Boom!
Uchiha Ren descended to the ground wrapped in blazing flames. Waves of scorching heat spread outward from him, and the surrounding grass and flowers quickly withered under the intense heat.
This was not simply a layer of fire covering his body.
Instead, it was a Fire Release Chakra Mode that Ren had developed by combining chakra with the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit.
With the Flame-Flame Fruit's enhancement, Ren's affinity for Fire Release ninjutsu had been pushed to the absolute limit. He no longer needed hand seals—his control over flames had reached the level of pure instinct.
Because of this, Ren had created many new techniques.
Fire Release Chakra Mode was one of them.
Although the physical enhancement granted by Ren's Fire Release Chakra Mode was not as terrifying as A's Lightning Release Chakra Mode, it offered both offense and defense along with many tactical advantages.
"You Uchiha ninja… I admit I underestimated you."
"But I won't give you another chance!"
Standing not far away, A's body crackled with lightning. Despite being blasted away earlier, his body showed no visible injuries.
The powerful defense granted by Lightning Release Chakra Mode allowed him to ignore most attacks.
However, being knocked flying in a direct clash of strength was a blow to A's pride.
To him, that humiliation was even worse than being injured.
"Enough talk. Aragami Bite—Flash!"
Ren had no interest in chatting.
His figure flashed forward, instantly appearing in front of A as he launched a hook toward A's jaw.
"So fast!"
A's eyes widened in shock at the speed Ren displayed.
If he hadn't long been accustomed to fighting at extreme speeds, he might not have been able to track Ren's movements at all.
But instead of fear—
A felt only fury.
"Don't underestimate me! Heavy Impact!"
With a furious roar, A twisted his body with incredible agility and slammed his elbow toward Ren's incoming fist.
Everyone knew that the Uchiha clan were famous for their dōjutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu.
Yet Ren was fighting him with taijutsu.
Using one's weakness against the opponent's greatest strength—
To A, that felt like a blatant insult.
If Ren had known what A was thinking, he would probably have laughed.
It was true that Ren specialized more in ninjutsu, especially large-scale destructive techniques.
But against someone like A—whose defense was extraordinarily high—the only effective way to break through was highly concentrated single-point attacks.
Like the technique he was using now.
Boom!
Ren's fist was wrapped in a dense layer of orange flames that seemed almost solid.
Just before colliding with A's elbow, the flames erupted violently, engulfing half of A's body.
The explosive impact burst from A's side before his Heavy Impact could even land, sending him flying once again.
A let out a painful cry.
Midair, he flipped his body and stabilized himself before landing firmly on the ground.
The flames produced by Aragami Bite were not as explosive as Fire Fist, but the heat was far more compressed, dramatically increasing the temperature.
Large burn wounds appeared on A's right arm and neck.
The skin shriveled and blistered instantly.
Even someone as tough as A couldn't help but grit his teeth from the pain.
"Damn it!"
Glaring at Ren, A suddenly reached up and brutally wiped across the burned areas on his body.
The blisters burst open under his rough movement, his expression turning ferocious with pain.
Although those blisters would have hindered his movements, the sheer brutality of his method made even Ren wince slightly.
As expected of the shinobi world's most notorious battle maniac.
"Lariat—Guillotine Drop!"
A roared as he converted pain into power.
Lightning surged wildly around him as he leapt high into the air and brought his leg down in a devastating axe kick toward Ren.
The rushing wind howled toward him.
Ren didn't dare block the attack directly.
He kicked off the ground, leaving behind two charred footprints as his figure vanished instantly.
A narrowed his eyes, a realization flashing through his mind.
He quickly locked onto Ren's position.
Although the force in his leg slightly decreased, he did not cancel the attack.
BOOM!
When A's foot struck the ground, the earth within a dozen meters shattered.
Using the momentum from that kick, A accelerated even further—his speed more than doubled.
in an instant, he appeared in front of Ren and swung a lightning-coated hand toward his neck.
"Lightning Release: Guillotine Chop!"
High-density Lightning Release chakra formed a blade of electricity that struck Ren's neck.
Bang!
Ren's body exploded into a burst of flames that instantly engulfed A.
The distance was too close for A to dodge.
However, the flames were not particularly hot.
With a quick burst of speed, A escaped the firestorm unharmed.
"A Fire Clone, huh…"
A steadied himself and began scanning the surroundings for Ren.
He had already seen through Ren's ability.
The next strike would decide the battle.
Ren's speed appeared to rival his own, but it was not true speed.
Before each movement, Ren condensed flames beneath his feet and used the explosive force of the flames to propel himself forward.
It was essentially a unique variation of the Body Flicker Technique.
A Fire-Style Body Flicker that was even faster than the standard version.
But it had a major weakness.
It lacked flexibility.
The explosive propulsion only allowed Ren to move in straight lines, and it also reduced his reaction capability while moving.
A had already confirmed this during their exchange.
In fact, the burst acceleration he used earlier had been inspired by Ren's technique.
There was another key point as well.
A had realized that Ren's physical strength was still inferior to his own while in Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
Although their exchanges appeared to be direct clashes, their bodies had never actually made contact.
Every time their attacks were about to collide, Ren's flames would erupt first.
That was why A had been blasted away twice.
If A's Lightning Release Chakra Mode enhanced the body from within, strengthening every aspect of physical ability—
Then Ren's Fire Release Chakra Mode functioned externally, more like a ninjutsu.
Before A could strike Ren—
Ren's flames would strike him first.
Naturally, A was the one who suffered in such exchanges.
But now—
A had already devised a counter.
He was certain he would win this fight.
As he silently gathered chakra, his gaze suddenly shifted to a spot not far to his left.
His eyes gleamed.
"Found you!"
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