Facing Ren Uchiha's furious roar, Mangetsu Hozuki snarled back in derision.
"A joke! That's all you are!"
"A brat who only knows underhanded tricks and big talk... you have no idea what a true genius looks like!"
With the Twin Sword: Hiramekarei in his hands—the weapon he was most compatible with—Mangetsu's natural talent was amplified tenfold.
In the next heartbeat, the condensed blade of light crushed downward. The sheer wind pressure sent roof tiles flying and caused the wooden structures to groan and snap. Even the flooded surface beneath them dipped under the weight of the strike, sending massive walls of water surging to the sides.
Against a normal human, this strike was indefensible. They would be pulverized into nothingness. Even if Ren had another card to play, Mangetsu was certain it wouldn't save his life. To him, Ren was just a fraud hiding behind a hardening jutsu and flashy deceptions.
But then, Ren threw his hands open!
He looked up at the oncoming giant blade, a spark of exploding flame ignited between his teeth.
BOOM!
The incandescent white flames flickering across his body surged violently, every wisp of energy converging into his right fist. At that moment, his hand shone as brightly as a miniature sun.
The violent power of the Zero-Tails' Dark Chakra had already bolstered his physical strength, giving him the power to shatter boulders with his bare hands. But against the full release of Hiramekarei—a power capable of nearly killing even Zetsu—it wasn't enough.
Since the Fire Style: Chakra Mode had failed to burn him to ash, Ren instinctively found a new way to weaponize that energy. Much like a shape-shifting greatsword or a six-foot fire blade, he compressed the entirety of the Chakra Mode's power into his right fist.
The flames shifted from a searing yellow to a blinding, brilliant white. Everything concentrated into a single point—the peak of his power.
This was Ren Uchiha's strongest punch.
It wasn't the refined, surgical precision of Tsunade's chakra-enhanced strength. It was pure, unadulterated chakra eruption.
"So you're a genius, huh?!"
"FUCK YOU! EVEN IF YOU WERE A GOD—YOU'RE EATING THIS FIRE PUNCH FIRST! AHHHH!"
The fist, radiant as a sun, struck out. It looked like an ant trying to stop a truck barreling toward it at 180 mph. A tiny human fist collided with an eight-meter-long, one-meter-wide blade of light.
The two forces clashed, detonating into a magnificent sphere of radiance!
In an instant, the earth shook and the floodwaters roared. Ten-meter-high geysers erupted into the air before crashing back down. Under the force of Ren's punch, the blue blade of light was actually knocked half a meter off course!
Then, the blade followed through with its momentum, crushing Ren's right arm from the shoulder down. Bone, blood, muscle, and fibers were reduced to a pulp. But as they disintegrated, thousands of tiny, black Earth Grudge Fear threads lashed out, pulling the mangled remains back together into a mass of ruined flesh.
The light blade itself, however, was now riddled with cracks. With a sharp snap, it shattered into a cloud of chaotic, unorganized chakra.
"Huff... huff..."
Ren immediately deactivated the Fire Style: Chakra Mode. A wave of intense exhaustion washed over him. As powerful as the mode was, it drained his chakra at an alarming rate. With his current Zero-Tails reserves, he could only manage two such bursts. Any more, and he'd have to start farming dark emotions manually.
Since his life wasn't in danger and the mode didn't damage him anymore, keeping it active was risky—if the system thought he was "intentionally" trying to fail his death-wish, he'd be in trouble.
He gasped for air, using his left hand to scoop up the shell-shocked Mei Terumi. He leaped back, putting distance between them, and tossed her aside before warily scanning the battlefield.
As the water settled, the scene became clear.
Mangetsu Hozuki, still gripping the twin swords, walked calmly through the mist. Seeing Ren's state, he raised an eyebrow in genuine admiration.
"I didn't expect you to have a move like that hidden. A power that can shatter Hiramekarei's chakra blade... truly dangerous."
Then, Mangetsu's gaze fell on Ren's right arm—or what was left of it, severed at the root—and a cold smirk played on his lips.
"But you paid an arm just to block one strike. So—"
He snarled, raising the Twin Swords again. A fresh torrent of chakra surged, reforming a six-meter-long blade of light. With a violent swing, he sent a gale toward Ren. Even standing at a distance on the water, the tip of the chakra sword was now inches from Ren's nose.
"Ren Uchiha," Mangetsu laughed maniacally. "How many more strikes can you block?! What's next? Your left hand? Your legs?"
"Do you see it now? The gap between a commoner and a genius!"
Ren looked at the raging chakra at the tip of the blade, but then he lowered his head and let out a low, mocking chuckle.
"Heh... hehe... Hahahaha!"
He snapped his head up, his eyes full of disdain. "You think you've won?"
"How about THIS!"
He raised his shoulder. Roaring flames spread from his heart to the stump of his right arm. Within the fire, the dense Earth Grudge Fear threads pulled the shattered tissues back together.
Earth Grudge Fear Stitching, Forbidden Body Revival, and the Immortal Body intertwined within the brilliant flames!
In the blink of an eye, a brand-new right arm was reborn from the fire!
Everyone on the battlefield froze. Warriors from every circle stopped their fighting to stare in absolute shock.
Mangetsu's eyes bulged. He had seen it clearly—his blade had pulverized that arm into nothing. And yet, this brat was like an unkillable cockroach. Instant limb reconstruction. It was a miracle.
Is this... his 'Second Form'? The Immortal Asura?! Mangetsu swallowed hard.
Ren raised his chin, looking down at Mangetsu with a sneer.
"I can do this all day!"
His Sharingan spun as he scanned Mangetsu from head to toe. He let out a meaningful, ruthless smile, unmasking the truth:
"But you—"
"How many more times can you swing that sword?"
The expression on Mangetsu's face twisted into one of pure, unadulterated horror.