"Farewell, Hiroki."
Under everyone's gaze, Ren's Shadow Clone swiftly inserted the hilt of the Thunder God Sword into the water ball. Then, to everyone's confusion, Chakra flowed from his arm into the sword. Instantly, a laser beam pierced through Hiroki's chest. Hiroki, who was still struggling, widened his eyes, then slowly stopped moving. As time passed, the last trace of life faded from his pupils.
"Hiroki!"
Shiroyama's roar startled everyone. Their gazes, full of various degrees of surprise and disbelief, were fixed on Ren. No one had expected a Konoha youth to kill Iwagakure's renowned Ninja, Hiroki, in a one-on-one fight. It was completely beyond all their expectations.
"Hiroki is dead…"
A Sunagakure Ninja widened his eyes, staring at Hiroki's corpse, murmuring unconsciously.
"How could this be? Such a powerful Lord Hiroki, actually…"
An Iwagakure Ninja stared blankly, looking at the deceased Lord, his voice filled with a hint of terror.
At this moment, both the Sunagakure and Iwagakure Ninja felt a sense of defeat and apprehension.
Even an enemy child can kill our elite strongmen. Can we really win this war we started?
Damn it!
Shiroyama and Chiyo's expressions changed simultaneously as they saw the plummeting morale.
The most important thing in an army is morale. No matter how strong the opponent is, their momentum must not be lost. It represents the fighting will of every person in the army.
But they had just managed to boost the morale of these two armies through an alliance, and they hadn't expected Ren, an unexpected variable, to bring it down again. If this continues, they will lose sooner or later!
Jiraiya, Nara Shikaku, and others, on the other hand, looked at the high-spirited Leaf Ninja, their hearts overflowing with excitement. None of them had expected that their unintentional arrangement would indirectly turn the tide!
"Whoosh"
Ren took the Thunder God Sword from his Shadow Clone, then released his grip. The water ball, no longer sustained by Chakra, immediately dispersed, returning to the water along with the fine rain. Hiroki's body also fell onto the water's surface, splashing a large amount of water, and then began to sink.
Ren calmly put a few wet strands of hair into his Ninja tool pouch along with the Thunder God Sword. Looking at Hiroki sinking into the water, he also let out a sigh of relief. He had finally taken down this difficult guy. If it had dragged on any longer, he might have had to reveal a trump card.
However…
Ren felt the dwindling Chakra in his body and could only smile bitterly. A Jonin's Chakra was still too little; it was gone after casting a few Ninjutsu. Never mind, Hiroki was already dealt with. Now, he would just go with the flow. Otherwise, if he kept pushing himself, he might end up in the Medical Camp again.
"Ren, look out!"
Suddenly, Jiraiya's startled cry came from afar, followed by the incessant screams of others. Ren looked up, and then his pupils widened abruptly, his face filled with horror.
What kind of monster is that?
Although it maintained a human form, it ran on all fours like an animal, its entire body enveloped in a nearly solid dark red Chakra. Four thick tails swayed wildly behind it, knocking away everyone it deemed to be in its path, charging straight towards Ren, causing dozens of casualties and deaths. As Ren watched in astonishment, it had already reached the water's edge, and without stopping, it roared and charged at Ren.
In the nick of time, Ren reacted. There was no time for hand signs or evasion. Ren, in a moment of quick thinking, released the Chakra from his feet, causing his body to fall rapidly. At the last moment, he brushed past the charging monster and submerged himself in the water.
Ren quickly shot out of the water. Before it could react, he hurried towards the approaching Jiraiya. It wasn't until the two met that Ren's emotions somewhat calmed. Turning around, Ren and Jiraiya faced the turning monster together, their faces filled with the relief of having escaped danger.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Lord Jiraiya. This is a Tailed Beast transformation, right?"
Jiraiya nodded gravely, his voice deep.
"That's right. This guy suddenly underwent a Tailed Beast transformation just now, and his physical abilities greatly increased. I couldn't stop him for a moment. It's good that you're alright, otherwise your teacher would kill me."
"Don't joke at a time like this. It looks like my trump card isn't safe."
Before Jiraiya could respond, the Tailed Beast transformed Roshi on the opposite side, slightly bent his limbs, gathered strength for a moment, then suddenly leapt up and pounced on the two. His human eyes were filled only with rage and chaos, as if he wanted to destroy everything around him.
"Not good!"
Shiroyama looked at the chaotic Roshi and felt like he was going crazy. Originally, given this disadvantage, they should have retreated as soon as possible to avoid greater casualties. He hadn't expected Roshi to enter the Tailed Beast transformation at this critical moment. Roshi had only been the Jinchuriki of the Four-Tails for less than five years, and he had only reached the level of being able to borrow Chakra. Let alone mastering the Tailed Beast transformation. That would take at least three to five years.
Now, not to mention Sunagakure, Iwagakure absolutely couldn't retreat for the time being, unless they were going to abandon Roshi, who was a strategic weapon Jinchuriki, which was obviously impossible.
Shiroyama knew very well that even if Hiroki died, he would at most get a scolding from Ōnoki. If he lost the Tailed Beast and Roshi, Ōnoki might actually fly to the front line immediately and hit him with a Dust Release.
Meanwhile, Ren and Jiraiya, facing the Tailed Beast transformed Roshi, could only brace themselves and go forward. After all, if this guy charged into the Konoha Camp, the casualties would be terrifying tenfold. They could only stall for now and wait for others to free up their hands and come help.
"Bang!"
As the two dodged, the Tailed Beast transformed Roshi punched the rock where they had previously stood, shattering it completely. The sight made both of them break out in a cold sweat. If that guy landed a hit on a vital spot, they would probably go straight to see the Six Paths Sage.
"Lord Jiraiya, force him into the air!"
Ren shouted to Jiraiya, who immediately understood. He quickly formed hand signs, then let out a low roar.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Divide!"
The ground beneath the Tailed Beast transformed Roshi's feet shook. Before he could react, the ground beneath him rapidly rose. After reaching a height of four or five meters, it suddenly stopped rising. The sudden halt instantly sent the Tailed Beast transformed Roshi flying, roaring in helpless rage in the air.
Ren used the rock to propel himself above the falling Tailed Beast transformed Roshi, raised his right leg, and directly brought it down onto the latter's face.
"Heavenly Foot of Pain!"
The Tailed Beast transformed Roshi, unable to dodge, was directly kicked downwards, accelerating his fall. Finally, he crashed into the water like a meteor, splashing a large amount of water.
"Well done, Ren."
Jiraiya used the Instantaneous Body Technique to arrive beside the landing Ren. After he finished speaking, Ren spoke faintly. And what he said immediately stunned Jiraiya.
"We, seem to have messed up…"