Boil Release was a Kekkei Genkai combining Fire Release and Water Release chakra.
However, unlike the acidic mist–type Boil Release used by the future Fifth Mizukage, Terumi Mei of Kirigakure, the Boil Release used by Han, the Five-Tails jinchūriki of Iwagakure, converted chakra into high-pressure steam.
This steam was then used to explosively enhance his physical abilities, granting him tremendous boosts in strength and speed.
The power of steam could pull trains and cargo ships weighing tens of thousands of tons, giving them incredible speed and impact.
Han's specially designed steam armor essentially turned his body into a miniature steam engine, allowing him to convert the explosive force of steam into overwhelming power and acceleration.
Boom!
Han's fist, carrying overwhelming force, smashed directly into Uchiha Ren's head—
Blowing Ren apart into fragments of splintered wood.
Wood chips?
Substitution Jutsu!
Han abruptly halted.
The ground beneath his feet cracked apart inch by inch. Behind him, his long white ponytail swayed slowly, as if sensing something.
With the constant supply of Tailed Beast chakra, jinchūriki typically possessed extraordinary regenerative abilities.
Moreover, Han had been in a partial Tailed Beast transformation earlier. His entire body had been wrapped in Tailed Beast chakra, which mitigated much of the damage.
Although Han was seriously injured, he was far from incapacitated.
His wounds were already healing at an astonishing rate.
Meanwhile, several dozen meters away, Uchiha Ren hid behind a large tree, breathing lightly.
A faint orange-red glow shimmered in his eyes.
"One… three… ten… four…"
"So a sensor-type shinobi survived…"
Ren activated the Crimson Eyes, observing the movements of dozens of Iwagakure shinobi within several hundred meters.
He had already been completely surrounded.
For them to locate his exact position so quickly, there had to be sensor-type ninja among those who survived his technique Manji Buddha Seal: Great Brahma.
Ren deactivated the Crimson Eyes and sighed.
Although there was still a little time left, in his current condition there was no way he could last until Hizashi Hyūga and the others arrived.
Even though he had just taken several Soldier Pills, they only accelerated chakra recovery.
But that depended on whether his body could still produce chakra.
Chakra was formed from physical energy and spiritual energy—
In other words, stamina and mental strength.
Since last night, Ren had not rested at all.
Even traveling required energy and focus.
On top of that, during several intense battles he had repeatedly unleashed large-scale destructive ninjutsu in order to keep more Konoha shinobi alive.
Both his body and mind were already approaching their absolute limits.
If he continued to forcibly extract chakra and exhaust it again, he might truly end up like Kakashi in the original story—dying from complete chakra depletion.
Ren's chakra reserves weren't as monstrous as those of the Senju Clan or Uzumaki Clan, who could possess dozens of units of chakra.
But he still had around ten units.
He had never expected that one day he would actually run out of chakra.
Now…
There was only one option left.
Ren's eyes sharpened as he made up his mind.
He bit his finger and pressed the blood onto the center of his forehead.
Forming hand seals, black curse-mark patterns began spreading across his skin.
"There he is!"
At that moment, an excited shout rang out, startling the birds in the forest.
"Boil Release: Unrivaled Strength!"
Without hesitation, Han burst forward.
In an instant he appeared beneath the tree where Ren had been hiding.
With one punch, he snapped the massive trunk in half, revealing Ren's figure.
"Boil Release: Unrivaled Strength — Jet Kick!"
A killing intent flashed in Han's eyes as he kicked toward Ren.
Ren remained perfectly calm.
His hands formed the Ram hand seal.
The blood at his forehead condensed into a manji symbol (卍) under an unseen force.
"Bankai…!"
"Seventh Gate — Gate of Wonder, OPEN!"
But just as Ren was about to release the seal on his body—
A figure wrapped in blue steam-like chakra suddenly appeared.
Moving faster than Ren, he stepped in front of him.
"Dai?!"
Ren froze for a moment.
Then relief washed over him as he immediately halted the release of his seal.
Like a divine soldier descending from the heavens, Might Duy delivered a powerful kick that collided head-on with Han's Jet Kick.
BOOM!
With the Seventh Gate fully opened, Han—caught off guard—was sent flying by Dai's kick.
"Ren! I didn't arrive too late, did I?!"
Might Duy flashed his trademark sparkling smile, asking with concern.
"No."
Ren exhaled deeply and smiled back.
"You arrived just in time."
During the Third Great Ninja War, while Ren had shined brilliantly on the Kirigakure battlefield, there were certain events he had deliberately tried to prevent.
For example—
Rin Nohara 's death.
And Might Duy's death.
Even before transmigrating into this world, Ren had always felt that Might Duy's death was incredibly tragic.
After all—
Dai's son, Might Guy, would later open the Eighth Gate of Death and deliver a kick that nearly killed Ten-Tails jinchūriki Six Paths Madara Uchiha .
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?
What level were they?
How could they possibly compare to Madara?
How dare they think they were worthy of witnessing a dance like Madara's?
No matter how you looked at it, using the Eighth Gate on the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist was simply too much of a waste.
At the very least, it should be used against Konoha's leadership F4.
Because of Ren's intervention, Might Duy never had the chance to open the Eighth Gate of Death against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Moreover, Ren had befriended Dai early on and discreetly provided him with financial support, allowing Dai's life to improve and giving him more resources to train his body.
After all, the Eight Gates Technique was fundamentally a multiplier.
The stronger the user's base physique, the greater the amplification.
In the original timeline, Might Duy's physical condition was certainly inferior to Might Guy's later peak.
After all, Dai had remained a perpetual genin.
Few people were willing to team up with him for missions, and he could barely even afford food.
Under those circumstances, how could he possibly obtain resources to strengthen his body?
But Might Guy was different.
Dai's sacrifice had proven the value of pure taijutsu users to Konoha's leadership, allowing Guy to eventually rise to the rank of jōnin.
With jōnin-level resources, Guy's physique naturally became far stronger than Dai's had been.
But now—
With Uchiha Ren's intervention, Might Duy's body might not surpass peak Might Guy…
But it certainly wouldn't be far behind.
At this moment—
Might Duy might very well be the strongest man in the entire shinobi world.
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