{Sorry guys, totally forgot the break notice due to the birthday chaos, my bad.}
~
Since the two of them had already decided that the fight should begin they didn't waste anymore time, however the two of them still glanced at each other for one more time before they began trading blows.
Then Kakuzu moved.
There was no warning, just the dull crack of the earth beneath his feet as he launched forward. His skin darkened in an instant, turning obsidian-black as the Earth Spear technique coated his limbs. His form blurred, closing the distance between them in two strides that felt far too heavy for his size.
Ren widened his eyes slightly, not out of surprise but to utilize the Hyperfocus better. His body shifted before Kakuzu's arm could fully extend. The punch cut through where his head had been a moment ago, cracking a tree trunk clean in half. The splinters hit Ren's cheek, stinging faintly.
However Ren just twisted with the motion, sweeping low to strike Kakuzu's knee, only to feel the impact rebound up his leg, like kicking iron. The hit barely made Kakuzu twitch. He responded with a smooth and brutal backhand, the air whistled as Ren ducked under it and countered with a sharp upward elbow toward Kakuzu's ribs. The strike landed, but it was like hitting stone.
Ren's body reacted before his mind caught up, Hyperfocus locking in.
Everything slowed. The rhythm of Kakuzu's breath. The way his left foot dug into the ground before each strike. The faint tremor in his shoulder muscle that gave away his next motion. Ren's awareness expanded in layers, each small movement outlined in crisp detail.
'Hmm, he's just testing me for now, so I can't show him even a hint of proof that my body is damaged, I have to feed him some false data, which would make him satisfied and also slightly wary.'
Kakuzu's next blow came from above and Ren stepped in, not out, his left palm snapping up to redirect the descending arm while his right hand clenched and drove forward in a clean, focused jab right into Kakuzu's torso. A burst of chakra left his palm on impact, rippling through Kakuzu's hardened body like a miniature shockwave.
The sound was a sharp thud, not crack. Kakuzu only slid half a step back before his other hand shot forward, a straight punch to Ren's gut.
Ren barely managed to raise his forearm in time. The force sent him skidding backward several meters, the soles of his sandals carving lines into the dirt. His arm went numb from the shock. He exhaled slowly and shook it once.
'His physical power's monstrous. Even without relying on his threads, he's hitting harder than a damn Akimichi.'
He rolled his shoulder back, feeling the dull ache in his ribs. His body wasn't fully healed yet, the internal damage still fresh but that didn't mean he could afford to slow down. Kakuzu didn't need to know that.
So Ren smiled.
"You hit hard for someone that old," he said, voice light, tone teasing.
Kakuzu didn't respond. His masked face tilted slightly, eyes narrowing. Then he stepped forward again.
Ren exhaled once and lowered his stance, drawing even more chakra into his limbs carefully and precisely. He couldn't rely on pure muscle right now, so he did what he did best, he compensated with quantity and control.
This was what he decided to do in the first exchange, 'Chakra Enhanced Strength, with enormous amount of chakra should be good enough.'
His next movement was faster and sharper. Kakuzu swung but Ren met him head-on this time redirecting the blow with a subtle twist of his forearm and driving a knee toward Kakuzu's side. The impact resounded like two stones colliding and a faint crack ran along the ground beneath them.
Ren followed it up immediately with a low kick, then a palm strike, with a pivot he launched an elbow, everything was efficient with no wasted motion. Kakuzu blocked most of them, but even through the hardened skin, the chakra pulses started to leave faint dents on impact.
The old shinobi grunted softly, eyes narrowing further.
'It seems like those reports were not entirely accurate.' Kakuzu thought, reading the fine tremors in Ren's arms after each strike. 'The brat's physical abilities are not that great, he just has a lot of chakra and control to enhance himself so it appears that he is a Taijutsu specialist even if he's not. However,' he frowned slightly, 'With this level of control, his Ninjutsu might be a problem.'
Ren's breathing evened out mid-exchange, each inhale synced with a motion. The more Kakuzu attacked, the more he adjusted, as if learning Kakuzu's rhythm mid-fight.
But Kakuzu wasn't just a brawler, his mind was old, ruthless, and patient. He shifted angles suddenly, dropping his weight low and sweeping his leg with the strength of a battering ram. Ren leapt to avoid it, only for Kakuzu to twist mid-motion and punch upward.
The blow caught Ren's guard, half-blocked, half-taken. The sheer impact launched him back, his back slamming into a thick tree trunk and the bark exploded into splinters.
The tree tilted, cracked, and fell sideways with a heavy thump.
Ren stayed crouched on one knee, dust clinging to his hair. His breathing was still steady, but he could feel the faint pulse of pain running through his ribs.
'Fortunately I had some time to heal, otherwise this one strike might have pushed me in a more unfavourable position. ' he thought, licking the blood from his lip. 'However, this is still doable, atleast he's weaker than Kisame, that's for sure, which means I can definitely kill him.'
This thought brought a smile to his face, after all, if he could kill Kakuzu then the rewards… Ren almost drooled but composed himself and spoke, "Not bad, old man," he said. "You almost made me use my super specila ultra secret move."
That did not even earn him a quiet grunt and before he could speak anything else Kakuzu blurred again, closing the gap in an instant.
Ren pivoted, parrying another straight jab and letting the momentum pull him sideways. His palm shot forward, striking Kakuzu's arm joint with a perfectly timed burst of chakra that forced a slight angle shift.
For the first time, Kakuzu's step faltered, barely. But Ren noticed it and filed it away instantly.
'It seems that the hardened layer still has internal pressure limits. It won't break easily however, the durability will continue to fall as time passes.'
He used that window to backflip away, landing lightly on his feet.
The ground around them was repeatedly changing appearance due to the repeated shockwaves. The clearing looked torn apart, half-broken trees, chunks of stone, soil ripped open from their footwork.
Neither spoke for a long moment. Both were breathing evenly now.
Ren's expression was calm but his thoughts were active. 'Okay. As I guessed, just this level of Taijutsu alone won't break that armor and I can't keep up a prolonged exchange without aggravating my injuries. This means that I can't let him lead the second exchange, so I'll set the tone for the next round.'
Kakuzu straightened, rolling his shoulders as the hardened texture along his arms receded slightly.
So far, both had learned what they needed. Ren had gauged the limits of Kakuzu's physical power and Kakuzu had seen enough to know Ren wasn't a typical child.
The warmup was over.
The next blow, both of them knew, wouldn't be for testing anymore.
~
The moment the silence cracked, Ren moved first.
Two shadow clones burst to life beside him with a faint puff of smoke. Their timing was seamless with no delay and no wasted chakra. The clones already had their hands moving through seals before the mist had even settled.
Ren exhaled deeply, his palms slapping together.
[Water Style: Water Torrent Jutsu.]
A massive gush of water erupted from his mouth, roaring outward like a flood released from a dam. The trees bent under the sheer pressure, their roots tearing through the mud as a thick sheet of water surged across the clearing.
Before it even hit Kakuzu, the two clones struck in sync.
[Lightning Style: Thunder Pulse.]
Arcs of lightning branched out from their palms, dancing across the water's surface with a deafening crack and the air itself seemed to vibrate.
Kakuzu reacted instantly.
His stitched body bulged for a second before the threads erupted from his back, forming two distinct shapes that dropped beside him and the Wind and Fire masks were released. They floated for a second before their mouths opened wide, releasing their respective elements without hesitation.
[Fire Style: Searing Flames.] [Wind Style: Pressure Burst.]
A fiery torrent slammed into the electrified water, the combination of wind and fire twisting it into a violent explosion of steam and sparks. The shockwave rolled across the forest, ripping leaves from branches and turning the once-still mist into a chaotic storm.
Ren shielded his eyes with one hand, the other adjusting his chakra flow to stabilize footing on the muddy ground. His clones moved independently, maintaining offensive pressure, but Kakuzu's defense was relentless. Every flame that should've been drowned was fanned back alive by wind. Every lightning burst that should've paralyzed was pushed away by shifting air currents.
They clashed again, water against fire, lightning against wind, the air filled with heat, smoke, and the sound of thunder.
Kakuzu didn't waste time with conversation. He was efficient and precise. The Wind mask floated to Ren's right, firing compressed air bullets that sliced through trees like they were paper. The Fire mask circled left, layering flame with perfect timing so that the explosions landed right where Ren was forced to dodge.
Ren's mind raced through options and his hands blurred.
[Earth Style: Rock Shield.]
A thick wall of stone shot up in front of him, intercepting a wind bullet that hit it with an echoing thud before detonating into dust. Ren was already moving, sliding behind the shield and kneeling as his hands shifted to a new set of seals.
[Water Style: Flowing Wall.]
From beneath him, a wave of muddy water burst outward, spinning around the shield like a whirlpool. The two jutsu merged, forming a half-liquid, half-solid barrier that both absorbed and redirected the incoming flames. Steam hissed as the water boiled away, but Ren didn't stay still.
He pushed off the ground and darted sideways, the slick mud under his boots was no obstacle as he kept sliding with the mud. Every sidestep, every crouch was calculated. The difference between life and death here was not reaction speed it was calculation.
Hyperfocus deepened again. He could see the flow of chakra inside Kakuzu's threads, the subtle hum as the masks built pressure before releasing another volley. His senses split into layers, the sound of air compression, the heat of flames approaching from the left, the slight tremor of the ground beneath him as the water receded.
He jumped forward, landing near the stream of water he'd just created. His left hand touched the surface, a pulse of chakra spreading through it and the water suddenly came alive, forming into thin whip-like tendrils that lashed toward the fire mask.
Kakuzu's main body shifted, threads shooting out to intercept, only for one of Ren's clones to flicker right beside the Wind mask. The clone grinned, raising his hand.
Kakuzu's eyes narrowed as the Wind mask prepared the counter.
But the clone exploded not in fire or smoke, but in a burst of crackling static. Lightning surged outward in a dome, frying the Wind mask's momentum and sending the threads twitching violently.
Ren used that moment. His right hand slammed onto the ground.
[Earth Style: Tremor Fist.]
The ground split open beneath Kakuzu's feet, throwing off his balance just enough for Ren's next move.
[Fire Style: Blazing Palm.]
Flames erupted from his hand, sweeping in an arc that forced Kakuzu to harden his skin again.
Through the flickering heat, Ren saw the mask's flames dying down, the compressed air losing intensity. His combination was working, it was not overwhelming Kakuzu outright, but forcing him to defend, to layer his own attacks awkwardly rather than dictate the pace.
For the first time, Kakuzu looked slightly annoyed, 'As I thought, his Ninjutsu is just too abnormal.'
The next few seconds blurred, fire against water, lightning against wind. The forest was no longer recognizable; entire sections of earth were scorched, steam rolling off from molten patches where lightning had struck wet soil.
Ren ducked under another blast of flame, his body twisting midair. He landed on a half-broken log and flicked through seals again.
[Lightning Style: Pulse Barrage!]
Five bolts of lightning shot out from his fingertips like spears, snaking across the terrain through the thin layer of water still covering the ground. They split and arced toward Kakuzu and his masks simultaneously.
The Wind mask countered.
[Wind Style: Air Bullets!]
But the projectiles dispersed the lightning unevenly, the conduction bouncing the current off their trajectory. One bolt struck Kakuzu's side, forcing him to release his hardened form momentarily.
Ren caught the shift and saw the faint flash of normal skin and pressed harder.
[Earth Style: Stone Shards.]
The ground exploded into sharp fragments that whirled through the air, following immediately after the lightning pulse. Kakuzu brought up his arm in defense, but the barrage didn't stop. Ren chained another.
[Fire Style: Ember Cannon!]
A condensed burst of fire shot from his palm, merging midair with the earth debris to create molten shrapnel that tore through the air toward Kakuzu.
The explosion was loud and blinding, flames and dust rising in a thick column.
Ren landed lightly a few meters back, exhaling as he assessed the smoke. His clones had vanished, spent in the exchange but the outcome was clear.
Kakuzu emerged from the flames, his cloak partially burnt, the stitches along his shoulder exposed, one of his masks showing cracks. His eyes narrowed at Ren, the first hint of irritation breaking his calm.
Ren just tilted his head, a lazy grin tugging at his lips. "Guess I win round two."
Kakuzu didn't reply. He flexed his arm once, then the threads along his back writhed, the damaged mask moved a bit and then the crack vanished.
Ren noted that detail immediately. 'I didn't think he would even bother to fix the small crack but maybe these small cracks could accumulate and cause the whole mask to fall.'
He rotated his wrist slowly, feeling his chakra flow stabilize again. His inner injuries still pulsed faintly, but at least his rhythm had returned.
Now, the tide was shifting.
This wasn't a brawl anymore, it was turning into a battle of attrition, and Kakuzu had just realized that the kid in front of him wasn't simply fast, he was also far more dangerous than he looked.
Now that the fight had truly began both sides would constantly try to kill each other, however the difference was that Ren had to kill him five times and Kakuzu had to just kill him 1 time.
Ren glanced at Kakuzu and thought with a grin, 'Well, let's go on a heart destroying spree.'
~~~~~
{The opening exchange is now over and both of them have shown some of tricks, however a lot more is left so stick tight and wait for it.}
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{ h t t p s : / / w w w . p a t r e o n . c o m / Z e e n o n }
{You know what else}
{STONES!!!!}