Chapter 197: Ghosts in the Mist (Part-19) [Wind Style: Spinjutsu : Wind Tornado Ultra Fast Claws Attack]

Chapter 197 - Ghosts in the Mist (Part-19) [Wind Style: Spinjutsu : Wind Tornado Ultra Fast Claws Attack] It took Mo about thirty minutes to return, fluttering in through a narrow crack in the rocky ceiling with a faint shimmer of golden light trailing behind. By then, Ren had already recovered around eighty percent of his stamina. His body had been more exhausted than injured, and with Utakata's healing chakra and a bit of rest, his recovery had moved along quickly. The small butterfly landed on Ren's shoulder and gave a tired flap before speaking in its soft, fluttery voice. "Ren-Chan, I managed to connect with Ko-san and the other person, as you asked. But... both of them are in tricky situations right now." Everyone turned toward the butterfly, expressions shifting to concern. "Ko-san is leading a team that's being chased by a large number of hunter-nin. The other person, the one you showed me in the bingo book is also being tracked, but he's alone. So his situation, while dangerous, is a little easier to manage. Ko-san's group, because of its size, is having trouble moving quickly." Ren exhaled slowly through his nose, eyes narrowing slightly in thought. "So both are being pursued, and we're next on the list." He turned to the others without wasting time. "Sensei," he said, looking at Utakata, "take Tenzo and Fly and lead the agents we've got here to the rendezvous point. The hunters should be moving in on this place soon. Get everyone out while we still have a lead." Utakata gave a sharp nod, and began preparing the agents. Ren shifted his gaze. "Weasel, you're going to Kakashi's location. Take Mo-chan with you, he can help guide you and assist in getting him out. If running's not an option, then do the next best thing, lead the hunters to the rendezvous point and deal with them there. But only if you have to." Itachi gave a short nod of acknowledgment, sliding the sword at his hip into a more accessible position. Hitoshi moved with him without needing a word. Ren raised a hand before anyone left. "One more thing, until we regroup, just run. Don't get pulled into fights unless you absolutely have no choice. Once we're all together, then we can take care of them in a sweep. But if you stop now, scattered like this, it'll just turn into small losses piling up. Understood?" Everyone nodded again, more seriously this time, and began moving quickly to prep their respective teams. Before leaving, Ren caught Utakata by the arm and pulled him aside. "Sensei," he said quietly, "Pervy sage should be somewhere near the border regions by now. Please contact the toads and have them get in touch with him." Without needing to be explained Utakata understood why Ren would say so. Though Ren's strength has increased to contend with S-Rank fighters, that was the case if he was allowed to fight on his own terms. If he was pulled to fight S-Rankers of the Mist Village in the ocean while they were escaping then Ren's situation would become much more dire and he would have an even more dangerous time. So having Jiraiya present at the time of their escape would be a much higher deterrence to any Mist shinobi that arrive. After all, by then, they would have to take care of both Jiraiya and Ren, and though Kakashi wasn't that strong his strength was also considerable enough to become a threat if he wasn't handled properly. Utakata didn't argue. He placed a hand on Ren's shoulder and gave a firm nod. "Alright. I'll reach out right away." Ren exhaled and nodded in return, then turned and sprinted toward the tunnel opening without looking back. He had no time to waste. Ko's team was strong but burdened. Kakashi was fast, smart, and experienced, but alone. Their time in the Mist Village was already up and even till now the hunter nins haven't been able to kill any of the important personnel of the leaf village which would definitely make them desperate so they won't be trying to chase them out anymore, they would most likely try to end it here. Ren's pace didn't slow as he darted into the trees beyond the mountain base, heading straight for Four's last known location, if the Mist wanted a fight, well, he'd give them one. Just not on their terms. ~~~ With Mo's guidance, Itachi reached Kakashi's location quickly, silently moving through the treetops until he found a good vantage point. He didn't jump in right away. Instead, he crouched in the shadows and observed the situation. There were at least thirty, maybe forty hunter-nin spread out behind Kakashi in a loose pursuit formation. At the center of the group, leading them, was someone familiar, Raiga Kurosuki, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. That explained the scale of the pursuit. Kakashi was holding up well, considering the odds. He wasn't trying to fight outright, just maintaining enough pressure and movement to keep them from surrounding him. But still, the numbers made the situation tricky. If he slipped even once, it could go downhill fast. After watching for a few seconds, Itachi raised his hands and quietly formed a rapid string of seals. [Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu.] A volley of small, focused fireballs shot out in a wide spread across the trees, targeting the path ahead of and behind the pursuing group. The moment the jutsu was launched, both sides, the pursuers and the one being pursued immediately snapped to attention. The hunter-nin flared chakra and responded fast. Several of them flashed through hand signs, and bursts of water flew out to intercept the fireballs. Most were neutralized mid-air, hissing into steam, but a few slipped through, exploding into bright, fast flashes as they hit the ground. Two hunter-nin were caught directly in the blast and didn't get back up. The rest of the fireballs detonated as they met the water jutsu, and within seconds, thick mist spread out across the area, clouding visibility. From somewhere within the haze, Raiga's voice rang out, sharp and clear. "Kakashi Hatake has a helper. They're probably from the Leaf team too. Split off and track the second presence!" Some of the hunter-nin immediately peeled away from the group, disappearing into the mist without hesitation. But instead of retreating, Itachi moved forward, circling wide through the cover of trees and landing near Kakashi's side in silence. The two fell into step without needing to speak. Still, Itachi offered a quiet, clipped sentence. "Rendezvous point. If you can't shake them, lead them there." Kakashi didn't miss a beat. He gave a small nod, still running. "I was thinking the same thing." The two of them didn't stop. They kept weaving through the terrain, avoiding direct confrontation and conserving their chakra. When the hunter-nin spotted both of them moving together, the idea of splitting up was dropped entirely. All available units gave chase as one group again, ignoring Raiga's earlier order. Kakashi glanced at Itachi briefly as they jumped across a narrow stream. "How bad is it elsewhere?" Itachi's eyes stayed forward. "Bad enough that regrouping and retreating is the only option. Ren's handling the other side." Kakashi exhaled, the edge of his mouth twitching as if he wasn't sure whether that was reassuring or concerning. "Of course he is." ~~~ On the other side, Ren was indeed handling things. It hadn't taken him long to reach Four's location, even without using the Gates. Just his regular speed was enough. When he arrived, the situation was already bad. Most of the people there were injured seriously. A middle-aged man and one of Four's subordinates were holding the front, trying to create space, while Four and Yugao were fighting at the rear, covering the retreat. Both of them looked rough. Yugao had several deep wounds, and most of them weren't the kind you could shrug off. Her left hand looked fractured, she'd tied her sword to her forearm to keep using it, which immediately reminded Ren of her fight back during the Chunin Exams. Same stubborn style. Four was in even worse shape. He had multiple kunai and shuriken embedded in his body, and half of his mask had been shattered. His uniform was soaked in blood, and his movements were starting to slow. His entire body looked red from a mix of cuts, slashes, and burns. Just as one of the hunter-nin lunged in for the kill, blade drawn and chakra flared his body suddenly froze mid-motion. A heartbeat later, he fell apart. Three clean pieces, head, torso, and legs, crashed into the shallow swamp water below him, ripples spreading around the corpse. Everyone on the field stopped for a second, startled by how fast it had happened. But Yugao, despite her injuries, visibly relaxed. The moment she saw that clean dismemberment, she knew who had arrived. A familiar voice followed right after. "Four, good job surviving this long. Go with my clone and head to the rendezvous point. Get healed on the way." Then, with a slight shift of tone: "Cat. You too. Well done." Four let out a small breath of relief. If Ren was here, they weren't dying today. A clone flickered into place beside them, already beginning to heal them. Without wasting time, the clone picked up Yugao and signaled for Four and the others to move. The hunter-nin shifted uneasily as they recognized who had arrived. Ren Takahashi. A high-priority target. Right up there with Kakashi Hatake, maybe even above him now on some lists. But even if they wanted to back off, they couldn't. They were hunter-nin. If they ran from their mission, their own village would brand them traitors and kill them. Might as well die here. At least this way, it would be in service so they braced themselves. Ren rolled his shoulders slowly, flexing his arms once. His armor was cracked in a few places and there were bloodstains here and there, but he stood tall and steady. He looked like someone who'd just gone a few rounds with a monster and was already ready for the next match. "I admire your commitment," he said casually, eyes scanning the group. "But I'm afraid your level's a bit too low for me to take this seriously." He took a few quiet steps forward, then tightened the gloves on his hands. The movement was deliberate and calm. He flexed his fingers once, and with a soft click, three razor-sharp claws slid out from each glove. It had been a long time since he'd used these. Ever since he'd mastered nearly every conventional weapon out there, the claws had felt outdated. Something from an older version of himself. But right now, for this group, they'd do just fine. He tested them once with a shhk, the metal glinted faintly under the canopy light. "Let's revisit an old trick," he murmured to himself, stepping forward into a loose stance. The hunter-nin gritted their teeth and began spreading out to form a loose circle, trying to box him in before he gained momentum. They didn't have much of a plan, but they knew one thing, if they gave him space, they were finished. However, it didn't matter much to Ren. He already knew these guys weren't going to run. Their mission was to kill him or die trying, those were the only two options they had left. And even if a few tried to break off to chase the others, his clone could handle them. Which meant these thirty-something hunter-nin were just fated to die here. He stood still in the middle of the clearing, watching as they gathered, tense and silent. No one wanted to be the first to move, but they all knew what was coming. And then finally, they moved, all at once. Dozens of them jumped at him in perfect sync, surrounding him from every side. Blades drawn, chakra pulsing, ready to overwhelm him. Ren didn't move until they were already in range. Then, just as the first blade came down, he spread his arms wide and began to spin. Wind chakra burst out of his tenketsu points in waves as his rotation sped up, faster and faster, until his form blurred into a tight, controlled cyclone. A few of the hunter-nin faltered. It was unclear what he was trying to do. But a moment later, they got their answer. Razor-sharp wind blades shot out from the vortex. They didn't arc or curve, they just slashed, brutally and cleanly, ripping through anything in their path. The moment they hit, it was over. The nearest hunter-nin were cut clean in half, bodies split before they could even register what had happened. A few tried to form hand signs, desperately calling on Water Style or Earth Wall techniques for defense, but the wind was too fast. The cutters reached them before they could even finish half a seal. Torsos dropped and heads spun. Blood sprayed out into the edges of the trees like mist on the wind. In less than five seconds, it was done. Ren stopped spinning abruptly, and the wind around him snapped back to silence. The clearing was littered with the remains of the hunter-nin. Limbs, weapons, bits of shredded flak jackets were everywhere in the clearing but not a single one had survived. This was one of Ren's personal creations, an old technique he'd refined over the years. He used to call it, [Wind Style: Spinjutsu : Wind Tornado Ultra Fast Claws Attack] Before Utakata insisted on giving it a name that didn't sound like a drunken academy kid had made it up. These days, it was called, [Wind Style: Whirlwind Killing Wave.] A large-scale, close-range annihilation technique. Ren had worked hard to remove all the clunkiness it used to have. Now, he could activate it in a breath and stop it just as quickly. His control was smoother, his chakra release tighter, and the wind itself sharper than the sword slash of Kenjutsu users even after they reinforced their blades with wind chakra. He didn't get many chances to use it. It wasn't the kind of move you pulled out in tight quarters or against a single opponent. But against a swarm like this it was perfect. Ren stood still for a moment, just letting his breathing settle. He looked down at the bodies, not out of sentiment, just habit. Most were in pieces, none usable, and there was no point collecting them now. They were about to evacuate anyway. A quick pulse of divine sense confirmed what his eyes already told him. No survivors. Then, he turned and left the area without another word. ~ {No breaks this week, let's just finish this arc soon and get back to the top rankings again} {Just so you know there are only 4 chaps left so if you guys complete the goals this arc can be finished in the next 2 days :) } ~~~~~ {As we approach the ending of this arc the pace is getting faster and faster due to too many things happening all at once so if you got any doubts just comment them down.} {If you want, you can support me on pat-reon} { 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!!!!}