"Die!"
The burly man's body surged with Lightning Release chakra. He stomped hard on the ground and charged forward at incredible speed.
No matter what, anyone who had discovered the secret of the Lightning Armor had to die!
"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
A high-pressure air bullet struck the burly man's chest, but it failed to cause any damage.
Sarutobi Hiruzen formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire!"
A fiery dragon roared toward the brute. Faced with the blazing flames, the brute didn't take the hit head-on this time—instead, he sidestepped to dodge the fire dragon.
Though the Lightning Armor had strong defensive power, he couldn't just stand there taking hits like a fool.
Taking advantage of his evasive movement, Renya flickered in front of him, the tip of his blade thrusting directly at the brute's right eye.
"Naive."
The brute reached out and grabbed the blade. Lightning Release chakra crackled in his hand, seemingly about to snap the blade in two.
Renya gripped the hilt tightly and forced down with strength. The blade only bent slightly and didn't break.
The brute stared at the blade in surprise.
Looks like this is a fine sword…
It would be a shame to damage it. Might as well take it and give it to a teammate who could use it.
With that thought, the brute gave up on breaking the katana. Suddenly, he let go and swung a punch at Renya's face.
Renya raised his head and activated a genjutsu with his Sharingan. Caught off guard, the brute fell under the illusion, his attack freezing mid-motion.
Renya seized the moment to pull away.
"Renya, are you alright?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
The brute's earlier attack had severely injured his internal organs.
He'd thought Renya was just as badly hurt, but when he turned to look—
Renya's complexion was still rosy.
Hiruzen was stunned.
Renya clearly looked uninjured, but he'd just seen him get hit by that brute!
Was he seeing things?
Uchiha Kagami came over as well, his expression just as confused.
Shimura Danzō, however, remained calm—he knew well how fast Renya could recover.
"I'm fine," Renya replied softly.
Looking at the brute in front of him, Renya frowned.
"This guy's Lightning Armor is really a pain..."
"Renya-kun, we'll buy you an opening!" Uchiha Kagami said.
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded in agreement.
"The three of us can hold on for a while. We're counting on you to take him down."
"Renya, don't let us down," Shimura Danzō added in a low voice.
If they couldn't finish this brute soon, they were all going to die here.
"I'll help."
Koharu Utatane entered the battlefield.
Mitokado Homura's condition had stabilized. He was no longer in immediate danger.
"Koharu, you came at just the right time," Uchiha Kagami said with a smile.
"Alright! Let's buy Renya time!" Hiruzen shouted, leading the charge with his Adamantine Staff.
The other three quickly followed.
The brute watched the four of them rush at him and sneered.
"Your attacks are useless against me!"
The battle ignited in full force.
...
BOOM—!
The Adamantine Staff was effortlessly knocked aside. Sarutobi Hiruzen's hands were already mangled and bloody.
Uchiha Kagami and Shimura Danzō were both struck by the brute, seriously wounded yet still gritting their teeth to fight on.
Koharu Utatane continuously used medical ninjutsu, just to ease their pain.
But the repeated use of healing jutsu had drained her—her face was growing paler and paler.
Renya stood not far away, watching his teammates struggle. A rare look of urgency appeared on his face.
His Sharingan closely observed the brief moment when the Lightning Armor would vanish. If he could catch that moment, the defense would break, and the tide of battle could completely turn.
Just then, the Lightning Armor around the brute began to flicker slightly. The blue-white lightning arcs sparkled erratically like a faulty connection.
That was the sign of the armor fading. His attack speed had noticeably slowed.
Renya had been watching for nearly twenty minutes and discovered the pattern: every time the Lightning Armor was maintained for about five minutes, it would enter a short, three-second decline.
During that time, the Lightning Release armor couldn't enhance either his speed or defense.
"Now!"
Renya gripped his sword tightly and flickered to the brute's side.
The brute was startled by Renya's sudden appearance.
He never expected this young shinobi to so precisely catch the moment his Lightning Armor faded—and launch a timely strike.
At that moment, he was firmly tied down by the other four and had no time to dodge.
His only option was to instinctively raise his right arm in defense.
Shiiing—
The blade flashed.
The sharp edge sliced into the brute's arm, and the poison surged through his veins like wildfire.
His arm instantly turned black with web-like markings, spreading rapidly from the wound.
"Got him!" Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but shout.
Shimura Danzō and Koharu Utatane looked visibly relieved.
They were all well aware of how potent Renya's poison was.
The moment the brute was poisoned, the fight was effectively over.
Everyone quickly pulled back to avoid a desperate counterattack.
Renya's lips curled into a slight smile as he watched the brute, awaiting the moment the poison took effect and ended it all.
"Heh… you really think it's over?" the brute sneered coldly.
The moment he realized he'd been poisoned, he raised his blade—
And sliced off his own poisoned right arm.
The motion was smooth, clean, and without hesitation.
SWOOSH!
Blood sprayed high into the air. The severed arm hit the ground.
The brute's face showed no pain at all. Instead, he grinned viciously.
"Looks like I underestimated you."
His icy gaze locked onto Renya—the one who had cost him his arm.
Renya stared back without flinching, and immediately cast another genjutsu with his Sharingan.
It probably wouldn't work—but if it annoyed him, that was enough.
The brute froze for a moment and then snapped out of it, even angrier than before.
"Good, good, good! You've really pissed me off now!"
Something shocking happened.
The Lightning Release chakra around him suddenly surged. The lightning turned from pale blue to a blinding white. His hair stood on end. The ground cracked beneath him from the high-voltage current.
"You've forced me to use it..."
The brute clenched his remaining fist. The air popped and snapped around him.
"I'm going to crush your bones—inch by inch!"
Losing one arm had somehow made him even faster—twice as fast!
His figure turned into streaks of lightning, ricocheting across the battlefield.
Each time he flashed, a sound of bones breaking followed.
CRACK! Uchiha Kagami's ribs were shattered, and he was sent flying.
BAM— Shimura Danzō took a knee strike to the gut and was launched.
Koharu Utatane, the support shinobi, was instantly knocked unconscious.
Renya watched the brute move like lightning, but didn't panic.
He knew—this state couldn't last long.
If they could endure it, there was still hope!
His three-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly, but all it could catch was a blur of afterimages.
He had just raised his guard when a kick struck his abdomen.
He was sent flying.
"Renya!" Sarutobi Hiruzen shouted, worried.
"Better worry about yourself!" the brute snarled, appearing in front of Hiruzen and striking at his face.
Hiruzen tried to block with his staff, but it was knocked from his hands and embedded itself in the distant ground.
His body was thrown into the air and slammed hard into the dirt. Blood spilled from his mouth.
ZZZZT...
The Lightning Armor around the brute flickered and vanished. He could no longer sustain it.
"Heh… Perfect timing."
He looked down at the severely wounded shinobi and smiled with satisfaction.
Just then, a cold voice rang out from nearby.
"Oh? Are you sure it's perfect timing?"