"Still not convinced? Then call me Master already!"
Ryuuto twirled the Vajra Staff in one hand, his grin stretching ear to ear. Power hummed through his veins—like the world itself had leveled up beneath his feet. Every swing of the golden staff sang with energy, and for the first time in a while, he felt unstoppable.
He pointed the staff at the Ape Demon's glowering eyes. "Behave, and maybe I'll forgive you, monkey. Otherwise, I'll use you as a mop."
"You… you dare!" the Ape Demon howled, voice muffled from within the weapon's sealed form. Its fury was almost comical, reduced from a towering beast to a talking staff.
"Relax," Ryuuto said, patting the weapon like it was a pet. "You're lucky I summoned you at all. You're in my world now—parallel dimension, fancy chakra network, the whole deal. You only exist here because of my ninjutsu."
"Bah! Change me back! I refuse to be held by a brat like you!" The eyes carved into the staff narrowed. "And who the hell are you? I've never heard of Sarutobi having a student like you!"
Ryuuto laughed. "That's classified, dumb monkey. All you need to know is that I'm your new boss. So get used to it."
He spun the staff lazily, then slammed it into the ground hard enough to leave a crater. "Obey, or I'll seal you tighter than your last banana stash."
"Alright, alright! Stop shaking me, you maniac!" the Ape Demon bellowed, dizzy from being spun. "This king… submits! Just stop before you give me motion sickness!"
"See? Cooperation. Was that so hard?" Ryuuto said, smirking like a cat who'd just stolen a feast. "You could've saved us both a lot of time."
He released the summoning seal, and with a flicker of chakra, the golden staff vanished. Somewhere far away, the Ape Demon's cries echoed back into the summoning realm.
Gwen ran up to him, eyes bright. "That was amazing, Ryuuto! Was that… new ninjutsu?"
"Nothing special," he said, scratching his head with exaggerated modesty. "Just a little something I picked up while being awesome."
She giggled, taking his hand. "Then Mr. Awesome, shall we continue our walk?"
"Lead the way."
The two walked off together, sunlight glinting off the ruins of the battlefield. For once, the world was quiet.
Meanwhile, across town, a sleek car screeched to a stop in front of the Osborn building.
Harry Osborn stepped out, jaw tight. The receptionist straightened immediately. "Master Harry! Are you here to see the chairman? He's not in at the moment."
"It's fine," Harry said quickly. "I just need to check something."
Once her attention drifted, he rushed into the private elevator and keyed in his father's code. The elevator hummed upward, toward the top floor.
His heart pounded. Dad's been acting off lately. Cold. Angry. Like he's someone else entirely.
When the doors opened, Harry didn't hesitate. He slipped into Norman's office and began searching.
Documents. Lab notes. Reagents everywhere. The place reeked of secrecy. But one object on the desk made him freeze.
A glass tube, glowing faintly green.
Label: Human Enhancement Formula.
Harry's breath caught. "No way… this looks familiar…"
His memory sparked. Ryuuto mentioned this. Said he needed something similar.
In his excitement, his hand slipped—clinking bottles crashed together. Chemicals spilled. The test tube hissed, colors shifting rapidly.
"Oh no! Nonono—"
He scrambled to fix it, wiping the mess and resetting the bottles as best he could. When the bubbling stopped, he let out a shaky breath.
Still, unease gnawed at him. Why would Dad have this? And how is it linked to Ryuuto?
He looked at the clock—time was running out. Norman could walk in any moment.
"Fine," he muttered, gripping the test tube tight. "I'll ask him. And if I can't… I'll ask Ryuuto."
Harry slipped the formula into his coat and hurried out, the elevator doors closing just as another arrived.
Norman Osborn entered his office moments later, muttering, "This time… it has to work."
He noticed nothing amiss—his eyes locked only on the test tube before him.
He reached for it. The formula shimmered.
Then—
BOOM!
Green flames burst out of the glass, swallowing the desk in a violent flash of light.