Chapter 61 – All Quiet on the Western Front (Part 7)
Remember the principle of "jutsu guidance"?
Yes—Ren had a bold guess: Senkiri Ryōsuke's technique had a fatal flaw, and it was in the guidance system.
This jutsu, much like Dragon Flame Song, relied on empathic guidance. In other words—if the antenna-like protrusions that surfaced atop the black wave were destroyed, the entire technique would collapse.
Once the thought struck, Ren didn't hesitate. He charged straight into the oncoming tide of black curses.
"Oh! You've noticed—you have noticed!"
Senkiri's aged face flushed with excitement, his body trembling with a thrill only he seemed to understand.
Minato, watching, hesitated for a moment… then realization dawned. He mirrored Ren's move and turned to meet the black tide head-on.
"Single-Point Seal!"
Ren's body arced through the air. His palm slammed down hard on the "antenna" atop the wave.
In an instant, the writhing curse-tide dissolved into harmless chakra, flowing harmlessly into the earth. Curses lived and died by their guidance—remove the target, and the curse vanished on the spot.
Minato followed suit, landing lightly and dusting off his hands before flashing Ren a thumbs-up.
"Genius! Konoha's geniuses really are on another level!"
Senkiri clapped in delight, utterly intoxicated by the moment. He had slain many so-called prodigies of the ninja world with this very technique—Sand, Leaf, Cloud… none of them had lived up to their reputations.
Ren showed no joy at the compliment. The Riddle was clearly a sadist who loved setting traps. Empathic tracking wasn't common knowledge—if he hadn't learned Dragon Flame Song, he might never have guessed it.
Minato looked uneasy as well. Even for a true genius like him, facing this kind of "teacher" felt unsettling, almost numbing.
No sooner had they caught their breath than Senkiri's hands started moving again.
"Guess the name of this one…"
His voice quivered once more.
And finally, Ren and Minato understood exactly why his codename was The Riddle.
This guy's a riddle freak!
Ren drew his sword Jūan, body taut with tension. Minato began weaving his own seals.
Outside the cage, ANBU tried breaking the barrier. But they clearly didn't understand sealing techniques well enough. A Four-Corner Cage could only be broken by blasting it with overwhelming chakra, or by using pinpoint strikes from an extremely fast blade to cut through the seals.
So… did they have anyone like that?
Just as Ren braced himself for Senkiri's second wave of ninjutsu, an ear-splitting sound of steel slicing into something rang from beyond the barrier.
He turned toward it—
And saw a plain white ANBU mask, and in that person's hand, a white short blade.
White Fang.
Sakumo Hatake had returned from his pursuit of Utakata.
Without a word, Sakumo's first act was to swing his blade hard against the barrier.
Ren was stunned—he watched as the white short blade scraped against the black walls like a grinding wheel, and then, with brutal precision, punched a hole clean through the Four-Corner Cage.
So this… is Kage level?
The power was overwhelming.
"Lord White Fang, that's him—the Riddle!"
On the battlefield, Ren would never gamble with his life. Yes, he was an elite jōnin, but even among elites there were vast gulfs in strength. Just look at Senkiri Ryōsuke—this guy's sheer absurdity might even surpass Hanzō!
In a blur, Minato and Ren flash-stepped behind White Fang, pointing sharply at Senkiri like prosecutors demanding judgment.
Sakumo Hatake cast them a brief glance, said nothing, and charged forward with his blade.
"That's right, Lord White Fang—cut him down! Beat this old man until he's begging for mercy!"
"Go, Lord Sakumo! Show the juniors the resolve of ANBU veterans!"
With White Fang's arrival, the crushing pressure on Ren and Minato evaporated. They hopped onto a tree branch, shouting cheers for the Konoha legend.
Senkiri's expression hardened. If he could smile before, that smile was now gone. Sakumo Hatake was the type of ninja he hated most.
Breaking off his hand seals, Senkiri didn't even look back—he simply bolted.
And it was the right call. Because a heartbeat later, a streak of silver cleaved the ground where he'd been standing, leaving a deep trench in its wake.
Leaping into a tree, Senkiri tried to resume his seals—but a horizontal arc of silver light swept past, toppling the trunk beneath him.
Forced to move, he attempted seals on the run. But Sakumo was faster, dogging his heels, the white blade in his hand flashing like lightning.
This was why the parents of Sasori of the Red Sand hadn't died in vain. Against a ridiculously fast blade-user like this, puppetry or hand seals meant nothing. Stop for even a second, and you'd lose your hands—or your head.
Against Ren and Minato, Senkiri had seemed all but invincible. But that was only because they weren't fast enough. Against White Fang? The instant he paused, Sakumo would carve him apart.
This—this was the oppressive force of the White Fang of Konoha. This was the strength of a Kage.
"Finally… a moment to breathe."
Ren pulled a soldier pill from his pouch, washed it down with a swig of water. Chakra surged back into his system.
Minato, kunai in hand, kept his eyes locked on the direction Sakumo and Senkiri had vanished, wary of a sudden counterattack. The Riddle was too unpredictable for comfort.
But their immediate concern wasn't a counterattack—it was the squad of Ame ANBU chasing in Senkiri's wake.
Shff—shff—
Figures wearing Rain headbands flickered into view among the trees, tall and short, thin and broad. They scanned the field, searching for Senkiri. Finding him gone, command shifted to a orange-haired ninja at the front.
That was Yahiko.
"Squad formation—free kill order," he commanded, his gaze locking onto Minato.
Just as Ren was ready to pounce, he saw the person standing behind Yahiko. Red hair. Eyes like swirling whirlpools. Too distinctive to miss.
Uzumaki Nagato.
"Yahiko and Nagato, in Ame's ANBU? …Interesting."
Ren's hands moved in rapid seals. It was clear now—Yahiko and Nagato had marked him and Minato as their opponents. This fight was inevitable.
Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song!
Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!
The two struck in tandem, their combo smooth from practice.
Nagato spoke, voice dripping with a cold arrogance:
"Before the eyes of God… ninjutsu is an obsolete power."
He slowly raised his right hand.
"Shinra Tensei!"