Seeing Ren Kurogane closing in again, Urashiki cursed inwardly. Damn it, my chakra is too low. I can't trigger my ability many more times!
Having been pummeled by Ren so many times just now, Urashiki had to expend chakra not only to rewind time but also to heal his physical injuries. His reserves were severely depleted!
If Ren had retained his memories from the erased timelines, he would surely have mocked Urashiki for being a "rich idiot" who spent the maximum amount of chakra to achieve the minimum results. Unfortunately, Ren lacked those memories. In his eyes, this was still his first time facing Urashiki.
Clenching his fist, Ren offered a friendly smile. "Forget it. It doesn't matter if you're actually rewinding time or not. I don't believe you can use such a broken ability forever! Your chakra has to hit rock bottom eventually, right?"
As he spoke, he swung his fist, landing yet another blow on Urashiki's face.
"You son of a—!"
Urashiki roared with rage. He simply couldn't comprehend why Ren's fist hit him every single time. He had clearly adjusted his position in the rewind; he should have been able to dodge with certainty!
This time, however, Urashiki didn't trigger his ability. After taking Ren's punch full-force and being sent flying, he used the momentum to turn tail and flee...
"What! Is that your escape route?!" Ren shouted in genuine shock. He hadn't expected an Otsutsuki to be such a "rat." Where is your pride as a god? Running without even a final stand?
Of course, Ren suspected the man had probably been beaten countless times in the loops, which was why he chose flight without hesitation now.
"But do you really think you can get away?" Ren let out a predatory grin and instantly turned into a black blur, giving chase.
On the ground, Sasuke and Boruto remained in a daze. They hadn't expected Ren to be this monstrously strong even as a child.
"Is Uncle Ren really a human like us?" Boruto muttered.
Behind them, Hikari's brow furrowed upon hearing Boruto's words. "It sounds like you two know Ren?" she asked proactively.
Sasuke and Boruto both jumped, only just realizing there was someone else behind them. Sasuke looked at the familiar face of Hikari and felt a wave of relief. He smiled. "For certain reasons, we can't reveal our identities, but rest assured, we're on the same side."
Hikari remained skeptical, her dark eyes fixed on them. "I have no reason to trust you."
With that, she turned into a shadow to follow Ren.
Boruto scratched his head, confused. "Was Grandma Hikari always this cold as a kid? She's nothing like the gentle Grandma Hikari from the future..."
"This is how the shinobi world originally was," Sasuke said with a faint smile. "Unless your strength is great enough to crush everything, trusting others too easily will only lead to a mysterious death."
"Yeah, being a ninja is scary. Glad I'm not one~" Boruto said with a look of relief.
BOOM!!
As they spoke, a brilliant flare of fire erupted in the distant sky, illuminating the twilight world. Staring at the 'sun' in the sky, Sasuke and Boruto were stunned once again. Boruto narrowed his eyes and looked at Sasuke, speaking in a low, judging tone.
"Sasuke-san, didn't you say ninja power levels only started inflating with your generation?"
Looking at the miniature sun in the sky, Boruto began to doubt everything Sasuke had told him.
Sasuke looked awkward. When Boruto was younger, he had lied to him, saying ninja used to be weak and that the power scale only exploded after he and Naruto reached the Six Paths level. Facing the "pineapple-head's" scrutiny, Sasuke feigned composure. "Well... your Uncle Ren is different from us. He's barely human. Even the Progenitor of Chakra wasn't his match. It's perfectly logical for him to be this strong as a kid!"
This kind of "nursery tale" logic failed to convince Boruto. He wore a look of utter disbelief, deciding that once he got back, he was going to ask his Grandpa Minato for the real story of Ren Kurogane.
High in the sky.
Ren used his Time Stasis and Time Acceleration to close the distance and hit Urashiki with an Explosive Flame Rasenshuriken. The combined Wind and Fire chakra severely wounded the Otsutsuki. Against Time Stasis, even though Urashiki possessed time-based abilities, he was a sitting duck. He was struck head-on!
When time resumed, Urashiki found himself engulfed in violent chakra. The soul-piercing agony made him shriek hysterically. His eyes shifted frantically, finally settling on the red Six-Tomoe Rinnegan. Black spatial rifts—Yomotsu Hirasaka—opened around his body, sucking the chakra in to neutralize the attack.
"This guy is an idiot."
Ren, who had just landed, watched this with total confusion. All Urashiki had to do was pull himself into a rift to dodge, yet he chose to expend even more chakra to open multiple portals to swallow the attack. Only a "rich young master" like this Otsutsuki could be so wasteful with his energy.
Urashiki glared at Ren on the ground. Even as arrogant as he was, he finally realized something. "You... you have time-based abilities too?"
"Bingo! But no prize for you!" Ren said with a smirk.
A split second later, a fist the size of a sandbag dominated Urashiki's vision. The punch slammed into his face, caving in his features and sending him hurtling into the ground with a thunderous crash, creating a crater over ten meters wide.
As Urashiki crawled out, covering his face, his eyes burned with malice. Ren landed nearby and pulled a scroll from his cloak. With a puff of smoke, a small glass vial appeared in his hand. Ren then took a scrap of flesh he'd torn from Urashiki, placed it in the vial, and resealed it. The entire sequence was fluid and practiced, as if he'd done it a thousand times.
Urashiki's teeth gnashed in rage. The missing piece of flesh on his face regenerated, but his expression was devoid of joy, filled only with killing intent.
Hikari landed beside Ren, looking at the vial. "What are you collecting that for?"
"As a scientist with grand ideals, studying 'Big Eaters' is a mandatory course!" Ren smiled.
"Seriously, what even is a 'Big Eater'..." Hikari sighed.
Ren looked at Urashiki in the distance, then turned to the approaching Sasuke and Boruto. "I'll leave that guy to you. Don't let him get away!"
Sasuke blinked, then watched as Ren walked up to the "pineapple-head" and pulled out a massive syringe.
"Don't move. I'm only taking one vial!"
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