The Amegakure Jonin scanned his surroundings for any sign of support, but there was none. Either the nearby shinobi had already fallen, or the only life left in the area were distant echoes of battle.
"Damn it—I need to get out of here," he muttered.
Resolute, he snapped through a sequence of hand seals and vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.
Gildarts, who had been toying with the Jonin without any real effort, blinked in mild surprise at the sudden retreat. He hadn't fought seriously, trusting his brothers and sisters to dominate the battlefield while he gave them space to enjoy the fight. But allowing an Amegakure Jonin to slip away was out of the question—and certainly not part of his plan.
With a sharp exhale, he surged forward in pursuit.
The fleeing Jonin soon stumbled into another corner of the battlefield, where Renji was locked in a brutal sword duel with an Amegakure comrade. Steel rang against steel as sparks scattered between their blades.
The second Jonin broke momentarily from Renji, glaring at the newcomer.
"What are you doing here? Did you finish your opponent?"
"Yes," the runaway lied smoothly, his tone steady despite the tremor in his chest. "It was difficult, but I managed."
Hidden from Renji's sight, his fingers flashed a subtle hand sign.
The other Jonin caught it immediately. Understanding dawned—this man hadn't won. He had fled from a powerful foe. If that enemy was coming here, their only chance was to unnerve Renji, break his focus, and kill him quickly. Only then could they hope to prepare for the storm that was closing in.
Renji scoffed, his lips curling into a sneer.
"You trash could never defeat Gildarts Onii-san. That's something you do only in your dreams and fantasies. Bluff all you like—it won't work on me!"
With a sharp breath, he began a chant, his voice carrying over the clash of battle:
Hadō Number 11: Tsuzuri Raiden.
Crackling lightning surged to life, coating his blade in a jagged glow. Renji drove the weapon into the sodden earth, and the rain-drenched battlefield became his ally. Electricity raced across the waterlogged ground, snapping and hissing as it reached both Amegakure Jonin. They jerked violently, stunned by the current, though not fatally struck—the technique lacked the power to put them down completely.
Renji didn't care. He hadn't intended to finish them with that spell. His hand was already raised, fingers tightening into a point as he began another incantation, his voice sharp and commanding.
"Hadō Number 4!"
A searing bolt of blue lightning erupted from his fingertip, streaking straight toward the Jonin he had been duelling. The target tried to twist away, but not fast enough—the blast tore into his right side, punching through flesh and muscle, leaving a smouldering wound just short of the heart.
Just then, Gildarts sprinted onto the scene and planted himself in front of the runaway Amegakure jōnin, cutting off any escape. His eyes narrowed, voice cold.
"So, you came here after running."
He shifted his gaze toward Renji.
"I'm sorry, Renji. I wasn't fighting him seriously and ended up letting him slip away—messing with your battle."
Renji waved him off with a casual flick of his hand.
"Don't worry about it, Onii-san. I wasn't struggling. Even if he had joined in, it would've just made things slightly more troublesome. I'm confident I could've beaten both of them at once."
Gildarts nodded without hesitation, no trace of doubt in his expression. His faith in his brother's strength was absolute.
"Yeah," he said firmly. "I believe you completely."
After that brief exchange, Gildarts turned back to the runaway Jonin, his tone sharp and unyielding.
"Now I'll fight you seriously. Don't even think about running this time."
Fear flickered across the Jonin's face. He staggered back, fumbling for weapons, then flung a spread of kunai, each tied with an explosive tag.
Gildarts charged straight in, weaving through the barrage in a sharp zig-zag. One by one the tags detonated, roaring in a chain of thunderous blasts, but every explosion landed just behind him—close enough to scorch the ground, never close enough to touch him.
Closing the distance, Gildarts skidded to a halt, fist clenched tight. He drove his punch forward, Crush Magic crackling through his arm and roaring outward in a wave of destructive force.
Panicked, the Amegakure Jonin ripped a massive shuriken from his back and raised it like a shield. In his mind, the weapon would absorb the blow—maybe shatter, but still buy him cover. He braced behind it, convinced the steel would keep him alive.
But his plan failed.
As Gildarts' fist drove forward, Crush Magic erupted in an expanding shockwave, tearing through air and earth alike. The ground split apart, breaking into countless floating cubes, while above, a glowing white grid raced outward at terrifying speed.
The grid obliterated the giant shuriken in an instant, shattering it into fragments of cubes. A heartbeat later, the same fate consumed the Jonin himself—his body breaking apart into gleaming cubes before vanishing completely.
This was why Gildarts so rarely unleashed his power at full force. He despised the gruesome sight of human bodies dissolving into cubes under his magic.
Meanwhile, Renji was ending his own fight. His opponent, already grievously wounded by Hadō Number 4, could no longer form hand seals or grip his blade properly. With his right side torn open, even swinging the sword had become a struggle.
Two more clashes rang out—steel against steel—before Renji's blade cut clean through the man's neck. The head fell, and the battle was over.
Just as the two brothers ended their battles, the air shifted.
A biting chill swept across the battlefield, sharp enough to sting their lungs with every breath. Frost laced the ground, the sudden drop in temperature gnawing at their skin.
Renji and Gildarts didn't need to glance at each other to confirm what they already knew.
The same name echoed in both of their minds.
Todoroki.
----
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