[Talent: Battle Intuition (S+) has been triggered.]
A line of subtitles suddenly popped up, leaving Ren Uchiha with a lingering sense of dread.
In the past, the normal application of this talent in routine combat almost never triggered a visual subtitle. Only at the most critical junctures—when the body and soul instinctively judged a situation to be near-certain death—would it manifest this way.
It was a form of physiological feedback.
However, Ren felt vaguely that this was something more. Past Battle Intuition, while ridiculous, was never this precise. It hadn't formed actual images of the future before his eyes with such "cheating" clarity.
By now, Ren understood what had happened.
Just as he had unleashed Illusory Kaiten, the Third Raikage had reacted much like the Fourth Raikage dodging Amaterasu in the original series. At the moment the Genjutsu was about to take hold, the Third Raikage, A, relied on his terrifying neural reflexes and god-like speed to flicker away. He had circled around in a fraction of a second to launch a surprise grapple.
That speed had surpassed the limit of what the human eye could track at close range. His Two-Tomoe Sharingan was completely incapable of seeing through those movements.
Ren's heart sank.
Previously, based on the original story, he had theorized that the Lightning Release Armor branched into different specializations depending on the user. He had assumed the Fourth specialized in speed while the Third specialized in defense.
That theory was now completely demolished.
It wasn't that the Fourth was faster; it was that the Third was stronger, and his mastery of the Lightning Release Armor was deeper. That was all.
Lightning Armor was Lightning Armor. It enhanced defense and speed. The basic conditions were the same; father and son had learned the same jutsu. The difference in their defense was the level of training; the difference in speed was innate neural reflex.
The Fourth's armor allowed him to dodge Juugo's point-blank blast with zero-frame latency; naturally, it could dodge ocular jutsu. Facing the Third Raikage now, Ren realized that while this man's reflexes might be slightly behind his son's, the gap was negligible.
More troublesome was...
Ren's eyes fell upon the layer of electricity crackling and buzzing intensely over the man's skin.
Meanwhile, the Third Raikage narrowed his eyes, looking at his empty palm.
That reaction speed... it's like he can see the future.
In that regard, this kid might actually be superior to B...
However,
A turned his head, casting a cold gaze at Ren, who had rolled away and was now supporting himself with one hand on the ground.
"Still too weak."
Before the muttered words could even spread through the air, a flash of lightning flickered. The Third Raikage vanished from his spot.
"He's gone?!"
Ren's heart tightened. His crimson snake pupils darted left and right, dragging several trembling red lines through the night. Where will he attack from?
Even with his mutated eyes and enhanced perception, he still couldn't track the man's physical form. It felt like he was back to being a Single-Tomoe Uchiha facing Kakuzu for the first time.
His eyes weren't enough.
So, Ren simply closed them.
He submerged his mind entirely into the perception of his own body, utilizing the alarm bells ringing across his skin. He treated himself like a still pond; he would judge the enemy's position by the ripples caused by their impact.
Gradually, the world around him grew quiet.
The crackling of the wildfires burning the earth... the evening breeze flowing through the night sky... the frantic, scorched breathing of the shinobi outside the ring of fire...
And—
An imperceptible current passing through the air, making a skirr-skirr sound like paper scratching against paper.
The moment before the sound reached his ears, a chill ran down his spine. Ren snapped his eyes open, twisted his body with one hand on the ground, and backflipped into the air without a moment's hesitation!
In the next instant, a piercing bolt of lightning illuminated the spot where he had been!
Staring at the blurred figure that had just delivered a crashing kick, Ren's gaze turned cold. He slammed his palms together mid-air.
"Secret Art: Earth Grudge Fear!!"
Sching! Sching! Sching!
The ground was suddenly torn apart by three black masses. They were composed of dense, woven threads formed into thick, ebony tentacles. Countless Earth Grudge Fear threads erupted from the earth, growing frantically to entangle the Third Raikage!
This was the true nature of Earth Grudge Fear: a life-force hidden beneath the battlefield, manifested as restless black tentacles.
Ren's prolonged stance with one palm on the ground earlier hadn't been because he couldn't get up—it was to set this trap to restrict his opponent's movement.
A's brow furrowed slightly as his kick missed Ren's back. Just as he attempted to pivot and continue his pursuit, the path was already filled with these sturdy black threads. To get to Ren, he had to cut through them first.
He didn't hesitate. He surged his Lightning Armor, causing lightning to flare across his entire body!
With his thumb tucked in, he swung his hand like a blade—the Four-Finger Nukite. It tore through the three black nets like a hot knife through butter.
However, from the severed surfaces of the tentacles, three mysterious symbols suddenly glowed. Simultaneously, a matching symbol appeared on the palm of Ren's hand as he hovered in the air!
"Sealing Jutsu: Three-Point Seal!"
Green beams of light shot from the symbols, connecting with one another to form a triangular green cage, trapping the Third Raikage within. The triangular prison began to contract, crushing inward toward the center!
A tilted his head slightly and shook it at the sight. "These little tricks are useless against me."
Lightning flared again! The Three-Point Seal was like a toy before him. He didn't even use the Nukite; he simply surged his Lightning Release Armor and slammed his shoulder forward, shattering the seal with brute force.
Ren didn't respond.
His gaze remained icy as he flipped and landed on the ground. He pursed his lips, twisted his feet, and gripped the already-prepared Kusanagi Sword. He charged straight at the Third Raikage!
The Earth Grudge Fear threads and the Three-Point Seal were only intended to limit A's mobility, giving Ren the chance to close the distance and attack proactively rather than letting the Raikage dictate the pace with his god-like speed.
Combat Initiative.
Though it was only two words, its influence on the outcome of a battle was profound. This concept was the core of every combat plan Ren had made to date.
Currently, the blade of the Kusanagi Sword was vibrating slightly, yet it didn't emit the flowing flames or the swirling water blades of his previous moves. It looked as though he had run out of tricks and was forced to rely on the sharpness of the legendary sword alone.
However, only Ren knew the truth.
Contained within that blade was the product of compressed Wind and Lightning chakra merged into a state of perfect harmony. The sharp wind was hidden within the vibrating steel, and the high-frequency vibrations enhanced the lethality of the invisible wind blades!
And because the frequency was beyond the range of human hearing, the killing intent of this strike was silent to the world!
This was the trump card Ren had prepared for the Third Raikage—
Composite Ninjutsu: Super-Vibrating Vacuum Blade!
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