The Cursed Seal of Heaven surged, pushing Ren's physical control to its absolute limit. With the aid of but a single hand seal, the chakra within him was woven into a rigid network, manifesting as a complex tactical array.
Massive runic seals spread across the desert floor. In an instant, pale red barriers erupted from the earth!
The desert quaked. Great walls of crimson energy hoisted the sand high into the air, locking Ren Uchiha and Ebizo into a localized deathmatch.
Ebizo skidded to a halt, his white eyebrows knitting together as he surveyed his surroundings. He approached the edge of the barrier and flicked his wrist, unleashing a Wind Style: Blade of Wind. The razor-sharp gale sliced a smooth opening into the red wall and shot out into the distance—but the gap regenerated instantly, sealing shut before he could move.
"The Regeneration Barrier from the Land of Whirlpools?" Ebizo muttered, his voice cold. "I heard Kumogakure stole it... I didn't expect the Uchiha to have their hands in that as well."
He exhaled slowly, his gaze turning frigid as he looked at the grinning boy whose body was now half-covered in jagged black markings. Clearly, Ren wasn't going to give him the time to cut his way out.
"Sigh."
Ebizo stood tall, rolling his shoulders as a sudden chill entered his eyes. He lifted his chin, looking down at Ren with an air of ancient authority.
"I am of an advanced age. I had no desire to take a life today..."
"But since you insist on seeking death, boy, I suppose I shall play with you for a while."
"Don't worry. This won't take long."
[WARNING! Ebizo, Elder and Supreme Commander of the Sand, has developed true killing intent toward you.]
As the old man straightened his back, Ren's eyes widened in shock.
The man who had seemed shorter than Ren just moments ago was now standing nearly six feet tall! After tearing off his outer robes, he revealed a torso of knotted, corded muscle with fluid, powerful lines. His chest was so massive it rivaled the "dancing pectorals" of Shinno.
How the hell does a withered old man possess a body like this?!
Ren suppressed his surprise and drew the Kusanagi Sword. He formed the 'Snake' seal, and flowing flames instantly coated the blade, transforming it into a Great Sword of Fire.
Without a word, he broke the sound barrier with a thunderous BOOM, vanishing from his spot!
Ren lunged, his legs moving like the high-speed pistons of a locomotive. He closed the distance in a heartbeat, leaped high, and swung the hilt with all his might. He unleashed a supersonic Kesa-giri—a diagonal slash aimed directly at Ebizo's neck!
The blade left an arc of blazing light in the air, the heat searing the atmosphere. The "Blade of Flowing Fire" reflected in Ren's blood-red, serpentine pupils. Unlike his own freakish immortality, most ninjas were "glass cannons"—high attack, low defense. One hit from this blade, and it would be over.
Ebizo remained calm. Facing the lethal strike, he pulled two kunai from his discarded robes and exhaled a gust of bright yellow wind. Wind Style: Vacuum Blade instantly enchanted the tools, extending them into long swords of compressed air.
CLANG!
Sparks and flames erupted as steel met vacuum.
Ebizo launched a fierce kick at Ren's stomach. Ren twisted his body mid-air, using the friction against Ebizo's vacuum blades to propel himself upward for a counter-slash at the old man's back.
Ebizo let out a cold laugh. He flipped to dodge and hurled the two vacuum-enhanced kunai at the mid-air Ren. Seizing the gap as Ren parried the projectiles, Ebizo reached out, grabbed Ren by his long hair, and slammed him violently toward the ground!
Ren's eyebrows shot up. This old geezer is a Taijutsu master too!
Normally, Ren would have been unable to reorient himself in mid-air, ending up skewered by the kunai and pummeled. But now, with the Cursed Seal's control, his swordmaster instincts, and the "cheat-code" 360-degree vision of his Cursed Sharingan...
Guided by his Combat Intuition, he was a different beast entirely.
Ren slashed through his own hair to break the hold and threw the Kusanagi Sword, pinning it deep into the sand. Using the attached wire, he spun through the air like an Olympic gymnast, dodging the blades before landing firmly.
His feet dug into the sand. His waist, back, and arms moved in perfect unison. He unleashed a savage punch directly into Ebizo's wrinkled cheek!
"GAH!"
The heavy blow smashed into Ebizo's face. His jaw audibly dislocated with a sickening CRACK. Two of the few teeth the old man had left were sent flying.
Ebizo cried out in pain, saliva spraying as he was knocked back! His pupils shrunk. He hadn't expected the boy's physical control to be this high. According to reports from the Land of Hot Water, this kid's Taijutsu was supposed to be his weak point—only good for taking a beating!
Ebizo prided himself as the "Boxing King of the Sand." He had planned to use his hidden Taijutsu to give the boy a "senior citizen's shock," but he had grossly underestimated his opponent.
Ren looked at his own fist, a surge of excitement flashing in his eyes.
The sensation of landing a clean hit—the feeling of "canceling an old man's medical insurance" with a single punch—nearly brought tears of joy to his eyes! After being pummeled by seniors for so long, he finally knew how it felt to be the one giving the beating.
With a feral glint in his eyes, Ren stepped forward before Ebizo could recover. He jammed his foot between Ebizo's legs to trip him. As Ebizo tried to stabilize, Ren unleashed an uppercut followed by a brutal downward elbow strike right into the bridge of the old man's nose.
Ebizo's face exploded in blood. He was momentarily dazed, his defenses shattered.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!!!"
Ren roared, unleashing a relentless barrage!
Left hook to the temple, upper-cut to the gut, a spinning heel-drop that smashed Ebizo into the sand, a scorpion kick to the chest, and a series of savage knees to the abdomen...
Ebizo was forced into a desperate guard, his bloody face hidden behind his arms as he struggled to survive the storm of fists and feet.
With one final, explosive kick to the chest, Ren sent Ebizo flying, the old man curling up like a shrimp. Ren's killing intent peaked. He pulled the wire, causing the Kusanagi Sword to fly up from the sand. He grabbed Ebizo by the scalp and slammed his head down toward the rising blade!
He intended to skewer the marathon-running old man's head and his own hand together!
The cold glint of the Kusanagi's tip finally snapped Ebizo out of his stupor! He realized that if this hit landed, he was dead.
His eyes bulged, the wrinkles on his face trembling with fury. "Impossible! I... I cannot die here!"
His eyes crossed as they focused on the incoming blade. Ebizo slammed his palms together and let out a guttural roar:
"Brat! You've awakened the Great Lion of the Sand!"
"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"
"Wind Style: Air Current Wild Dance!"
Ebizo pushed his palms against the ground. A terrifying gale erupted, launching both of them high into the air! Before the momentum faded, Ebizo unleashed a second blast of turbulent air. In his hands, even high-level Wind Style required no seals.
The combined force acted like a cannon blast, sending Ebizo and Ren—who was still clinging to his head—flying diagonally toward the top of the barrier at a horrifying speed!
SLAM!
They hit the top of the barrier, distending the red energy before bouncing back. Having finally shaken off Ren's grip, Ebizo flipped in the air and glared at the boy.
A demonic grin spread across the old man's face as his fingers moved in a blur of seals. He aimed his palms at the falling, defenseless Ren.
"Composite Jutsu: Wind Style—Thousand-Faced Wind Blades!"
Violent winds converged around Ebizo—compressing, vacuuming, and shrieking!
The sky was suddenly filled with thousands of invisible blades. Ren's scalp went numb. He recognized the components: the A-rank Blade of Wind combined with the Thousand-Faced Wind technique.
Separately, they were dangerous. Together, they formed an S-Rank Composite Ninjutsu with absolute coverage and lethality.
Ren Uchiha sucked in a breath of cold air, his serpentine pupils narrowing to pins.