"Ah?!"
Obito flinched as the metal cord flew toward him.
His mind had not fully processed Ren's command, but his body reacted instinctively. He threw out both hands and caught the rope just before it passed beyond his reach.
"Hold on!" Ren shouted.
Obito tightened his grip.
Ren planted his feet and pulled with both hands. The cord snapped taut, and Obito was dragged out of the quicksand with a wet burst of mud.
He landed hard on solid ground, coughing and spitting dirt.
Ren shoved the rope into his hands.
"Get Rin and the medical-nin out," he ordered. "I'll handle the other Chūnin."
Before Obito could respond, Ren was already moving.
He shot across the battlefield like an arrow released from a bow, charging toward the Wind Release user near the trees.
The masked shinobi saw him coming.
His hands blurred through another sequence of seals, and his chest expanded with a deep breath.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Whoosh!
A violent gale erupted across the forest.
Dust and leaves were ripped from the ground, forming a visible gray-white wall of compressed air. Branches bent beneath its force, and several smaller trees groaned as the wind swept toward Ren.
Ren did not slow down.
He tossed the Hatake short sword into the air, freeing both hands.
While still sprinting, his fingers formed a single seal.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball erupted from his mouth.
Flame collided with wind.
For one heartbeat, the two techniques pressed against each other.
Then the gale fed the fire.
Boom!
The Great Fireball expanded violently.
The Wind Release user was considerably stronger than Asuma, and his Great Breakthrough contained far more power. Under normal circumstances, that would have made the technique dangerous.
Against Ren's enhanced Great Fireball, it became fuel.
The orange-red flames swelled into a towering inferno. Fire rolled through the gale, consuming the wall of air and surging back toward its caster with terrifying speed.
The masked Chūnin's eyes widened.
He attempted to retreat, but the flames reached him first.
The firestorm swallowed his body and tore through the trees behind him.
Ren leaped through the heat.
His outstretched hand caught the falling short sword by its hilt. He drew the blade from its scabbard in midair and descended toward the burning enemy.
The Chūnin's survival instincts erupted.
He threw himself across the ground, desperately rolling through the dirt to extinguish the flames clinging to his clothing. Then he raised his kunai just as Ren's blade descended.
Clang!
The weapons collided.
Sparks flew between them.
Ren landed and immediately attacked again.
The short sword swept toward the Chūnin's throat. The man leaned backward, barely avoiding the edge, and attempted to slash Ren's stomach with his kunai.
Ren twisted aside.
His sword reversed direction and struck the kunai with enough force to numb the man's wrist.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two fought within the burning forest.
Flames rose around them, turning every movement into a silhouette against the orange light. The Chūnin possessed more combat experience, but he had already been burned and forced into an unstable position.
Ren gave him no opportunity to recover.
One strike forced his guard high.
The next targeted his ribs.
The third came directly down the center, driving him backward through the smoke.
The Chūnin barely parried each attack. His breathing became ragged, and the hand holding his kunai began to tremble.
Ren's expression remained cold.
Every lesson from Kakashi and every criticism from Hatake Swordsmanship guided his movements.
Reduce unnecessary motion.
Control the centerline.
Do not swing without purpose.
Decide the battle with one strike.
The Chūnin stumbled.
Ren stepped forward, his blade flashing through the fire.
On the opposite side of the battlefield, Minato watched without intervening.
He had deliberately allowed himself to be captured to test the team's response under pressure. If the situation had truly escaped their control, he could have ended the fight in seconds.
So far, intervention had not been necessary.
Ren had recognized the deception almost immediately, broken the hostage situation, rescued Obito, and engaged the remaining Chūnin without hesitation.
His decisions were tactically sound.
His execution was almost frighteningly efficient.
Minato released a quiet breath after confirming that the battle remained under control.
Then a trace of concern entered his eyes.
Is this child… too bloodthirsty?
Shinobi needed to be capable of killing.
That was especially true now. The borders were becoming unstable, casualties were increasing, and the shadow of war hung over every major village.
Hesitating at the wrong moment could get an entire squad killed.
Still, most newly graduated Genin reacted to their first real battle with fear, confusion, or disgust. Even naturally talented children struggled the first time they saw an enemy die by their hands.
Ren was different.
He had burned several bandits alive and immediately continued fighting. His breathing remained stable, his judgment remained clear, and his blade never hesitated.
It was as though he had already crossed that line long ago.
That composure was valuable.
It was also unsettling.
Minato's gaze shifted toward the roaring flames.
Ren's Great Fireball had improved at an equally alarming speed. Its current power was far beyond what he had demonstrated during graduation.
A C-rank technique should not have possessed such destructive force in the hands of a new Genin.
Minato silently decided to observe him more carefully.
Meanwhile, Obito had finally managed to pull Rin and the closest medical-nin from the quicksand.
His hands were shaking.
The smell of burning flesh filled the air, and every scream from the battlefield tightened his chest. Fear urged him to remain close to Rin and wait for Kakashi or Minato to end the fight.
Then he saw Ren battling the remaining Chūnin alone.
A fierce sense of rivalry flared within him.
Ren had rescued him.
Ren had protected Rin.
If Obito continued standing there, he would only prove Kakashi right.
He drew two kunai and several shuriken from his pouch.
The Earth Release user who had attempted to hold Minato hostage was struggling to rise. Ren's point-blank Great Fireball had left one side of his body badly burned, and his movements were slow.
Obito's fear transformed into anger.
"You attacked Rin and Minato-sensei!"
His arm snapped forward.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The projectiles crossed the battlefield.
One kunai pierced the missing-nin's thigh. A second embedded itself in his shoulder, while the shuriken forced him to raise an injured arm in a desperate attempt to protect his face.
The man collapsed.
Obito gripped another kunai and charged.
"Stay down!"
The Chūnin reached toward a weapon hidden at his waist.
Obito saw the movement.
All hesitation disappeared.
He drove the kunai downward.
The fight ended within minutes.
The Wind Release user fell beneath Ren's sword amid the flames. The badly burned Earth Release user stopped moving after Obito's attack.
The remaining bandits fared slightly better.
Some had been killed in the first clash, but several threw down their weapons and surrendered once both missing-nin were defeated. Others lay injured along the road, unable to stand.
The Mountain Bear Gang had been completely dismantled.
As the final sounds of battle faded, Kakashi rose from beside the tree.
He rubbed his bruised cheek and retrieved the White Light Chakra Sabre from the ground. Then he seized Kumada by the collar and dragged the bandit leader away for questioning.
Obito stared at the blood on his kunai.
His breathing was uneven.
For several seconds, he appeared unable to look away.
Then Rin called his name.
Obito turned immediately and hurried toward her.
"Are you hurt?" he asked. "Did the quicksand injure your legs?"
"I'm alright," Rin assured him. "What about you?"
Obito opened his mouth.
His gaze briefly returned to the body behind him.
"I'm fine," he answered, though his voice lacked its usual confidence.
Minato watched him carefully before turning toward Ren.
The flames around the clearing were beginning to diminish, but several trees still burned. Smoke drifted between the trunks, glowing orange beneath the firelight.
Ren stood near the corpse of the Wind Release user.
His silver-white hair reflected the flames, while the old Hatake blade hung loosely in his hand. Surrounded by fire, he resembled a young god of flame who had stepped directly from the blaze.
Minato approached him.
"Ren," he said, "it's over."
Ren's eyes shifted toward him.
"Your performance was excellent," Minato continued. "You exceeded my expectations. All enemies have been neutralized, so you can stop and rest."
Ren looked around the battlefield as though confirming the situation for himself.
Then he slowly returned the short sword to its scabbard.
"Understood, Minato-sensei."
He exhaled.
Smoke left his lungs with the breath, and his expression remained calm—neither pleased nor shaken.
Inside, however, Ren was celebrating.
A bright notification filled his vision.
[Ding! Special Event—Vindicating the Great Fireball Technique—completed!]
[Great Fireball Technique favorability increased by 10.]
[Current favorability: 90/100—Attachment.]
Great Fireball appeared within the System space, surrounded by magnificent crimson flames. Her chin remained raised with pride, but her smile was impossible to hide.
[Fire Release—Great Fireball Technique: You did well, Little Ren! Let those fools try calling me merciful now!]
Ren suppressed the urge to smile.
As expected, special events were the fastest method of increasing favorability.
Through training and his earlier sparring with Kakashi, Great Fireball's favorability had already risen beyond eighty. Completing this mission had pushed it directly to ninety.
Maximum favorability was now within reach.
If everything went well, Ren might complete his bond with a fourth technique before returning to Konoha.
The sudden attack forced the convoy to halt.
The medical-nin treated the injured while Kakashi interrogated Kumada. Minato and two Shadow Clones extinguished the surrounding flames before the fire could spread deeper into the forest.
Several minutes later, Kakashi returned.
"Minato-sensei, according to Kumada, the two shinobi were missing-nin from the Land of Rivers," he reported. "They joined the Mountain Bear Gang and used them to rob merchant caravans."
"Were they connected to any hidden village?"
"Kumada claims they weren't. This attack was motivated entirely by greed."
Kakashi's visible eye narrowed.
"He appears to be telling the truth."
Minato nodded.
"We're still some distance from the border. It would be unusual for enemy-village shinobi to operate this deep inside the Land of Fire."
His gaze moved over the battlefield.
"However, the presence of hostile Chūnin means this assignment can no longer be classified as C-rank. Once we return, it will be upgraded to B-rank."
The medical personnel exchanged concerned looks.
"Everyone must remain alert," Minato continued. "If two missing-nin were operating here, there may be more danger ahead."
He then looked toward Ren and Obito.
"Both of you performed well. Ren, your decision-making was particularly impressive."
Obito's shoulders lowered slightly, but Minato's next words included him.
"Obito, you overcame your fear, followed Ren's instructions, and helped free Rin and the medical personnel before entering the fight. That was the correct priority."
A trace of pride returned to Obito's face.
Minato turned back to Ren.
"When you appeared behind the Earth Release user, was that your modified Substitution Technique?"
"Yes."
"When did you prepare the exchange object?"
Ren smiled faintly.
"When a fight might begin, isn't scattering a few possible substitution anchors around the battlefield a reasonable habit?"
Minato's eyes lingered on him.
The explanation was believable—but only barely.
What Ren had actually used was Simulated Realm Instantaneous Transfer, the advanced trait of his Substitution Technique.
In theory, he could have exchanged positions directly with the Earth Release user. Doing so in front of Minato, however, would have exposed too much.
Instead, Ren had quietly tossed a pebble behind the attacker while smoke and flames obscured the battlefield. He then exchanged places with it before launching his attack.
Such a trick could deceive Obito and Rin.
It might even fool Kakashi at a distance.
Minato was a master of space-time ninjutsu. Whether the explanation had truly convinced him was another matter.
Fortunately, Minato did not press further.
He gathered the younger members of the team and began reviewing the battle.
"When you detect an ambush behind you, your first action should be to create distance," he explained. "At the same time, channel chakra into the soles of your feet and lower your center of gravity."
Rin listened intently.
"That will not counter every technique," Minato continued, "but it can prevent an enemy from immediately disrupting your balance or dragging you into terrain-control ninjutsu."
He looked toward Obito.
"The more dangerous the situation becomes, the more important it is to remain calm. Struggling blindly in the quicksand caused you to sink faster."
Obito nodded.
"I understand."
"Ren's habit of preparing substitution anchors is also worth learning," Minato said. "However, place them carefully. A poorly chosen destination can move you from one danger into another."
Kakashi added, "Never rely on only one anchor. If the enemy discovers it, they can predict where you'll appear."
Rin recorded the advice in her notebook.
When the debrief ended, the forest became quiet again.
Only the crackling of dying flames and the movements of the medical-nin disturbed the silence.
Ren sat near the road and wiped soot and blood from the Hatake blade. He inspected the edge carefully before returning the cloth to his pouch.
Footsteps approached.
Obito stopped beside him.
For once, he did not shout, challenge him, or make a boastful declaration. His gaze remained fixed on the ground, and one foot nervously ground a small stone into the dirt.
"Hey…"
Ren looked up.
Obito scratched the back of his head, visibly struggling with the words.
"About earlier…"
He swallowed his pride.
"Thanks, Ren."
It was the first time Obito had thanked him without anyone forcing him to do it.