Over the past few months, Konoha and Sunagakure had clashed again and again across the battlefield.
Seven or eight major engagements had already taken place, not counting the countless smaller skirmishes that erupted almost daily. Neither side had managed to gain a decisive advantage. Every victory came at a cost, and every retreat was temporary.
The latest large-scale battle had finally ended, giving both villages a chance to catch their breath.
But everyone understood the truth.
This wasn't peace.
It was merely an intermission before the next act of bloodshed.
Konoha was rotating fresh ninja onto the battlefield to replace exhausted veterans. Sunagakure was doing exactly the same. Both villages desperately needed new fighting strength, yet both also knew that inexperienced recruits were vulnerable.
That was why traps had become so common.
The battlefield was littered with hidden dangers carefully designed to eliminate young ninja before they could gain experience and become valuable assets.
The Sunagakure squad hidden in the forest was carrying out exactly such a mission.
They had concealed themselves perfectly among the dense trees, waiting patiently like predators.
And now...
Their prey had finally arrived.
Through the gaps in the leaves, they spotted three Konoha genin rushing forward at high speed.
Leading the group was a black-haired boy wearing orange goggles.
Obito Uchiha.
The young ninja was charging ahead enthusiastically, kunai in hand, completely focused on searching for enemies.
Unfortunately, he wasn't paying attention to what was directly beneath his feet.
Hidden beneath a layer of carefully arranged leaves was an Explosive Tag trap.
The camouflage was nearly flawless.
One more step and—
Boom.
The waiting Sunagakure ninja could almost picture the scene already.
Blood.
Flesh.
Screams.
A rookie's life ending in an instant.
Their lips curled into cruel smiles.
Then everything changed.
A white-haired figure suddenly burst forward from behind.
"MOVE, IDIOT!"
Before Obito could react, Ren drove a powerful kick straight into his side.
"What the—?! Ren, are you crazy?!"
Obito's eyes widened.
A split second later, he felt a tremendous force slam into his waist.
"OWWWW!"
His body flew sideways like a cannonball.
He crashed into a nearby bush, rolled several times, and finally came to a stop with mud and grass stuffed into his mouth.
For a moment, he couldn't even understand what had happened.
Then he heard another sound.
A sharp whistle.
Kakashi had already thrown a kunai.
The weapon spun through the air and landed precisely among the fallen leaves where Obito had been standing.
BOOM!!!
The hidden explosive tag detonated instantly.
A deafening explosion erupted.
Flames shot skyward.
The ground shook violently.
A wave of scorching heat blasted outward, carrying dirt, rocks, and shattered branches in every direction.
Obito stared at the inferno from his position in the bushes.
His face turned pale.
Cold sweat poured down his forehead.
If Ren hadn't kicked him away...
He would have been standing right there.
Dead.
The realization made his entire body tremble.
Meanwhile, Ren had already used the recoil from the kick to propel himself away from the blast radius.
He landed lightly several meters away before performing a smooth roll across the ground.
Without pausing, he shouted:
"Rin! Watch your footing!"
His eyes swept across the forest.
Sharp.
Focused.
Dangerous.
Every movement of the leaves.
Every unusual reflection.
Every subtle disturbance in the trees.
Nothing escaped his notice.
Minato Namikaze was somewhere behind them.
Ren knew their teacher was observing from a distance and would intervene if absolutely necessary.
But Ren had no intention of relying on rescue.
If he could solve the situation himself, then he would.
His gaze suddenly locked onto several suspicious locations dozens of meters away.
There.
And there.
And there.
Without hesitation, he reached into his ninja pouch.
Several kunai and shuriken flew from his hands.
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
The weapons shot through the forest with incredible precision.
Each one embedded itself into a carefully chosen point on a massive tree.
Almost instantly, transparent steel wires stretched taut between Ren's fingers and the weapons.
He pulled them tight.
Then inhaled deeply.
The chakra in his body surged.
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"
WHOOSH!!!
A spear-like stream of blazing fire exploded from his mouth.
Unlike ordinary flames, this attack followed the steel wires directly toward its target.
The concentrated blaze screamed through the air.
BOOM!
The giant tree shuddered violently.
The fire pierced straight through its trunk.
Cracks spread instantly across the wood.
Then—
CRASH!!!
The upper half of the enormous tree collapsed.
Dust erupted everywhere.
Branches snapped.
Leaves scattered through the air.
And the hidden enemies were finally exposed.
Two Sunagakure ninja leapt from the collapsing cover.
One immediately rushed toward Ren with a blade.
The second landed on the ground and slammed both palms downward.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears!"
Rumble!
Rumble!
Sharp earthen spikes erupted from beneath the ground like deadly fangs.
"Rin! Obito! That one is yours!"
Ren disappeared.
A substitution technique activated instantly.
His body swapped positions with one of the previously thrown shuriken.
The next moment, he appeared directly beside the Earth Release user.
The short sword on his back flashed into his hand.
Cold steel sliced through the air.
The Sunagakure ninja's eyes widened.
"So fast!"
He had absolutely no idea how Ren had crossed the distance.
Instinctively, he twisted his body while reaching for a kunai.
At the same time, he prepared to use the Body Flicker Technique to retreat.
But Ren's sword was already there.
Slash!
Blood sprayed into the air.
A shallow but precise wound appeared across the enemy's chest.
However, the injury itself wasn't Ren's true objective.
The moment the blade made contact, strange black-and-red symbols spread across the sword's surface.
The sealing formula Kushina had personally inscribed activated instantly.
The Double Binding Seal Technique.
The markings spread onto the enemy's body like living ink.
The Earth Release ninja suddenly froze.
His expression changed dramatically.
His chakra...
It wasn't flowing properly.
Something felt wrong.
His chakra network seemed clogged.
Restricted.
Interrupted.
The Body Flicker Technique he intended to use stalled for a brief moment.
Only a fraction of a second.
But on a battlefield...
A fraction of a second was enough.
Ren's eyes flashed.
A second slash followed immediately.
The blade swept across the air.
Blood erupted.
The enemy staggered backward.
His eyes were filled with disbelief.
He touched his neck.
His hand came away covered in crimson.
The realization hit him too late.
His knees buckled.
His body collapsed backward onto the forest floor.
Dead.
The first real combat test of Kushina's sealing technique had succeeded perfectly.
The seal didn't need to completely suppress an opponent.
Even disrupting their chakra for a single moment was enough to determine victory.
"YAMAZAKI!"
A furious scream echoed through the forest.
Ren turned toward the source.
What he saw immediately caught his interest.
A humanoid puppet.
Its appearance was grotesque and intimidating.
Four arms.
Hidden blades.
Poison-coated weapons protruding from multiple joints.
The mechanism clicked and rattled as it rushed forward.
The controller stood hidden behind a tree over ten meters away.
A young Sunagakure ninja.
His fingers danced rapidly.
Invisible chakra threads connected him to the puppet.
"So this is Sunagakure's Puppet Technique..."
Ren's eyes narrowed.
This was his first time seeing a real puppeteer in battle.
Naturally, he was curious.
Instead of ending the fight immediately, he chose to observe.
The puppet lunged.
Ren raised his sword.
Clang!
Metal collided with metal.
Sparks exploded.
The puppet attacked again.
And again.
And again.
Its four arms moved with remarkable coordination.
Poisoned blades flashed from every direction.
The strength behind each strike surprised Ren slightly.
For a brief period, the puppet actually managed to exchange blows with him evenly.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The sounds of battle echoed throughout the forest.
However, Ren quickly noticed something interesting.
The puppet's performance wasn't the real issue.
The controller was.
The young Sunagakure ninja's fingers were moving at incredible speed.
His chakra threads formed a dazzling web.
Sweat was already appearing on his forehead.
His breathing was becoming heavier.
Maintaining this level of control clearly demanded enormous concentration and chakra consumption.
The puppet wasn't fighting Ren.
The puppeteer was.
And the puppeteer was already approaching his limit.
Nearby, the rest of Team Minato was also engaged in combat.
Rin and Obito had teamed up against the swordsman.
Although Obito was still embarrassed about nearly triggering the trap, he fought with unusual determination.
Rin provided support while searching for openings.
Meanwhile, Kakashi had already engaged another Sunagakure ninja.
His movements were calm and efficient.
Every strike carried deadly precision.
Compared to the chaos surrounding him, Kakashi looked frighteningly composed.
Back in Ren's battle, dozens of exchanges passed.
The puppet continued attacking relentlessly.
But Ren had already learned everything he wanted to know.
Strength.
Speed.
Reaction time.
Coordination.
Weapon deployment.
Poison mechanisms.
He had measured it all.
And now...
He was bored.
The puppet wasn't weak.
But it wasn't strong enough to threaten him.
The Sunagakure ninja controlling it was fighting desperately just to maintain the current pace.
Ren slowly exhaled.
His eyes became calm.
Cold.
Focused.
The puppeteer suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
Instinct screamed at him.
Danger.
Extreme danger.
The boy controlling the puppet looked up.
For the first time since the battle began, he saw Ren standing completely still.
No movement.
No attack.
No defense.
Just standing there.
Yet somehow...
That was far more terrifying.
The puppeteer's heartbeat accelerated.
Sweat rolled down his cheek.
His fingers moved even faster.
The puppet charged forward again.
Blades extended.
Poison glistened.
It aimed directly for Ren's throat.
Then—
Ren activated the Heart Blade Domain.
The world changed.
Everything slowed.
The puppet's movements became crystal clear.
Every mechanical joint.
Every attack angle.
Every hidden weakness.
Every chakra thread connecting controller and puppet.
Nothing escaped his perception.
At that moment, the outcome of the battle was already decided.**
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