The instant Ren activated his Domain, the world around him seemed to change.
Countless pale white lines appeared throughout his vision, spreading across the battlefield like an intricate web. Every line represented a possible trajectory, a weakness, or a flaw hidden within his opponent's movements. What had once seemed like a dangerous and unpredictable puppet now appeared completely exposed before his eyes.
Every chakra thread.
Every joint.
Every vulnerable connection.
Nothing could escape his sight.
A faint smile appeared on Ren's face.
"It's over."
His body exploded forward.
The ground cracked beneath his feet as he accelerated.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared directly before the puppet.
The short sword in his hand flashed.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The silver blade transformed into streaks of light that sliced through the air with terrifying precision.
Swish!
Swish!
Swish!
The puppet's three mechanical arms detached almost simultaneously.
Wooden fragments flew through the air.
The Sunagakure puppeteer widened his eyes in disbelief.
Before he could react, Ren shifted his body slightly to the side.
A curved blade coated in pale green poison passed mere inches from his neck.
The poisoned weapon continued flying before burying itself deep into a nearby tree trunk.
Thud!
The entire battlefield fell silent.
"What?!"
The puppeteer's face turned pale.
"Impossible..."
"How could you—"
His fingers twitched frantically.
Most of the chakra threads connecting him to his puppet had already been severed.
The puppet that had been moving with deadly flexibility suddenly froze.
Its movements became stiff and sluggish.
Like a body stripped of its skeleton.
Like a warrior whose limbs had suddenly become useless.
Then he saw something even more terrifying.
Ren had already stepped onto the puppet's shoulder.
Using it as a foothold, he launched himself into the sky.
For a brief moment, he looked like a hawk diving toward its prey.
The puppeteer's heart nearly stopped.
Too fast.
He couldn't dodge.
He couldn't defend.
He couldn't even think.
A flash of silver appeared.
Pfft!
A head flew into the air.
Blood erupted like a crimson fountain.
The headless body staggered several steps before collapsing heavily onto the ground.
The battle was over.
On the opposite side of the battlefield, Rin and Obito had also finished their opponents.
Although Obito had yet to awaken the Sharingan, nearly a year of intensive training and combat missions had pushed him to the level of a competent Chunin.
Rin was slightly weaker in direct combat, but her teamwork and support abilities perfectly complemented Obito's fighting style.
Together, they successfully eliminated their enemies without suffering any major injuries.
Not far away, Kakashi had already subdued the final surviving Sunagakure ninja.
The White Fang blade rested against the enemy's throat.
His expression remained calm.
"Speak."
"How many people are in your infiltration squad?"
"What is your objective?"
The wounded ninja laughed coldly.
"Heh..."
"Damn Konoha dogs."
"Don't expect to learn anything from me."
Black blood suddenly flowed from the corner of his mouth.
His body convulsed violently.
A few seconds later, he became completely motionless.
Dead.
Kakashi stared silently before withdrawing his blade.
"He took poison."
His tone remained indifferent.
To Kakashi, this wasn't anything unusual.
As a veteran Chunin who had spent years on the battlefield, he had witnessed far worse.
Some shinobi covered themselves in explosive tags and deliberately charged into enemy formations as living bombs.
Compared to that, swallowing poison was almost ordinary.
However, the same could not be said for Rin and Obito.
Both stood frozen.
They had killed before.
Bandits.
Criminals.
Outlaws.
But this was different.
The average age of these Sunagakure shinobi wasn't much older than theirs.
Yet they displayed a complete disregard for their own lives.
The realization sent a chill down their spines.
For the first time, the true cruelty of war revealed itself before them.
There were no heroes here.
No glorious victories.
Only survival.
And death.
At that moment, a familiar figure emerged from the forest.
Minato Namikaze stepped out from behind a tree roughly ten meters away.
A gentle smile rested on his face.
"Yu, Rin, Obito."
"Are you all alright?"
The three nodded.
Minato sighed softly.
"Sorry for not appearing sooner."
"But this is a trial every shinobi must face."
"If I had intervened too early, they would have immediately retreated."
Ren remained silent.
While Minato's tone was casual, Ren understood the deeper meaning behind those words.
The reputation of the future Yellow Flash was already spreading across the southwestern battlefield.
Enemy shinobi feared him.
Many preferred retreating over confronting him directly.
Ren couldn't help wondering whether the famous order had already appeared among enemy ranks.
If you encounter the Yellow Flash, retreat immediately. Mission failure will be forgiven.
It wouldn't be surprising.
After all, Minato was rapidly becoming a nightmare for every opposing village.
The team soon gathered together.
As usual, Minato began reviewing the battle.
He pointed out everyone's strengths and weaknesses.
Naturally, Obito's near-fatal mistake became the main topic.
"Never stop observing the battlefield."
Minato's voice remained calm.
"It doesn't matter how intense the fight becomes."
"It doesn't matter how confident you feel."
"The moment you stop paying attention to your surroundings..."
"...is usually the moment you die."
Obito lowered his head.
He couldn't argue.
After all, he had nearly stepped on an explosive tag.
Had Ren not acted first—
The outcome could have been disastrous.
In truth, Minato had been preparing to intervene.
But after seeing Ren react before anyone else, he decided to remain hidden and observe.
The result had exceeded his expectations.
Not only had Ren noticed the trap, but he had also rescued Obito while simultaneously eliminating his own opponent.
It was a remarkable display of awareness.
After Minato finished speaking, Obito scratched his head awkwardly.
His face alternated between red and pale.
Finally, he turned toward Ren.
His gaze wandered everywhere except Ren's eyes.
"Uh..."
"That..."
"Thanks for earlier."
"You saved me again."
"That's twice now."
Obito clenched his fists.
"I'll definitely repay you someday."
Ren paused.
For a moment, his expression became slightly strange.
The truth was that he had considered not saving Obito.
Only briefly.
Only for an instant.
Then he abandoned the idea.
There were several reasons.
First, Obito dying to an explosive tag was simply too unlikely.
Minato and Kakashi were both nearby.
Neither would have allowed it to happen.
Second, if Obito survived with serious injuries, taking care of him would become everyone's responsibility.
That sounded incredibly troublesome.
And finally—
There was one more important reason.
Madara Uchiha.
The old monster was still alive.
And Obito was his chosen successor.
If Obito died here unexpectedly, there was no telling how Madara might react.
With Ren's current strength, confronting Madara was simply impossible.
Even Minato would struggle.
For the sake of his future survival, keeping Obito alive was undoubtedly the safer option.
Ren glanced at him.
"It's just a life-saving favor."
"No need to remember it so carefully."
Obito immediately shook his head.
"No."
"A favor is a favor."
"I won't forget it."
Ren sighed.
"Fine."
"If you really want to repay me..."
"...just don't stab me in the back someday."
The moment those words left his mouth, Obito froze.
"Huh?!"
His eyes widened.
Then he exploded.
"What kind of nonsense is that?!"
"I am Uchiha Obito!"
"The future Hokage!"
"Why would I ever betray my comrades?!"
"I'd rather die than do something like that!"
His voice echoed through the forest.
Rin couldn't help laughing.
Even Kakashi's lips twitched slightly.
Ren merely nodded.
"I see."
"That's good."
He didn't elaborate further.
Some things weren't worth explaining.
The future was unpredictable.
No one could know what lay ahead.
The group soon began cleaning the battlefield.
Ren and Kakashi searched the bodies thoroughly.
Unfortunately, they discovered very little useful intelligence.
Most sensitive documents had already been destroyed.
The only gains were basic supplies.
Kunai.
Shuriken.
Explosive tags.
Soldier pills.
Standard battlefield resources.
Ren divided most of the supplies between Obito and Rin.
Kakashi refused his share as usual.
After a brief rest, the squad resumed their journey toward Wildfire City Outpost.
The atmosphere became noticeably more cautious.
Everyone understood that enemy infiltration teams were operating throughout the region.
At any moment, another battle could begin.
Roughly an hour later, Ren suddenly raised his hand.
The team immediately stopped.
A moment later, Kakashi narrowed his eyes.
He had sensed it too.
Enemy shinobi.
A three-man Sunagakure squad.
Both sides detected each other almost simultaneously.
The distance between them remained over one hundred meters.
For several seconds, neither group moved.
Then the enemy made their decision.
Retreat.
Without hesitation.
Without testing the waters.
Without attempting an ambush.
They simply vanished into the forest.
Ren wasn't surprised.
The earlier battle had probably not been an isolated operation.
Information was likely spreading rapidly through nearby enemy units.
Pursuing them would be unnecessary.
The team continued forward.
Another thirty minutes passed.
Finally, a massive fortress-like structure emerged from the horizon.
Wildfire City Outpost.
The sight immediately drew everyone's attention.
More than half a year had passed since their previous visit.
Back then, it had been little more than a military camp.
Now it looked completely different.
Towering defensive walls.
Watchtowers.
Fortifications.
Barrier formations.
Rows of sharpened stakes surrounded the perimeter.
The entire structure resembled a steel fortress built into the mountainside.
War had transformed it.
Made it stronger.
Made it harsher.
Made it more dangerous.
After arriving at the entrance, Minato presented his identification.
Several rounds of verification followed.
Secret codes.
Identity checks.
Security procedures.
Only after completing everything were they allowed inside.
The moment they entered, a powerful smell hit them.
Sweat.
Blood.
Medicine.
Smoke.
Gunpowder.
The unmistakable scent of war.
Wounded shinobi moved between medical tents.
Messengers rushed from one command center to another.
Supply teams carried crates across the camp.
The entire outpost operated like a giant machine preparing for its next battle.
Then suddenly—
A loud, energetic voice echoed throughout the camp.
"Hahahaha!"
"Minato!"
"You brat finally came back!"
Everyone turned toward the source.
A towering man approached with large strides.
His long white hair flowed behind him.
A massive scroll hung across his back.
He wore a red sleeveless haori over green shinobi clothing.
His face carried a carefree smile.
Yet beneath that smile was the overwhelming presence of a true powerhouse.
One of Konoha's strongest shinobi.
One of the legendary Three Sannin.
Jiraiya had arrived.
Minato immediately smiled.
"Jiraiya-sensei!"
The teacher and student walked toward one another.
Nearby shinobi instinctively made way.
Even among the countless warriors stationed at Wildfire City Outpost, the appearance of one of the Legendary Sannin commanded attention.
Ren quietly observed the approaching white-haired giant.
Unlike many people in the camp who viewed Jiraiya with admiration, Ren's thoughts were far more complicated.
After all, standing before him wasn't merely a famous shinobi.
This was one of the most influential figures in the future of the ninja world.
The man who would train Minato.
The man who would later teach Naruto.
The man destined to challenge the darkness hidden within the world itself.
And now—
For the first time since arriving in this world—
Ren was finally meeting Jiraiya in person.
The real war was only beginning.
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