Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions filled the battlefield one after another, so dense that they almost merged into a single continuous roar.
The forest shook beneath the violence of the clash.
Pakura's Scorch Release fireballs were undeniably superior in raw power. Each blazing white orb carried terrifying heat, far beyond ordinary Fire Release. After all, Scorch Release was a Bloodline Limit, a fusion of Fire and Wind chakra refined into something far more lethal than normal flame.
But Ren's Phoenix Sage Fire Technique had one advantage.
Numbers.
If one fireball couldn't stop Pakura's Scorch Release, then three would collide with it.
If three weren't enough, then five or six would swarm together.
The sky above the battlefield became a sea of flickering flame. Orange-red fireballs curved through the air like living sparks, moving from unpredictable angles and smashing into Pakura's white-hot orbs.
Every collision triggered another explosion.
Firelight flashed.
Shockwaves spread.
The burning air rolled outward like invisible fists, bending the grass and shaking the branches. Crimson flames scattered across the ground, igniting dry leaves and shrubs. In only a short time, the fire had spread through nearly a hundred meters of forest.
Ancient trees cracked in the heat.
Leaves curled black.
Smoke climbed into the sky.
The entire area became a giant furnace.
Far away, Kakashi and Rin both felt their hearts tighten.
Even while chasing the injured Sand shinobi, they couldn't ignore the terrifying commotion behind them.
"Ren..."
Rin's face paled slightly.
Kakashi said nothing, but his grip on his short sword tightened.
The scale of that battle was already beyond ordinary genin or chunin combat.
Then, inside Ren's mind, the System text box suddenly flashed.
[Phoenix Sage Fire Technique: Wow! Ren! Ren! Did you see that? Her fireballs are so pretty! They glow! They're so bright and warm! I want them! I want them too!]
[Phoenix Sage Fire Technique: Please give them to me, okay? Pretty please! (>u<)]
Ren's lips twitched.
Do I look like a glowing fireball shop to you?
Of course, he wanted Scorch Release too.
Who wouldn't?
But Scorch Release was a Bloodline Limit.
It wasn't something he could simply steal because Phoenix Sage Fire thought it was pretty.
At least, that was what he thought.
Then the System text box changed again.
[Ding! Special event keyword detected. Limited-time mission triggered.]
[Phoenix Sage Fire Technique loves bright and beautiful things. She dreams of standing at the peak in her most dazzling form, receiving everyone's attention. Her encounter with Scorch Release has strengthened this longing.]
[Please decide whether to fulfill her wish.]
[Yes / No]
Ren's eyebrow rose.
A special event?
Then there was nothing to hesitate about.
He chose yes.
However, the System did not provide a convenient option like "conquer Scorch Release" or "copy Bloodline Limit." It simply threw the problem back to him.
Ren almost laughed.
So you want me to figure it out myself?
Fine.
If the System wanted him to study Scorch Release, then he would study it.
Conveniently, Pakura was right in front of him.
A living example.
A dangerous example.
But still an example.
Opposite him, Pakura's expression sharpened.
"Using Fire Release to counter Scorch Release?"
Her amber eyes narrowed.
"Then let's see if you can block this!"
She took a deep breath.
Her hand seals changed.
Chakra gathered violently in her chest.
The air around her twisted from the sudden rise in temperature.
"Scorch Release: Corona!"
A massive white fireball nearly three meters wide erupted forward.
It blazed like a miniature sun, its surface rolling with lava-like light. The ground beneath its path blackened instantly, leaving a charred trench as it roared toward Ren.
The heat alone was enough to make the surrounding air shimmer.
Ren's eyes focused.
"So you use Scorch Release?"
His hands formed seals.
"Then I'll use mine too."
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Boom!
A giant blazing fireball burst from Ren's mouth.
It was not white like Pakura's.
But it was enormous.
Nearly twice the size of Corona.
A roaring sphere of compressed flame crashed forward with overwhelming force.
Pakura's eyes widened.
Then the two attacks collided.
BANG!
The explosion was monstrous.
White fire, orange flame, steam, and scorching wind erupted outward at once. The shockwave slammed into the earth, shaking the forest like a beast awakening beneath the ground.
The heat wave spread in all directions.
Grass withered instantly.
Tree bark split.
The top layer of soil was scraped away, then partially melted into a dark, glassy surface.
A towering cloud of steam and dust rose into the sky like a small mushroom cloud.
Far away, Kakashi's expression changed.
He abandoned the chase for an instant and slammed both hands onto the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth Wall!"
A wall of stone erupted in front of him and Rin, its surface carved with dog-head patterns.
The next moment, the heat wave struck.
Boom!
The wall trembled violently.
Rin braced herself behind it, eyes wide.
"So powerful..."
Her voice shook.
"Ren's Fire Release has already reached this level?"
Kakashi remained silent, but his eyes were complicated.
If he had still believed earlier that he could defeat Pakura with enough effort, he was no longer certain.
This kind of destructive ninjutsu was not something he currently possessed.
He could block it.
Maybe evade it.
But face it head-on?
Not yet.
Still, Kakashi's fingers curled slightly.
He wasn't helpless.
He had been developing a new technique.
Chidori.
If he could land it, even a jonin could die.
But landing it against someone like Pakura or Ren?
That was another matter.
The smoke and firelight lasted nearly half a minute before slowly fading.
At the center of the battlefield, the devastation was revealed.
A huge charred crater, nearly thirty meters across, had been carved into the earth. The bottom still glowed faintly in places, wisps of blue smoke rising from melted soil.
On one side stood Ren.
On the other stood Pakura.
Both looked disheveled.
But Pakura was clearly worse off.
She was no longer standing where she had been before. Several cuts marked her fair face, and parts of her clothes were scorched and torn. Dust and ash clung to her orange hair.
She had lost the clash.
But what truly shook her was not the injury.
It was the technique.
Pakura stared at Ren in disbelief.
"Impossible..."
Her voice was low.
He used Scorch Release?
No.
That wasn't right.
It felt different.
Similar, but not the same.
Ren calmly observed her reaction.
Of course it wasn't Scorch Release.
What he had used was Konoha's most common Great Fireball Technique.
It was only slightly larger.
Slightly hotter.
Slightly more unreasonable.
After clashing with Pakura's attack, Ren had finally begun to understand the nature of Scorch Release.
Scorch Release was created through the fusion of Fire and Wind chakra.
Its first effect was temperature amplification.
Wind fed the flame, pushing its heat far beyond ordinary Fire Release until it reached a blazing white state capable of instantly dehydrating a human body.
In that sense, it was similar to the extreme development of the Great Fireball Technique.
Its second effect was compression.
Wind Release carried cutting force and pressure. When merged into flame, it made the fire denser, sharper, and more penetrating. That aspect somewhat resembled the Explosive Shell trait of Phoenix Sage Fire.
The principles were different.
But the final effect had overlap.
So...
Could it be learned?
Theoretically, yes.
At least, Ren felt there was a path.
Not true Scorch Release.
Not Pakura's bloodline.
But an imitation.
A technique that could produce similar results through extreme Fire Release control, compression, and temperature enhancement.
A false Scorch Release.
A dazzling flame worthy of Phoenix Sage Fire's craving.
Inside his mind, the System flashed again.
[Phoenix Sage Fire Technique: Ren! Ren! Did you see it? So bright! So beautiful! I want to become like that too!]
Ren sighed inwardly.
You're really demanding, aren't you?
But his eyes remained fixed on Pakura.
If he wanted to fulfill Phoenix Sage Fire's wish, then Pakura was the best teacher.
Even if she had no intention of teaching him.
Pakura raised her hand again.
Several white-hot orbs slowly formed around her body, spinning like miniature stars. Their light reflected in her amber eyes, making her look even more dangerous.
Her expression had changed.
The arrogance from earlier was still there, but now it was mixed with caution.
She had recognized Ren as a genuine threat.
A boy no older than ten had forced her to take him seriously.
That fact alone made her pride burn.
"You..."
Pakura's voice was cold.
"What exactly are you?"
Ren smiled.
"A Konoha genin."
Pakura's eyes twitched.
That answer was more insulting than any provocation.
A genin?
This monster?
If Konoha's genin were all like this, then Sunagakure might as well surrender immediately.
Pakura exhaled slowly and steadied her mind.
No.
She couldn't let herself be shaken.
The battlefield did not care about age.
It did not care about titles.
Only strength mattered.
And Ren was strong.
So she would kill him with everything she had.
The white orbs around her expanded.
The heat intensified.
The surrounding flames bent toward her, as though answering her call.
Ren noticed the change immediately.
Her chakra was gathering again.
More condensed this time.
More dangerous.
He lowered his stance and adjusted his grip on the blade.
At the same time, chakra stirred inside his chest.
Fire Release.
Phoenix Sage Fire.
Great Fireball.
Wind pressure.
Compression.
Heat.
His mind moved rapidly, piecing together the principles he had just observed.
He couldn't reproduce Scorch Release in one try.
That would be absurd.
But he could test.
He could imitate.
He could let Phoenix Sage Fire taste the edge of that brilliance.
Pakura's gaze hardened.
"Scorch Release..."
Ren's hands moved.
"Fire Release..."
Pakura thrust her palm forward.
Ren completed his seals.
Two voices rang out almost together.
"Solar Flare!"
"Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
White-hot spheres shot forward like falling suns.
At the same time, dozens of orange-red fireballs burst from Ren's mouth, but this time they were different.
They were smaller.
Brighter.
More tightly condensed.
They curved through the burning air with greater speed, spiraling around one another as if chasing the light of Pakura's Scorch Release.
Pakura's eyes sharpened.
He changed it?
The fireballs collided.
Boom!
Another explosion erupted.
But Ren did not stop.
He watched.
Observed.
Adjusted.
More fireballs flew out.
Some shattered instantly against Pakura's Scorch Release.
Some partially endured.
Some exploded with surprising force.
Each failure became information.
Each collision became a lesson.
Phoenix Sage Fire seemed to grow more excited inside the System.
[Phoenix Sage Fire Technique: Again! Again! I almost understood that one!]
Ren's mouth twitched.
You're having fun, aren't you?
Pakura, however, was not.
The more the fight continued, the clearer it became.
Ren was learning.
During battle.
Against her.
Using her Scorch Release as a reference.
That realization sent a chill through her despite the heat around them.
Geniuses were troublesome.
But geniuses who learned mid-fight were monsters.
Pakura's expression turned ruthless.
She couldn't allow this to continue.
If she gave him more time, this Konoha boy might truly grasp something.
Her hands moved sharply.
All remaining Scorch Release orbs gathered above her palm.
The light became blinding.
The temperature spiked.
Even Ren's skin prickled from a distance.
Pakura's voice was low and murderous.
"Enough."
"I'll end this now."
Ren felt the danger immediately.
This was not a probing attack.
This was a finishing move.
The surrounding flames bent backward from the pressure of her chakra.
The air screamed.
Ren's eyes narrowed.
Inside his mind, Phoenix Sage Fire fell silent for the first time.
Even she understood.
The next clash would decide the flow of the battle.
Ren slowly inhaled.
His chakra surged.
The fire in his lungs became denser.
Hotter.
More violent.
He couldn't use true Scorch Release.
Not yet.
But he didn't need true Scorch Release to answer Pakura.
He only needed a flame strong enough to survive.
A flame bright enough to make Phoenix Sage Fire smile.
Pakura's attack descended like a white sun.
Ren stepped forward.
His hands blurred through seals.
The battlefield became silent for one breath.
Then both flames erupted.
The forest vanished beneath blinding light.
And in that white-hot brilliance, Ren felt it—
Phoenix Sage Fire was changing.
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