Chapter 69: The True Power of the Mangekyo
The collision of their lightning techniques had filled the earthen arena with a blinding, concussive flash. Ren, caught off guard, was momentarily blinded, his vision swimming with white spots. By the time his sight cleared, Kakashi had vanished from his field of view.
Before he could even process the disappearance, Kakashi's voice cut through the air from behind him. "Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
He got behind me! So fast! As expected of an Elite Jōnin! Ren's mind raced. He wasn't panicked, however. The environment was arid; the "dragon" Kakashi conjured was little more than a powerful, concentrated jet of water. Facing the oncoming torrent, Ren's hands moved in a mirror-flash of seals.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" He took a deep breath and expelled a massive, three-meter-wide sphere of raging fire from his mouth. The two elemental forces met in a violent clash of steam and hissing noise, the fire vaporizing the water completely, neutralizing the attack.
"Your reaction time and ninjutsu application are excellent," Kakashi commented, his tone one of genuine, analytical praise despite their opposition.
"Really?" Ren shot back, not swayed by the compliment. "Then try keeping up with this!" He drew several special kunai from his pouch and hurled them at Kakashi in a wide spread.
Kakashi evaded them with effortless, minimal movements. "Throwing weapons won't work on me!"
"Hmph! I didn't expect them to hit you." Ren's right hand came up, a Rasengan already swirling to life in his palm. "If kunai won't do it... then how about this?!"
"The Rasengan again? Powerful, but—" Kakashi's critique was cut short as Ren vanished from his sight entirely.
A split second later, a wave of primal danger screamed from behind Kakashi. He barely had time to register the sensation before Ren's voice confirmed it. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novel·fire.net
The attack connected, sending Kakashi flying forward. But before he even hit the ground, his body dissolved into a familiar puff of white smoke. Another Shadow Clone.
"Damn it! Another clone?!" Ren scowled, frustration bubbling up. "He must have substituted during the steam cloud from our jutsu clash. Using clones and substitutions to perfection... this guy is seriously difficult to pin down!"
High up on the earth wall, the real Kakashi looked down, his mind reeling. That sudden disappearance and reappearance... there's no mistaking it. That's Minato-sensei's signature technique. A space-time ninjutsu... the Flying Raijin! The kunai he threw... they must be marked with the formula. But how? How did Uchiha Ren learn a Kinjutsu belonging to Konoha? A cold dread settled in Kakashi's stomach. Uchiha Ren... his secrets run deep. His potential is terrifying. If someone like him becomes an enemy of the leaf... the consequences are unthinkable. I must apprehend him, no matter the cost.
"As expected of Kakashi," Ren called out, his voice echoing in the arena. "You're amazing. I can't seem to land a clean hit."
"Well, it's just experience," Kakashi replied, his voice deceptively calm. "More importantly, I want to ask you. That technique you used to vanish and reappear... where did you learn it?"
"You mean the Flying Raijin? I'm sorry, that's a question I can't answer." Ren's smirk was back. "I knew it would come to this, but it doesn't matter. You'll find out sooner or later anyway."
"Is that so? Are you still so confident you can escape?"
"I think you're forgetting something. Before we showed up, you were engaged in a large-scale battle with Gaara. And the Triple Rashomon we saw from the trees... that was your work as well, wasn't it? A jutsu of that magnitude consumes a tremendous amount of chakra. Combined with the high-level techniques we've both been using... I'd wager your chakra reserves are nearly depleted." Kakashi's analysis was cold and logical. He had no way of knowing about the system, no way of knowing Ren's chakra had been fully restored before their encounter. "In your current state, do you really believe you can still get away from me?"
"Oh? Is that what you think?" Ren's expression was one of pure amusement. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you." He had honed his skills in this fight, using Kakashi as the ultimate sparring partner to bridge the gap between his system-granted power and real-world combat experience. He hadn't used his ultimate trump card, choosing instead to test his limits against the Copy Ninja.
He now understood the difference. While his raw power might be on par with an Elite Jōnin like Kakashi, his practical experience and tactical ingenuity were still lacking. Against weaker opponents, he could overwhelm them. Against a seasoned veteran like Kakashi, it was a different game entirely.
"But," Ren continued, his tone shifting, "I think it's time we ended this."
Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. "Oh? So you do have another card to play?" A terrible possibility dawned on him, one that made his blood run cold. Could it be... the Mangekyo Sharingan?
The change in Kakashi's demeanor was not lost on Ren. "It seems you've already figured it out," he said with a cold sneer. He slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the three tomoe were gone. In their place was a sinister, intricate pattern—a six-pointed star that seemed to swirl with latent, devastating power.
The Mangekyo Sharingan.
Kakashi's breath hitched. The Mangekyo... It's real. There's another besides Uchiha Itachi. The implications were staggering. And it belongs to the boy everyone wrote off as a lost cause. Uchiha Ren's talent... it completely overshadows even Sasuke's. This is... terrifying.
"So now, Kakashi," Ren's voice was low, laced with the new, ominous power humming within him. "Are you still confident you can bring me back to Konoha?"
The air in the earthen arena grew heavy, charged with the threat of a power Kakashi knew he was ill-equipped to handle. The game had just changed entirely.
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