"What are you?"
Haido's brows tightened as he stared at the boy who had suddenly appeared—Ryoma.
Haido and his followers had crossed the ocean to reach this continent for one purpose alone: the ancient sealed Stone of Gelel. They knew almost nothing about the shinobi world—neither chakra nor ninjutsu—and dismissed everything they saw as mere "mystical powers."
To Haido's group, the Gelel Stone was an invincible source of energy. Armed with their own technology, they believed they could easily crush the so-called "natives." Their arrogance kept them from gathering proper intelligence, and that very ignorance now dragged them toward their inevitable ruin.
Ryoma didn't bother answering Haido's question. Instead, he walked toward Nara Shikamaru and the others. A soft wave of chakra flowed from his palm, enveloping Elder Kahiko and Temujin. Before their eyes, wounds knit themselves closed, bruises faded, and the dying regained their breath.
Standing nearby, Yamanaka Ino—eyes filled with respect yet tinged with confusion—finally asked,
"Lord Ryoma… how did you even know we were here?"
The report about this ruin had been sent barely an hour ago. Even for a jōnin using a space-time gateway, reaching this remote and rugged location should have taken at least two.
Shikamaru and Choji were equally puzzled.
Ryoma replied casually, "Your forehead protectors carry my Flying Thunder God marker and a perception seal. The moment you encounter an enemy whose energy exceeds a certain threshold, I sense it—and I can teleport immediately."
After ensuring the wounded were stable, he continued.
For safety, Ryoma had marked the three of them long before they were issued these mission bands—just as he had done with Naruko, Saeko, and those closest to him. If any of them faced a threat beyond their level, he would know instantly.
And there were two main reasons he'd taken this precaution with Team Shikamaru:
First, Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Akimichi Choza were his trusted subordinates. Ryoma intended to keep their children alive whenever necessary.
Second, based on what he knew, these three would one day become pillars of Konohagakure.
"I didn't expect Lord Ryoma to value me this much…"
The precocious Ino blushed, cupping her cheeks, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Oi, idiot—he meant all of us!"
Shikamaru and Choji were just as stunned, their expressions glowing with the kind of awe a fanboy wears when discovering their idol secretly follows them.
Ryoma ignored the trio's excitement and pointed to Kahiko and Temujin.
"Move them somewhere safe."
"Yes!"
As they carried the wounded away, Ryoma turned back toward Haido—now glaring at him with a mix of anger and wounded pride, as if offended that Ryoma had dismissed him entirely.
"Dare ignore me… I won't let you leave alive!"
Haido surged with Gelel energy, ready to attack—
—but a sudden crimson glint flashed across Ryoma's eyes.
Haido froze.
His limbs refused to move—locked in place as if caught in a binding jutsu.
Inside, panic exploded.
What is this!? Move—MOVE! Why won't my body listen!?
Haido had no resistance to genjutsu. A simple ocular technique was enough to leave him paralyzed and helpless, forced to watch Ryoma stroll toward him as if taking a leisurely walk after dinner.
Stopping in front of him, Ryoma muttered,
"Noisy."
He flicked a single finger.
BOOM.
Half of Haido's torso detonated instantly. Pain ripped through him, his body skidding across the ground like a broken doll. Half the Gelel energy sustaining him evaporated at once.
His skin turned pale. His eyes shook with pure, primal terror.
Now he understood—completely—the gulf between them.
Forget obtaining the Gelel vein. Even surviving the next few seconds felt uncertain.
Desperate, Haido clawed at the ceiling, forcefully absorbing more Gelel energy in a frantic attempt to heal.
But his injuries were far too severe. Even using all his strength, he could barely regenerate his legs.
"I… I can't die here… not like this!"
Driven by instinct alone, he staggered toward the exit. Outside, dozens of armored soldiers still waited.
"If I can just get… there…!"
There were still many armored knights stationed within the mobile fortress. If Haido could just reach it, he believed he could escape Ryoma's "clutches."
Desperation drove him to act.
Haido poured Gelel energy into the fortress' control cores, commanding dozens of armored knights to advance. A moment later, the bulky metal soldiers marched toward Ryoma, their heavy blades raised high as they prepared to strike.
Ryoma didn't so much as shift his stance.
He didn't even look at them—arms folded across his chest, eyes half-closed in mild disinterest.
Behind him, the air trembled.
BOOM.
A massive wooden palm—born from Wood Release—erupted from the ground behind Ryoma like the descending hand of a colossal Buddha. With a single sweeping strike, the Mu Release giant palm smashed through the approaching knights.
Some were flattened into paste instantly.
Some shattered into fragments of metal and flesh.
The rest were simply crushed by the shockwave.
Against the overwhelming might of Wood Release, these towering armored knights were no more than flies.
Within seconds, the entire hall was littered with corpses and twisted metal.
Ryoma casually reached down, grabbed one of the fallen knights, and hurled the corpse straight at Haido, who was limping toward the exit.
The heavy body struck Haido like a boulder, sending him tumbling across the stone floor seven or eight times, rolling helplessly before skidding to a stop.
"It's over."
Ryoma folded his arms once more, staring down at Haido with a cold, emotionless gaze. That single glance filled Haido's heart with a despair deeper than any wound.
If he had known that such a terrifying existence resided here—no temptation, not even the promise of the Gelel vein—would have brought him to this place.
"My lord—please spare me!"
Haido collapsed to his knees, kowtowing frantically.
"I'll serve you! I'll be your dog—I'll obey any command—just don't kill me!"
His voice cracked with fear, but Ryoma did not respond.
He didn't even blink.
The gigantic wooden palm rose once more—then slammed down with unstoppable force.
The impact shook the entire hall. Haido's screams echoed for a heartbeat before being swallowed by the blast. When the dust cleared, nothing remained.
Haido had been reduced to scattered flesh and fragments.
Yamanaka Ino stared, speechless.
"So strong…"
She had heard stories—tales passed around the village about Ryoma's unbelievable power—but words meant nothing compared to witnessing the overwhelming, divine pressure firsthand.
This…
This was the presence of a god among shinobi.