By the way I have a fanfic at 24 chapters rn. It's about American Football, check it out.
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Ren's Nexus Ultraman wasn't entirely his own creation. In fact, much of the series was written by his disciple, Felix. While most of the plot closely followed the uncut version from Ren's previous world, there were still several differences, especially with the recently concluded "Ryo Arc."
In the uncut original, there was no "Mephisto II" in Ryo's final battle. Instead, Ryo's last fight was against Garubelos EX. However, even though the boss fights differed from the original, the story was still well-received in this world. Fans were satisfied overall, though many complained that the new arc brought another change in Nexus's host too soon.
After all, Jun's arc lasted over 20 episodes, and now Ryo had only been the host for 12 episodes. Many fans wished he had stayed on for at least 20 episodes. Fans had come to like Ryo and his character. Nonetheless, since Picca Comics gave Ryo a decent conclusion, most fans just voiced minor complaints online.
As another week began, the latest episode of Nexus Ultraman picked up where the last one left off. Although Ryo's skillful control spared Goroyuki's life, the fact remained: Nexus hosts were like expendable tools, and that technique had drained a significant amount of Ryo's life force.
Fortunately, the completion of the Raphael drug saved Ryo, giving him the chance to keep living. However, because of this, Ryo had to separate from Nexus.
This left viewers eagerly anticipating who the next Nexus host would be.
But when the new episode aired, all the fans were left in shock.
"Wait, what?"
"How is it him?"
"This can't be right! Even a glorious, handsome guy like me didn't get to become the light!"
Fans were baffled and outraged. The new Nexus host wasn't who they had expected — not Goemon, but the character they liked the least: Xena! Although Xena's character had somewhat redeemed herself after Jun's arc, most viewers had only gone from hating her to feeling sorry for her.
No one thought she would become Nexus!
"What about Goemon?"
"Why isn't it him?"
Picca Comics wasn't about to answer any fan questions.
Xena's arc, much like in the original, lasted only nine episodes and featured six alien beasts. Xena transformed into Nexus's orange "adult form" to fight these creatures.
Each form of Ultraman had its specialties. For example, Nexus's blue form excelled in ranged energy attacks. In Ren's world, Felix had suggested that the orange form focus on hand-to-hand combat, akin to the style of Ultraman Leo.
To make this martial arts-focused form truly stand out, Ren even hired a famous martial arts instructor to train the suit actors for an extended period. Because of this, fans who were initially disappointed that Xena was the new Nexus were soon captivated by the intense fight choreography.
Of course, the orange form didn't lack energy attacks either. It could unleash the "Octagon Slicer." When viewers saw Xena using the Octagon Slicer like a buzzsaw to slice through a monster's neck, they were thrilled.
"Wow, that's brutal!"
...
Meanwhile, Naruto was heating up as well.
Over this period, fans witnessed the epic fight between the Five Kage and Madara, and they were deeply moved by Itachi's unwavering love for his brother, Sasuke.
Though many fans believed Itachi's actions were unforgivable, they couldn't deny that his love for Sasuke was genuine. Itachi's love was intense and, in a way, misguided. He made life-changing decisions for Sasuke without ever consulting him, which reminded some fans of overbearing parents.
These parents, like Itachi, acted based on what they thought was best for their children, often without considering the children's feelings.
In Sakura Country, Leo, the man who commissioned Ren to create Naruto, lay lazily on a tatami mat with some rice crackers by his side. Although Leo had a reputation as a shrewd, high-powered corporate leader, at home, he was just a laid-back guy.
"Ah, finally, a new update."
He crunched on a rice cracker as he opened the latest chapter of Naruto.
To be honest, when Leo had invited Ren to Sakura Country to create a ninja-themed manga, it was a whim. He had already gone through many local manga artists but found none of them met his standards. So, out of a sense of desperation, he called Ren. Worst case scenario, he would just pay for a plane ticket — something his wealthy family could easily afford.
He never expected Ren's manga would turn out to be so brilliant.
But there was one thing that frustrated him.
Despite the manga showcasing the powerful Senju clan — known for producing the god of shinobi, Hashirama, and founding Konoha — Leo had yet to see much of the clan in the story.
Whenever Konoha's families were mentioned, it was always about the Uchiha, the Hyuga, or the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
"What happened to the Senju?"
Leo wondered if Konoha's current leadership had conspired to suppress the clan's influence, just as they had seemingly done with Naruto, the son of the Fourth Hokage.
If they could neglect Naruto like that, they were probably capable of sidelining the entire Senju clan for their own gain.
"Oh well, at least that's just a story." Leo chuckled and shook his head. "Our Senju clan is still going strong in the real world."
After reflecting, he opened the new chapter of Naruto.
In the latest installment, the fans finally learned that the Gedo Statue was actually the husk of the Ten-Tails. Now that it had absorbed the chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts, it was beginning to transform into its true form.
In a desperate attempt to stop the Ten-Tails from reviving, Naruto and his allies launched a full-frontal assault on the Masked Man, but they couldn't even land a hit on him. The mysterious Masked Man expertly used his phasing abilities to avoid every attack, leaving Naruto with no effective moves left.
"Hah, no wonder he's out of tricks."
Leo snickered as he continued to read. Naruto had always relied on a handful of techniques — Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Rasengan. Against someone like the Masked Man, who could phase through attacks, those moves weren't going to cut it.
But, as the protagonist, Naruto's luck always turned around in the end.
With determination, Naruto unleashed one last attack aimed directly at the Masked Man. Yet again, the Masked Man dodged it with ease.
"Ugh, if that had hit, he'd be finished!"
"How long is it going to take them to figure out this guy's weakness? Danzo's men almost had it figured out."
But before the fans could finish their complaints, the next scene revealed something shocking. A crack appeared on the Masked Man's mask.
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