(Correction: There was an earlier mistake in the strength comparison between Hanzo and Danzo. It has now been fixed.)
Ever since the livestream was activated, Ryujin had already stopped paying attention to the guild chat.
The battle before him was what truly mattered.
Seeing that the timing was perfect, he decided not to delay any further. Taking the initiative, he moved first.
His gaze fell upon the small earth dragon summoned by Hiruzen Sarutobi. A faint smile appeared on his lips, carrying an almost effortless sense of superiority.
"Just a trivial trick," he said calmly. "Hiruzen Sarutobi… are you really trying to show off such skills in front of me?"
His voice wasn't loud, yet it carried an overwhelming dominance. Infused with chakra, his words echoed across the entire battlefield, reaching every single person present.
For a moment, the expressions of everyone froze—strange, awkward, almost indescribable.
Hiruzen's face, however, darkened instantly.
A trivial trick?
At first glance… it didn't even sound wrong.
The small earth dragon floated in front of Hiruzen, barely the size of a person. In contrast, Ryujin's colossal dragon dominated the sky, large enough to carry him effortlessly through the air.
The difference between the two was so obvious that it didn't even require explanation.
And yet—
The way Ryujin said it made it feel like a slap to the face.
Because that comparison only worked when placed against him.
For ordinary shinobi, even summoning something like Hiruzen's earth dragon was already an incredible feat. If his was considered a "trivial trick," then what were they?
Did they not even qualify as "tricks"?
Inside the livestream, however, the guild members didn't think that deeply.
They weren't familiar with the power system of Ryujin's world. To them, everything they saw felt natural in its own way.
In their eyes, Ryujin's world was simply… full of powerful beings.
Of course, Ryujin himself stood at the absolute peak—that much was unquestionable. But the others didn't seem weak either.
After all, the last time they watched him fight, he had casually taken the Three Legendary Ninja with him and effortlessly defeated Hanzo's giant salamander.
Those were clearly top-tier fighters in that world.
Especially Hanzo, who was even referred to as a "demigod."
With such a comparison in mind, it was only natural for them to assume that everyone in this world was strong.
But—
No one was anywhere close to Ryujin.
Their attention soon shifted downward, toward the battlefield below.
They saw Hiruzen clearly now—the old man wearing a hat marked with the character "Fire," standing firm with his staff. In front of him floated a tiny earth dragon.
Then they looked back at Ryujin.
Then back at Hiruzen.
The difference was so absurd it almost felt comedic.
Eriri blinked in confusion. "Um… what is that old man doing? Is he fighting the Guild Master?"
Utaha smirked faintly. "I don't know why, but looking at his dragon after seeing the Guild Master's… makes me want to laugh."
Asuna nodded thoughtfully. "The gap is too big. No wonder the Guild Master said he's just 'bullying weaklings.'"
Inori quietly added, "Yes… it really is."
Hiruzen, of course, had no idea that his dignity was currently being shredded in another world.
Despite the shock he felt upon seeing Ryujin's massive earth dragon, he did not give in to fear.
He understood something crucial.
Size… did not determine everything.
He had witnessed the Nine-Tails before—had felt the overwhelming, terrifying power of a Tailed Beast firsthand. That kind of existence was beyond human resistance.
Even his teacher, Tobirama Senju, could not defeat such a creature head-on.
Tailed Beasts could only be sealed—not killed.
Compared to that, this so-called "dragon" was still just a ninjutsu construct.
No matter how large it looked, it was still fundamentally an Earth Release technique.
Its power couldn't possibly rival even a fraction of a Tailed Beast.
Hiruzen steadied his breathing.
This… is not enough to defeat me.
Meanwhile, Ryujin stood atop the dragon's head, silently calculating.
The intimidation had reached its peak.
It was time.
Without hesitation, he raised one hand and pointed forward.
"Go."
At his command, the colossal dragon beneath him moved.
It surged forward with terrifying speed.
The moment it accelerated, the entire battlefield seemed to tremble.
The massive body—like a moving mountain—rushed toward Hiruzen with unstoppable force. The sheer visual impact alone was enough to overwhelm anyone watching.
Even Hiruzen, a veteran of countless battles, felt his mind go blank for a split second.
It wasn't fear.
It was pure shock.
A level of overwhelming presence that momentarily halted his thoughts.
But he recovered almost instantly.
With a sharp motion, he directed his own earth dragon forward. The smaller construct shot out, attempting to intercept the incoming behemoth.
However—
The moment it made contact, it was obliterated.
Shattered into nothingness without even slowing the advance.
Still, that brief moment was enough.
Hiruzen slammed his staff into the ground and began forming hand seals at incredible speed.
"Adamantine Prison Wall!"
In an instant, the Adamantine Staff expanded massively. It split into countless segments, layering upon each other in a complex formation.
Within seconds, a massive, reinforced barrier formed—a wall of solid, interlocking rods that resembled an impenetrable fortress.
And then—
BOOM!!!
The colossal dragon crashed into the barrier.
A terrifying shockwave erupted outward, shaking the entire battlefield. The impact carried overwhelming pressure, transmitting directly through the staff and into Hiruzen's body.
I can hold it…! he thought.
The force was immense, but it hadn't broken through yet.
The dragon roared as it pushed forward, its momentum relentless, its presence overwhelming.
Then—
A crack.
"Crack…"
A single rod in the barrier fractured… and disappeared.
Then another.
And another.
The sound of breaking spread rapidly.
Hiruzen's eyes widened.
Impossible…
The realization hit him like a hammer.
His judgment… had been wrong.
The Adamantine barrier—
could not fully withstand this attack.
"Crack… crack… crack…"
The fractures multiplied.
And the wall… was beginning to collapse.