"Found you."
The Rain shinobi had barely begun turning toward Ren's voice when Ren completed the final hand seal. He had already prepared the technique before using Simulated Realm Instantaneous Transfer, leaving his opponents no time to react.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A colossal sphere of flame erupted from Ren's mouth at point-blank range.
The fireball tore through the bushes separating them and hurtled toward the three Rain shinobi. Its heat distorted the surrounding air, instantly blackening leaves and setting the grass beneath it ablaze.
The enemy leader's eyes widened in disbelief.
One moment, Ren had been nowhere in sight. The next, he had appeared directly behind them and unleashed a lethal Fire Release technique from only a few metres away.
"Scatter!" the leader roared.
All three Rain shinobi reacted with the instincts of experienced warriors. Two used the Body Flicker Technique to escape toward opposite sides, while the third threw himself behind a boulder.
The two who had avoided the centre of the attack began forming hand seals even before their feet touched the ground.
"Water Release—"
They never completed their techniques.
Just as the Great Fireball was about to consume the path, Ren's figure vanished again. Kakashi instantly appeared in his place with his own hand seals already completed.
Kakashi filled his lungs until his chest expanded. Then he thrust his head forward and released everything in a single violent breath.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A roaring gale exploded across the mountain path.
The concentrated wind struck the rear of Ren's Great Fireball and poured directly into it. Instead of scattering the flames, the oxygen-rich current caused the fireball to expand with terrifying speed.
Its diameter doubled.
Orange flames brightened into a nearly white inferno, and the sphere of fire rose between the trees like a miniature sun. Branches curled from the heat before the flames even touched them, while loose stones trembled beneath the force of the approaching blast.
Fire and Wind merged into a single devastating combination attack.
[Great Fireball Technique: Yes! That's it, Ren! Let them witness this lady's true power!]
[Great Fireball Technique Favorability +2]
[Current Favorability: 93/100—Attachment]
Ren reappeared behind the boulder where Kakashi had been waiting. Even from that distance, the heat washed across his face like the breath of a furnace.
Their strategy resembled Minato's usual fighting method: cross the distance instantaneously, attack before the enemy could understand what was happening, and end the battle with overwhelming force.
Ren's Simulated Realm Instantaneous Transfer could not compare to the Flying Thunder God Technique. His reaction speed was also far inferior to Minato's.
Fortunately, he was not fighting enemies on Minato's level.
The three Rain shinobi were probably chūnin. In a fair battle, Ren and Kakashi would have faced considerable danger. Each enemy possessed experience, teamwork, and techniques that could overturn the situation if given enough time.
This was not a fair battle.
Ren had chosen the terrain, prepared the opening strike, and attacked at the exact moment the enemy formation broke apart.
For the Rain shinobi, it was a nightmare.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
The two fastest shinobi finally completed their techniques.
One released a torrent from his mouth, while the other created a curved wall of water in front of the squad. The two Water Release techniques collided with the massive fireball.
Under normal circumstances, Water Release would suppress Fire Release.
However, Ren's Great Fireball had been strengthened by Kakashi's Great Breakthrough. The blazing sphere was too large, too concentrated, and moving far too quickly.
Water exploded into steam.
A deafening hiss filled the mountain pass as a dense white cloud erupted in every direction. Scalding vapour swept over the Rain shinobi, burning exposed skin and blinding them.
"My eyes!" one screamed. He covered his face as blisters spread across his hands.
"The fire is spreading!" another shouted. His sleeve had ignited, and he desperately rolled across the ground to extinguish it.
The third shinobi staggered out of the steam, only to see a silver-haired figure rushing directly toward him.
Kakashi drew his father's White Light Chakra Sabre.
The short blade released a pale arc as he passed the blinded Rain shinobi. For an instant, nothing seemed to happen.
Then a thin red line appeared across the man's throat.
He collapsed before he could make another sound.
Kakashi did not stop moving. He pivoted on one foot, avoided three shuriken flying through the steam, and disappeared behind a wall of vapour.
The two remaining Rain shinobi could no longer determine where either opponent was located.
Ren emerged from behind the boulder and raced toward them. His hands blurred through another sequence of seals.
"Water Clone Technique!"
Three masses of water rose from the damp ground and assumed Ren's appearance. Alongside his original body, four identical figures charged into the steam from different directions.
The Rain shinobi nearest to him swore under his breath. He could not tell whether he was facing clones produced by one person, reinforcements arriving through the smoke, or an entire Konoha squad.
The dense steam distorted every outline. Kakashi and Ren were similar in height, and their rapid movements made the confusion even worse.
Still, the Rain shinobi did not panic completely.
They had survived years of conflict within Amegakure. Confusion, ambushes, and death were familiar companions.
One of them spun around and drove a kunai through the chest of the first Water Clone. It burst apart, splashing water across his body.
A second clone attacked from the left. He blocked its sword, twisted its arm, and slashed across its neck.
That clone also collapsed into water.
The third clone leapt toward his back, but the Rain shinobi turned and struck it with a chakra-enhanced kick. The clone exploded before its weapon could reach him.
A triumphant expression flickered across the man's burned face.
Then all three destroyed clones transmitted their accumulated physical experience back to Ren.
A hot current surged through Ren's limbs and bones.
His heartbeat became thunderous, yet everything around him seemed to slow. The drifting steam, the droplets of water suspended in the air, and even the Rain shinobi's movements became clearer.
His muscles tightened with a sudden burst of power.
Clone Technique Trait Activated: One-Man Army!
The Rain shinobi had only enough time to see a dark shadow emerge through the steam.
Ren closed the distance with frightening speed.
His short sword descended with the momentum of a falling hammer.
Clang!
The Rain shinobi barely blocked with his kunai. The impact travelled through his wrist and numbed his entire arm.
Ren attacked again.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew with every collision.
The Rain shinobi retreated beneath Ren's relentless assault, his boots carving trails through the wet earth. Each strike felt heavier than the last, and the kunai in his hand began to crack near the centre.
How could a child possess this much strength?
Ren altered the angle of his next slash. Instead of striking the kunai directly, his blade slid along its edge and cut across the man's shoulder.
Blood sprayed into the steam.
The Rain shinobi stumbled backwards and shouted toward his remaining companion. "Stop hiding and help me!"
Several shuriken immediately tore through the mist.
Ren twisted aside, but the weapons had not been intended to hit him. They were designed to restrict his movement and force him into a narrow space between two boulders.
The last Rain shinobi completed his hand seals.
"Water Release: Water Fang Bullet!"
Water spiralled upward from the stream.
It compressed into a rotating projectile shaped like a drill before launching toward Ren's unprotected back. The churning tip could tear through flesh and shatter bone on contact.
The wounded Rain shinobi saw it approaching and smiled.
Ren had nowhere left to move.
At least, that was what he believed.
Ren's eyes flicked toward a stone marked by his chakra nearly thirty metres away. The world around him twisted.
Simulated Realm Instantaneous Transfer activated again.
Ren disappeared a heartbeat before the Water Fang Bullet struck.
The rotating mass of water continued along its original path.
The wounded Rain shinobi's smile vanished.
"What—?"
He tried to leap aside, but his damaged shoulder slowed him. The Water Fang Bullet struck him in the chest and hurled him across the path.
He crashed into a tree hard enough to crack its trunk. Blood burst from his mouth as he collapsed to the ground, unable to rise.
Before the final Rain shinobi could process how his own technique had hit his companion, Ren appeared directly behind the wounded man.
The chakra cost sent a wave of dizziness through Ren's head, but he forced his hands through another sequence of seals.
The Rain shinobi sensed him and looked over his shoulder.
Ren had already inhaled.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Flames swallowed the wounded shinobi and the tree behind him. His scream lasted only a few seconds before disappearing beneath the roar of the fire.
Two enemies were dead.
The final Rain shinobi turned and attempted to escape into the forest.
Kakashi emerged from the steam to block his path.
The Rain shinobi drew a sword, and steel collided with the White Light Chakra Sabre. Kakashi deflected the blade, ducked beneath a horizontal slash, and drove his shoulder into the man's chest.
Ren approached from behind, cutting off the remaining escape route.
The Rain shinobi's gaze moved between the two boys. Fear finally appeared in his eyes.
He had lost sight of them only briefly.
In that tiny window, two members of his squad had died.
"Wait!" he said, tightening his grip on his sword. "You don't understand who you're interfering with. If you let me leave, I can—"
Kakashi attacked before he could finish.
The Rain shinobi raised his sword to block, but Ren hurled two shuriken toward his legs. He jumped to avoid them, leaving himself suspended in the air for a fraction of a second.
Kakashi's sabre flashed.
The enemy's sword broke in half.
Ren appeared on his unguarded side and struck him beneath the ribs. The Rain shinobi folded around the blow, and Kakashi finished the battle with a clean slash across his chest.
The man fell heavily onto the wet ground.
Silence returned to the mountain pass.
Steam drifted between blackened trees, while small fires crackled in the undergrowth. Water from the destroyed techniques flowed around the three motionless bodies and carried streaks of blood toward the stream.
The entire Rain shinobi squad had been annihilated.
Ren stood still for several seconds, allowing his accelerated heartbeat to settle. The enhancement from One-Man Army gradually faded, leaving exhaustion in its place.
Kakashi wiped his White Light Chakra Sabre clean before returning it to its sheath. His visible eye remained fixed on Ren, but he did not immediately ask any questions.
Ren pretended not to notice.
He crouched beside the nearest body and began searching the man's clothes and weapon pouch. Whatever mission the Rain shinobi had been carrying out, their equipment and intelligence could prove useful.
The first pouch contained several kunai, shuriken, wire, and a stack of Explosive Tags. The second held two bags of military rations, medicinal pills, and a small amount of money.
They also recovered two swords. Neither was exceptional, but both were sturdy enough to be sold or distributed among the shinobi at Wildfire Outpost.
The final discovery was far more valuable.
Ren found a waterproof scroll hidden inside the clothing of the man who had used Water Formation Wall. The scroll's protective seal was still intact.
He opened it carefully.
Diagrams of hand seals, explanations of chakra transformation, and detailed training instructions filled the page. The title written across the top caused Ren's eyes to brighten.
Water Release: Water Formation Wall.
A translucent notification immediately appeared before him.
[Potential Strategy Target Detected: Water Formation Wall]
[Limited-Time Encounter Mission Triggered]
Ren could hardly suppress his satisfaction.
Looting defeated enemies really was one of the fastest paths to prosperity.
The Rain shinobi had likely obtained the scroll recently and had not yet mastered the technique. That explained why he carried the original training instructions during a mission—and why the wall he created had failed to withstand Ren and Kakashi's combined attack.
Now, the technique belonged to Ren.
It was unfortunate that he had not found the Water Fang Bullet scroll as well, but one new Water Release technique was already a worthwhile reward. Becoming too greedy would only distract him from the techniques he was already developing.
There would be plenty of future missions and plenty of opportunities to acquire more ninjutsu.
Ren stored the scroll inside his pouch before rising.
When he looked up, Kakashi was still staring at him.
Ren sighed. "If you have something to ask, just ask."
"The technique you used earlier," Kakashi said. "The one that instantly exchanged our positions. What exactly was it?"
Ren had expected that question.
"It's a ninjutsu I developed by modifying the Substitution Technique," he explained. "I call it the My-Style Substitution Technique. It allows me to exchange places with a person or object marked by my chakra."
Kakashi's gaze sharpened. "You didn't place any physical mark on me."
"The mark is formed from chakra, so it isn't visible." Ren gestured toward the battlefield. "I attached it before we separated from Tsume."
Kakashi considered the explanation. "What are its limitations?"
"The effective range is approximately forty metres," Ren answered. "Anything beyond that is impossible. It also consumes several times more chakra than an ordinary Substitution Technique."
Both statements were lies—or, at least, carefully altered truths.
The real maximum distance was nearly twice that range. The chakra consumption was significant, but nowhere near as severe as Ren intended Kakashi to believe.
After exchanging places with Kakashi and using the technique several more times during the battle, Ren still possessed enough chakra to continue fighting. Nevertheless, he deliberately allowed his breathing to become heavier.
"I'm already close to my limit," Ren added. "My head is spinning, and using it again would be dangerous."
Information about a shinobi's techniques could determine life or death. Even teammates rarely revealed every strength and weakness they possessed.
Kakashi was reliable, but Ren had no intention of exposing all his secrets.
Still, offering part of the truth could strengthen Kakashi's trust. That trust might also make it easier for Ren to study—or acquire—Kakashi's techniques in the future.
Kakashi remained silent for several seconds. His half-lidded eye revealed little emotion, yet his voice was serious when he finally responded.
"The effect is remarkable. Used properly, it can decide a battle before the enemy understands what happened."
Ren smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"But an incomplete space-time technique is also extremely dangerous," Kakashi continued. "A mistake in the destination or chakra calculation could place you inside solid rock—or tear your body apart during the transfer."
"That's why I'm testing it carefully."
"You should tell Minato-sensei." Kakashi glanced at the scorched battlefield. "His Flying Thunder God Technique operates on similar principles. Even if your technique is different, he may be able to help you correct its weaknesses."
"I'll consider it," Ren replied.
Kakashi gave a small nod. "Until then, I'll keep it secret."
That response was exactly what Ren had expected.
A sharp bark echoed from upstream before either of them could say more.
Branches shook violently, and Tsume Inuzuka burst through the trees with Kuromaru beside her. She was carrying Fujiwara over one shoulder, bound from shoulders to ankles with so much wire that he resembled a parcel.
The spy's face was swollen, his clothes were torn, and several fresh bite marks covered his arms. He was still alive, but only barely conscious.
Obito followed behind them.
His hair was singed, his clothes were covered in mud, and one sleeve had been almost completely torn away. Despite his miserable appearance, he was loudly insisting that he had nearly captured Fujiwara by himself.
"I had everything under control!" Obito declared. "Tsume just arrived before I could finish him!"
Tsume snorted. "When I arrived, you were hanging upside down from one of his wire traps."
"That was a tactical position!"
"It was a trap."
"I knew that!"
Kuromaru barked once, sounding suspiciously like laughter.
Obito's face turned red. He opened his mouth to argue again but stopped when he noticed the three bodies scattered across the battlefield.
His gaze moved from the scorched trees to the collapsed Rain shinobi, then finally settled on Ren and Kakashi.
"You two did all this?" he asked.
Kakashi looked at him with his usual indifference. "While you were demonstrating your tactical hanging position."
Obito immediately exploded. "I told you, that was part of my plan!"
Ren ignored their argument and turned his attention toward Fujiwara.
The captured spy appeared unconscious, but when Ren stepped closer, one of Fujiwara's swollen eyes slowly opened.
He looked at the three dead Rain shinobi.
Instead of showing fear, anger, or despair, Fujiwara's bloodied lips curved into a faint smile.
"You think this is over?" he whispered. "Wind Eye is already coming."