Thanks to chakra, shinobi can do battle on even the most extreme terrains.
At this moment, Ren Uchiha stood on a cliff face that was nearly ninety degrees vertical, his Sharingan filled with a heavy solemnity. Ahead of him, the gloomy night sky was cut by Kakuzu, who soared toward him like a lethal arrow in his Earth Grudge Fear mode. Behind him lay the abyss—a drop where a single fall meant certain death.
There was no retreat. There was only the fight.
The wind rising from the gorge ruffled Ren's long hair. With a calm gaze, his hands blurred into seals, and a pale red chakra began to swirl around his palms. Then, he slammed his fingers onto the cliff surface!
A massive, circular runic seal expanded rapidly. A pale red dome of light locked onto the incoming Kakuzu and flared to life!
The Super Death Match Barrier—a technique that inherited and surpassed the secrets of the Cloud Village—was now deployed.
In mid-air, Kakuzu's pupils shrank. He instinctively sensed something was wrong. This brat before him was clearly as weak as a fledgling chick, yet instead of running, he had the audacity to launch a counterattack? He even tried to trap him in a barrier?
Kakuzu was genuinely bewildered. What was this kid trying to do to a seventy-year-old veteran? Was this some kind of trick? A sneak attack?
Possessing a calm temperament and a high combat IQ that had allowed him to survive since the Warring States period, Kakuzu's mind instantly cycled through countless tactical permutations. He was trying to analyze what the hell this boy was playing at.
Eight tentacles slammed into the cliff, halting his momentum. However, it was too late. A pale red barrier wall had already materialized, encasing both Ren Uchiha and himself within its bounds.
When the dust settled, Kakuzu stared blankly at the barrier that contained only him and Ren. His brain was practically smoking as he tried to figure out the logic.
Is this kid's head broken? he wondered. You isolated your teammates on the outside. You're just a single-tomoe Sharingan Uchiha... what do you expect to fight me with?
Nearby, after hearing Ren's battle-hungry question earlier, Mei Terumī's eyes regained their composure. A small spark of fighting spirit even flickered in her pupils. For Mei, who aspired to become the Mizukage and lead the Hidden Mist to glory, her earlier display of terror made her feel ashamed.
Now, regrouped and ready for another round, she was determined to show the brilliance of a Mist Village genius. With Ren's barrier in place, her other Bloodline Limit—Boil Style—could finally be put to great use! Even if the opponent was Kakuzu, the S-Rank rogue and super-mercenary...
She would... she would...
Wait. Mei suddenly looked dumbfounded.
"Hey, hey, hey! Ren Uchiha! I'm not inside yet!!"
Mei began to pound on the barrier, shouting in alarm, "Open the door! Let me in! What are you doing?!"
Sweat poured down Mei's forehead as she stared at Ren, who was only a step away yet felt as if he were in another world. She could almost see a halo appearing over the boy's head as he waved goodbye to the land of the living.
A pale red barrier shimmered between them. Mei's pupils shrank as she screamed, "Are you insane?! Do you really intend to fight that monster alone?!"
Seeing the barrier fully formed, sealing himself and Kakuzu in the same space to breathe the same air, Ren smiled. He turned his head toward Mei, his eyes reflecting the flowing stars of the night sky, filled with an indescribable meaning.
"I'm sorry, Mei Tsukigome."
"This... is my escape route."
Ren paused, looking at the two behind the glass-like wall and gave a carefree laugh. "The opponent is an S-Rank rogue with Kage-level power. This is an enemy we cannot defeat even if we give it our all. Therefore, the only solution I could think of was this."
"Lure the opponent to a suitable location, then deploy a barrier to stall him. Mei, take Hidan and leave immediately! After that, I don't care what you do. But—"
"Now, here... this is my battlefield!"
Having said his peace, Ren turned his head back with absolute calm. He reached into his tool pouch and drew a kunai, holding it in a reverse grip before his face. The cold, gleaming edge pointed toward Kakuzu as a haughty, defiant sneer curled onto his lips.
"Mr. Kakuzu..."
"You want to hurt them?"
"Then... you'll have to step over my corpse first!"
"Tch." Kakuzu furrowed his brow, looking at Ren with growing annoyance.
This scene of a life-and-death farewell inadvertently pricked a nerve buried deep in his heart. Once, as an elite of the Hidden Waterfall, he had faced a similar situation. A moment of absolute crisis, a life-or-death emergency.
However, unlike Ren who had chosen to stay behind and die for his comrades, Kakuzu had received only betrayal.
When his team's mission to assassinate the God of Shinobi fell apart, his teammates had betrayed him and fled, leaving all the responsibility on his shoulders. He was forced to move forward alone. And when he had failed that near-impossible mission and returned to the village, broken and dejected, he received no comfort. There was no understanding from his peers, no flowers, no praise—not even a hospital bed to heal his wounds.
What awaited him was the crime of failure and a heavy punishment. A shinobi who had staked his life for the village was treated with nothing but cruelty.
"Ah, another boring game of 'ninja house'," Kakuzu said, shaking his head. Looking at Ren, he felt a rare urge to speak more. It was as if he were looking at his past self across the span of time, speaking to the youth with a chilling clarity.
"Broke brat," Kakuzu said indifferently. "Face reality! In this world, things rarely go the way you want. The longer you live, the more you realize that reality is only filled with helplessness, pain, and emptiness."
"Comrades you've shared life and death with will stab you in the back. Faith you've staked everything on can be crushed into worthlessness by a single wooden palm. The superiors you offer your loyalty to only see you as a tool to be discarded at any moment."
Kakuzu paused, a hint of fanaticism flashing in his eyes. "However... only money will never betray you."
Ren took a deep breath after hearing this. Internal thoughts: "Old man, you are absolutely right!" Bonding, friendship—that was all for kids. He had done so much for those five hundred million! He was doing this for this very moment!
Ren nodded in agreement, then suddenly snapped his Sharingan into focus, pushing his state to its peak. He intended to offer everything he had trained for, everything he had struggled to achieve, and ignite it in this single instant!
He looked at Kakuzu and roared, "Bring it on, monster! Right here, right now!"
"Grant me my destined death!"
A crimson light flashed in Ren's eyes as he charged forward! He whipped out three shuriken; one aimed straight for Kakuzu's chest, while the other two collided in mid-air to change trajectory, curving toward the masks hidden beneath the black cloak on Kakuzu's back.
Possessing intel on Kakuzu, Ren knew the man had an 'immortal body.' He had to crush the five hearts beneath the masks to kill him!
Faced with Ren's refusal to listen and his daring frontal assault, Kakuzu actually retracted his tentacles. His gaze remained indifferent, though the coldness in his eyes intensified. He slowly unbuttoned his black cloak and tossed it aside.
A tall, muscular body covered in stitch marks was revealed to the night wind. He raised a fist, rolled his shoulders, and sneered with utter disdain.
"Broke brat, you think you're a fighter? Then allow me to teach you..."
"What we call..."
"Reality!"
[Kakuzu is utterly disdainful of your bravery; he seems intent on beating you into a pulp.]
[Courage is the crystallization of human wisdom. Anyone who belittles courage shall receive the righteous judgment of Justice!]
[S-Rank Long-term Mission Triggered—]
[Make Kakuzu understand that courage is something greater than money!]
[Settlement nodes will vary based on his level of understanding: Understand, Join, Surpass. Current Progress: 0/3.]