This white-masked man in black actually dared to say he had never heard of his great name.
It made him incredibly furious.
He had been the host of the Five-Tails since childhood, becoming the Five-Tails Jinchūriki of his village.
Through rigorous training, he had mastered the control of his Tailed Beast.
He had performed countless services for the Stone Village.
Moreover, he could utilize steam to burst with immense power. Within the shinobi world, he dared to claim his strength was among the best, which was how he earned the title of the Steam Ninja.
There weren't many shinobi with titles in the shinobi world.
This guy's rhetoric was clearly a sign of contempt for him.
"Now, I'll let you witness the prowess of the Steam Ninja—the meaning of being one of the top physical combatants in the shinobi world."
As soon as he spoke, two majestic plumes of white steam erupted from his back. His overall aura shifted significantly, projecting a sense of overwhelming pressure.
Brandishing his fist, he charged at the man who looked down on him.
Zabuza naturally sensed the rising aura of the opponent.
This aura exerted a powerful pressure on him. If he were the one dealing with it, he would have to be extremely cautious.
But now, it wasn't his turn to step up.
All he could do was grab Haku with one hand and Fū with the other, running straight back.
He needed to leave this battlefield.
He couldn't let these two youngsters be caught in the crossfire.
The God King held these two in very high regard.
Ryōsuke naturally noticed Zabuza's movements; it was a wise decision.
He grew interested upon hearing the opponent talk about being one of the best in terms of strength in the shinobi world.
Originally, he intended to activate his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and use a genjutsu to control the man and the Tailed Beast inside him while he was off guard.
Caught by surprise, the opponent wouldn't have time to react before falling under the illusion's control.
But he decided against it because the opponent actually dared to speak so boldly.
To let him witness one of the top taijutsu users in the shinobi world?
That was something he couldn't just let slide.
One must know that the strongest taijutsu in the shinobi world was undoubtedly the Eight Inner Gates, and the strongest taijutsu shinobi was certainly himself; everyone else could only rank second.
Not to mention, he would only grow stronger over time.
Given enough time, he could even tear that so-called Otsutsuki God apart with his bare hands; such was his confidence.
He looked at Han, whose body was covered in billowing steam.
He beckoned with his hand.
"You're the arrogant one. Let me see what you're made of."
After speaking, he instantly activated his three-tomoe Sharingan.
Then, swinging his fist, he went to meet the attack.
He wanted to see exactly how strong the opponent's fist was.
Han clearly felt the other's contempt. This guy was so arrogant, actually wanting to clash with him in pure strength.
Even if the opponent were the real Uchiha Madara, it wouldn't work.
The steam behind him thickened a bit more, and the power in his hand surged further.
"Take this!"
Their fists collided, and a powerful shockwave erupted with the two of them at the center.
They continued to push against each other, neither giving an inch.
Watching from a distance were Zabuza, Haku, and Fū.
The God King hadn't summoned that Perfect Susanoo technique; instead, he chose to clash with the opponent in strength. He must have been provoked by the opponent's words and wanted to properly intimidate him.
Zabuza had seen the God King's taijutsu before.
He didn't think the God King's taijutsu would be weak; on the contrary, it would be incredibly strong.
Because he had seen the God King use the Eight Inner Gates.
Even the flames turned white under the erupting chakra.
Clearly, the God King didn't use the Eight Inner Gates to enhance taijutsu, but rather to enhance ninjutsu.
One could only say the God King's ideas were quite out of the box.
However, this didn't mean the God King wouldn't use the Eight Inner Gates to boost his taijutsu.
To put it bluntly, even if the God King hadn't used the Eight Inner Gates back then, Zabuza would have been no match for him.
So, if the God King were to use the Eight Inner Gates, just how strong would his taijutsu be?
Once, a Konoha Genin had directly kicked to death four members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
One must know that every member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist possessed the strength of an elite Jōnin.
Even if they hadn't reached it themselves, they reached that level by relying on their extraordinary swords.
Some even had elite Jōnin-level strength inherently, and with the special abilities of the Mist's swords, their power could even approach Kage-level.
Yet, four were kicked to death by a Genin.
He was shocked to his core when he first heard that news.
So, imagine if the God King's current strength far surpassed the Kage level. Even if he didn't open the fatal Eighth Gate, if he opened the Seventh Gate, how powerful would he be?
It was simply unimaginably powerful.
If even a Genin mastered the Eight Gates, there was no reason the God King wouldn't know them too.
If he opened the Eighth Gate, it would be truly terrifying, though there was simply no need.
The God King likely wouldn't open the fatal Eighth Gate; no opponent could force him to do so.
Thus, even without using methods like Susanoo, the God King's taijutsu alone was enough to crush the Five-Tails Jinchūriki, Han.
On the battlefield, Han looked with surprise at the person holding his own against him. This guy was actually able to fight him to a draw.
His own power came from the assistance of his Steam Armor and his own immense physical strength.
Yet the opponent relied purely on physical strength without using any other external means.
'Damn, he's actually quite strong.'
Ryōsuke also felt the pressure as he clashed with Han.
Even though he hadn't opened the Eight Inner Gates, the fact that there was a human in the shinobi world who could match him in strength was quite impressive.
Such power allowed him to take this seriously; the opponent was no weakling.
Looking at the billowing steam erupting from the other's back, he remarked.
"Not bad, not bad. I acknowledge your title. You do have some skill."
These words didn't sound like praise to Han's ears. Instead of being delighted, he felt insulted.
One must know that a single blow of his could directly destroy a small mountain.
Yet the opponent actually blocked such a heavy strike.
It made him look weak.
Even if he didn't want to admit it in his heart, the opponent was very strong.
"You're not bad either, but that's no reason for you to talk so big."
"Boil Style: Unrivaled Strength!"
In one breath, he raised his chakra to its boiling point, causing his entire body's strength to surge in an instant.
Then, even more steam erupted from his body, even from his arms. He wanted to defeat this arrogant enemy before him and prove his own might.
Ryōsuke was no longer so nonchalant this time. With a solemn expression, he seriously prepared to receive the blow.
The clash between the two caused crack after crack to open in the ground.
If the ground here hadn't been hard enough, consisting mostly of rock, the two of them would have already sunk into a crater.
---------------
Want more chapters? 50+ extra chapters are available on my Patreon:
patreon.com/Hard_Worker