Hyūga Hanabi vanished from Ren's sight.
If not for the fact that the system panel still displayed the skill proficiency Ren had extracted from her via [First Strike]…
He might have genuinely believed he had restrained nothing more than a fake clone.
[Gentle Fist LV2: Secret taijutsu of the Hyūga clan of Konohagakure. Requires the Byakugan to reach peak effectiveness.]
[Convert to proficiency for another skill?]
Yes.
Based on Ren's experience using [First Strike] over the past years, LV2 Gentle Fist was roughly what a newly minted Hyūga genin might have.
It was fine for peeking at the surface of Hyūga taijutsu…
But if he wanted to incorporate it into real combat, he'd need at least LV6—
and a high-purity Byakugan from the Hyūga main family to make it truly meaningful.
"Tch. No good loot…"
Ren clicked his tongue, unimpressed.
"But that tracks. Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave is more about shaping the battlefield than raw killing power. And I wasn't trying to outright delete Hanabi, either."
He felt a slight uptick in proficiency for Dance of the Willow and Dance of the Camellia, then quickly cleaned up the traces of their fight and turned to chase the main Mist force, which had already pulled ahead.
Hanabi's "advice" didn't really register for him.
Ren knew perfectly well that long before Obito truly went off the rails, Kirigakure had already been under Uchiha Madara's control for years.
The grip simply hadn't tightened as brutally as it would later under Obito.
Even if Ren "let it happen" and allowed Obito to arrive in time to save Rin…
Rin—brutally turned into a Three-Tails jinchūriki—wouldn't have long to live.
And once Rin died, Obito would inevitably hate Kirigakure—the village that had made her into the Three-Tails jinchūriki and ultimately caused her death.
At that point, Madara only needed to push a few buttons.
Obito would still fall.
Obito would still rot.
Since Madara's "successor" was already doomed by design—
Ren, who still needed time to grow, had no reason to forcefully change this piece of history.
Besides…
He didn't particularly like Obito anyway.
That said…
With Ren delayed by Hanabi, could Matsuda Takuya and Ringo Mirai actually withstand Hatake Kakashi at full throttle?
If Ren caught up only to find the entire unit wiped out by Kakashi alone…
Then who was going to carry the blame for mission failure?
That thought made Ren's spine go cold.
His step speed doubled.
…
"Chidori!"
"W-WAAAAAH—!"
Lightning shrieked across the ground and pierced another Mist ANBU straight through, killing him instantly.
Matsuda Takuya's face was grim as he handed the unconscious, critically injured Ringo Mirai to an ANBU beside him, tightened his grip on his short blade, and stepped forward to face Hatake Kakashi—
who had already killed three ANBU and hadn't slowed.
Back at the outpost, when Matsuda heard Kakashi had been driven off by Ren, he'd briefly entertained a thought bordering on contempt.
So that's Konoha's genius? That's it?
Now, facing Kakashi in person alongside Mirai—who'd shared the same arrogance—
Matsuda realized with a jolt just how terrifying this white-haired "kid" truly was.
Mirai had underestimated Kakashi.
And she paid for it in three exchanges.
Three.
Kakashi tore off one of her arms.
Her refusal to retreat—her furious insistence on pressing forward—only gave Kakashi the opening he wanted.
A single Chidori.
Five ANBU who tried to swarm him died in one strike.
And then Kakashi punched a hole clean through Mirai's right chest.
If Matsuda hadn't arrived in time to drive Kakashi back…
Mirai would already be a corpse—smoking and stinking of cooked meat.
"Give… Rin…"
Kakashi's breathing was harsh, like a broken bellows.
But no one on the Mist side dared to rush him.
They kept him surrounded, maintaining a tightening ring—blocking escape routes, threatening without overcommitting.
Anyone with eyes could tell Kakashi was near collapse.
He had already fought multiple battles in a short time. His stamina and chakra were running out.
If they just waited—if they simply held the encirclement—
they wouldn't even need a direct clash.
Kakashi's own body would drag him down.
Mist shinobi were cruel and bloodthirsty.
That didn't mean they were idiots.
If waiting won you the fight, why throw lives into the grinder?
Kakashi understood that logic too.
But he had no more cards.
The Hyūga woman was strong, sure—
but relying on her to beat Ren and then come save him was pure fantasy.
She'd promised to buy time.
Kakashi, however, had already prepared for the reality that Ren could return at any moment.
And as his remaining time bled away with every breath—
and his chakra slipped closer to empty—
Kakashi had to decide.
Break out and abandon Rin…
Or gamble everything and force a rescue.
"I'll become your eyes… I'll help you see the future…"
"Rin… I'm counting on you…"
Old memories flashed, sharp and merciless.
But this time—
Kakashi did not hesitate.
He wrung out the very last drop of chakra in his body.
Ox—Rabbit—Monkey.
Lightning gathered again, screeching around his hand, forcing his exhausted muscles to obey him one final time.
"One last push," he told himself.
"One last chance."
"Stop him!" Matsuda shouted, his body drifting—deliberately—toward where Rin was held.
He could see it clearly.
Kakashi's eyes now held only one target: Nohara Rin.
If Matsuda stood near Rin, he could seize her as a human shield at any moment.
That white-haired brat cared about her too much.
He'd hesitate.
And the moment Kakashi faltered—
Matsuda would cut his head off.
"Rin… don't be afraid."
Kakashi forced a smile at her, thin and strained.
"I'm coming… to save you."
Rin bit her lip, staring back at him.
Kakashi lowered his center of gravity.
He closed his left eye.
He entrusted his perception to Obito's Sharingan.
He entrusted control of his body to the jutsu he had created—
And then—
like true lightning—
he launched.
At the edges of the battlefield, two young figures arrived with entirely different intentions…
And both of them saw the ground lit up by that roaring, sky-bright Chidori.
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