Chapter 148: Superiority
The air was saturated with chakra, electricity, and humidity swirling together in a lethal vortex.
Ren moved swiftly, using every shadow in the forest to his advantage, but the Anbu was too fast.
Not just that.He wasn't using only Lightning Release.
Water began to flow around him, the ground turning to mud, puddles expanding and shifting—transforming into weapons.
"Water Release: Flowing Prison!"
A cage of water materialized around Ren, closing in like an inescapable trap.
BZZT!
The Anbu channeled lightning into the water, chakra crackling like wild serpents, electrifying the liquid prison from within.
Ren felt his muscles seize, his body wracked by the surging current. The pain was excruciating.
Damn it... This won't do.
He couldn't stay trapped.He couldn't afford to.
Despite the relentless shocks running through him, his fingers still gripped the metal wires he had set up earlier.
With the last shred of clarity in his mind, he pulled them.
The Anbu had overlooked the danger.
For the first time, his mistake became evident.
The metal wires coiled around him, snapping into place like a tightened spring, binding him for just a moment.
Just one second.
But that was enough.
Ren infused Wind Release chakra into his tantō.
And with a clean, lethal strike—He cut.
The blade tore through the water prison, sinking into the Anbu's shoulder—not deep enough to be fatal, but enough to force him back.
Blood splattered onto the damp ground.
The Anbu stopped.Breathed.
Then, behind the mask, his eyes narrowed in pure fury.
"...You actually hit me."
His voice dripped with venom.
The sarcasm was gone.
Now, he wanted to kill.
- - -
Shinji ran despite the pain with Ren's two clones.Shin leaned against him, exhausted.
They finally reached the ice perimeter.
But before he could say a word—
Jun'ko raised her hand.
"Wait."
Her eyes were wary.
The condition they were in...Was this a trap?
Jun'ko turned to Shinji, crossing her arms, scrutinizing him.
"Shinji, what's the one dish you said you hated the most?"
Shinji scoffed.
"That damned seaweed soup you made me try two months ago."
Jun'ko studied him for a moment.
Then she nodded.
"Yukiko, lower the barrier."
Yukiko relaxed her hands, and the ice dome slowly melted away.
"What happened?"
Jun'ko stepped closer, concern in her gaze.
Shinji wasted no time.
"The person Ren is fighting... isn't Mori Mizuchi."
Aoi immediately rushed to Shin, checking his breathing and circulation.
But then—
"Wait."
Yukiko's voice grew tense.
Everyone turned to her.
"Kurara... is getting worse."
- - -
Meanwhile, the fight was over.
Ren lay on the ground.
His breathing was ragged.His body battered by wounds and exhaustion.
The Anbu had run out of patience.
With a motion devoid of grace, he twirled Ren's tantō between his fingers.
"You know, this is an interesting weapon."
Ren tried to push himself up.
BZZT!
Another jolt struck his chest.
Ren clenched his teeth, but he couldn't suppress the scream of pain.
Every muscle burned.Every fiber of his body screamed.
The Anbu stepped closer.
He crouched down, as if about to whisper something.
Then he spoke.
"Did you really think you could defeat an Anbu?"
Ren didn't answer.
Because at that moment—
He couldn't move anymore.
- - -
The ground was soaked with sweat and blood, the forest echoing with the sounds of agony.
Ren couldn't hold on any longer.
BZZT!
Another surge of electricity exploded through his body.
Every fiber twisted, every muscle was pierced by a thousand invisible needles.
His breathing was ragged, his hands convulsively gripping the damp earth.
Above him, the Anbu watched with detached indifference, showing not the slightest sign of fatigue.
Lightning chakra crackled between his fingers, ready to strike again.
"You really thought you could win, Mizutani."
His voice was calm, yet relentless.
Ren clenched his teeth, but nothing could stop the searing pain.
Another burst of chakra.
BZZT!
His body arched violently, a strangled scream escaping his lips.
The world blurred.
And then, like a death sentence—
"After you, it'll be your friends' turn."
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