The final whistle at the Stadio Artemio Franchi signaled more than just a 3-0 victory over Empoli. It signaled the birth of a new era. Fiorentina had now scored 16 goals in 5 matches. In the notoriously defensive Serie A, this wasn't just a win streak; it was a statistical anomaly.
Vincenzo Montella didn't wait for Renzo to reach the bench. He met the boy halfway, wrapping him in a fatherly hug. "Sixty minutes was too long, Ren," Montella whispered. "I got greedy watching you play."
Montella was terrified. He realized that the 16-year-old he had borrowed from Liverpool was no longer just a "prospect"—he was the Tactical Core. If Renzo's hamstring snapped, Fiorentina's Champions League dreams snapped with it.
As Renzo sat on the bench, draped in towels and sipping electrolytes, he watched his teammates finish the job. Mario Gomez finally found the net from a corner, a goal that felt like a relief for the German striker.
"Ren," Salah grinned, holding his Man of the Match trophy after the game. "You left some crumbs for us today! If you'd stayed on for the full 90, I'd be going home empty-handed again."
While Florence celebrated, the internet 5,000 miles away was melting down. On Hupu and Sina Sports, Renzo Uzumaki was no longer a name—he was a phenomenon.
User449: "I thought Liverpool signed him to sell jerseys in Beijing. I was wrong. They signed a God and then gave him away for free!"
Dongqiudi_Master: "8 assists in 5 games? In Serie A? Even Pirlo didn't have these numbers at sixteen. Is he actually human?"
LFC_Forever: "As a Liverpool fan, I am crying. We are 10th. We have zero creativity. And our 'Jersey Salesman' is currently the most popular man in Tuscany."
The narrative had shifted. The cynical "commercial signing" label was dead. Fans were now realizing that Renzo was trained in the brutal, high-intensity English Youth System but possessed the "Old School" artistic vision of an Italian Regista. He was the perfect hybrid.
The hype was reaching a fever pitch because of the calendar. Next week, Fiorentina would travel to the Stadio Olimpico to face Lazio.
Lazio wasn't Empoli. They weren't going to "Park the Bus." They were a powerhouse fighting for a podium finish. For the first time, a major Japanese broadcaster had picked up the rights to a Fiorentina match specifically to show "The Renzo Show."
Renzo looked at his system notification as he left the stadium.
[STAMINA DEPLETED: RECOVERY TIME 48 HOURS]
[NEXT MATCH: VS LAZIO (AWAY)]
[MISSION: THE ROMAN CONQUEST]
He had survived the "Three Matches in Nine Days." He had unlocked 99 Vision. But now, he was headed to Rome to face a team that wouldn't just mark him—they would try to break him.
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