"If you dare offend the great Monkey King, you're digging your own grave, brat! Your sin is unforgivable!"
The Ape Demon roared like thunder, muscles swelling beneath its fur, eyes burning with primal rage. It wasn't just angry—it was furious at Ryuuto, as if he'd spat on its pride itself.
Ryuuto didn't move. He stood his ground, a quiet grin curling his lips, as heat began to shimmer in the air around him.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
The wind stilled.
Power rolled off him in waves.
"What... what is that aura?" the Ape Demon growled, its confidence faltering for the first time.
"Boy! Wait—don't move! I have questions for you!" the creature barked, raising a trembling hand.
"Too late," Ryuuto replied, his voice light but deadly. "You're already cooked."
He inhaled, chakra flaring like wildfire.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bomb!"
A torrent of flame roared from his mouth, bursting forward in a spiraling inferno. The very earth turned molten beneath its heat, and the Ape Demon's roar of disbelief was drowned beneath the explosion.
BOOM!
Flames devoured the clearing, painting the world red. Gwen, watching from a distance, clapped her hands over her mouth. "That's insane! He actually—!"
The flames finally began to die down.
Through the smoke… a hulking shadow emerged. Unscathed.
"Impressive… you used Sarutobi's ninjutsu," the Ape Demon said, brushing soot off its fur. "But compared to the original, your power is far inferior."
Ryuuto's brow twitched. "Did… you just diss my Fireball?"
His grin vanished. "You damn flea-bitten monkey… you dare mock my jutsu?"
He clenched his fists, fury sparking like lightning. "Fine! You want more? I'll bury you!"
"Wait! Who are you really!?" the Ape Demon snarled, steam hissing from its nostrils. "Answer before I crush you into paste!"
"Shut it! You'll find out after you're dead!"
Ryuuto's hands blurred.
"Shadow Shuriken Jutsu!"
Dozens of spinning stars whistled through the air, silver arcs slicing through the dust.
The Ape Demon's eyes widened. "Impossible… you—again!?"
"Only Sarutobi could command me! You think you can match his—"
The words caught in its throat as the single shuriken split—into ten, then twenty, then fifty!
Each one glimmered like a phantom.
"Glyph tricks!" the Demon barked, raising its fists. "Your imitation is pathetic!"
Both massive hands slammed down, shattering every shuriken in a thunderous blast.
Ryuuto's grin widened. "Oh? Then you're dead wrong, furball."
He slapped his palms together, chakra surging.
"Earth Style: Grand Flowing River!"
The solid ground turned liquid beneath the Ape Demon's feet. In seconds, the battlefield became a roaring mudslide. The creature stumbled, arms flailing.
"Wha—!?"
It slipped, crashing face-first into the torrent as it was swept away.
"Gotcha," Ryuuto muttered, brushing dirt from his sleeves.
"Did he win!?" Gwen gasped, hands clasped tight.
Her answer came in an explosion of mud and fury. The Ape Demon burst free from the earth, howling, white fur bristling with rage.
"You've angered me, boy! I'll make you regret every breath you've taken!"
The creature's aura erupted, so thick it pressed the air itself flat. The earth cracked beneath its feet.
But Ryuuto didn't even blink.
He cracked his neck lazily, smirking. "Finally done with your tantrum? Good. My turn."
The Demon hesitated. For the first time… it felt fear.
"Now," Ryuuto said softly, "I'll show you what true power looks like."
His chakra flared like a sunrise.
"Summoning Transformation—Vajra Form!"
"Wha—No! That technique—!"
The Ape Demon's pupils shrank. Its massive body shimmered, collapsing inward, reshaping—until a golden staff dropped into Ryuuto's waiting hand, glowing with divine heat.
"Hey there," Ryuuto whispered, gripping the weapon tight. "Fall into my hand obediently."
He swung the staff once.
The air screamed.
And the battlefield trembled beneath the birth of a new legend.