The gloomy sky was cut by wild blue lightning, illuminating the world in a sudden, ghastly white. The mournful night wind howled, accompanied by a thunderclap that seemed to shake the very foundations of the heavens.
In the mountain forests bordering the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Fire...
Snap!
Hard boots crushed a dry branch, stepping through a pool of blood and grinding dust into the earth. A tall man draped in a hooded black cloak walked forward calmly. He casually tossed a young man he had been clutching by the throat onto the ground, letting out a faint, hollow sigh.
"Tch. A pity. Your heart wasn't tasty enough."
Seeing this man, Ren Uchiha's pupils suddenly constricted. He recognized him instantly—the S-rank rogue of Takigakure whom he hadn't seen in a long time, the man who had once pushed him to the brink of death: Kakuzu!
"Yuki!!"
"How can this be?"
Behind Ren, Old Man Chen gasped in horror as he looked at the young man thrown at Kakuzu's feet. Recognizing him as Yuki Mizunaki, the scout on duty, Chen let out a cry of anguish and glared at the intruder.
"You... what have you done!?"
Kakuzu didn't even spare Chen a glance. His emerald eyes were fixed solely on Ren Uchiha as he spoke flatly.
"Just as I calculated. With this formation, as long as I found the 'General,' I would find you—"
He paused, his voice dropping into a chilling, bone-deep growl.
"Ren Uchiha!!"
Ren exhaled sharply, his grip tightening around the Kusanagi Sword. Without turning his head, he spoke to the old man behind him.
"Teacher Chen, get back."
"Kid, what did you say?" Chen stammered, taken aback. "Don't underestimate me! I am Konoha's strongest—"
Ren shook his head, cutting him off immediately. "Teacher Chen. Your mission is only to assist the main force."
Though Chen was hailed as Konoha's strongest taijutsu user of this era, he didn't possess techniques like the Eight Inner Gates. Relying solely on the Leaf Dragon God to bridge the gap between himself and a true Kage-level powerhouse was simply unrealistic.
"And I—"
Ren took a deep breath, stepping into a firm stance. He gripped the hilt with both hands and shouted, "—am the Ace!"
The moment the words left his lips, Ren snapped his eyes open. He pivoted his feet, carving a circle into the dirt in a deep lunge. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled a kunai from his pouch and hurled it.
Swoosh!
The kunai tore through the air with a sonic boom, aiming straight for the center of Kakuzu's face!
Kakuzu simply tilted his head, letting the projectile whistle past. But in that same instant, the Curse Mark on Ren's neck flared, spreading pitch-black patterns across his entire body.
Cursed Seal Level 1: Fully Unleashed!
Ren kicked off the ground, launching himself forward like a bolt from a crossbow.
So fast! Kakuzu was startled to find that Ren, moving after the kunai, was actually faster than the projectile itself. Almost instantly, the boy was in his face, swinging his longsword in a lethal arc aimed at the hearts beneath the black cloak.
Kakuzu leaped back, his arm turning pitch-black as he hardened it with Earth Style: Earth Spear. He swung a heavy counter-punch. The air in front of his fist groaned under the pressure before colliding with the Kusanagi Sword.
Clang!
Sparks flew violently. Using the momentum, Kakuzu flipped backward and landed steadily. He clamped his left hand onto the blade of the Kusanagi to trap it while his right fist roared toward Ren's face.
Boom!
The fist, capable of shattering diamond, whipped up a gale that blew Ren's hair back. Ren bared his teeth in a snarl and yanked upward; the kunai he had thrown earlier suddenly snapped taut. A nearly invisible wire shimmered in the air, slicing toward Kakuzu's right elbow joint!
It was silent and colorless, yet as sharp as the finest blade. Based on his own experience with the Earth Spear, Ren knew that to maintain fluid movement, Kakuzu could only harden his fist—he couldn't harden the joints!
However, Kakuzu's momentum shifted instantly. He opened his hand, releasing the hardening to drop beneath the wire. He grabbed Ren's collar, twisting his foot to sweep Ren's leg and slam him into the ground with a shoulder throw.
Ren realized the intent. He was no longer the weakling who could be bullied by Kakuzu's taijutsu. He twisted his body, allowing the collar of his vest to be torn as he drew his sword back in a circular motion, using the momentum to slash at Kakuzu's neck.
Simultaneously, his left hand formed the Dragon sign!
A surging wind erupted from his palm, forming a vacuum blade that shot toward the hearts under the black cloak. And he wasn't done—the Needle Jizō technique inherited from Jiraiya activated. His hair lengthened, preparing to fire a barrage of senbon at point-blank range!
Facing a three-pronged assault, Kakuzu scowled. Sensing the danger, he abandoned his attack. He stepped back to dodge the neck-aimed slash and slapped his palm against the earth, flipping away to put distance between them.
Ren frowned. Even with his taijutsu refined through multiple life-and-death battles, he still couldn't gain a clear advantage over Kakuzu. To win this, he would have to rely on his ninjutsu.
Just as he was about to release the seal on his Fire Style: Chakra Mode and the Zero-Tails...
"Hmph. Your taijutsu has improved..." Kakuzu glanced at the tear in his cloak, a hint of wariness flickering in his eyes. The boy's growth rate was beyond his expectations.
Then, he let out a cold laugh. "But, you broke brat... your opponent isn't me!"
With those words, Kakuzu turned around and leaped away without a backward glance, charging toward the nearby cluster of Konoha shinobi.
Ren blinked, confused. We've barely traded three moves, we aren't even warmed up yet, and you're running away again?
He took a step to give chase, but in the next heartbeat, his heart skipped a beat. A chill ran down the back of his neck. Instinctively, he stopped and ducked, forgoing any sense of grace to huddle low.
Suddenly, a wild, rhythmic voice exploded from behind him!
"Composed and cool, charming and bright, Master Killer Bee of the Eight-Tails takes flight! Oh! Yeah!"
"Heads! Fly! My moves! Do! Apply! Yeah!"
Accompanied by the boisterous, fanatical voice, a streak of straight lightning tore through the mountain forest! A burly figure with dark skin smashed through four giant trees in succession, approaching at a terrifying speed.
From the distance, he shattered the air, leaves, and dust in an instant! Swinging an arm wreathed in crackling electricity, he aimed a horizontal strike directly at the back of Ren's head.
"LARIAT!!"
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