Clang! Clang!
Steel clashed against steel as Renjiro and Meri traded a storm of deadly blows. Their blades danced, each strike sharper and faster than the last.
It wasn't until their swords locked in a tense clash that Renjiro truly realized how far her swordsmanship had come. Her relentless training—and his own guidance in taijutsu—had paid off. Right now, she could go toe-to-toe with him in close combat.
"Renjiro! Get back!"
Maemon's voice rang out from behind.
Whoosh!
But Renjiro had already sensed him through Mind Net. He saw Maemon forming hand seals—and without hesitation, launched himself into the air.
He wasn't worried. Maemon wouldn't hurt Meri. Not under these circumstances.
"Earth Release: Grasping Swamp!"
The ground beneath Meri instantly turned to thick, sucking mud. Her foot sank deep, and before she could react, the marsh swallowed her lower legs—locking her in place.
"Renjiro!" Maemon called out.
"No need to tell me!" Renjiro replied sharply.
He hadn't expected Maemon to know such an effective Earth-style trap—but he wasn't about to waste the opportunity.
Whoosh!
Mid-air, Renjiro twisted his body, raising his blade and bringing it down toward Meri like a falling thunderbolt.
But even trapped, Meri wasn't defenseless. Her blade shot upward in a flash.
Clang!
Steel met steel once more, sparks bursted from the collision.
Yet her stance was broken. With her feet submerged in the muddy swamp, she had no stable footing. The ground shifted beneath her, pulling her slightly deeper. She stumbled—and exposed a critical opening.
Renjiro saw it immediately. Without hesitation, he released his blade with his right hand, drawing back his fist to knock her out—just like he had done with Maemon.
But then—he froze. His eyes landed on her pale and beautiful face.
"Damn it!"
His fist trembled. He couldn't bring himself to strike her in the abdomen. Not like he did with Maemon.
"Ahh…"
Renjiro let out a sigh—then quickly shifted his hand, delivering a sharp karate chop to the base of Meri's neck.
Bang!
Her body tensed—then went limp.
As she collapsed, Renjiro dropped to one knee and caught her gently in his arms, lowering her safely to the ground.
Behind him, Maemon deactivated his jutsu, walking over with a scowl.
"Oi, oi—seriously?" Maemon said in a mix of annoyance and frustration: "You punched me like a freight train, and she gets a soft neck tap?"
Renjiro rolled his eyes, and said flatly: "If you were a girl, I'd have hit you the same way."
"Take care of her." Then his expression turned serious. He carefully handed Meri over to Maemon, his gaze was already sweeping the area.
"Got it. Leave them to me." Maemon responded without hesitation, instantly catching the shift in Renjiro's tone.
They were deep in enemy territory, and time was short. Maemon cradled Meri carefully and rushed her back toward Tsugami, who was still nursing his injuries in the rear.
Renjiro turned toward the darkness at the back of the room, raising his blade with a steady hand. His voice was cold, like ice cutting through fog: "Your Genjutsu failed. Are you going to show yourself, or keep hiding in the dark?"
"Failed?" A low, mocking voice echoed through the silence.
"No… you've misunderstood." The voice grew clearer as its owner stepped forward: "Four shinobi and a dog. Two are already down. The other two? Barely standing. And the dog? Not even worth mentioning."
From the shadows, the Mist Missing-nin Special Jonin emerged at last—calm, smug, and utterly confident.
He carried himself with arrogant ease, and why wouldn't he? Half of Renjiro's team had been taken out before even laying eyes on him.
A chilling reminder of what high-level Genjutsu could do.
"That Genjutsu trick won't work on me again," Renjiro said in a cold, sharp tone, narrowing his eyes.
Genjutsu was dangerous—but only if it actually trapped the target in an illusion.
"You're overconfident… especially for a Chunin." The Missing-nin sneered.
Before Renjiro could respond, the enemy suddenly vanished in a blur.
Body Flicker Jutsu!
Whoosh!
"Too fast!" Renjiro's Mind Net flared—an urgent warning flashing through his thoughts.
In the blink of an eye, the enemy appeared behind him.
Whoosh!
Renjiro instinctively dove to the side—just as a kunai stabbed into the ground where he had been standing a second earlier.
His eyes widened in disbelief: "When did he get behind me?"
He turned to look—and there stood the Mist-nin, standing exactly where Renjiro had been facing moments ago.
Renjiro quickly looked back toward the man he had just been speaking to—
Splash!
The figure burst into water, splashing into the ground.
"A Water Clone?" Renjiro muttered in a low voice.
"Sensory types… always such a pain." The Missing-nin muttered with irritation.
"This bad..." Renjiro exhaled sharply.
Civilian-grade AI chips just aren't designed for combat use. Their sensory abilities lack precision, and even the Mind Net can't accurately distinguish clones from real bodies—especially with the difference in strength between both sides.
"Hey, kid." The Missing-nin said with a sneer: "Didn't you just say you wouldn't fall for my Genjutsu again?"
Renjiro didn't respond. He blocked out the taunt, focusing all his attention on his next move.
Mind Net: Activated!
Time Bullet: Maxed Out!
Combat Visual Assistance Mode: Fully Engaged!
Seeing the cold, serious look on Renjiro's face, the Missing-nin simply smiled and spoke in a low, venomous tone: "Genjutsu, at its core, is simple—it's just deception. If you can tell reality from illusion, then it has no power over you."
"But if you can't…" He stepped forward, and continued: "Then you're just another victim, lost in a world of illusion."
A cold, terrifying smile crept across his face as he moved a step closer to Renjiro: "So tell me, kid… can you see through my deception?"
[Beep! Beep! Beep!]
A blaring alarm from Arkain rang in Renjiro's mind.
[Warning! Abnormal fluctuations in host's spiritual activity detected. Genjutsu infiltration suspected!]
Renjiro's eyes shot open in shock: "When—when did he trap me again?!"
Body Flicker Jutsu!
Whoosh!
But there was no time to think. In a flash, the enemy appeared behind him!
Acting on instinct, Renjiro slashed backward with his sword—
Fshhh!
—but his blade sliced through nothing.
The figure dissolved like a ghost fading into a nightmare.
"Damn it—another illusion!" Renjiro growled, gritting his teeth.
His Mind Web depended on mental energy, but Genjutsu worked by disrupting the mind through chakra manipulation—making his sensory network almost useless against it.
Time Bullet gave Renjiro just enough insight to spot patterns and openings—but truthfully, he wasn't yet strong enough to go toe-to-toe with a Special Jonin.
Without hesitation, he bit down on his tongue. The sharp jolt of pain snapped his mind back, shattering the illusion.
Once more, he activated all three systems at full power—Mind Net, Time Bullet, and Combat Visual Assistance—working in perfect sync.
"I'm not going down like this." Renjiro thought, locking eyes on his opponent from his new sharpened perspective.
The effect was intense. Every trace of movement, every fluctuation in chakra, even the faintest shift in the air, surged into his awareness.
"Left!"
The moment he sensed movement, Renjiro spun and hurled three kunai toward the disturbance.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
But all three passed through the figure like it was smoke—just another illusion.
"That shouldn't be possible—I already broke his Genjutsu!" Renjiro nearly shouted in disbelief.
Hidden in the shadows, the Special Jonin narrowed his eyes: "Sensory types… always such a pain to deal with."
Without a moment's delay, he began forming hand seals.
Ninjutsu: Hidden Mist Jutsu!
A thick fog exploded across the room, swallowing everything in white. Within seconds, visibility dropped to zero.
"Damn it…" Renjiro's heart pounded—his situation had just gone from bad to worse.
Then came the voice—chilling, weightless, and echoing from every direction: "You little bastard… now you'll experience what real assassination combat feels like."
But Renjiro didn't flinch. The worse the situation, the calmer you have to be.
The Mist-nin smirked coldly and began forming a new set of hand seals.
Secret Art: Illusory Execution Jutsu!
Renjiro stood motionless, his every sense fully turned on, waiting for the enemy to strike.
Wandering blindly through a mist-covered battlefield was far riskier than staying still. At least this way, he could control his position and limit openings.
Then—
Whss!
Within his accelerated perception, he noticed a subtle disturbance behind him—the mist was shifting in an unnatural way.
Most wouldn't have noticed it. But Renjiro had once faced deadly Mist-nin like Zabuza, masters of silent killing. He never forgot the signs.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Renjiro spun around and slashed his blade with full force.
The gust from his swing sliced through the mist, briefly revealing a silhouette—but it vanished like a ghost.
The Missing-nin didn't give him a second to breathe. Two more figures suddenly emerged from the fog—one from the left, one from the right. A classic ambush.
"Which one is real? Or are they both fake?" Renjiro's heart pounded.
But hesitation was deadlier than choosing wrong.
"Then I'll take them both!"
He lunged to the right, driving his blade into the attacker's chest—
—but something felt off. No resistance. No impact.
Another illusion!
Whoosh!
Without wasting a moment, he whipped a kunai toward the one on the left.
At the same time, his instincts screamed. He dropped low, twisted backward, and slashed into the fog behind him—
CLANG!
Steel met steel. The impact tore the mist apart, revealing the real enemy.
---
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