The Hokages had just come out of the battle arena, still feeling the overwhelming strength of the two First Hokages.
Then, they saw that the two top-ranked members in the group were about to fight.
Immediately, everyone's eyes lit up.
They had long been curious about how strong Ryosuke truly was.
Would today finally reveal part of the answer?
Battle Arena Space
Once again, a desert environment.
The environment in the battle arena could be chosen by both parties, and Hashirama had once again selected the same setting.
The reason?
It had a vast, open view—perfect for spectators!
As beams of light descended, the consciousness projections of each Hokage in the group appeared in the battle arena space.
"It's starting, it's starting!"
"I've been wanting to see Ryosuke's strength!"
"I wonder how long Hashirama-sama can last?"
Everyone looked on with excitement.
Then, two figures appeared.
The battle had begun!
"You just use Sage Mode to amplify your moves. As for me… I'll limit myself to the same power as Madara's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan from before. Using Rinnegan and other abilities would be overkill."
Ryosuke, wearing the Sixth Hokage robe, stood on the Desert and called out to Hashirama in the distance.
"No problem!"
Hashirama knew there was a huge gap in their strength, so without hesitation, he activated Sage Mode, then roared.
"Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!"
Boom!!!
Its terrifying power alone was enough to strike fear into the hearts of countless Kage-level powerhouses.
"Here it comes! He's going straight for True Several Thousand Hands?!"
From the distant cliffs, the spectators watched in awe.
Madara, activating his Sharingan, carefully observed Ryosuke's movements from afar.
"This… is the power of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Madara nodded slightly.
Then, he saw it.
A terrifying black Susanoo rising from the ground.
"Hiss~! Is this… Susanoo?"
"Madara, how big is your Susanoo?!"
Everyone turned to Madara in shock. Even Madara himself was bewildered.
"I've never seen a Susanoo like this." He muttered in a deep voice.
In the distant sky, towering above everything, a black Susanoo emerged, blotting out the sun.
Ryosuke stood within its forehead, arms folded.
"The power boost is just too extreme." He whispered to himself.
Then, the black Susanoo reached into the depths of the void and gripped something unseen.
Boom~!
The air twisted.
Black flames condensed into a sword tens of thousands of meters long.
"Gulp!"
Standing atop the wooden statue, Hashirama involuntarily swallowed.
"Here it comes!" Ryosuke said calmly.
"Bring it on!!!" Hashirama roared in response.
With a thunderous cry, thousands of arms crashed toward the black Susanoo's… calf?
Shing!
The black Susanoo raised its blade and slashed downward!
A terrifying power erupted.
In an instant—
The True Several Thousand Hands Buddha was split in half.
The earth shattered.
The entire battle arena space—a world no smaller than the earth itself—began to collapse.
Rumble!!!
The end had come.
The ground split apart!
Lava erupted from the depths!
The seas overturned!
The very planet itself began to crack apart.
BOOM!
The planet exploded instantly!!!
The spectators stared blankly at the scene.
The explosion didn't affect them as they were merely projected consciousnesses floating in the void.
They were surrounded by the shattered remains of a planet, floating amongst the debris of a world.
And amidst it all, a 10,000-meter-tall black Susanoo stood motionless in the void.
Like a god.
Like a devil.
Whoosh~!
Everyone was teleported out of the arena space.
In the chat group…
For a brief moment—silence.
Then, the screen erupted.
[Fourth Hokage] Orochimaru: "This is… an absolutely terrifying power!"
[Third Hokage] Sarutobi Hiruzen: "He destroyed… a planet?!!"
[Sixth Hokage] Kakashi: "Suddenly, Kaguya doesn't seem so impressive anymore…"
[Second Hokage] Tobirama: "I have no words. This is beyond strong."
[First Hokage] Madara: "Hashirama, how does it feel to lose?"
[First Hokage] Hashirama: "Would you believe me if I said I didn't even process it? I took one shot and then… it was over!"
[First Hokage] Hashirama: "I'm so jealous. At least you lasted long enough to lose in style!"
[First Hokage] Madara: "What the hell…"
[Sixth Hokage] Ryosuke: "Oh~! I accidentally used too much force and blew up the planet. Totally unintentional!"
[First Hokage] Hashirama: "What a 'careless mistake'!"
[First Hokage] Madara: "What a 'careless mistake'!"
[Second Hokage] Tobirama: "What a 'careless mistake'!"
[Third Hokage] Danzō: "Good one."
[Sixth Hokage] Ryosuke: "Are you guys broken record players? And, for the record, I'm telling the truth!"
[First Hokage] Hashirama: "A good one indeed!"
[Second Hokage] Tobirama: "Brother, enough is enough! Stop it!"
[First Hokage] Madara: "I have a question—why is your Susanoo so BIG?!"
Oh~!
Seeing Madara's question, the entire group held their breath. Everyone was waiting for Ryosuke's response.
After all, a Susanoo tens of thousands of meters tall?!
They were dying to know!
[Sixth Hokage] Ryosuke: "It's simple—because I'm just too strong!"
[First Hokage] Madara: "???"
What the hell is too strong?
Being too strong could make a Susanoo bigger?
Doesn't that depend on pupil strength?
[Sixth Hokage] Ryosuke: "To be honest, my pupil power is too strong. No matter what kind of pupil technique, it gets a huge boost. Plus, the Chakra in the body of a god-level powerhouse is Divine Chakra—the quality is too high."
Is that so?
Madara pondered.
Thinking carefully, what Ryosuke said doesn't seem wrong.
If the pupil power is too great, it makes sense that Susanoo's form would become massive.
And that Chakra of a god...
Even though he doesn't know its full power, just having "god" in its name proves its strength.
Alright then.
Madara reluctantly accepted this explanation.
Indeed, Ryosuke is just too strong. That's why his Susanoo is so enormous.
...
In Hokage's Office
Ryosuke smiled as he watched the reactions in the group.
"Do I really have to explain that my Susanoo is so huge because I have a ton of pupil technique power bonuses?"
He chuckled inwardly.
"That being said, the battle arena space is really nice."
Many in the group weren't convinced by the combat power rankings in the chat.
Like Sarutobi Hiruzen!
He was always frustrated about being ranked near the bottom.
Even though he's no longer at the very bottom, he still doesn't understand why he ranks below Sakumo.
The purpose of the battle arena is to let these group members who doubt the rankings prove themselves.
Hmm…
But more than likely, it will only confirm how accurate the chat group's combat rankings are.
The ranking system hasn't been wrong at all.
But that's fine too.
At least now they'll accept the rankings instead of arguing all day about how unfair it is.
That said…
No one will probably want to enter the battle arena today.
The fight Ryosuke had just displayed was too overwhelming.
They'll need time to process it.
[First Hokage] Hashirama: "By the way, what rewards did everyone get today?"
[Second Hokage] Tobirama: "Don't even bring it up. For some reason, this chat group gave me a Genin-level Three Basic Technique experience! I'm a Hokage—why would I need a beginner-level Three Basic Technique experience?"
[Sixth Hokage] Kakashi: "I got a collector's edition of a novel. Not bad."
[Fourth Hokage] Sakumo: "A sword, but just an ordinary one."
[Third Hokage] Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Three explosive tags. Decent."
[Fourth Hokage] Orochimaru: "Hehe~! I got a brand-new white coat."
[Third Hokage] Danzō: "Seems like your luck isn't great. I got a C-rank Fire release: Great Fireball Technique scroll."
[Fourth Hokage] Minato: "Uh... I got a pack of diapers. Maybe it will be useful for my future kids."
[First Hokage] Madara: "A single kunai. What did you get, Ryosuke?"
[First Hokage] Hashirama: "Haha~! So you're all unlucky! I, on the other hand, got a B-rank ninjutsu scroll!"
In a Parallel World
Senju Clan Territory
Hashirama looked at the two dice in his hand, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.
Of course, he wasn't about to admit that he had only gotten two regular dice. So, he stretched the truth a bit.
Hmm…
Hashirama considered himself clever. He definitely wasn't embarrassed about his reward. He just chose not to share the full details.
"Besides, maybe others are lying too. Like that Danzō." Hashirama analyzed this seriously.
[First Hokage] Madara: "@Ryosuke, Sixth Hokage, what did you get?"
[Second Hokage] Tobirama: "I'm curious. The Sixth Hokage is always ridiculously lucky. His daily sign-in points are always above 80. He must have gotten something good, right?"
[Sixth Hokage] Ryosuke: "Today, I was unlucky. I only got ten 30% off coupons for Ichiraku Ramen."
[Sixth Hokage] Kakashi: "Coupons for Ichiraku Ramen? That's actually useful. Saves money."
[First Hokage] Hashirama: "Haha~! Kakashi, do you really think Ryosuke needs to save money? But yeah, Ryosuke, your luck today is pretty average!"
[Sixth Hokage] Ryosuke: "No big deal. Honestly, with this new daily reward system, I doubt I'll get anything amazing."
[First Hokage] Madara: "Yeah, this new feature is pure luck based."
[Fourth Hokage] Minato: "Has anyone tried that Tower yet?"
[Fourth Hokage] Sakumo: "I tried it once. The opponent on the first floor was a Genin from Konoha—a kid named Konohamaru."
[Sixth Hokage] Kakashi: "Konohamaru? That's the Third Hokage's grandson, right?"
[Third Hokage] Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Oh~! My grandson's name is Konohamaru?"
[Second Hokage] Tobirama: "Hiruzen, are you training your grandson to become Hokage?"
[Third Hokage] Danzō: "Haha~! Hiruzen, still scheming for control of the village?"
[Third Hokage] Sarutobi Hiruzen: "I'm not! I swear! Danzō, stop making things up!"
"A Tower?"
"The first opponent is Konohamaru? Interesting!"
Ryosuke clicked on the Tower function in the chat group. Then, his consciousness entered a white space.
Everything here was pure white—both the ground and the sky.
A golden, rotating portal stood not far ahead.
Stepping through it would lead to the Tower.
Next to the portal stood a black pillar.
In this endless white world, the black pillar stood out starkly.