Chapter 41: The Stolen Star
The kunai Ren had thrown was no ordinary weapon; it was his Flying Thunder God kunai. While the Star ninja, Shibō, had easily dodged the projectile itself, that was precisely the outcome Ren had desired. The moment the kunai sailed past its target, Ren activated the Flying Thunder God Technique. He vanished from his position on the ground and instantly reappeared in the air right behind the floating ninja, his foot kicking downward against nothing to maintain his altitude using Moon Step. The Chidori still screeched violently in his right hand.
"Why are you so happy?" Ren's voice was a cold whisper in Shibō's ear. "Care to let me in on the joke?"
The Star ninja had just begun to process the sound, a spark of horrified realization igniting, but it was far too late. The thought to flee had barely formed when Ren's Chidori-imbued hand slammed into his back. The violent Lightning Release chakra tore through the Peacock Method wings like paper and punched clean through the man's torso, erupting from his chest in a spray of blood and lightning.
"H-How... is this... possible...?" Shibō stammered, staring in disbelief at the bloody, crackling fist that had just ended his life. His consciousness faded rapidly. The Peacock Method dissolved into motes of fading chakra, and as Ren withdrew his arm, the lifeless body plummeted to the ground.
It had happened in a flash. From the throw to the kill, it was over in an instant, too fast for Yōtaka the Nighthawk or the Jōnin Hoshino to even react. They only snapped out of their stunned paralysis when the body—Shibō's body—hit the earth with a sickening thud.
"Shibō!" Yōtaka cried out in anguish and fury. The two had been partners for years. To see him killed so effortlessly was a devastating blow.
Hoshino, the acting leader, stared at Ren hovering in the air, his mind reeling. *What just happened? I didn't imagine it. He vanished and then reappeared behind Shibō. Instantaneous movement... That can only be... Space-Time Ninjutsu!* A cold dread settled in his stomach. *If that's true... this is far more troublesome than I thought.*
His shock quickly curdled into cold, calculating rage. While he hadn't truly considered the two Chunin his confidants, they were his useful subordinates. And this intruder was after the Star. He had to be eliminated.
"Peacock Method: Bear Demon!" Hoshino roared, his hands forming seals. The chakra that erupted from him was far denser and more potent than that of the Chunin. It coalesced into the form of a massive, roaring spectral bear. The construct lunged upward, its giant maw snapping at Ren in mid-air.
Distracted by his kill, Ren didn't notice Hoshino's attack until it was too late. The chakra bear's jaws closed around him, its energy binding and constricting him. It dragged him down to the ground, pinning him in a crushing grip. Try as he might, Ren couldn't immediately break free from the powerful chakra construct.
Yōtaka, seizing the opportunity, saw his chance for revenge. "Die!" he screamed, hatred burning in his eyes. He shaped his own Peacock Method chakra into a massive, spear-like javelin and hurled it directly at the immobilized Ren.
Ren reacted swiftly. *"Hidden Shadow Snake Hand!"* Several giant serpents erupted from his sleeves, coiling around to block the incoming spear. But the chakra javelin, fueled by Yōtaka's grief and rage, punched through them one after another, shearing the snakes apart. Just as the spear was about to strike its target, Ren vanished again.
The javelin shot through empty air.
Ren reappeared a significant distance away, standing calmly on the handle of one of his previously thrown Flying Thunder God kunai. He was once again out of immediate reach.
"That technique again..." Hoshino muttered, his face grim. "He disappears and reappears elsewhere. It *is* Space-Time Ninjutsu. This is a disaster."
"Hmph. I got careless," Ren said, his voice cold and level as he observed the two remaining Star ninja. "But that ends now." The two Star ninja didn't dare act rashly, their eyes filled with a new, wary solemnity. A tense standoff ensued.
It was broken by the arrival of a young man, roughly Ren's age, who came sprinting from the direction of the village, his face pale with panic.
"Lord Hoshino! It's terrible!" he yelled, skidding to a halt before the acting leader.
"Ang! What are you doing here? What's wrong?" Hoshino demanded, irritated by the interruption.
"Lord Hoshino! The... the Star! It's been stolen!"
"What did you say?!" Hoshino's blood ran cold. He grabbed the boy by his shoulders. "The Star was stolen? What happened? Explain!"
"A few of us were training in the chamber... a powerful ninja suddenly broke in! We were no match for him! He knocked us all out in an instant, took the Star, and fled!"
"You useless—!" Hoshino began to berate him, but then he stopped, a terrible thought striking him. He whirled around, his furious gaze locking onto Ren. "You damn bastard! You have an accomplice!" he snarled. "But it doesn't matter! Once I capture you, your partner will have no choice but to show himself!"
*An accomplice?* Ren was momentarily taken aback. *When did I get one of those? So someone else took the Star while I had these fools distracted. Damn it! Someone used me as a diversion!* A cold anger simmered within him. *No matter who it is, they will pay for making a tool out of me.* He didn't bother correcting Hoshino's assumption; it was useless, and he didn't owe them an explanation.
His eyes fell on the panting boy, Ang. The name triggered a memory from his past-life knowledge. *That's right... Summer Star.*
*Summer Star. In the original story, she was the one who truly protected the village. The people here suffer severe physical side effects from training with the Star's radiation. She and her husband, Natsuhi, once tried to hide the Star to stop the practice, but were stopped by the Third Hokage... no, the Third *Star* leader. The Third had actually banned its use. But then the Third was killed by Hoshino here, and the practice resumed. To truly protect the village, Summer Star eventually stole the Star herself.*
*If it's her... then this might be easier than I thought.* He looked at Ang, then back at the seething Hoshino. *But first, I need to clean up this garbage.*
As Ren was calculating his next move, Hoshino made his. With a sudden, vicious motion, he directed his spectral bear demon not at Ren, but at his own remaining subordinate, Yōtaka. The bear's maw opened wide and *bit down* on the tail-like chakra construct of Yōtaka's Peacock Method, devouring it whole.
"Lord Hoshino, you—?!" Ang cried out, horrified.
The bear demon grew larger, its form swelling with the stolen chakra. Yōtaka, his energy violently ripped from him, collapsed to the ground, unconscious or dead.
"Don't worry, I merely borrowed his chakra. He'll be fine," Hoshino lied, his voice dripping with false reassurance. "The enemy is too tricky. I had no choice!"
*So you devour your own comrade's chakra to empower yourself?* Ren thought, a fresh wave of disgust washing over him. *You truly are despicable. But even with that power, your outcome remains the same.*
"I've lost my patience playing with you," Ren declared. "I'll end this in one move."
"Hmph! That's my line!" Hoshino retorted, arrogance flooding back into him with the influx of stolen power. He directed the enlarged bear demon to charge at Ren once more. "Die!"
*This Peacock Method is annoyingly versatile,* Ren admitted internally, easily sidestepping the lumbering charge. *Time to shred it to pieces.*
"System," he commanded. "Exchange for the Rasengan."
***Rasengan. Item Level: A-Rank. Item Type: Technique. Cost: 5,000 Points. Confirm exchange?***
"Confirm."
***Ding! Exchange successful. 5,000 Points deducted. Remaining Points: 35,000.***
The now-familiar wave of warmth and knowledge flooded through him. In an instant, the intricate chakra control and spinning mechanics of the A-rank technique, the Rasengan, were his.
A brilliant, blue-white sphere of swirling, compressed chakra materialized in Ren's palm, humming with immense power. He didn't need a clone to form it; his chakra control, honed by the system and his training, was more than sufficient.
"No more games," Ren said, his voice flat and final. He met the bear demon's next charge head-on, the Rasengan held before him like a shield and a weapon combined.
𝗚𝗨𝗬𝗦, 𝗙𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪 𝗠𝗘 𝗢𝗡 𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗠 𝗔𝗧 𝗚𝗘𝗛𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗪9