Chapter 193: New Devil Fruit
Under the scorching sun,
Today, the old cat was rarely beaten to death during training and was instead carried ho by Ryosuke.
Surprisingly, he walked beside him on the way ho with a clear mind.
Although his steps were unsteady, he seed normal—perhaps even a little cheerful.
He looked quite satisfied with his performance today.
By the ti the two arrived ho, the housekeeper, Ariane, had already set a variety of prepared lunches on the dining table. The rich aroma of the food was so tempting that the two hungry n couldn’t wait.
With a bruised face, the old cat quickly jumped into his baby seat.
But just as he picked up his bowl and chopsticks and looked around the empty dining table, he frowned slightly.
"...Feels kind of deserted."
Once a lively place, the dining table now only seated him and Ryosuke.
"No helping it. Everyone’s busy these days," Ryosuke replied casually.
As head of the Hyuga clan, his father had no ti to rest given the recent major events shaking the ninja world.
That morning, he’d already been summoned to the Hokage Building for a third round of discussions.
Even if he personally had no interest in participating further or forming deeper alliances with Konoha, as clan leader, he still had to show up.
The Hyuga clan’s roots were still in Konoha—for now.
Hinata, too, was busy.
Not only was she preparing for her early graduation exams, but she also had to help manage clan affairs.
Although the elders handled many responsibilities, as the heir of Hyuga Hiashi,
Hinata still had to make preliminary decisions—filtering out unreasonable plans and holding the rest until her father had ti for final judgnt.
Even Hanabi, the youngest in the family, had to attend classes at the Ninja Academy.
All of a sudden, Ryosuke and the old cat were the only ones left with spare ti.
But honestly, Ryosuke didn’t mind.
He was used to this kind of quiet.
There were many tis he’d trained alone for long periods, taking leave from school to focus on self-improvent.
Loneliness, boredom—it never fazed him.
"...Really," the old cat mumbled.
He didn’t say anything else and instead began eating quietly, filling his stomach without further complaint.
Both of them ate in silence.
No words. No conversation.
Lunch was over before they realized it, the peaceful air lingering like a soft breeze.
After the al, the old cat skillfully retreated to his room for rest.
Ryosuke also prepared to return to his room.
High-intensity training consud a massive amount of energy.
An ordinary person giving their all in a real battle would be exhausted in re minutes.
The reason the old cat could hold out every day like this ca down to talent and willpower.
Of course, his will was sothing Ryosuke had forcibly tempered.
As for Ryosuke himself, even though he didn’t go all out during training, he still expended plenty of energy—keeping a constant eye on the old cat’s physical condition while also restraining his strength accordingly.
---
"Master Ryosuke."
Just as Ryosuke passed through the courtyard and was about to enter the hallway leading to his room, Ariane’s voice ca from the inner courtyard.
"There’s news from the clan."
News?
Ryosuke paused, turning toward Ariane.
"A jonin is waiting at the gate of the outer courtyard," Ariane explained quickly. "He said he cannot enter without your permission."
"...Got it."
Ryosuke nodded and, as if rembering sothing, walked toward the gate.
After all these days, isn’t it about ti for another Devil Fruit to arrive?
With that thought in mind, he stepped into the outer courtyard and imdiately noticed a clan mber wearing a Hyuga-style ninja forehead protector standing at the gate in a solemn stance.
"Ryosuke-sama," the jonin said respectfully.
In his hands, he held a small, exquisite wooden box, which he handed over.
"According to the clan leader’s orders, I purchased this fruit from the Jinde Auction House. I personally supervised the packaging and escorted it back to the village. I was instructed to deliver it directly to you—without passing through any third party."
This must be the Devil Fruit I’ve been waiting for.
Ryosuke accepted the box and gave it a glance. A smile ford at the corners of his lips.
Across from him, Hyuga Sosa straightened his posture, his eyes bright with excitent.
"Everything for Hyuga!" he declared proudly.
He was one of the few clan mbers with direct access to the family’s inner circle.
He knew exactly how much the Hyuga clan’s status had grown—not just in Konoha, but in the Land of Fire and across the ninja world.
Standing before the very figure that had fueled those changes filled him with pride—and barely restrained awe.
"Yeah," Ryosuke replied with a smile. "Everything for Hyuga."
"As for your reward for this mission, I’ll have Hoshicai deliver it to you later."
"I—I don’t need a reward! I—"
Sosa quickly tried to reject the offer, eager to display his loyalty.
But Ryosuke waved his hand to cut him off.
"Let’s not be rigid about this," Ryosuke said, his tone warm and effortless like a spring breeze. "Even if you’re working for the clan, a mission is still a mission. A reward is deserved."
Sosa hesitated for only a second, then nodded.
"...Understood. I’ll take my leave."
With a final bow, Hyuga Sosa left, looking visibly uplifted.
Is this the next person to take the fruit? Looks promising.
Ryosuke watched him disappear from view before turning around with a calm smile.
Hyuga Sosa was one of the potential candidates his father, Hiashi, had carefully selected.
In both loyalty and strength, he was a solid match for receiving a Devil Fruit.
To test that loyalty, Hiashi had already told Sosa about the fruit’s origins and potential abilities when he assigned him the mission.
A Devil Fruit strong enough to let an average ninja beco a Chunin—and a capable Jonin rise to the next level—was no small temptation.
And the entire mission had been entrusted solely to him.
If he’d wanted to defect, if he had ambitions or dark thoughts—he’d had ample ti and opportunity.
That was the test.
Small, but aningful.
It wasn’t foolproof, of course. But when hunting for possible traitors, every thod helped.
After all, while their internal purge had been largely successful, it was still unclear if any rebels remained hidden.
Even Ryosuke couldn’t be sure.
And if so remnants of betrayal still hid among them, the lure of a Devil Fruit would be the perfect trigger.
Should soone run off with one... the clan would know exactly who to eliminate.
A single fruit was a small price to root out a dangerous mole.
A necessary sacrifice—for the long-term strength of the Hyuga clan.
And if everyone honestly followed the test requirents and returned the fruits, Ryosuke and the others wouldn’t mind giving them the fruits afterward—to boost the clan’s overall combat power.
It was just a small test. No matter which path these people chose, Ryosuke and the others wouldn’t suffer a loss.
Ryosuke walked straight into the study and placed the wooden box containing the Devil Fruit into a hidden compartnt he had prepared in advance.
This ti, he wasn’t going to leave it out in the open like he had last ti.
After taking one last look at the Devil Fruit, Ryosuke turned around and left the study.
He didn’t open the box or attempt to study the fruit directly. His recent tests on the old cat had already given him so answers.
For example, he’d learned that aside from having soone eat the fruit and observing the resulting changes, there was no known way to determine a Devil Fruit’s power without a reference guide.
And any attempt to forcibly analyze or dissect it would destroy the fruit entirely.
But the ti wasn’t right for that kind of research. So there was no reason for Ryosuke to linger.
When he stepped outside, less than ten minutes had passed—and the lunch break was just beginning.
Usually, after lunch, Ryosuke would let the old cat rest for about half an hour.
But today, he didn’t plan to grant that full rest period.
In fact, he didn’t plan to do so going forward.
"Get up."
Like a devil’s whisper, Ryosuke arrived at the old cat’s house, gently knocked on the door, and pushed it open.
Inside,
The old cat, who had been lying quietly on the bed, sprang up in alarm and instinctively shifted into a defensive stance.
Upon seeing Ryosuke standing at the door, he blinked and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead in a daze.
"Boss... why do I feel like I just went to bed? Did ti really pass that fast?"
The old cat cherished every second of his rare rest. But today, sothing felt off—like the clock had cheated him.
Glancing at the tipiece in the room, Ryosuke gave a soft chuckle. "No. Only nine minutes and twenty-eight seconds have passed."
"Eh..."
The old cat was montarily stunned.
"Unfortunately," Ryosuke continued, "I’ve adjusted the length of your lunch breaks."
He smiled faintly.
"Your training progress is a little too slow. So I’ve decided to personally accompany you more often. Don’t be shy."
"I..."
The old cat forced an awkward smile, ready to protest, but when he t Ryosuke’s gaze, he swallowed his words.
They left the main house one after another.
Feeling the weight of grievance in the old cat’s footsteps behind him, Ryosuke said, slightly amused, "I’ll be sending you on a task soon. You’ll get a month’s vacation. Regardless of when you complete the task, just return within a month."
"Seriously?!"
The old cat’s eyes lit up in surprise, caught off guard by the sudden offer of freedom.
"Of course," Ryosuke nodded. "The mission will be difficult for soone at your current level. But it’s still within your reach."
He paused, his voice more serious.
"But I want to take this remaining ti to sharpen your skills. If you fall short on this mission... it’ll an you weren’t ready."
In truth, the old cat’s training progress was already remarkable.
In just over a week, he’d grown strong enough to contend with a Chunin.
But even so, the path ahead was still long.
---
"Actually... I think I might’ve touched on sothing new."
They’d just arrived at the Hyuga training grounds when the old cat spoke up.
"Oh?"
Ryosuke paused, curiosity in his eyes. His relaxed posture stiffened slightly.
"It’s sothing I felt last night. When you nearly cracked my skull with that punch..."
Speaking of that mont so casually, the old cat’s expression turned strangely lancholic.
"It hurt like hell, Boss. Your punches always hurt in different ways."
"Just when I think I’ve gotten used to the pain, you hit harder the next day. There’s no end to it."
"In order to avoid getting wrecked every ti, I’ve been watching your every move—learning from your stances and technique. But it’s like chasing a shadow. No matter how hard I try, you’re always ahead."
Honestly, sotis the old cat wondered if dying as a regular cat would’ve been easier.
At least he wouldn’t have to suffer like this.
But... he couldn’t resent Ryosuke.
Because it was his own will that brought him here.
Because he owed him.
So all he could do was push himself harder—desperate to et Ryosuke’s expectations and earn his freedom.
As he spoke, sothing inside him shifted.
His body began to change—visibly and internally.
Trying to recall the pain from that near-death punch, his instincts awakened sothing dormant.
That intense sense of danger seed to unlock the Devil Fruit’s potential, accelerating his transformation.
Even though Ryosuke always held back just enough during their training to avoid killing him outright, the injuries were still real.
And even though they could all be healed, the agony they brought was excruciating.
If Ryosuke wasn’t satisfied with his progress, the suffering would simply continue.
To be honest, it felt worse than dying.
At least death would’ve been quick.
But this?
This was slow torture.
Like Ryosuke was cutting down a tree with a blunt saw.
Each ti his body was about to break, Ryosuke would patch him up... just to start sawing again.
That was his life now.
He was the tree.
And Ryosuke never stopped sawing.
Still, the strength he gained from this tornt was undeniable.
And now, without realizing it, under the pressure of pain and fear—his body transford.
Ryosuke observed quietly.
He wasn’t surprised. He had expected this.
No external energy triggered the transformation.
But the Devil Fruit ability was awakening.
Unlike chakra-based techniques, Devil Fruits didn’t rely on an observable energy system.
Instead, the abilities consud the user’s physical stamina as fuel.
It was like carrying a strange engine inside one’s body—providing power in exchange for physical cost.
But this ti, the old cat’s change wasn’t draining him.
It was increasing his limits.
His figure grew taller.
His already muscular fra bulked up even further.
Thick veins branched along his arms like roots under the skin.
Standing there, the old cat no longer looked short and sturdy—he had transford into a towering beast.
A "little giant," nearly two ters tall.
Transformation!
A unique trait of the Zoan-type Devil Fruits.
Read Advanced Chapters on:
~ Patreon/FanficLord03
~ Every 100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter!
~ Push the story in the rankings using your
[Power Stones]
~ sdiscord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9
Reviews
All reviews (0)