Pa!

Another practice. The iron ball, under the spin, struck the target then flew back into Ryosuke's hand.

"The Golden Spin and Ripple technique conflict with each other to a degree."

Ryosuke looked at the iron ball in his hand,

"Lesson-2, Don't let the muscles notice. It requires keeping the power of the spin on the surface of the skin, making the muscles 'forget.'"

"Lesson-3, Believe in the spin, just believe in it. Compared to throwing technique or physical strength, focus more on faith in the spin."

As for lesson-4 and 5, they were still far away. For now, just these two levels, both required forgetting the body, casting the iron ball with the will of the spirit.

The force of the throw might be very weak, like Johnny in the original work. But under the belief in the "Golden Spin," it could burst forth with unimaginable miraculous power.

However…

Ryosuke's body was too strong.

Forget forgetting muscles, he could manipulate his body from the cellular, fundamental level. Even the slightest stir of wind and grass could be sensed by him with ease.

Ryosuke had even tried cutting off the perception of muscles, simulating the effect of "lesson-2, Don't let the muscles notice." But such "cheating" behavior clearly did not fit the true training of the Golden Spin, and had no real improvement.

He put away the iron ball.

"Though I know 'the shortest shortcut is the long road,' still… how long must this road be, before it reaches the end?"

"We've arrived!"

Terumi Mei's voice sounded by his side, with a trace of expectation hidden in it. Following the hand she raised, looking forward,

A tall gray-blue city wall stretched across the front. The sunset glow of dusk slanted across the busy traffic at its base, like waves of pilgrims.

These people, like Ryosuke, were travelers and merchants who had come to participate in the Water Garden Festival.

And on the top of the city wall hung a plaque with black background and golden letters, bearing large words, Kyoto.

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