Chapter 142: Time Stop
The air was thick with the acrid scent of blood. Heavy, oppressive, suffocating.
Ren moved forward with slow, almost mechanical steps, his heart pounding in his chest like a war drum.
Aoi was already kneeling beside Kurara, his trembling hands covered in blood. His face was pale, his features twisted in a mix of horror and helplessness.
When he saw him, Aoi's eyes darkened with resignation.
"Ren… he struck her straight in the heart."
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Two words.
Two simple words that pierced Ren's chest more than any blade.
No.
Kurara couldn't die like this.
Not her.
Not now.
He knelt beside her, his breath unsteady. He had seen death before, but this… this was different.
This was Kurara.
His friend, the one he had always taken for granted, always there with that stubborn smile, with that unstoppable energy. Always there.
Why did I always think I had time?
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He had never truly asked himself how important she was to him—until now.
And now? Now she was dying before his eyes.
No… not like this.
His body refused to accept it, but reality was right in front of him, in that blood spreading wider and wider on the cold ground.
His hand trembled as he placed it over the wound, as if mere contact could change things, bring her back, undo that moment.
He felt the sticky warmth of blood between his fingers, her body growing colder.
But then—
A heartbeat.
Slow.
Weak.
But it was there.
Ren froze.
How?
The heart was struck… yet it's still beating?
A flash crossed his mind.
Wait.
Time seemed to stop.
Then, enlightenment.
His gaze snapped toward Kurara's body. Something resurfaced in his memory.
Her difficulty with Jutsu.
The way her chakra flow never responded as it should.
I always thought it was just a control issue… but what if it was something deeper?
What if it wasn't just her chakra that was reversed… but her entire body?
Ren felt his pulse quicken.
Situs Inversus.
It was the only possible explanation.
Kurara had mirrored internal organs.
Her heart… wasn't where it was supposed to be.
That's why she's still alive!
Adrenaline surged through his veins. He still had a chance.
But time was running out.
Ren snapped out of it. He couldn't hesitate.
He immediately created a clone. Chakra condensed, and a perfect replica of himself appeared beside him.
"Put up a barrier. Now."
The clone nodded instantly, his hands already forming rapid seals.
Meanwhile, Ren turned to the others.
"Step back."
His voice was cold, firm, absolute.
Shinji looked like he wanted to argue, but something in Ren's intense gaze shut him up.
Aoi hesitated but understood.
He understood that Ren had seen something he hadn't.
One by one, they withdrew beyond the barrier.
The clone completed the sequence of seals. Luminous symbols spread along the ground, forming a protective circle.
And in an instant, Ren and Kurara disappeared from sight.
The concealment barrier had erased their presence.
From the outside, it seemed as if there was nothing.
But inside, Ren was fighting against time.
Stabilizing her wouldn't be enough.
He had to do more.
He closed his eyes for a moment. He thought.
What could he do?
Then he remembered.
Glycina Nebula.
A prototype. An unperfected solution.
But it had shown promising results.
He had no other choice.
He pulled out the vial with steady hands, observing the clear liquid inside.
Its formulation was designed to stimulate mitochondria, temporarily increasing chakra production to accelerate cellular regeneration.
But it had never been tested long-term.
Ren clenched his jaw.
He wouldn't use the full dose.
He couldn't risk it.
He took less than half.
Enough to stimulate the process but without overloading Kurara's body.
Time seemed to flow too fast.
Ren plunged the syringe into Kurara's skin and injected the dose.
Now all he could do was wait.
The following moments felt like an eternity.
Outside the barrier, no one spoke.
Everyone had seen Ren and Kurara disappear behind the concealment seal.
Every breath felt like a drumbeat in the void.
Ren felt Kurara's heartbeat pulse beneath his hands.
Slow.
Weak.
But it was there.
She just had to hold on.
She just had to cling to life.
Ren wouldn't let her go.
Not this time.
- - -
Among the tangled branches of the forest, three figures moved at an astonishing speed, slipping through the darkness like fleeing predators. The masked man led the run, his breath heavy, his body tense with effort. Behind him, Misaki and Yuki Sora followed with perfect agility, their movements calculated to avoid wasting energy.
The moon filtered through the trees, casting swirling shadows on the trunks as the three ninja pressed forward without stopping.
Misaki clenched her teeth.
Stupid. Stubborn. Blind.
She couldn't hold back her irritation.
"You have to listen to us!" she hissed, her tone thick with urgency. " You can't act on your own!"
The masked man didn't respond immediately. He grunted in frustration.
Blood dripped from the cut on his face, his mind feverish with adrenaline. Every fiber of his being screamed for revenge, dragging him toward a single goal.
That damn boy.
Ren.
The thought burned him, the humiliation searing like an open wound.
He didn't care about them. He didn't care about anyone else.
I will find him. I will kill him.
But Misaki wasn't about to let him.
"We need to reach Mizuchi." Her voice was cold, authoritative. "He's waiting for us."
The masked man kept running, but something in his step hesitated.
Misaki didn't lower her gaze.
"And we need to find the other three."
She didn't say names. There was no need.
The masked man said nothing, but the air grew heavier.
They weren't done yet.
- - -
Meanwhile, outside Ren's barrier, the group remained in tense silence.
Yukiko, Aoi, Hiroshi, Shinji, and Jun'ko sat in a circle, rigid and watchful.
Aoi, having just finished stabilizing Hiroshi, had moved on to Jun'ko. Fortunately, her wound wasn't as bad as expected.
"Your luck is incredible," Aoi murmured as he tightened the bandages. "Just a few centimeters off and you'd be in serious trouble."
Jun'ko, despite the pain, smirked. "I trust my instincts."
Aoi looked up at her but said nothing.
The air was too heavy for jokes.
Shinji, who had been silent until now, crossed his arms and sighed.
"This whole thing is strange," he finally said, his voice lower than usual.
Everyone turned to him.
"Think about it," he continued. "This isn't just an exam. This isn't a battle between students. Someone is pulling the strings."
A disturbing silence fell over the group.
From a shadow hidden among the branches, a masked figure watched.
His breath was silent, controlled. Perfect stillness.
His eyes followed every movement of the group, registering every word spoken.
A light breeze rustled the leaves.
The ANBU wasn't satisfied.
Perhaps He had expected something more.
But one truth was clear: there were still too many variables out of control.
The ANBU remained immobile for another moment, then, with a fluid motion, vanished into the darkness.
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