Chapter 176: When Your Best Technique Feeds His Training Arc

Chapter 176 - When Your Best Technique Feeds His Training Arc {You guys get lazy after a small break and didn't even complete the goal so no bonus Chapter for you lazybums} ~~~ From the shadows, Ren watched the tense Roku. 'From what I've seen so far,' he thought, 'it shouldn't be a big problem for me to deal with him. Hyperfocus should make avoiding those lightning arcs easy enough and if I open the Gates, I can reach him before he even finishes setting up that technique. He doesn't really pose any threat to me.' He rested his chin lightly on his knuckles as he traced the paths of the rods and the faint lines of chakra connecting them. 'But the question is,' he mused, 'should I really kill such a good training partner so soon? Wouldn't it be a waste of so much time that I spent preparing for him?' His mind replayed the spectacle of the auction. the villagers clawing for scraps, the ridiculous clown act, the persona of the Empress. 'Well, not wasted, per se. But still. It'd be a pity to finish him off so easily.' His eyes narrowed slightly as he made his plan, 'So, I'll start with just my base strength. I want to see how far I can push my Taijutsu against him. If he manages to corner me, I'll take it up a notch.' With the plan decided, Ren finally moved. Ren stepped out from behind the tree line without bothering to hide his footsteps as leaves crunched under his boots as he shifted his weight and tilted his head, watching Roku in the clearing ahead. The moonlight filtered through the canopy in patches, just enough to make out the faint outlines of the metal rods that Roku had scattered around the jungle floor. Some rods were stuck in tree trunks, others half-buried in the soil. Each one hummed with a dull charge, threads of lightning occasionally flickering between them. Roku didn't say a word. He didn't need to as he knew that only by staying in complete focus could he even hope to stay alive and escape, his feet shifted slightly, just enough to pivot his angle toward Ren. His right hand hovered near his robes, two fingers brushing over the handle of another rod. Ren knew exactly what that meant. If he moved in carelessly, he'd step straight into the net and get fried before he could even get close. Ren thought to himself and went straight for it anyway. His left foot dug in and he shot forward. His posture was low, arms loose at his sides. Roku's eyes narrowed, and two rods in the brush to Ren's left sparked to life. Thin arcs of lightning snapped between them, forcing Ren to sidestep to the right. He didn't break stride instead he flowed with the movement and kept closing the distance, testing the range. Roku didn't mind and his fingers flicked another rod out from his sleeve and tossed it with a snap of his wrist. The rod buried itself into the ground about ten meters ahead of Ren. In the next second, a blue-white arc jumped from the new rod to the nearest one on its left, forming a diagonal line of crackling energy that forced Ren to hop back two steps to avoid getting clipped. Ren could feel the static tickle across his forearm as the arc snapped just inches away. He could've forced through it, maybe taken a light burn, or even dodged it entirely, but there was no point. He wanted to see how much power these lightning attacks really had. He circled left again, half-jogging through the brush as leaves whipped against his cheek. His eyes darted from rod to rod, trying to spot the dead zones where no direct lines connected. Roku kept turning with him, always staying right at the center of the grid. He wasn't moving much, just shuffling a step or two here and there. Every few seconds he'd toss another rod to adjust the formation. Some went high and wedged themselves into tree branches, others dug into the dirt at awkward angles. Ren could clearly see what he was doing. The rods weren't just traps, they herded him like fences, blocking direct paths and steering him into tighter gaps. Ren fainted forward again, foot slamming down to launch himself ahead. The moment he shifted weight into that spring, Roku's hand made a subtle seal. A pair of rods to Ren's right surged and a thick arc snapped across the space he would've landed in. He braked just in time, dirt skidding under his Boots. Sparks flew where his knee brushed the outer edge of the arc, but he kept his balance. He clicked his tongue and backed off three steps, 'Tch, his control over lightning is good to the point where he could use the net before I could cross them at my base speed.' His feet sank into the mossy ground and the rods crackled again, realigning their lines. Roku still hadn't moved more than a few meters from his original spot. Ren flexed his fingers, rolling his shoulders loose. This wasn't going to be as simple as he'd hoped. He shifted left again, sudden, and then feinted right, testing if Roku would snap the arcs toward his fake angle. However Roku didn't bite as he let the feint go, eyes locked on Ren's hips, not his shoulders. A faint smile crossed Ren's face. He was liking this fight very much, there was no panic and no rush, unlike all the other fights Ren had had before, this one was very different. Ren dropped lower as his eyes scanned the net. He needed to see just how quick Roku's net could adjust once he really pushed in. For now, though, he could feel the gap. If he didn't want to eat a full bolt to the chest, he'd have to stay out just far enough. One misstep and he'd be cooked. Ren darted to the left again, this time more aggressively. Roku's fingers twitched. Three rods hummed and spat arcs into the dark, forcing Ren to backpedal and circle around. He grinned to himself as he adjusted his breathing. His Boots slid on the damp leaves, boots crunching twigs every few steps. Ren shifted his stance and let out a slow breath. He drew a little chakra into his legs, enough to pulse a slight hum under his skin. He didn't bother hiding it and the moment he felt that extra surge, he pushed off the ground again, this time a clear step faster. His Boots left streaks in the mud as he zipped to the right, then cut back left, weaving through the gaps before Roku could shift every rod to block him. Roku's eyes flickered as he tensed up seeing Ren's speed increase suddenly. His hand snapped up and three rods jolted to life just ahead of Ren, forming a tight triangle and a quick arc flared between them. Ren ducked under the first bolt, slid forward on his knees, and popped back up before the second arc zipped across. He didn't stop moving. His feet barely touched the ground before he changed angles again, flickering past two more rods that almost caught his shoulder. Roku's lips pressed into a thin line as he watched this damned tree huger move exactly like a monkey. He spread his hands apart and more rods lit up, but this time, not just single arcs anymore, but clusters. Some rods popped up from the underbrush like hidden stakes, sending multiple lines across a small patch. Whenever Ren slipped too close, that patch turned into a mini storm, trying to fry him on the spot. Ren's eyes tracked every flicker of blue-white light. The world felt just a bit slower, his heartbeat settled into that familiar calm he called Hyperfocus. His feet kept shifting by a little constantly. He didn't look like he was aiming for Roku directly yet he was weaving through the formation, reading the rods, memorizing how fast Roku could shift the arcs. A crackling bolt almost grazed his cheek, but his head tilted just enough that the strike hissed past him and fried a low branch instead. Another line zapped toward his left calf but he pivoted on the balls of his feet and skipped out of range. Sparks flew where his Boots scraped the dirt. He kept moving, his shoulders rolling loose with every near miss. Roku narrowed his eyes, as he was slowly loosing his calm state from earlier. He flicked his wrist and three rods snapped into a new triangle right where Ren was about to step. The arcs lashed out instantly. Ren slammed his foot down, kicked off a rock, and flipped over the net, landing in a crouch on the other side. His knuckles brushed the grass as he skidded back a few meters. Lightning flared all around him. Some bolts popped loud in his ears, like paper bombs cracking in the night air. He felt the edge of one brush his side, it was a faint sting but no burn. He rolled his shoulders and circled left again. His eyes were steady, but a thought ticked in the back of his mind. His eyes brightened as a thought came to him, 'Why don't I try the Hardening?' His chakra shifted inside him, the same method he'd refined during all those tests before. He focused on his forearms first with Earth chakra mixing with a push of Yang. He let a small arc brush his right arm on purpose. The jolt cracked across his skin, but the Hardening absorbed most of it. It felt like a firm tap instead of a stab of pain. Ren's eyes brightened even more as he stepped right into another arc, this one tagged his shoulder and rolled down his bicep. The skin under it thickened immediately, hardening with that layered defense he'd built up. He tested it again with a rod that sparked at his left side, and he didn't dodge it. The arc struck his forearm dead-on but it fizzled on contact and dissipated, leaving only a slight sting. Every bolt that hit him seemed to strengthen that part. He flexed his fingers and watched the skin on both arms darken slightly, turning stone-like. Veins of chakra pulsed faintly under the surface. The next cluster of rods fired at his chest but he twisted his shoulders, took the hits on his forearms. The arcs splashed and died out almost harmlessly. Roku's eyes widened. He was so shocked stopped tossing new rods for half a second, trying to read what just happened so he shouted, "What the hell is wrong with you, you damn masochist?" Ren didn't grace him with a response as he lunged forward again, this time testing the rods head-on. The net flared, arcs whipping toward him, but his hardened arms shrugged them off like sparks from a campfire. Seeing the gap, Ren pushed closer. He dropped his center of gravity and aimed right for Roku's blind spot. Roku's teeth clenched and while slightly shocked he grabbed one of the metal rods half-buried near his boot, wrenched it out, and hurled it like a spear. The rod spun point-first toward Ren's face, the end crackling with built-up charge. Ren lifted both stone-like arms, crossed them in front of his head. The rod slammed into them with a dull clang and the lightning discharge spread harmlessly across the hardened surface. The rod fell to the ground, its momentum dead. Ren lowered his arms just enough to show that crooked grin. He shouted across the clearing, his voice so casual that no one would believe he was having a battle, "Dude, I'm like your worst matchup. Even the gods want you dead." Roku's frown deepened, his eyes darting to his remaining rods as he realized brute arcs alone weren't going to keep this lunatic out for long. Roku stepped back another half step, fingers twitching as he planted one more rod behind his foot with a flick of his wrist. He didn't bother hiding the way he kept glancing around the clearing, counting the distance to his next fallback zone. He needed a few more seconds that was all. Ren tilted his head slightly, arms still hardened like slabs of rock. He hadn't made another rush yet, just standing there with that a small smile while Roku tried to breathe evenly. The tension buzzed under the night air, the faint crackle of residual lightning dancing between the rods still standing. Then Roku snapped, "You damn bastard, are you just here to play with me? You might be bored but I have a lot of work to do, so let me go and I'll make sure that I give the Leaf village a very satisfactory answer." Ren clicked his tongue and raised an eyebrow. He stepped on a stray rod, flipping it up with his foot just to watch Roku's eye twitch. "Hey, I've told you before I'm from Cloud village, NOT the Leaf. Why don't you understand my words?" Roku froze for half a second, rod half-buried in the dirt under his heel. He blinked, clearly about to argue, but then caught himself. He pressed his palms together and forced a half-smile. "Yes yes, I am sorry, the Cloud, I'll be sure to pass the test from the lightning envoy so that I can serve the village better." Ren snorted, voice rising a notch. "What the hell is wrong with you? You just said that you'd give the Leaf a satisfactory answer but you are saying you'd serve the Cloud. Do you think the Leaf village would accept this as a satisfactory answer?" Roku's eye twitched again. He stayed quiet for a heartbeat, lips pressed tight. Inside he wanted to scream, 'What the hell is wrong with YOU?' He almost felt like crying as he wondered why the Leaf sent such a madman to him. ~~~~~ {Some plans have changed but I don't think Ren's strength would be clearly understandable from an OC S-Ranker, so you'll have to wait a little longer if you want to see Ren's 'true' strength.} {If you want, you can support me on pat-reon} {A new arc in underway on the pat-reon, "Ghosts in the Mists" So, if you want to read ahead, join in.} { h t t p s : / / w w w . p a t r e o n . c o m / Z e e n o n } {You know what else} {280 Stones = Extra Chapter} {STONES!!!!}