Chapter 59

Bancho was a title earned by Digimon who continue to emerge victorious in battles with fierce champions, without their spirit being "broken". The title of Bancho was originally taken by Digimon who watched old movies and admired the idea of such "ringleaders." When a Bancho Digimon dies, they can also pass their title onto another Digimon.

It was one of the titles that granted a power up to the digimon, like making them directly Mega level. It also gave a boost in stats, spirit and immunity to physical attacks along with having insane regeneration ability. It also allowed the title holder to survive one shot attacks and even gave them one last burst of energy in dire times.

Bancho was a title that couldn't be earned by digimon under a tamer because they were supposed to be leaders and not followers. Each Bancho digimon had a gang that followed their commands and they had territories that they ruled accordingly.

These digimon were not just hotheaded fighters but true leaders.

The other titles were Royal Knight, Olympus 12, Celestials, Heralds, Four Great Dragons, Digimon Sovereign, Beast King, Dragon King, Dragon Emperor, Emperor of Mankind etc.

Every title brought a benefit with it and was granted by the world itself. These were like rare gems that many people wanted but barely anyone could earn them.

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Naruto and his team were training inside the Native Forest since it was close to the city and it was appropriate for newcomers. He had been guiding the team while training Asura to control his overwhelming power and sparring with Rambo to improve his prowess when these guests appeared in front of him.

He wasn't alarmed since the Bancho were good guys and would never commit criminal activities. These digimon were one of the guardians of the digital world and helped the weak. They were also close friends with Gankoomon.

"Hello kid, I heard from my friend that you were a good fighter so I am here to confirm that claim. My name be Bancho Leomon and I shall honor this battle with my friendship." Walking at the front of the group was the strongest Bancho Digimon and leader of the group. He was the younger brother of the Beast Emperor, Regulumon, and the leader of the Brave Warriors.

He was similar to Leomon but more humanoid and was wearing a black jacket. He looked chill and friendly, which was a characteristic of the group.

The Bancho were good friends that would fight to death for you. However, it wasn't easy to earn the friendship. It wasn't easy to impress the digimon and they despised weakness.

"It is an honor to meet you, but who is your friend that spoke about me?" Naruto didn't flinch or show weakness in front of such a powerful group and talked to them normally. Showing desire for escape would lower their expectations and ruin the impression. These digimon liked fighting against the odds and didn't like a leader that put his life above his followers. To them their followers like family and none were allowed to die. Each death followed carnage and a period of grief.

"It's the monkey sage; he was praising you to high heaven when we came across him. Couldn't believe our ears when he said a human could fight him in skill, so we all decided to come and see ya. It is not every day you see that monkey praise someone, so we have some expectations." Bancho Lillymon answered in a calm tone while her fighting spirit could be felt through her gaze. She was the complete opposite of the innocent and cute Lillymon.

"Otherwise, we will be having a monkey hunt season this year." Bancho Knightmon joked with a grin that felt like he desired to go through it in reality.

These battle freaks really liked to take any chance to fight strong digimon and climb the rankings with the aim to become the strongest in the world. Keeping to their spirit, these creatures really had a strong growth rate and were transcendental species.

It was unknown whether the known Bancho Digimon could actually climb to Ultra rank or not.

"Don't pressure the child and believe in the monkey sage. He may love pranks, but he would never lie about battles. This day will not be a waste of our time since we will benefit one way or another." Keeping them in check was Bancho Metallife Kabuterimon, who also the one that specialized in tactics and intelligence within the group. All of them were Bancho but each had a specialty.

Bancho Leomon was an all rounder and strongest amongst them, his main point was close combat.

Bancho Lilymon specialized mid range combat and debuff usage.

Bancho Knightmon specialized in swordsmanship, riding skills, taming skills and mental attacks.

Bancho Stingmon specialized in speed, poison and long range attacks.

Bancho Gorimon specialized in strength and group attacks.

Bancho Mamemon specialized in durability.

Bancho Golemon specialized in stamina and offence.

Looking at so many overpowering characters gathered in front of them, the teens were paralyzed from the pressure and couldn't look at them directly.

Even Kari had difficulty in standing straight and only the crest along with her experience with various mega digimon helped her look at them straight in the eye. The battle spirit of the creatures would make weaker creatures back down without a fight.

The Bancho would usually keep it in control but they were testing all of them so it was being used and it could get much worse since at full power it could kill all champion level digimon within a certain range, 10 km.

Seeing that the Bancho were pressurizing him, Naruto also fought back with his battle spirit and showed that he wasn't some fodder. His vast battle experience combined with his desire for combat was conveyed and fought against their spirits.

Without a moment of hesitation all of them took on and Naruto's offence with their spirit. They didn't attack since it would be considered unfair with all of them combined. However, defending gave them what they desired.

Bancho Golemon stood like a mountain with his strict gaze as he easily endured it. He was one of the harshest among the group. He was harsh on himself and on others, which was why he tended to live in dangerous areas like the infinity mountain. The mountain range had high level gravity and was filled with powerful digimon.

Bancho Stingmon was the prideful one in the group. He had extreme pride in his abilities and anyone that damaged his pride then he would not forgive them. With his pride on the line, the digimon brushed aside Naruto's attempt and gave him a challenging smirk.

Bancho Gorimon was the one that looked gentle in the group but was easy to anger and would become filled with rage. Holding back the rage that came at being challenged, Bacho Gorimon crushed the offence.

The result was the same for everyone since all of them had more experience in battle and were stronger than Naruto. Their desire for combat also overpowered his desire.

Nonetheless, it did prove his competency and showed that Gokuwmon was telling the truth.

"Not bad kid, now let's see your defence." Bancho Leo chewed on a tree branch as he stepped forward and released his presence on Naruto.

It was the first time Naruto ever felt such pressure. He could have experienced worse before but the human group had suppressed their powers during the meeting.

It was the spirit of character and battle being used and not the actual power or Naruto would have been killed. It was one of the ways to see the strength of character.

Naruto didn't step back and walked forward, standing close to the Bancho and looked him in the eyes, "How about trying harder because this won't do at all."

Naruto's words of challenge shocked Kari. She didn't expect him to say such crazy things at all. It was her first time watching his crazy side that didn't back down in front of overwhelming force.

'I am reminded of brother, Marcus and Davis.'

"Hahaha, now that's more like it. Now, don't complain boy." With that, Bancho Leo used his full force and almost made Naruto kneel.

Naruto bit his lips and gripped his hands tightly while thinking of his enemies and friends. He couldn't allow defeat. He would not kneel. He would not give. He would not retreat.

Handling the pressure like a champ, Naruto's spirit was being transformed further as he endured such offence.

Satisfied with his performance, Bancho Leomon stopped and put his hand forward.

"You have a strong spirit, Naruto. I would be happy to have you as a friend." Calling him by name meant that the Bancho had accepted the person as being worthy.

Naruto shook hands with him and felt grateful that the lion stopped his attack or he would have lost consciousness. He was still not on the level of these creatures and needed to strengthen his mind and spirit.

"Is that all? I thought we were going to fight."

"Oh, we are going to fight. I just thought you needed some rest before I break your bones."

"I don't think you need to worry about that, since I am quite sturdy."

"Is that so? Then without further ado let us spar. We will keep our powers in check and just have a normal fight." Leo was satisfied with Naruto's performance and wanted to see his fighting skills.

"I don't have a problem with that." With their powers settled on the same level because of Leo's expert control, it was a fair fight according to stats.

The other Bancho created a ring around them and made sure that the battle didn't damage the surroundings.

Asura and Rambo were just forced to watch as they had been unable to move just like the others. They were still not strong enough to handle such pressure.

However, the experience helped them and their continued struggle against the aggression helped their transformation. It was the reason why Bancho Golemon kept his pressure on them because he desired to help them achieve excellence. It was his way of helping others even though it looked like torture.

Letting his partners train under the pressure from such powerful digimon, Naruto decided to do his best against the new foe and test his improvement. He had been improving every day since he started training to become the best. Gokuwmon had been the first loss in a long time, but he had learnt from that experience and knew he was better now.

But, was it enough for Bancho Leomon when Gokuwmon hadn't even used his full power?