Puff!
Three shadow clones appeared at the same time. Uzumaki Renka's eyes locked onto the sensor-type chūnin.
"Take out the one who can sense first—clear our retreat route."
"Understood!"
The three clones split instantly. Together with the real Renka, four figures closed in from different angles, converging on the target.
The leader caught Renka's intent and shouted a warning at once:
"Damn—his target is Spider! You two, regroup—don't let him succeed!"
One of the clones barked back, "Not a slow reaction—but you want to team up? Did you ask us first?!"
His hands flashed through seals, chest swelling—
Fire Style: Hiding in Ash Jutsu!
The technique bloomed a second time. A waterfall of thick black smoke, flecked with sparks, surged forward and seized control of the battlefield again.
"Sir!" the other chūnin grew impatient. "If we keep stalling, the pursuers will be here!"
The leader was the leader for a reason. Unlike his anxious subordinate, even in a situation where he couldn't see, he stayed calm enough to issue orders:
"Careful. Don't break formation. Spider—take command!"
A loud casting cry cut through the smoke.
Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu.
Spider felt heat prick at his skin. Blossoms of flame came flying straight at him—perfectly placed to block the route where they were trying to regroup.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The smoke writhed and reshaped. Streaks of red punched into the gray haze, igniting swaths of ash.
Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!
A blue cage rose around Spider, sealing him inside. At last, he had a sliver of safety.
Flame-blooms burst against the prison's outer shell, throwing up sprays of water. Steam billowed—white fog gradually diluting the black smoke into a dense gray mist.
Where is he?
Spider focused, extending his senses.
So Water Prison can be used like this… that's a useful idea.
Renka noted it silently, filing it away.
Then Spider's expression tightened—something was moving underground.
"Sir! Ten o'clock—about fifty meters!"
"Die!"
The leader reacted instantly. A roaring Water Dragon surged out, snapping at the spot his subordinate indicated.
Puff!
White smoke exploded. Renka lost a shadow clone in an instant.
His whole body jolted.
"Even in this mess, he can stay calm enough to give precise sensing calls… these guys aren't amateurs. Compared to them, I'm still a fledgling. My experience is nowhere near enough—I'm still green."
All-out. Fast. End it.
Renka made the call.
One clone broke off to stall the leader, while Renka dashed forward—one blur of movement—and appeared directly above the Water Prison.
Eight Gates… Gate of Rest—OPEN!
In an instant, he opened the Second Gate.
Fatigue washed away. Explosive power surged through every muscle.
"What—?!" Spider's eyes widened. Inside his sensing range, a figure appeared out of nowhere—too fast to believe.
"You've got nowhere left to run!"
Renka's shout cracked like thunder, nearly shaking Spider's focus apart. His fist—wrapped in violent wind—came down like a hammer.
The already-strained Water Prison couldn't take it.
Crack!
It shattered, drenching the ground.
Spider snapped into motion at once—mission-hardened instincts kicking in.
"Water Style: Giant Vortex—!"
But the earth beneath him shifted.
Crack!
The ground collapsed. A pair of hands shot up from below like a drowning man's grasp, clamping onto Spider's legs and yanking hard.
BOOM!
His center of gravity vanished. He was dragged down—half his body trapped in the soil, unable to move. His jutsu broke mid-cast.
All he could do was stare in horror as a fist filled his vision.
"AAAGH—!"
CRACK!
A sound like a melon splitting.
The scream cut off instantly. Blood and bone splattered across the ground.
"Spider! What happened?! Where is he?!"
Hearing his subordinate's death-cry, the leader finally panicked. Konoha's pursuers were practically on top of them now—and they were being pinned down by a single brat. If this dragged on, they'd be wiped out.
He leapt through the trees and stopped conserving chakra.
Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!
A roaring flood erupted in terrain that should've had no water at all. A crushing wave surged outward, washing everything clean.
Puff! Puff!
Two shadow clones vanished instantly.
"So strong… that guy's definitely not a chūnin!"
Renka slammed both palms down.
A towering stone wall erupted—seven or eight meters high—lifting him up like an elevator.
Water Style: Water Whip Jutsu
The other chūnin lashed out, snapping a water whip toward the rising wall.
"What did you do to Spider?!"
Renka hopped lightly, flipping backward in midair. While moving, he formed seals—and spat out a massive fireball.
Trees ignited. Flames exploded.
He landed firmly on a branch, having slipped past the water whip with ease, breathing hard.
"Hah… hah… Him? He's dead. As for the body—you don't need to look. Your boss already gave him a watery burial. By now, he's basically… returned to nature."
The leader's pupils shrank. Killing intent poured off him.
"You bastard—I'll kill you!"
Renka shrugged, deadpan. "Why do villains always say that? Your buddy said the same thing earlier. Now he's gone."
The other chūnin knew the pursuers were too close. Escape was impossible.
"Sir, go! I'll hold them!" His eyes burned with malice. "If I can't get out of Konoha… then I'm taking you down with me. I'll cut off Konoha's future!"
The leader's expression darkened, almost moved despite himself.
"I'll take care of your family."
He stared at Renka as if engraving him into his bones—then turned and bolted toward the forest edge, clearly intending to force a breakout.
Renka couldn't help thinking, Why does this sound like I'm the villain here?
Water Style: Water Shuriken
Moisture in the air rapidly condensed.
Droplets filled the space in every direction.
With the leader's promise, the chūnin's last hesitation vanished. A cruel smile crept across his face.
"Die!"
The floating water droplets transformed—shooting out like a storm of needles.
A freezing wind snapped through the clearing. The barrage was about to turn Renka into a pincushion.
"I really didn't want to use this…"
Renka sighed.
His face flushed red. A terrifying aura surged outward. Green steam exploded off his body.
Eight Gates… Gate of Life—OPEN!
The chūnin couldn't even track it.
In his eyes, a flash of light—
A straight punch filled his world—
And then his body smashed into the ground.
How…?
His vision blurred. Thought froze.
He didn't even have time to scream.
"Hah… hah…" Renka panted as he withdrew his fist and sprang back onto a tree.
"Konoha's future? You think too highly of me. With or without me, Konoha will rise. That's the tide of the era."
Opening the Gate of Life was his current limit. If he couldn't drop an opponent even with that… today would've been his grave.
Only after everything ended did the water finally fall—late, heavy, and deafening.
ROOOAAAR—!
The downpour slammed into the ground, blasting countless holes into the earth. The chūnin's body—already ruined—was torn even further apart.
Renka leaned on the trunk, breathing hard, relief surging through him.
"Thank god… that guy ran."
Then—
A shadow streaked in from behind.
Water Style: Water Dragon Biting Explosion.
Renka was relaxed for a split second—too relaxed.
He tried to form seals, but the dragon's jaws were already there.
It clamped onto half his body and smashed him through several massive trees before driving him into the ground.
BOOM!
Trees toppled. Turf ripped up. A tidal wave of dust rolled outward for a hundred meters.
"P—!"
Renka slammed into the earth and vomited a huge amount of blood. His head rang, vision spinning from the impact.
Why… didn't he… leave…?
That thought flashed—
Then the world went dark.
The leader stood over him, eyes filled with murderous fury. He'd tried to escape—only to find the path blocked. With no way out, he'd turned back.
"Before I die, I'm taking you with me."
"Blame your talent. Konoha is already too strong!"
He arrived in a blur the instant Renka hit the ground. A kunai shot down like lightning toward Renka's face.
At the last possible moment—
A pale hand seized the leader's wrist.
The leader's body went rigid.
"You—"
THUD!
A single, plain punch.
No flourish. No wasted motion.
The leader's body slackened. His eyes emptied of light mid-word, collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
The enemy who had seemed like a god of war a moment ago now fell like paper—one strike, and it was over.
Hyūga Hiashi pulled off the mask.
Kiri.
"Kirigakure…" His voice turned colder than steel. "You dared set your sights on the Hyūga. You're courting death."
He looked across the devastated battlefield, then his gaze swept over the unconscious Renka. The faintest nod followed.
"Hidden strength… a strange kid."
"But today… we owe you."
With one hand, Hiashi grabbed the leader's corpse. With the other, he lifted Renka's unconscious body.
Then he vanished.
...
Not long after—
The Uchiha finally arrived.
"The fight ended recently. There are still traces of Water Style in the area—Hyūga shinobi must've arrived."
"Captain, there's a corpse here—but it's shredded so badly we can't make out the face."
"Water Style… Earth Style… and even Fire Style marks. Who were these people?"
"The Hyūga use Gentle Fist. So all this… was the enemy's work?"
Uchiha Itachi stared at the scene. He searched the area twice, but found no clear answer.
A crow suddenly flew in from the sky.
After receiving the message, Itachi raised a hand and stopped the others from continuing.
"Take the body."
"The Hyūga have been rescued. We're returning."
"What? We ran all the way out here for nothing?"
"He's the Hokage. We follow the order."
Complaints rose through the ranks.
Itachi couldn't manage everyone's grumbling—he could only lead them back, while the clan members muttered behind him the entire way.
The sky was high, the clouds thin. The forest was calm.
Only the voices of the Uchiha grew louder as they faded into the distance.