Three powerful ninjutsu, all above B-rank: the Wind Style for pressure, the Fire Style for searing heat, and the Lightning Style for cutting. Any one of these, taken individually, was enough to instantly kill a Jōnin-level ninja.
At this moment, Kakuzu unleashed all three of these formidable ninjutsu simultaneously. The chakras of the three attributes intertwined in the air, forming an even more powerful compound ninjutsu.
A massive sea of fire erupted on the ground, instantly engulfing this part of the world and transforming it into a raging inferno. Above, blue and white arcs of lightning constantly flickered, irregularly slashing down towards where Ren stood, carving deep craters one after another into the ground.
A compound ninjutsu with enough S-rank lethality! With this technique, Kakuzu had once directly defeated a Kage-level formidable opponent! At this moment, Kakuzu felt confident that this young boy would surely perish beneath his overwhelming ninjutsu!
"Compound Ninjutsu: Flaming Thunder Chaos!"
The hum of vibrating air, the crackling of flames, the sharp crackling of lightning bolts from the sky—all kinds of sounds intertwined in the air, forming a symphony-like existence. It was like thousands of cavalry roaring past, rushing towards the figures below. Excited flames surged skyward, tearing through the darkness, almost illuminating the entire world. In that massive, torrent-like impact, a moment of silence fell between heaven and earth...
Such a scene was truly too terrifying.
So much so that the five people standing in the distance—Sunflower, Moth, Seaisland, the Konoha scout, and Shizune—were completely dumbfounded. They finally understood why Captain Ren hadn't allowed them to participate in this battle earlier. Under such powerful and terrifying ninjutsu, they feared that with their strength, they wouldn't even last a single round before being killed.
In such a scene, a single word suddenly appeared in their minds: 'Hell!'
That's right, the legendary eighteen layers of hell... it probably wasn't far from this, was it? A mountain of swords and a sea of fire, with lightning striking from the sky! A shudder ran through their hearts.
Especially Moth and Seaisland. Knowing that the two individuals before them, clad in black robes with red cloud patterns, were the masterminds behind the earlier casino, they couldn't stop the cold sweat from pouring down their backs.
'Fortunately, fortunately, when they broke into that casino earlier, they didn't encounter these two behind-the-scenes figures.'
'Fortunately, fortunately, their Captain Ren came to rescue them so quickly, allowing them to escape the casino safely.'
At this moment, their hearts were filled with deep remorse. They couldn't help but secretly scold themselves for being utterly reckless. Facts had proven that Captain Ren's earlier approach was the most correct!
"Breath of Water – Second Form: Endless Flow!"
An azure stream of water, like a blue, satin-like ribbon, floated gracefully around Ren. Ren held his Sun Blade once more. Chakra surged through his body as he unleashed his own sword techniques again.
"Breath of Water – Second Form: Endless Flow!"
"Breath of Water – Second Form: Endless Flow!"
One strike, two strikes, three strikes... ten strikes, eleven strikes, twelve strikes!
Looking up at the man who was rushing towards him, at the mountain of swords and sea of fire, the powerful ninjutsu that seemed to emanate from hell, a faint smile appeared on Ren's mouth.
'Isn't it a high-level ninjutsu? Who can't do it!' His Sun Blade could also unleash enough power to counter this move! Even in the Demon Slayer world, a move that hadn't been fully developed until the very end of the story, belonging to the Breath of Water, Ren had researched this sword technique to its extreme and created the twelfth style that had never been shown before.
Endless Flow!
In the sword technique of Water Breathing, it was the only technique not used for attack!
On the battlefield, Kakuzu had completely lost sight of Ren. He had been thoroughly buried by the sea of fire that filled the sky.
"Hmph, huh..." Kakuzu gasped heavily. Releasing three B-rank ninjutsu in quick succession had still consumed a massive amount of chakra in his body. But no one who had been hit by this combined attack and ninjutsu had managed to emerge alive so far, not even Kage-level powerhouses.
'But this kid had used a hammer, a glove, and an enchantment barrier before... His methods are truly endless.' Kakuzu shook his head. No, he couldn't call him a kid anymore. As expected of a person known as the Black Death God, he was indeed an opponent worthy of his attention. Breaking two of his hearts was enough to prove his strength.
It was just a pity. Under such lethal ninjutsu, Ren's body was probably burned to ashes. Whether it was to exchange his body for money or take his heart, it now seemed impossible. Kakuzu sighed, with some regret, but no remorse. This kid had too many tricks. If he were given another chance to act, he feared it would truly pose a great threat to himself. So Kakuzu dared not be careless and had directly used the strongest ninjutsu combination he could unleash, determined to kill him here at all costs!
Shing!
No violent explosions, no thunderous rumblings. Instead, there was only a light, flowing sound, like a knife slicing through tofu. If someone could witness the sword technique Ren was using at this moment, their jaw would surely drop in shock. Because in this world, no one had ever used a sword in this manner.
One after another, azure water flows spun around Ren, like musical notes and like ribbons dancing in the air, winding around Ren layer by layer, in a regular, rotating pattern. It seemed ordinary, but if one paid close attention, they would find that with each rotation of the blue sword qi, the flames, thunder, and lightning surrounding him grew weaker.
That's right, the Second Form of Breath of Water created by Ren was the only move not used for attacks. It possessed the powerful ability to resolve certain attacks! This was Ren's current swordsmanship in Breath of Water, the highest comprehension he could attain!
The highest good is like water. Water benefits all things without contention! But it can quietly moisten everything and make everything invisible!
At this moment, Kakuzu also suddenly noticed something was wrong. The sea of fire formed by his compound ninjutsu, which was strong enough to burn for three days and three nights on this battlefield, was now, after only a few minutes, visibly shrinking, little by little.
'How is this happening?'
Kakuzu's heart immediately filled with a strong sense of crisis.
At this time, the first ray of morning sunshine pierced through the thick clouds and illuminated the ground. Unbeknownst to them, the dark night had quietly receded, and on the eastern mountain top, a splendid, colorful sky rose. The bright and somewhat dazzling sunlight fell upon this rocky, ravaged battlefield.
All sounds ceased. Not even the chirping of birds.
Only a young boy's clear, sweet voice broke the silence. "I'm not dead yet. Sorry to disappoint you."
The hellish scene from moments ago suddenly vanished. Whether it was the colossal sea of fire or the thunder in the sky, it disappeared at this moment, as if all the scenes that had just appeared were merely an illusion. The boy, wearing Anbu clothes, stood before Kakuzu completely intact, his mask showing not a trace of damage.
"How is this possible!" Kakuzu's body swayed, watching this scene in disbelief.
On the young man's face, a gentle smile could be called genial. He spoke as elegantly as a noble son, "Nothing is impossible. All powerful ninjutsu will eventually have a way to be countered. Your strength is indeed very strong, but there will always be someone stronger than you in this world."
Kakuzu stared at him almost frantically. A twelve-year-old boy! He had actually withstood the most powerful S-rank lethal move Kakuzu had just unleashed! When his eyes fell on the long knife in the boy's hand, his expression was startled.
"A sword technique?"
"That's right." Ren nodded. "Who said swordsmanship can only be used for attack, not for defense?"
Ren had long known the importance of defensive ninjutsu. Thus, he had constantly made breakthroughs in this area during his training with Might Guy, developing his own defensive ninjutsu. In the Naruto world, every defensive ninjutsu was famous! Gaara's Grand Sand Mausoleum, Sand Armor, Sand Shield, the Hyuga Clan's Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven, the Uchiha Clan's offensive and defensive integrated Susanoo, the First Hokage's Fivefold Rashōmon... many of these were considered "absolute defense" techniques!
And this technique developed by Ren was "Unstoppable Flow," his own "absolute defense"!