The shattering of the sixty-meter flame sword, the collapse of the Two-Tails, and the sudden explosion of thunder across the heavens—this battle, which had brought Ren Uchiha to the brink of death multiple times, had actually spanned less than two minutes.
At this moment, the group of Konoha and Uchiha shinobi, forced to travel by foot, had been trailing a step behind Ren due to the sheer gap in mobility. They had only just managed to fight their way through the sandstorm and sea of fire kicked up by the clash between the Hell Stab: Two-Finger Nukite and the Octo-Million Godly Pressure.
As they emerged, they were nearly deafened by a continuous, shrill roar of lightning. Immediately following that, a bolt falling from the firmament whipped up a new cycle of violent gales.
In a world where such god-like power resided in a single individual, ordinary ninja on a battlefield of this caliber had to exert every ounce of effort just to survive the aftershocks of the titans' clash.
When the group led by Setsuna Uchiha and Shinnosuke Sarutobi finally overcame the obstacles and reached the heart of the battlefield, they were met with a scene of absolute horror.
Standing amidst the shattered, blackened ruins of the battlefield, looking for all the world like a victorious champion in a ring, was the old man known to the world as the "Third Raikage."
Arcs of lightning, carrying an aura of extreme terror, coiled around his body. As the electrical discharge swept through the air, it caused the very atmosphere to hum and vibrate.
The Konoha shinobi felt their breath hitch. Simply sensing the overwhelming pressure radiating from the old man caused them to swallow hard in unison. Slowly, they turned their gazes toward the person the Raikage held aloft.
"That's... Ren Uchiha?!"
At the sight, the faces of the Konoha ninja drained of all color. They began to tremble uncontrollably.
The ace who had dashed through danger and walked through despair, the one who had just saved them at the camp, the genius who had suppressed two Jinchuriki single-handedly and made them feel that victory was within reach—Konoha's second Jinchuriki, the genius Jonin Ren Uchiha...
He had... lost!
The boy was held firmly in the Third Raikage's grasp, hoisted high into the air. He was covered in blood, his clothes were in tatters, and his exposed skin was a map of electrical burns and scorch marks. His left arm hung black and charred like a piece of coal.
And on his left chest...
Where a heart should be beating, there was now a gaping hole, pierced through from front to back.
The sight was gut-wrenching.
"Ren!!"
Setsuna Uchiha's eyes threatened to burst. The pupil in his lone crimson eye shrank to the size of a pinhole, and the three tomoe began to spin with such ferocity that they blurred into a single, continuous line.
It looked as though they were about to transform into an entirely new pattern, but...
"Why... why... WHY!!"
Setsuna clenched his fist so hard his body shook.
He had forgotten.
He had forgotten...
He knew he had awakened that forbidden eye, yet he had forgotten how to use it. What a pathetic joke! And why at a moment like this?!
Before anyone could react, the scene shifted.
"Uryahhhhhh—!!"
"LIGER BOMB!!"
The old man's face twisted into a snarl. With a roar that bulged his muscles, he slammed Ren Uchiha toward the ground with all his might!
Amidst that roar—
—BOOM!!
Ren was slammed into the earth like a discarded toy. Raging lightning swept out like electric chains, hacking down with the force of a heavy battle-ax.
With Ren as the epicenter, the ground shattered in concentric circles, lifting and cracking. Spider-web fractures raced across a hundred meters, reaching the very feet of the Konoha reinforcements.
Under their horrified gazes, the boy's head struck first. His neck folded instantly into a "V" shape. His spine tore through his skin as the impact pulverized his vertebrae, followed by his arms, ribs, pelvis, and legs...
Sitting paralyzed at the edge of the cliff behind the Raikage, Killer B watched the scene and spoke with a hint of excitement:
"The old man actually used that move..."
"Up until now, nobody has ever survived it."
"That Uchiha brat is finished!"
However, at that exact moment, three shuriken wreathed in flames cut a brilliant arc through the night sky! They closed in on the Third Raikage in an instant.
A tilted his head slightly, arching an eyebrow.
"Shurikenjutsu? That's useless against me!"
But just as he raised his hand to swat the shuriken away like annoying flies—
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The three shuriken collided with each other mid-air, ricocheting away just as the Raikage's hand swept past. They whistled through the air, bypassing him entirely.
"Ninjutsu: Phoenix Flower Dance!"
Setsuna Uchiha's face was a mask of fury. His hands flew through the signs for the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu, immediately followed by the Tiger seal!
The Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu, originally a technique of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had been handed to Setsuna by Ren after their recent training sessions. Ren's logic was that the Third Hokage never explicitly said it couldn't be taught to others, so he might as well use it to benefit the Uchiha clan's library.
Setsuna, whose mastery of both shurikenjutsu and shadow clones was top-tier, had quickly modified the technique to suit the Uchiha style, creating this "Phoenix Flower Dance."
It was a technique he had intended to teach Ren today. Now, it was being used to save him!
In an instant, the three shuriken that had bypassed the Raikage split into two, then four, then eight... until they illuminated the entire night sky!
Thousands of flaming shuriken spun violently in the air, creating a ceiling of fire.
Then—
They turned into a rain of fire, carving unpredictable arcs through the air as they swarmed toward the area behind the Third Raikage.
"His target is B?!"
The Third Raikage frowned. He moved to intercept, but then seemed to remember something and snorted coldly.
"You underestimate B. A technique like this won't threaten him!"
However, while he was distracted, looking back toward Killer B—who was using a partial transformation to summon an Eight-Tails tentacle to shield himself—two kunai shot silently through the darkness toward the Raikage's feet. They snared the mangled, motionless form of Ren Uchiha.
Setsuna Uchiha took a deep breath, crossing his index fingers and thumbs and pulling back sharply!
The wires attached to the kunai snapped taut! The wires bound Ren, hoisting him into the air and dragging him back toward the Konoha lines at high speed.
The old man had actually dared to snatch a body from right under the Third Raikage's nose!
Seeing this, a vein bulged on A's forehead.
"Another diversionary tactic. These Uchiha..."
His gaze turned savage, a cruel expression crossing his face.
The Heavenly Transfer Technique used for long-distance transport hadn't dealt him a fatal blow, but it had damaged his physical body, preventing him from immediately finishing the boy with a One-Finger Nukite. That was the only reason Ren Uchiha had survived the initial encounter.
And now, the situation had dragged on far too long. A, naturally short-tempered, had reached his limit with the Uchiha's underhanded tactics.
"Good. My body has finally recovered!"
A looked coldly at the group of Konoha ninja and took a deep breath.
"Then I'll use this move."
"I'll wipe out every single one of you at once!"
The air grew increasingly stifling. The wailing night wind wandered mournfully, and the thick clouds overhead swirled as pale lightning flickered fitfully in the distance.
The Third Raikage, A, looked frozen in cold fury. He raised his hand, pointing directly at the Konoha camp.
His gaze traced a straight line, locking onto the airborne Ren Uchiha being pulled back, then passing through him to target the white-haired, one-eyed old man manipulating the wires.
—CRACK!
Accompanying a roar of thunder, he raised a single finger!
Massive amounts of electricity converged at the tip of his index finger, transforming in an instant into a light more brilliant than the lightning in the heavens—the legendary "Strongest Spear" of the shinobi world!
"HELL STAB: ONE-FINGER NUKITE!!"
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