Chapter 173: A Line Crossed
The moment Ren revealed his identity, a wave of palpable fear swept through the Iwagakure shinobi. They tightened their grips on their weapons, their faces pale. Ren's infamy preceded him.
Kurotsuchi, however, was the exception. Instead of fear, her eyes sparkled with intense curiosity and a reckless challenge. She looked him up and down, a smirk playing on her lips.
"So you're Uchiha Ren? I have to say, you're much more handsome than your bounty poster suggests," she remarked, her tone almost playful. "The old man warned me repeatedly to run the other way if I ever saw you. But honestly? After hearing how you destroyed Kumogakure, I'm more curious than scared."
"You should have listened to your grandfather," Ren replied, his voice flat and devoid of emotion.
"Tch! Don't you dare lecture me!" she shot back, her smirk widening. "I don't care what you did to Kumo or Konoha. The fact is, you sneaked into the Land of Earth and used genjutsu on one of our ninja. I, Kurotsuchi, can't just let you walk away after that!"
The surrounding shinobi gasped. One of them, the squad leader, found his voice. "L-Lady Kurotsuchi! The Tsuchikage's orders were explicit! We are not, under any circumstances, to engage Uchiha Ren! We must obey!"
Kurotsuchi ignored the plea. With a defiant snort, she lunged forward, her hands already flying through a sequence of hand seals.
"Lady Kurotsuchi! Damn it! Everyone, protect her! Jigoku, fire the signal flare! Alert every outpost in the area! Contact the village immediately and inform the Tsuchikage!" the leader barked, springing into action.
"I understand!" The sensory ninja, Jigoku, fumbled for a flare. A bright red streak shot into the sky, bursting into a brilliant, warning light. He then closed his eyes, focusing to send a mental message back to Iwagakure.
Ren watched the flurry of activity with a sigh of resignation. "I don't have time for this. I need to get back." His expression turned cold. "So let's make this quick."
He closed his eyes for a brief moment. When they opened again, they were no longer ordinary. The pupils had morphed into the sinister, hypnotic pattern of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
"The Mangekyo!" one of the more knowledgeable Iwa-nin whispered, his voice trembling with terror.
Unfazed, Kurotsuchi completed her seals. "*Lava Style: Quicklime Congealing Technique!*"
She leaped into the air, spitting several globs of white, corrosive quicklime down at Ren. Ren didn't bother to move. A skeletal ribcage of grey chakra—the first stage of the Susanoo—materialized around him, deflecting the attack effortlessly. The quicklime splattered harmlessly on the ground around him.
Kurotsuchi landed, her hands already forming another set of seals. "*Water Style: Water Trumpet!*"
This time, she unleashed a powerful jet of water from her mouth, not aimed at Ren, but at the quicklime on the ground. The two elements combined, rapidly expanding into a fast-hardening cement that surged towards Ren's feet. But it merely lapped against the base of the Susanoo's ribs, unable to touch him.
"Damn it! Blocked again! What kind of chakra is that?!" she gritted her teeth in frustration.
"Is that all you have?" Ren's voice was laced with disdain. "I've grown tired of this game." A murderous intent began to radiate from him, thick and heavy.
The skeletal Susanoo began to evolve. Ethereal muscles and veins wove over the bones, followed by gleaming, samurai-like armor. In moments, a complete, towering Susanoo, over ten meters tall, stood before them, an avatar of destruction. In its right hand, black flames erupted and coalesced into a massive sword of Amaterasu.
The Iwa-nin stared, utterly paralyzed by the sheer scale and oppressive aura of the construct. It was a sight beyond their comprehension.
Their stupor was their undoing. Ren felt no mercy. The Susanoo raised the blazing black sword high and brought it down in a cataclysmic arc aimed directly at the clustered shinobi.
The air itself screamed as the blade descended. The Iwa-nin, snapping out of their daze too late, scrambled to escape. A few, including the agile Kurotsuchi, managed to leap clear.
The result was instantaneous and horrifying. The ground where the majority had stood was cleaved open, a river of Amaterasu fire igniting instantly. More than half of the border guards were vaporized or consumed by the inextinguishable black flames.
The survivors, including Kurotsuchi, stared in horror at the smoldering crater where their comrades had been. Grief and rage twisted their faces. They turned as one, their hatred focused entirely on Ren, and began forming seals for a desperate, futile counterattack.
"Uchiha Ren! You monster!" Kurotsuchi screamed, her voice cracking. She was covered in dust, her clothes torn. The initial shock had worn off, replaced by a searing pain and guilt. Her recklessness had led to this massacre.
"You brought this upon yourselves," Ren stated coldly from within his divine warrior. "Now you must bear the consequences. Though the price... is indeed high."
He looked down at the handful of survivors, the Amaterasu sword in the Susanoo's hand still dripping black fire. The line had been crossed. There was no turning back now.
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