Sixteen black spears streaked forward!
Ren Uchiha's pupils shrunk. He chose to close his eyes entirely, relying on pure intuition to predict the trajectory of the obsidian projectiles. The next moment, he activated Earth Style: Earth Spear, focusing his chakra on the exact points where the impact would occur.
Partial Hardening!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sixteen heavy spears struck Ren's body with the sound of metal hitting solid rock. Although he took no damage, the sheer force of the impact ploughed his feet into the ground, dragging him back over a meter and carving two deep grooves into the earth.
Ren snapped his eyes open, his brow furrowed. "Tch. My momentum is blocked, and..."
Earth Style: Earth Spear, a B-rank jutsu that maximized defense, had one fatal flaw: hardening the body caused a momentary stiffness.
He didn't have time to overthink. The sixteen Jashin elites pulled out another set of spears, preparing for a second volley. Footsteps echoed from behind as well—the twelve ninjas from the wall had caught up, pinning him in the narrow flat ground between the cavern entrance and the outer wall.
In this terrain, there were no anchor points for his threads to swing or accelerate. He had to break through head-on. But why were there twenty-eight elites?
Shadow Clones? Or Transformation Jutsu?
Ren focused his Double Tomoe Sharingan. With its enhanced clarity, he saw the truth. The twelve behind him had normal chakra flow. But among the sixteen in front, twelve were covered in a thin, blurred layer of chakra—the mark of Transformation Jutsu.
He glanced at his internal status broadcast to confirm.
[28 Jashin Elites have developed killing intent toward you.]
Total: 28 real, living elite ninjas.
Ren took a deep breath, his heart racing. This isn't right. How could a tiny cult like Jashin grow this powerful so quickly? To gather this many ninjas in the Land of Hot Springs... if it wasn't the Five Great Nations, there was only one possibility.
Yugakure (The Village Hidden in Hot Springs). The village known for "forgetting war."
Did the Jashin Cult strip Yugakure of its entire foundation? In the original story, Hidan was the only known member. Ren narrowed his eyes, exhaling deeply. He didn't have time for mysteries; he needed a breakthrough.
If he stayed on the defensive, he'd be trapped here, never reaching the Final Boss—let alone seeking his "end." He couldn't use the stiffening Earth Spear while charging.
I have to gamble!
Ren grabbed the katana on his left hip. He had seen a move once—a technique that could cut through projectiles while sprinting at full speed. It wasn't the "Steel Tempest" of a certain ronin... it was the strike Elder Uchiha Setsuna had unleashed that silent night.
That crescent-shaped arc of pure light.
Ren's plan was simple: the "Life-Betting Phase."
Could he, in this split second, recreate that profound strike he had witnessed? If he won, he'd break the formation and reach the Boss Room for a 1v1 showdown. If he lost... well, he'd just have to survive with tears in his eyes.
He lowered his stance, eyes closed. He gripped the hilt with both hands, letting the tip of the blade scrape the ground as he began to move. His mind blurred, flashing back to that night around the campfire. This time, he was in Setsuna's place.
Draw. Step. Slash.
Screee—! Ren sprinted forward, body low.
Sixteen black spears tore through the air, crossing fifty meters in an instant!
Ren snapped his eyes open, his Double Tomoe spinning wildly. He leaped high and, acting on pure instinct, unleashed a heavy, vertical strike!
Clang!
The blade struck a spear mid-air. Ren used the collision as leverage to perform a mid-air flip. His hands were numb, and while he felt a spark of something, the arc of light flickered and died. The chakra distribution on the blade was uneven.
He landed and rolled, dodging seven or eight more spears that thudded into the ground. He sprang up and charged again. Just then, the twelve elites behind him opened fire.
The hair on the back of Ren's neck stood up. He ducked. A Wind Blade whistled past his head, followed by a barrage of ninjutsu and more spears.
Ren gritted his teeth, throwing four shuriken trailing Earth Grudge Fear threads. He used the threads to snag a flying spear, creating a small gap to roll through.
The Jashin leader narrowed his eyes. "Concentrated fire! Two volleys, now!"
He pulled out his own spear, coating it in Lightning Chakra for a lethal finish.
A rain of spears descended. Ren leaned forward, his chakra flowing through the blade via Kenjutsu: Chakra Infusion, lighting the steel with a moonlight-blue glow.
Draw. Step. Slash.
ONE MORE TIME!
A notification flashed in his mind:
[You have mastered: Uchiha Style: Setsuna Void Slash (Entry, B).]
At that exact moment, behind the Jashin elites, a girl with reddish-brown hair burst from the wall. She leaped into the air, her fingers weaving signs with fluid grace.
Dog - Boar - Tiger - Ox - Rat - Bird!
"Lava Style: Melting Apparition Jutsu!"
She followed up with a final seal, slamming her palms into the ground. Her youthful, bell-like voice echoed across the battlefield:
"Earth Style: Earth-Shaking Palm!"
The ground beneath the Jashin cultists shattered. Massive torrents of corrosive, steaming lava erupted from the cracks, turning the earth into a molten river!