Chapter 45: Ball Breaker/ Enemy of the nonexistent Uchiha’s future [BONUS]

Chapter 45 - Ball Breaker/ Enemy of the nonexistent Uchiha's future [BONUS] Itachi Uchiha was on his way to his favorite dango shop, looking forward to enjoying his favorite snack, when he noticed three familiar figures standing outside the shop. Recognizing them as his former academy classmates, he did what any polite boy would do and greeted them. "Ren-san, Eiji-san, Hitoshi-san." Ren turned to him and responded casually, "Hey, Itachi." Eiji, as energetic as always, grinned and waved. "Heeeyy!" Hitoshi, in his usual quiet manner, simply acknowledged him with a "Hmm." Ren glanced at Itachi and asked, "Is it your day off too?" Itachi shook his head. "No, our team doesn't have a fixed schedule. We only gather when there's a mission, so we're free to do what we want." Ren had a feeling that Itachi was being somewhat excluded from his team. He had seen the scene in the anime where Itachi was being hated by his team leader for being stronger than him so there might be some tensions between the team but he chose not to comment on it. Instead, he extended an invitation. "You want to come with us? We were going to spar." Ren glance at Level 49 on top of Itachi and thought, 'He is just a step away from jonin level.' However Ren didn't believe the level completely after all his own level was Level 43 which was due to his lowest stat being 43. So it is to be noted that Itachi's lowest stat, whichever it might be was 49 so his other stats would be all in Jonin Level. He looked at Eiji and Hitoshi to check if they had any objections. Seeing none, he continued, "It's been more than a year since we last fought. It'll be good." Itachi seemed conflicted, his gaze shifting between Ren and the dango shop. Ren noticed this and said. "Why don't you eat first? We already had our fill. You can meet us at Training Ground 1 when you're done." Itachi sighed in relief and gave a small nod. "Okay, I'll meet you there soon." With that, Ren, Eiji, and Hitoshi left for Training Ground 1. On the way to the training ground Ren checked his stats [NAME]: Ren Takahashi [LEVEL]: 43 [HEALTH POINTS (HP: VIT*100)] : 5800 / 5800 [CHAKRA POINTS (CP: CHA*100)]: 5600 / 5600 [ATTRIBUTES] Strength: 43 (41+2) Agility: 52 (49+3) Intelligence: 52 (50+2) Vitality: 58 (54+3+1) Chakra: 56 (54+1+1) [AVAILABLE POINTS]:0 [TALENTS] Improved Chakra Control Enhanced Reflexes Genjutsu Resistance (A-Rank) Fuinjutsu (Major Talent) [MASTERY PANEL] Chakra Control - 79% (Advanced) Fast Fist Taijutsu - 85% (Advanced) Shurikenjutsu - 88% (Advanced) Shadow Clone Mastery - 80% (Advanced) Wind Style Mastery - 76% (Advanced) Earth Style Mastery - 73% (Intermediate) Chakra Enhancement Mastery - 40% (Basic) Fuinjutsu Mastery - 18% (Beginner) Yang Release Mastery - 15% (Beginner) [MASTERY POINTS]: 3 Intermediate Level Points 3 Advanced Level Point [NINJA PANEL] Ninjutsu: 54/100 Taijutsu: 49/100 Genjutsu: 13/100 Fuinjutsu: 18/100 Because he added points to Vitality whenever he got them and since he was also growing as time passes his Vitality was his highest stat. This also helped him in continuously increase hi Strength and Agility. He also noted that the Fuinjutsu in the Ninja Panel represented his Fuinjutsu mastery so the other three should also be the same. It was however regrettable that he couldn't increase the items in Ninja Panel with points but even if could he didn't have any points to spare so he would make do like this. Overall he was satisfied with how his power was increasing. He wasn't in a rush to increase his level like a madman since there wasn't any life threatening event right now and he was pretty sure that by the time major events occur his strength would be enough to survive them. With that he closed the system and rushed not knowing the kind of flag he raised by thinking he didn't need to rush for power. Since it was an exclusive training ground assigned to Team 1, no other teams were allowed to train there without prior approval. As expected, the ground was empty. Upon arrival, Eiji turned to Ren and asked, "So, how do we do this? You want to fight Itachi, right?" Ren nodded. Eiji shrugged. "I don't have any particular interest in fighting him. What about you?" he asked, turning to Hitoshi. Hitoshi also shook his head. "There isn't much difference between Itachi and Ren, and I can spar with Ren anytime I want." Ren thought for a moment before suggesting, "Alright, then. First, I'll fight Eiji. Then, I'll go against Itachi. Lastly, you two can fight each other." Both of them nodded in agreement. Hitoshi moved away to observe while Ren and Eiji stepped into the training area, standing opposite each other. Ren picked up a small rock and held it up. "Everything goes, right?" Eiji cracked his knuckles and nodded. "Yep." Ren tossed the rock into the air. As soon as the rock hit the ground, Eiji exploded forward, charging straight at Ren. His fist came flying, aimed directly at Ren's face, but Ren tilted his head slightly, letting the punch pass right by. Without missing a beat, Eiji swung his other fist, trying to catch Ren on the recoil. This time, Ren simply raised his arm and deflected the strike with ease, his feet barely shifting from their position. Eiji gritted his teeth and pressed forward, throwing a rapid barrage of punches and kicks, but every attack was either dodged, blocked, or redirected effortlessly. Ren's movements were smooth, precise almost lazy, as if he were merely brushing aside an annoying insect. Annoyed by Ren's lack of reaction, Eiji increased his speed, trying to catch him off guard. He feinted with a right hook before twisting his body into a powerful spinning kick, aiming for Ren's ribs. Ren finally moved. Just as Eiji's kick was about to connect, Ren leaned back slightly, dodging it by mere inches. His left hand shot up, gripping Eiji's ankle mid-spin before casually shoving him away. Eiji stumbled back, his frustration growing. "You're still too slow," Ren remarked with a slight smirk. Eiji let out a small huff, but instead of backing down, he charged in again. As their hand-to-hand battle continued, Eiji suddenly formed two hand seals in the middle of a punch, catching Ren by surprise. Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu! A massive fireball erupted from Eiji's mouth, roaring toward Ren with intense heat. But even before the flames could fully form Ren was already gone. In the next instant, Eiji felt a chill run down his spine. A hand gently touched the back of his neck. Ren was standing behind him, completely unscathed, his palm hovering just inches from delivering a decisive blow. The fight was over. Eiji let out a deep breath, shaking his head. "Oh man, I lost before I could even use everything I had." Ren shrugged. "Then you should improve. You can't expect your enemy to wait until you've used all your strength while he just sits there like a duck. If you had other things like explosion tags or barbed wires. I'd be forced to move more frequently, giving you more chances to attack. Of course, I'd counterattack, but if you create more openings, you might land an unexpected strike that could change the flow of the fight." Eiji nodded, taking Ren's words to heart. Without another word, Ren reached into his storage belt and tossed a stack of explosion tags at Eiji. "Here, keep these. I made them." Eiji caught the tags, glanced at them briefly, then pocketed them without hesitation. He knew his financial situation well there was no way he could afford this many tags on his own. There was no point in pretending otherwise. Ren smiled slightly, satisfied. He had expected Eiji to try and refuse, but if he had, Ren would have forced him to take them anyway. He didn't offer the tags to Yugao or Hitoshi because they had family and clan support, but Eiji wasn't as fortunate. Ren didn't mind helping him out since he was a friend. By the time the fight had ended, Itachi had already arrived and was quietly waiting on the sidelines. Eiji stepped out of the makeshift arena as Ren turned to Itachi and called out, "You ready?" Itachi nodded. He knew Ren wouldn't be tired from fighting Eiji after all, he wouldn't be either. Without any further words, Itachi flickered into the ring. "Everything goes?" he asked. Ren nodded, picked up another rock, and tossed it into the air. As soon as the rock touched the ground, Ren and Itachi blurred forward, closing the distance between them in an instant. Their fists and feet clashed at high speed, the sound of impact ringing through the training ground. They moved like shadows, each attack countered with precise efficiency. Ren was faster, just slightly, but Itachi compensated with impeccable timing and fluid counters. Realizing the fight wasn't going in his favor, Itachi shifted his strategy, instead of focusing on speed, he started putting more power behind his strikes. Each punch carried more force, forcing Ren to meet his blows directly. However, even with the increased power, Ren kept up without much trouble. His enhanced reflexes allowed him to weave through the attacks, barely slipping out of harm's way each time. Then, an opening came Ren closed the distance, stepping into Itachi's guard and striking his stomach with a clean, powerful punch. Clang! A sharp metallic sound echoed as Itachi blocked Ren's follow-up at the last second. Ren's claws had emerged mid-strike, about to pierce through Itachi's gut, but the Uchiha's kunai intercepted them just in time. Their eyes met, both registering the near hit before they instinctively jumped back, creating a short distance between them. A tense pause and then they rushed at each other again. This time, Ren was even faster, his movements sharper, more precise. Itachi, in turn, hit even harder, his blows carrying enough force to shatter bones if they connected cleanly. The two engaged at extreme proximity, their movements so tightly packed that dodging became almost impossible. Ren relied on his reflexes, narrowly avoiding each hit, but Itachi wasn't as fortunate. Small, thin cuts appeared on his arms and torso where he failed to completely evade Ren's claws. He gritted his teeth, his dark eyes narrowing in concentration. Then, as if frustrated by Ren's speed, Itachi suddenly launched a punch with everything he had. For the first time in the fight, Ren felt genuine danger. The punch was strong, too strong. Instead of dodging sideways, Ren made a split-second decision. Channeling a high amount of chakra to his legs, he fixed himself to the ground, bending his upper body backward. The punch missed barely. It whistled past his nose, the sheer force creating a gust of wind that blew his hair back. But Ren had already countered. His body twisted sideways, his upper body snapping back into place. With all the force he could muster, he launched a punch straight towards Itachi's balls. {It seems like I have learned the art of Cliffhanger} {Thanks for a million views though, now give me powerstones or I would have to give you another one of Hiruzen's speech.}