Chapter 5: Black Flash
"That guy's holding his own against Kakashi-sensei with just taijutsu!" Sasuke muttered, his dark eyes narrowing as he peered through the bushes. His usual aloof demeanor cracked slightly, betraying a flicker of astonishment at Renji's performance.
Sakura hesitated, her fingers twitching as she crouched in her hiding spot. Should I jump in and help Renji? she wondered, her gaze darting between the fight and her teammates. The intensity of the clash made her heart race, but she wasn't sure if intervening was the right move.
"Hahaha! Go, Renji! Pound Kakashi-sensei into the ground, dattebayo!" Naruto hollered, still dangling upside down from the tree trap. He swung wild air punches, left and right hooks cutting through the air as if he were the one fighting the Jonin.
Kakashi's slouched posture straightened ever so slightly, his lazy air giving way to a sharper focus. "Alright," he said, his voice carrying a hint of menace. "I'll get a little serious now."
Renji felt the shift in Kakashi's aura, like a blade unsheathing. Before he could react, a fist blurred toward him, too fast to track, sending him hurtling ten meters through the air. A little serious?! That was a full-on assault! he thought, wincing as he hit the ground.
Scrambling to his feet, Renji refused to give Kakashi an opening for a follow-up. His body buzzed with a strange, electric energy. His breathing grew rapid, a powerful surge gathering in his lungs. His heart pounded like a war drum, pumping energy through his veins, condensing in his hands. His hormone levels spiked to an almost terrifying degree, every nerve alight with raw power.
It was cliché, but Renji couldn't help the thought: This is it. This is the feeling!
"Kakashi-sensei, please be careful!" he called, his voice steady despite the chaos coursing through him.
Clenching both fists, Renji charged, covering the ten-meter gap in a heartbeat. His fists swung with ferocious intent, aimed straight at Kakashi. The Jonin's visible eye widened, his usual calm faltering as he registered the sheer force behind Renji's attack.
The air around Renji's fists howled, torn apart by the momentum. A faint ripple distorted the space, like heat rising off pavement.
Nani?! Kakashi's mind reeled. Is that… spatial distortion?
Bang!
Kakashi skidded back dozens of meters, his feet digging into the dirt to stabilize himself. He stared at Renji, shock flickering in his eye. Renji, equally stunned, glanced at his trembling fist.
That was… Black Flash!
In Jujutsu Kaisen, Black Flash was a rare and devastating phenomenon—a spatial distortion triggered when a strike and the impact of Cursed Energy aligned within 0.000001 seconds. Its power was 2.5 times stronger than a normal hit, and no sorcerer could wield it deliberately. Those who experienced it, however, gained an intimate connection to the core of Cursed Energy, a leap in mastery that set them apart.
Naruto, still swinging from the tree, gaped, his blue eyes wide with disbelief. "No way!" he shouted, voice cracking. "Did Renji just take down Kakashi-sensei with one punch?!"
Sakura's pupils shrank, a chill running down her spine. Even from her hiding spot, the raw power of Renji's punch sent a wave of dread through her, raising goosebumps across her arms.
Kakashi's gaze softened, a rare glint of respect surfacing. "You remind me of someone," he said, his mind flashing to Might Guy, the taijutsu master whose relentless drive could turn anyone into a force of nature. If Guy got his hands on this kid, he'd forge a monster.
The crisp jingle of bells snapped him out of his thoughts. Renji held all three bells delicately between his fingertips, a faint, almost mischievous smile on his stitched face.
Kakashi froze, replaying the moment Renji's hand had grazed his waist during his retreat. The bells' cord had been severed so cleanly, so precisely, that he hadn't felt a thing. This kid…
He smiled, his eye crinkling with amusement. "Well done, Renji." He crossed his arms, adopting a theatrical air. "You've got the bells. Now, how will you distribute them? Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Sakura Haruno, and you—four genin, but only three bells. Your choice decides who goes back to the Ninja Academy."
Sasuke, still concealed in the bushes, tensed, his mind racing. Sakura emerged from her hiding spot, her expression a mix of worry and anticipation. Naruto, still tied up, blinked in confusion, his brain struggling to catch up.
Renji didn't rush. He calmly untied Naruto from the tree, ignoring the blond's protests, then waved Sasuke and Sakura over. The four stood together, the bells glinting in Renji's hand like a silent challenge.
"No need to hurry," Kakashi said, pulling out three lunch boxes and handing them to Renji, Sasuke, and Sakura. Naruto, rubbing his freed wrists, got nothing. "Naruto's the worst performer here," Kakashi declared, pointing to the middle log. "He stays tied up."
Naruto grumbled, but Kakashi swiftly bound him to the log, ignoring his complaints. "Eat first. Then make your choice." He waved cheerfully, adding a warning: "Oh, and no one feeds Naruto. Anyone who does is disqualified."
With that, Kakashi strolled off, vanishing from sight. Once out of view, he leaned against a tree, coughing softly. Blood tinged his lips, and a sharp pain throbbed in his chest. He rubbed it, unfazed but impressed. Don't underestimate these genin, he thought, wincing. That punch was unreal.
Naruto's stomach growled, loud and undeniable, betraying his attempt to play it cool. "I'm fine!" he insisted, turning his head away. "Not hungry at all!"
His stomach rumbled again, louder, then again, each growl more pitiful than the last.
Renji, without a second thought, shoved a ball of rice into Naruto's mouth.
Sakura gasped, her eyes darting around nervously. "Renji! Kakashi-sensei said feeding Naruto disqualifies us!"
Naruto, mouth full, tried to protest through a mouthful of rice. "Yeah, Renji, I'm not eating!" His chewing, however, betrayed him, moving faster than his words.
Sasuke watched in silence, his expression unreadable, making no move to intervene. His sharp mind had already caught on to something.
"Kakashi-sensei's lied twice already," Renji said, his tone calm but pointed, his stitched smile unwavering. "You really still believe him?"
Naruto and Sakura froze, their minds reeling. He's… right, they thought, unable to counter his logic.
"But…" Sakura hesitated, glancing at Renji's lunch box, her voice soft with concern. "Won't you be hungry? Take mine—I don't eat much anyway."
Renji's eyes curved into a gentle, almost angelic smile. Sakura's so kind, he thought, relishing the opportunity to exploit that kindness later. "No worries, Sakura. I ate a big breakfast and brought snacks. I don't trust Kakashi-sensei one bit."
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +50!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +50!]
[Chakra (7,850 / 100,000,000)]
Renji glanced back, spotting Kakashi lurking in the shadows, his expression clouded like a storm. So, my distrust earned that Malice Value? Perfect.
"You brats," Kakashi said, stepping forward, his voice low and unusually stern. "You're completely ignoring my rules."
Sakura and Naruto stiffened, their nerves kicking into overdrive. Renji, unfazed, tilted his head like an obedient child, his smile deceptively innocent. "Only I ignored your rules, Kakashi-sensei."
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +50!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +50!]
[Chakra (7,900 / 100,000,000)]
Kakashi rubbed his forehead, exasperation etched into his slouched posture. "Renji, you're a real troublemaker, you know that?"
Renji's smile turned righteous, his voice dripping with sincerity. "Sensei, give the bells to them. Send me back to ROOT."
Kakashi stared, momentarily speechless. This kid… He knew Danzo would just shove Renji back into Team 7 if he tried sending him away. What a stubborn little crony.
With a tired wave, Kakashi sighed, his voice lacking its usual gravitas. "Fine. You all pass."
Naruto blinked, his big blue eyes wide with confusion. "Huh? What just happened?"
Sasuke spoke up, his voice calm but certain, cutting through the silence. "It's because we're a team. Cooperation is what matters most. If we'd eaten and ignored Naruto, we'd never work together on missions. That would've been the real failure."
He paused, his gaze flickering to Renji. "Renji figured it out from the start. That's why he didn't stop when you fed Naruto."
Kakashi nodded, his eye crinkling with approval. "You're the first group to pass. The others followed my rules blindly, abandoning their hungry teammates. A ninja must see through deception within deception. Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum."
Renji stroked his chin, the words tugging at a memory. I've heard that before… somewhere. Maybe in the anime, maybe in a manga panel. It felt like a lifetime ago.
Kakashi's gaze softened, lost in a fleeting memory of his own, before he straightened. "The exercise ends here. All members pass. Team 7 starts missions tomorrow!"
"Alright!" Naruto whooped, pumping his fist so hard he nearly fell over. "I'm a ninja! A real ninja, dattebayo!"
Sakura beamed, relief washing over her like a wave. Sasuke's lips twitched into a faint smirk, his cool facade intact but softened by the victory. Renji's smile hid his true thoughts, his mismatched eyes glinting with satisfaction. Step one: complete. Trust earned. Now, the real game begins.
"Let's go back," Kakashi said, turning toward the village, his voice light but his mind still lingering on Renji. This kid's going to be trouble. Dangerous trouble.