Chapter 53 - Lightning Flash

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----

The final battle was about to erupt.

The two sides stood locked in a deadly standoff. Though Renjiro's team was vastly outnumbered and exhausted, their eyes were filled with unyielding fighting spirit.

However, Renjiro understood their real situation—his teammates, though standing tall, were barely staying on their feet. Their strength hadn't recovered in time. What they showed now was nothing more than a bold front.

And he wasn't the only one who saw it. The enemy had surely noticed their condition too, which is why Akagawa didn't mind when Renjiro stalled for time. 

At this moment, the only one who might pose a threat was Renjiro. And in Akagawa's mind, Renjiro was alone and not at full strength—so the outcome was already set in stone.

"Renjiro Squad... today will mark your last day in this world."

Swish! Swish!

Finally, the Iwagakure shinobi made their move. With a single command from Akagawa, they quickly surrounded Renjiro's group, cutting off all escape routes.

"Form hand seals!"

Once again, the Iwa-nin showed how seriously they took Renjiro. Even with superior numbers and full preparation, they still chose long-range ninjutsu—determined to leave nothing to chance.

"Tch, what a shame..." Maemon muttered in a low voice: "Looks like we won't get the chance to turn the tables."

Meri held her blade firmly and didn't move. Her eyes followed the enemy closely, searching for any opening she could use to strike or break the trap.

Tsugami gently placed a hand on Domaru's head and said with a wry grin: "I should've known that teaming up with you people would get me killed someday."

Clearly, though they didn't want to give up, it seemed they had already accepted their fate. They couldn't see a way out of this situation. It was as if they were watching death slowly approach and had nowhere to run.

Maemon raised an eyebrow and grinned: "Is that a complaint?"

"Not really." Tsugami replied with a shrug. Then he shook his head and added: "It's just strange… we're clearly cornered, yet I have this feeling everything will be fine."

Maemon frowned, confused: "What are you trying to say?"

Patting Domaru's head, Tsugami shrugged again and said: "Who knows… maybe there's still a twist waiting to happen. Either way, we won't stop fighting, no matter what."

"The moment you stepped in here, your fate was sealed." Akagawa sneered: "This base is completely cut off from the outside world. The only 'unexpected variable' would be you defeating us—and that has less than a one-in-a-million chance."

"It's better if you just stop resisting." Akagawa said suddenly, turning serious as he looked straight at Renjiro: "If you surrender now, we'll give you a quick and painless death."

"But, Captain—" One Iwa-nin began to speak.

"That's enough! I'm the captain, and this is my decision!" Akagawa shouted without even glancing at his subordinate.

In truth, although Akagawa wanted to kill Renjiro more than anyone else here—especially after sacrificing his own men just to trap him—he didn't want to waste any more people. 

In the end, their main goal was to eliminate Renjiro and his team. As for how they died, it didn't matter, as long as the mission was completed.

Renjiro looked at Akagawa for a moment. A cold smile crept across his face: "In your dreams."

"Attack!" Akagawa ordered immediately. He didn't waste another second.

Their hand seals were nearly complete. The Iwa shinobi who had just tried to object to Akagawa's decision couldn't hide his excitement. The moment they had been waiting for was finally here. Akagawa's lips curled into a cruel, eager grin.

He could already picture it: Team Renjiro defeated, their bodies shattered beyond recognition.

"It's time to try my new move. You'll make the perfect target." Renjiro said suddenly.

"Wha—" Maemon didn't even have time to finish his sentence.

In the next instant, Renjiro faced Akagawa directly.

Akagawa's pupils shrank sharply. His heart was suddenly filled with a sense of dread and unease.

"You had no chance to fight back—attack!" Just as Akagawa was about to shout the final command, he saw it.

A blue flash!

Body Stimulation—Thunder Flash!

Crkk!

It all happened in a single heartbeat.

A streak of lightning tore through the battlefield. No one saw Renjiro move—not even his own teammates. It was as if he had become lightning itself.

Thud! Thud!

And when the light faded, the enemy's jutsu failed. One after another, the Iwa shinobi collapsed, dead on the spot!

"...How... how can this be...?"

Akagawa staggered backward, his blood turning cold. He opened his mouth to ask how—but no words came out.

A thin, red line opened across his throat.

Pfff!

Blood burst from the wound. His vision blurred. His thoughts began to fade.

As his mind slipped away, his last memory returned to that streak of lightning... and inside it, he saw Renjiro's face.

"So that's it… he had a hidden trump card all along... That blue flash... such a terrifying move..."

As consciousness left him, Akagawa thought of the legends about Konoha's "Yellow Flash"—the terrifying Minato Namikaze.

He wanted to send this intel to the Iwagakure command center in the Land of Waterfall, but he couldn't.

A deep sadness flickered in Akagawa's eyes as darkness closed in. The mission had failed—but they had uncovered the secret of Team Renjiro... And Renjiro's terrifying final move.

That, at least, would be invaluable to Iwagakure—if someone made it back.

---

Time passed.

Meri was the first to break the stunned silence: "Renjiro…? Are you okay?"

After defeating his last opponent, Renjiro remained standing, completely still. He didn't move an inch. Though his eyes were open, they were dim and lifeless. He had lost consciousness while still standing.

"Tsugami!" Meri shouted, her voice filled with worry and panic.

"On it!" Tsugami rushed to Renjiro's side, joined quickly by Meri and Maemon. Together, they gently helped lower him to the ground.

Despite being exhausted himself, Tsugami immediately began treatment. As his chakra flowed into Renjiro, the tension slowly faded from Renjiro's face.

"He'll be fine." Tsugami finally said in a relieved voice: "He's just completely worn out. That final jutsu used up all of his chakra."

"Thank God." Meri and Maemon said in unison, both letting out a deep sigh of relief.

Maemon stood up, walked over to Akagawa's corpse, and retrieved the Military Deployment Map from inside his chest armor. After checking all the enemy bodies and confirming they were truly dead, he returned to the group.

Looking down at the unconscious Renjiro, Maemon muttered in awe: "Every single one of them… taken out with one move. All of them had their throats cut. That… was terrifying."

Meri lowered her head and clenched her fists tightly: "I thought I was getting closer to him… but the gap between us is only growing."

"Ultra speed..." Tsugami whispered, his eyes on Renjiro's sleeping face, exhausted but peaceful.

---

One day earlier.

Location: The forest behind the Konoha encampment.

Alone in a clearing, Renjiro stood still, eyes closed. On the outside, he looked like he was simply resting—but in truth, he was speaking with Arkain.

"Arkain, I've completed the preparations for testing the new technique. Begin the data transfer." Renjiro ordered inwardly.

[Beep! Transmitting Data… 10%... 38%... 78%... 100%... Transfer Complete.]

In an instant, the knowledge of the new technique flooded Renjiro's mind.

"Nani?! The new technique is a fusion of Body Stimulation and Soru?!" Renjiro was shocked.

It was both expected—and unexpected. He had assumed it would be a speed-enhancing Jutsu, but he hadn't imagined that Arkain would go as far as combining Body Stimulation with the high-speed movement technique Soru, creating something much more powerful than the standard Body Flicker Technique.

The theory behind it seemed simple, first, flood the body and nervous system with lightning-nature chakra to boost reflexes and cellular performance.

Then, execute Soru—a movement technique that involves stomping the ground ten times with extreme precision to launch forward at blinding speed.

That was it.

But in practice? Executing it was ten times harder than using Soru alone.

Even though it wasn't as powerful as the Raikage's Lightning Release: Chakra Mode, the version created by Arkain—through advanced technology, data modeling, and Jutsu integration—was nearly on par. 

In fact, Renjiro believed that when it came to lightning-speed movement technique, only the Raikage's technique surpassed it in the entire Shinobi world.

But charging his cells was only the first step.

The real challenge was controlling that power while performing Soru—which required stomping the ground ten times in a precise way. That part was insanely hard.

It was like trying to swat a fly with a baseball bat… or fly a fighter jet using a toothpick. In one word: impossible.

Without Arkain's help, Renjiro wouldn't have been able to pull it off. To do it alone, you'd need chakra control like Sakura's and a body as tough as Guy's.

---

When Renjiro woke from deep sleep, it was already the next morning.

He found himself lying in the field hospital inside Konoha's camp. And the first thing he saw? That damned smug face of Maemon.

"Don't you have better things to do?" Renjiro grumbled.

Maemon pushed up his glasses and replied with a disgusted tone: "You think I wanted to babysit you? If Meri hadn't worn herself out watching over you all night, I wouldn't have bothered."

That made Renjiro sit up immediately, with a concern on his face, he asked in a worried voice: "Is she okay?"

"She's fine." Maemon answered calmly: "She's sleeping in the room next door."

"What about Tsugami and Domaru?" Renjiro asked again, still concerned.

Maemon waved it off: "Everyone's fine. Just a few days of rest and they'll be back on their feet."

"That's good." Renjiro said with a relieved smile.

Then, in a dry voice, Maemon added: "You know, you don't seem to care about me at all."

Renjiro blinked, then looked confused: "You're standing here, alive and still annoying. Do I need to check?"

Maemon crossed his arms and said angrily: "You asked about everyone but me. That's cold, man."

"Then go to the first room on the right." Renjiro snapped: "It smells just right for you."

(The bathroom.)

Unbothered, Maemon casually stuck a pinky in his nose and picked lazily.

"What happened after I passed out? Did we complete the mission?" Renjiro asked suddenly.

Maemon nodded: "Yeah. We got the intel. Lord Shikaku already started making plans based on Iwa's troop positions."

"That's good." Renjiro said with a sigh of relief.

"Not much happened after you collapsed," Maemon added: "But a reinforcement squad arrived soon after—just in case. And…"

"And?" Renjiro pressed.

"While they were exploring the base, they found a hidden chamber. Inside, there was a tunnel leading out. Looks like someone used it to escape—probably their sensor-nin."

"Someone escaped?" Renjiro frowned.

Maemon nodded: "Yeah. Most likely, the enemy now has full intel on us."

"Let them." Renjiro said calmly, standing up slowly: "Even if they know everything, it won't change anything. Think about the First Hokage, the Sannin, or even the Third—everyone knew their abilities, but how many people could actually defeat them just because they knew their trump cards or fighting style?"

After a short pause, he continued in a firm, confident voice: "It's not your abilities that make you powerful. It's you. And your will to fight."

"You're comparing yourself to the First Hokage now?" Maemon said to himself: "You're getting more narcissistic every day."