"Wind Style: Divine Gale!"
Renya's three-tomoe Sharingan spun wildly. The instant he sensed the attack from the long-haired brute, he swung the Banana Palm Fan in his hand with full force.
The raging hurricane clashed against the brute's piercing strike, exploding the air and sending shockwaves that tore up the ground around them.
The long-haired brute stood at the eye of the storm. His offensive was slightly hindered.
Renya seized the moment to rush to Danzo and Koharu's side.
At the same time, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, and Uchiha Kagami had already engaged in fierce combat with Kinkaku.
Both battlefronts had adopted a three-on-one strategy.
Faced with the seamless coordination of the trio, Kinkaku cursed silently.
This stupid brute—he told him to bring more men, but he just wouldn't listen!
If even one more elite jōnin had come for support, they wouldn't be stuck in a three-on-one fight.
The battle could have been over already...
The long-haired brute had no idea what Kinkaku was thinking. He sneered disdainfully at the Banana Palm Fan in Renya's hand.
"A Six Paths ninja tool got stolen? Kinkaku really is trash."
No wonder he's been getting beaten again and again. There's no way an idiot like that could win.
"Uchiha, prepare to die!"
A sudden surge of chakra erupted from the brute as he activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
He wanted to end the battle quickly, to avoid any unexpected variables.
No matter what, these were people who had defeated both their teacher and Kinkaku. He couldn't afford to let his guard down.
"Now!"
Koharu hurled three sharp kunai directly at his throat. At the ends of the kunai were explosive tags, already ignited.
The brute snorted coldly. Lightning Armor exploded outward and easily blocked the kunai, rendering them completely ineffective.
"Zzzzt—"
Only then did he notice the explosive tags attached to the kunai. Before he could retreat, the tags detonated with a thunderous boom.
Smoke and dust rose from the explosion's epicenter.
None of the three believed the explosion would injure him. They immediately surrounded the area in a triangular formation.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Wave!"
Danzo's wind technique swept in from the side, blowing away the smoke to reveal the brute, completely unscathed.
Faced with the sharp current of air, he was forced to dodge to the side.
Renya seized the opportunity to rush in, his katana slicing through the air, aiming straight for the brute's back.
"Clang—!"
Sensing danger from behind, the brute spun around, raising his hand to block. The blade was actually stopped by the hardened Lightning Armor.
"Is that all you've got?!" he roared, swinging a punch toward Renya's face.
Renya leaned back just in time, the wind from the punch grazing the tip of his nose.
Seeing this, the brute became even more aggressive. His punches rained down like a storm, but Renya narrowly dodged each one, relying entirely on his Sharingan.
Luckily, his body's reaction speed had increased. If this were earlier, he wouldn't have kept up and would've been punched into oblivion already.
"This guy's Lightning Armor is even tougher than expected..." Shimura Danzo narrowed his eyes, quickly analyzing the situation.
If they couldn't find a way to break through, they'd eventually be worn down and lose this fight.
Watching Renya locked in combat with the brute, Danzo couldn't help but feel surprised.
It's only been a few days, and this guy's already gotten stronger again!
He can now fight a Kage-level opponent head-on without even needing backup?
"Bang—"
Just as he was reeling from the thought, Renya failed to dodge in time and took a punch straight to the chest, flying backward.
Danzo: "..."
Okay, maybe he overestimated Renya just now.
"Renya-kun!" Koharu quickly moved in to assist.
Only then did Danzo snap out of it. Now wasn't the time to be spacing out—he jumped into the fray at once.
"Cough, cough..." Renya clutched his chest and climbed to his feet, his cold gaze fixed on the brute in the distance.
Like using Lightning Armor, huh?
Let's see how long you can keep it up.
His hand instinctively reached for his ninja tool pouch. Inside was a powder he'd prepared in advance.
As long as he could get the powder onto the brute's body, it would interfere with chakra flow in mere moments.
And once that happened, the Lightning Armor would collapse on its own.
"Danzo, Koharu, hold him off!" Renya shouted to the two of them.
He needed his teammates to stall the enemy and give him a chance!
The powder only needed to enter the nose or mouth, or even just make contact with the body to take effect.
The more powder that stuck to the body, the stronger the suppression of chakra would be.
And the brute wasn't even wearing a shirt—this was the perfect setup.
All he had to do was find the right moment to toss the powder on him.
Shimura Danzo and Koharu both recalled what Renya had said earlier.
Trusting he had a plan, they gritted their teeth and endured the brute's ferocious attacks.
All they had to do was stall until Renya made his move!
Seeing their tenacity, the brute frowned and instinctively glanced toward Renya, a bad feeling rising in his chest.
What is that Uchiha plotting?
Don't tell me... he's figured out a way to counter me?
But the thought made him laugh. The defense of Lightning Armor was absurdly strong—ordinary attacks couldn't even scratch it.
That brat might be strong, sure, but breaking through Lightning Armor? Impossible.
No one knew better than him just how powerful his armor really was...
"Bang—!"
He punched Danzo squarely in the chest, sending him flying with a massive impact. Danzo slammed hard into the ground.
"Danzo!" Koharu's face filled with worry, but before she could speak, a massive fist came barreling toward her face.
As expected, she too was sent flying...
The two lay sprawled on the ground, unable to rise immediately.
They'd done their best. Now, it was all up to Renya.
"Brat, your turn!" The brute's body crackled with lightning as he glared coldly at the young man in the distance.
"Stop playing around with tricks. You're not my match."
He didn't believe for a second that the brat could defeat him.
All he needed to do now was finish off Renya, then go support Kinkaku, and the battle would be over.
"This ends now!"
Like a bolt of lightning, the brute shot forward, fist aimed straight at Renya.
At the very last second, Renya activated a genjutsu with his Sharingan.
The brute's movement faltered—only for an instant, but that was enough. Renya seized the moment, pulled a handful of powder from his pouch, and flung it straight into the brute's face.
From a distance, Shimura Danzo and Koharu's eyes went wide in shock.
They had been wondering what kind of solution Renya had come up with.
But now that they saw it for themselves... they were dumbfounded.
Seriously? He threw flour in his face?
Was he trying to choke the guy out?
No... maybe... make him laugh to death?
The brute noticed the powder clinging to his body and sneered disdainfully.
"Kids fighting always love throwing dirt..."
Faced with his mockery, Renya remained expressionless.
"Oh? You call this kids fighting?"