"You're a fine blade," Mandarin said with a mocking grin. "Shame your power's still lacking."
Ryuuto's eyes narrowed. The old man hadn't even moved an inch—standing there, arms crossed, completely unbothered.
"Really?" Ryuuto cracked his knuckles, chakra surging like a storm. "Then I'll just beat you to death and call it a day."
He launched forward, Tsunade's monster-strength technique roaring through his veins. His fist came down like a hammer aimed straight at Mandarin's temple.
But before the blow could land, Mandarin lazily raised his hand. He was a full second late—and still caught Ryuuto's punch. The ground cracked beneath them as raw force trembled through the air. Mandarin didn't even flinch.
"Impressive," he said calmly. "You've earned the old man's attention. But don't get too happy—this will be over quickly. I'll make sure your pain doesn't last long."
Ryuuto gritted his teeth. "Yeah? Screw your mercy."
His hands flashed through seals in a blur.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Wood Style: Wood Locking Wall!"
In an instant, colossal wooden pillars burst from the scorched ground, converging toward Mandarin like living titans. Shadow clones flooded the field, hundreds of Ryuutos charging in unison, each shouting their own battle cry.
From the sidelines, Quicksilver, Gambit, and Ariel watched the chaos unfold, crouched behind a patch of burned weeds.
"Hah! They're actually going all out!" Quicksilver smirked.
"The heavens must finally be smiling," Gambit snorted. "Let's see how that kid crawls outta this one."
They were exposed now—both combatants clearly aware of their presence—but not even suicidal fools would jump into that kind of fight.
Mandarin frowned slightly, finally paying closer attention. "Duplication… chakra constructs… Japanese ninjutsu? So you really are from Japan?"
With a sharp motion, he tore through the wooden barriers, fists and feet striking like artillery. The clones were annihilated one by one, each vanishing in bursts of smoke.
"You idiot!" Ryuuto shot back. "Your whole damn family's Japanese!"
"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"
Ryuuto's kick smashed into Mandarin's chest, forcing him back several steps.
Mandarin coughed once, chuckling. "You're strong, but strength won't change your fate. Accept it, boy!"
The ten rings on his fingers blazed, flooding him with violent power. The air distorted around him as his aura doubled, then tripled.
Ryuuto smirked. "Oh? You're starting to hurt? Let me fix that."
He took a deep breath, veins glowing like molten iron.
"Eight Inner Gates—First Gate: Open!"
"Second Gate—Rest Gate: Open!"
"Third Gate—Life Gate: Open!"
"Fourth Gate—Pain Gate: Open!"
"Fifth Gate—Limit Gate: Open!"
"Sixth Gate—View Gate: Open!"
"Seventh Gate—Shock Gate: OPEN!"
A black-red aura erupted around him, thick as flame. The earth cracked beneath his feet. His chakra pressure became so dense it distorted the air.
Mandarin's eyes widened. "You can… transform yourself?"
Ryuuto grinned, his expression twisted with adrenaline. "Transform? Nah. I just stopped holding back."
Before Mandarin could finish his thought, Ryuuto's fist slammed into his gut with enough force to crater the ground. The old man's body bent inward, his breath ripping from his chest.
"What's wrong? Can't stand it? Don't worry—it's just the warm-up."
With a vicious smile, Ryuuto downed several vials of life potion in rapid succession. Power surged through him like liquid fire. He blurred forward, raining down punches and kicks faster than Mandarin could parry. The mighty sorcerer staggered back, bleeding and gasping, finally dropping to one knee.
"Y-you insolent—"
"Shut up."
Ryuuto's fist hit Mandarin square in the face, launching him skyward. A few of the man's teeth spun away into the rubble.
From their hiding spot, Gambit gawked. "Holy hell! Wasn't that old freak supposed to kill him?!"
Tony and Banner—finally healed thanks to Katsuyu—stared, awestruck. Sparks danced around Tony's armor. "Okay… that's officially the coolest thing I've seen all week."
Banner cracked his knuckles. "Then let's return the favor."
He pointed toward the brush. "There's Quicksilver and Gambit—let's settle that debt."
Tony grinned beneath his helmet. "Gladly."
Both Avengers shot forward, leaving a shocked Quicksilver and Gambit to scream in despair as they got absolutely pummeled.
Meanwhile, Mandarin—bloodied, eyes burning red with rage—let out a hoarse roar. "Ryuuto! I'll kill you!"
In blind fury, he embedded all ten rings directly into his arms. His muscles bulged, energy roaring around him like a storm of dragons.
Ryuuto cracked his neck. "Let's see if you live through this, old man."
He raised a middle finger. "Bring it."
Both charged. The air twisted into a vortex, then—
BOOM!
A cataclysmic explosion swallowed the battlefield, leaving a crater the size of a city block.
Smoke. Silence.
Then Mandarin's laughter echoed through the void.
"Boy! You can't beat me! Hahaha!"
But Ryuuto's voice came from above him—steady, calm, dangerous.
"Then I'll just hit harder."