Having traversed to this world for over a decade, Ryuji had always pondered one question.
Was this world a Manga, or was it real?
Although he himself felt everything in this world was very real, a being inside a box cannot judge the world outside the box.
After all, having seen a Manga identical to this world in his previous life, it was normal to have such thoughts.
It wasn't until a few days ago, after the Third Kazekage incident was resolved, that he got his answer.
This world was real.
Because he changed history. In a Manga, only the Author can change it.
But a new question arose.
That was determinism.
Even if this world was real, its original trajectory and rules were the same as in the Manga.
This world was also filled with the theory of bloodline and determinism.
The existence of a cheat allowed Ryuji to break the theory of bloodline.
He didn't have a good bloodline, yet he could still rely on the cheat to reach the world's peak.
But determinism hadn't been broken yet. Especially the earlier time-space correction made Ryuji secretly think 'destiny cannot be broken'.
But in the end, these were unproven things; he wouldn't easily believe them.
And what he was about to do now was break determinism… defeat Naruto, master his fate.
If he could successfully achieve this, then his 'savior' destiny could be broken.
So...
"Go die!"
Roaring loudly, their fists collided in mid-air, erupting with endless gales.
Minato, watching from afar, narrowed his eyes, but sand still blew into them, forcing him to raise a hand to shield himself.
Boom!
After a brief stalemate between the two, Naruto flew out like a cannonball.
Ryuji stepped with heavy strides, shattering the ground along the way as he chased after.
Bang
Another punch.
Naruto, in a state of being knocked back, couldn't fight back. He could only raise his arms to block above.
But he was still pressed by the immense force onto his face, then smashed into the ground, his entire head buried in rubble.
Even with the Nine-Tails Chakra enveloping him completely, this heavy force still left him dizzy.
However, the more he was attacked, the more unwilling Naruto became.
He simply couldn't stand people bullying the weak with strength, couldn't stand people relying on power to plunder others.
"I can lose to anyone, but not to someone like you!"
Watching the pursuing iron fist, Naruto roared, erupting with even stronger Chakra. Chakra Tails squeezed out from behind him, violently stabbing upward.
Crack!
Three tails converged and stabbed, colliding with the iron fist. The air instantly shattered. The Chakra Tails held out for less than 0.1 seconds before dispersing on their own.
The iron fist landed on Naruto's stomach. The earth shook, then cracked with several fissures before collapsing into a crater about thirty meters in diameter.
"Gah!"
Naruto's body arched. He spat out scorching blood, spraying it onto the faceplate, blocking the view.
Ryuji raised a hand to wipe it, improving it slightly, but the remaining bloodstains still obstructed part of his vision.
Though not fatal, it was very uncomfortable.
He raised his right hand, about to completely disperse the Nine-Tails Chakra, but heavy footsteps came from behind.
"Let go of him!"
Choza, dragging his injured body, charged. The ten-meter-long naginata swept horizontally, like a dragon entering the sea, churning the airflow into a boil.
Against such power, Ryuji had to defend.
He leaned back, dodging the sweep.
The moment the naginata swept over his head, he stood up, both hands gripping the lamp-post-thick handle tightly.
Instantly, the blade halted in mid-air.
"You think being big means being strong?"
Ryuji glanced at Armor's energy data and found that already a quarter of the Chakra was used. He opened full throttle.
Instantly, mechanical roaring like thunderclaps.
Ryuji, holding the naginata, slowly lifted the ten-meter-tall giant, then spun and threw him away.
Whoosh!
A yellow figure flashed behind. Minato body-flickered to Naruto's side, grabbed him, teleported to the still-flying Choza, then teleported again, taking both dozens of meters away.
"You can't escape."
Ryuji glanced at the remaining half of his Chakra. Without any thought of saving it, he went all out.
He bent his legs, forcefully pushed off the ground, launching himself out.
The ground cracked under his feet. The moment Ryuji leaped out, thrusters on the backs of his hands, elbows, legs, and back erupted with flames, accelerating into a streak of light charging toward Minato.
Minato was about to teleport with the others again, but Naruto shook off his hand.
"I have a way to stop him."
Naruto spoke, creating two shadow clones. Then he extended his right hand, gathering Chakra. The two shadow clones helped shape it beside him. The spinning Chakra stirred the airflow.
"No, the Rasengan will..."
Minato, seeing the commotion, thought Naruto wanted to use the Rasengan. He was about to dissuade him when he saw four sharp blades forming around the sphere. His eyes widened in shock.
"This is?"
"Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"
Naruto loudly shouted the Ninjutsu's name, charging toward Ryuji.
Watching that back that charged forward without hesitation, Minato showed a gratified smile.
"Hmph!"
Ryuji sneered coldly. While charging, he raised his hand, palm open. Red Chakra gathered in his palm.
Naruto tensed his nerves, watching for the flame jets that could erupt at any moment.
However, the anticipated flame jets did not happen.
The red Chakra gathered and compressed in his palm, then spun, driving the flames of Fire Nature Transformation to burn together.
"That is!?"
Seeing such a similar Ninjutsu performed by the enemy, everyone present widened their eyes in shock.
Especially Naruto.
As the one who perfected the Rasengan and created the Rasenshuriken, he understood the hardship and difficulty involved most clearly.
Though he wasn't arrogant enough to think no one else could perfect it besides himself, he never imagined that not long after he created the Rasenshuriken, he'd see another perfecter.
And it was a Rasengan of a different nature.
'Didn't Kakashi-sensei say the Rasengan was a Ninjutsu invented by the Fourth Hokage?'
'Didn't he say I was the first to perfect it?'
'How come someone from another Shinobi Village already knew it twenty years ago?'
"This is Blaze Spiral Sphere!"
As he spoke, the two had already entered each other's attack range.
They simultaneously raised their right hands, pressing their respective spiral spheres toward the other.
Minato and Choza, watching from afar, stared intently at the two Chakra Spheres getting closer and closer, their hearts in their throats.
Rumble!!!
Fire and wind... Two spheres of different natures spinning in opposite directions collided.
Like magic, they erupted, forming a flame vortex that swept through heaven and earth.
Minato immediately grabbed Choza and teleported onto a tower.
The earth rumbled and shook. The world was dyed red by flames. The world-destroying impact silently annihilated everything.
Seeing this apocalyptic scene, the two showed horrified expressions.
However, though the commotion was not small, the actual destruction range wasn't that large.
When the commotion ceased and the dust cleared, a charred deep pit about over ten meters deep and fifty meters in diameter was revealed.
In the center of the crater lay Naruto, covered in blood, unconscious.