The Deva Path's words still hung in the air—"Jonin Commander of Konoha… your speed cannot outrun Pain"—but Renjiro's mind was already moving beyond the threat to the tactical reality.
He recognised the fundamental problem; he could not defeat these three Paths conventionally while simultaneously protecting eighty people. Every second he spent attacking Pain was another second the delegation remained exposed. The Paths were too coordinated, too resilient, and too powerful to be overwhelmed quickly. Even with his EMS and Hiraishin, the battle would be prolonged, and prolonged combat meant casualties.
I can't defeat them and protect everyone at the same time, he thought, his internal voice cold with calculation. I have to choose. And the choice is obvious.
His EMS rapidly mapped the battlefield. He identified Kakashi's defensive position, Guy protecting the western side, Asuma coordinating the wounded, Kurenai protecting the genin, Shisui and the ANBU attempting to intercept summons and missiles, and the medical personnel clustered behind the main defensive line. He noticed that the delegation was exhausted; several genin could barely maintain chakra control, some jonin were injured, and the ANBU were running on fumes.
The delegation cannot fight its way out, he realised. They need to be removed from the battlefield entirely.
The Deva Path raised one hand, and Renjiro immediately recognised the movement. Shinra Tensei erupted, and he used Hiraishin to teleport behind a pre-established marker. The repulsive force tore through the location he had occupied moments earlier. The Asura Path immediately followed with a missile barrage, and the Animal Path summoned another enormous creature to cut off Renjiro's escape route.
Renjiro began teleporting continuously; cliff, boulder, defensive perimeter, behind Pain, back toward the delegation. The Paths began deliberately attacking his Hiraishin markers, and he realised that Pain had understood the basic principle; remove the markers, limit Renjiro's movement, and force him to remain close to the delegation.
Kakashi watched Renjiro's movements carefully. He realised that Renjiro wasn't fighting aggressively anymore; he was constantly repositioning around the delegation, never venturing far from their defensive perimeter.
"You're not trying to beat them," Kakashi said, his voice carrying the weight of his observation.
"I'm trying to get you out," Renjiro replied.
Kakashi realised the true objective; Renjiro was planning an extraction. He ordered everyone to prepare for immediate departure, and Kakashi asked how they were supposed to move eighty people through an active battlefield. Renjiro gave him a look.
"We're not moving them. I'm moving them."
Renjiro explained that a single Hiraishin marker was not enough; he needed a large-area spatial network. The problem was that he could not create the entire network while simultaneously defending everyone. He formed a rapid sequence of hand seals, and a Shadow Clone appeared beside him. Kakashi immediately noticed something unusual; the clone's chakra was already being infused with spatial chakra.
Renjiro told the clone to maintain the defensive perimeter, protect everyone, and buy him enough time to complete the extraction array. The clone nodded, and Renjiro gave one final instruction.
"You know what to do."
"Obviously," the clone replied.
The real Renjiro deliberately stepped forward, drawing the attention of all three Paths. His chakra pressure suddenly rose, and his EMS flared. Pain immediately identified him as the primary threat. The Deva Path prepared Shinra Tensei, the Animal Path began summoning, and the Asura Path opened its mechanical body. Renjiro launched himself directly toward them.
He used Hiraishin aggressively rather than defensively, teleporting between several markers in rapid succession. The Asura Path launched missiles, and Renjiro teleported directly beside one missile, kicked it sideways, then disappeared. The missile destroyed one of the Animal Path's summons. Another missile followed; Renjiro appeared behind the Asura Path and drove an Earth-enhanced punch into its mechanical frame. The Asura Path survived, but Renjiro immediately used sealing chains to temporarily lock one of its mechanical weapons.
The Animal Path summoned the giant multi-headed dog, and Renjiro realized the creature was deliberately being used to occupy his attention. He didn't fight it; he teleported above the battlefield.
He looked down at the chaos below and formed a massive Katon technique. Rather than using ordinary flames, he flooded it with concentrated Fūton, creating a gigantic expanding firestorm. The flames swept across the mountain ridge, engulfing the Animal Path's giant bird and temporarily blinding and driving back the multi-headed dog. The entire battlefield became illuminated orange-red, and Pain's shared vision became temporarily obstructed by the sheer volume of smoke, fire, and debris.
The Deva Path calmly raised his hand and used Shinra Tensei. The entire firestorm was violently pushed away, and the mountain itself cracked beneath the repulsive force. Flames were blown backwards like a wave, but Renjiro used the distraction to teleport repeatedly, deliberately keeping Pain's attention focused on himself.
Meanwhile, the Shadow Clone began working. It moved through the Konoha defensive formation, placing specialised Hiraishin formulas across the ground. Each marker connected to the next, and the markings gradually formed a massive spatial seal network.
Kakashi realised what Renjiro was doing; the network wasn't simply one teleportation point, but a mass-transfer array. Renjiro was preparing to teleport the entire contingent simultaneously. Kurenai helped maintain the perimeter while the clone worked, Guy physically intercepted a summoned creature, Asuma moved wounded shinobi toward the central array, and Shisui coordinated ANBU positioning around the outer edge.
The Deva Path's Rinnegan suddenly shifted toward the clone. Pain realised there were two Renjiro chakra signatures. The Animal Path sent the giant bird toward the clone, but Kakashi intercepted it. The Asura Path fired missiles toward the array, but Renjiro appeared in front of them, using Hiraishin repeatedly to redirect them away from the formation. One missile got through, but Guy destroyed it at the last second.
The clone continued working, but Renjiro realised they were running out of time.
He deliberately attacked the Deva Path head-on, combining Hiraishin, EMS prediction, Earth Release, Fūton, taijutsu, and sealing techniques. The Deva Path used Shinra Tensei repeatedly, and Renjiro began exploiting the cooldown, teleporting inside the gap between attacks. He landed several strikes, one nearly reaching the Deva Path's throat before the Path managed to repel him.
Renjiro crashed through several layers of rock. He immediately teleported back, blood running down his face, his expression calm. He knew he only needed to survive for a few more seconds.
The Shadow Clone finally completed the final seal. It shouted across the battlefield: "Renjiro!"
The real Renjiro understood immediately. He stopped attacking, and the Deva Path noticed the change. Renjiro turned toward the Konoha delegation, and Kakashi realised the plan was ready. Renjiro ordered everyone into the formation, and Konoha shinobi scrambled toward the array.
Kakashi began moving the genin, Guy carried injured personnel, Asuma coordinated the medical teams, Kurenai ensured nobody was left behind, and Shisui and the ANBU formed the final rear guard.
Pain recognised what was happening. The Deva Path raised his hand and used Shinra Tensei. The entire mountain erupted outward, and Renjiro's clone braced itself, pouring additional chakra into the formulas to prevent the spatial array from destabilising. Renjiro teleported directly in front of the Deva Path, deliberately becoming the target. He used an enormous Earth Style technique to anchor himself against the repulsive force, pushed backwards but refusing to move.
The Asura Path launched its largest missile barrage yet; the Animal Path summoned multiple creatures simultaneously, and the Deva Path prepared another Shinra Tensei. Renjiro realised the next few seconds would determine whether everyone survived.
He unleashed his chakra fully. His EMS spun violently, and his chakra pressure overwhelmed the battlefield. He attacked all three Paths at once through Hiraishin positioning, destroying the Asura Path's weapons, forcing away the Animal Path's summons, and getting within striking distance of the Deva Path.
The Deva Path raised his hand. Renjiro smiled slightly, knowing the attack was coming.
Shinra Tensei.
The repulsive force detonated across the battlefield. At that exact moment, the Shadow Clone completed the final synchronisation. Every Hiraishin formula activated simultaneously, and the entire Konoha defensive formation erupted in yellow-red light. Kakashi disappeared, Guy disappeared, Asuma disappeared, Kurenai disappeared, Shisui and the ANBU disappeared, Sora disappeared, and the medical personnel disappeared. All eighty members of the Konoha delegation vanished simultaneously.
The entire contingent materialised inside the pre-designated safe zone, and Konoha barrier personnel immediately surrounded them. The genin were confused and terrified; some were physically sick from the mass teleportation. Kakashi looked around in disbelief, Guy was stunned, Asuma realized what had just happened, and Kurenai immediately understood the strategic implications. Shisui quietly looked toward the direction of the Land of Lightning.
Kakashi looked at the Hiraishin seal on his shoulder. Someone asked: "Where's Renjiro?"
Back on the mountain, the Shadow Clone remained beside the empty extraction array. It looked toward the battlefield where the Deva Path, Animal Path, and Asura Path stood amid the destruction. The clone gave a faint, almost amused expression. Then, with a soft poof, it dispelled itself.
The real Renjiro stood alone on the ruined mountain peak, having used his Susanoo to survive the Shinra Tensei attack. The entire Konoha delegation was gone. His objective had been accomplished, but now there was nobody left for him to protect.
His demeanour changed completely. His chakra pressure rose, his EMS spun faster, and he wiped the blood from his mouth. He looked directly at the three Paths, his internal voice cold with anticipation.
Now I can actually fight.
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