"Don't blink! Exploding Tags are coming!"
Just then, two Shadow Clones flashed out, one on each side, their four hands full of various Kunai and Shuriken. They threw them violently, and the Exploding Tags tied to them fluttered in the air, then shone with blinding white light!
"No good, get out of the way!"
Captain Ao roared from a distance. The projectiles thrown by the Shadow Clones did not attack all of them, but were aimed entirely at a single four-person squad. There were an estimated twenty Exploding Tags. If they hit, there would be no chance of survival!
"Ah!!"
They also wanted to dodge, but the continuous electric arcs from the seabed kept them rigid in place, unable to move. They could only watch with desperate eyes as the projectiles pierced their bodies and then exploded violently.
When the smoke cleared, four charred bodies floated on the water, tiny electric arcs still flickering on their surfaces.
And because of the violent explosion, the overall structure within the entire electrical field was also destroyed, and the others recovered from their paralyzed and rigid state.
"Bastard!!"
A figure suddenly rushed out from the crowd, holding a standard Ninja Sword in both hands, raising it to attack Ren.
Captain Ao's face changed when he saw that figure. Seeing that shouting was useless, he could only grit his teeth and signal everyone to attack together. After all, if that guy had an accident in this place, the Hozuki Clan's wrath was something these civilian Ninja could not bear.
"You dare to come alone? So confident."
Ren took out a Kunai to block the Ninja Sword, and the two sides were in a stalemate.
"Don't let your guard down,"
Ren raised his free right hand, clenched his fist, and smashed it towards the opponent's chest.
"Hmph, overestimating yourself."
Hozuki Mangetsu showed a hint of disdain on his face, letting the punch land. Surprisingly, Ren's fist passed straight through his chest, while the opponent's body rippled like water.
"Is that the Hozuki Clan's Hydrification Jutsu…"
Although Ren was a little surprised, he wasn't flustered. Instead, he looked at the opponent and said with a half-smile, "
"That's right, all your attacks are useless against me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Hozuki Mangetsu felt a stinging pain in his abdomen, and a familiar numbness spread throughout his body.
"You…"
Hozuki Mangetsu immediately withdrew his strength, jumped out of the battle, and then knelt on the ground due to the pain.
"Are you alright, Mangetsu?"
The Anbu carrying a staff came and crouched beside Hozuki Mangetsu, looking at him with worry, while the others directly bypassed the two and, led by Captain Ao, rushed towards Ren and his companion.
"It's nothing serious."
Hozuki Mangetsu lowered his head, enduring the pain, his pupils instantly constricted. He saw a very obvious needle-like small hole in his abdomen, with tiny electric arcs still flickering around it, but the projectile was nowhere to be seen.
"It seems to be a Lightning Release projectile, otherwise it wouldn't have injured me in my hydrated state," Hozuki Mangetsu said through gritted teeth. The Hydrification Jutsu was a secret technique exclusive to their Hozuki Clan, allowing them to be immune to most physical damage while also being able to infiltrate buildings and attack in liquid form, but it was countered by Lightning Release.
Earlier, because Ren had killed his subordinate, Hozuki Mangetsu, whose mind was clouded by anger, had rushed forward. It was only after Ren gave him a taste of his own medicine that he calmed down.
"You use this to bandage up first, I'll go help Captain Ao and the others."
"Wait…"
Hozuki Mangetsu was just about to remind him to be careful of the opponent's sneak attack, but unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, he had already joined the fray. The former could only helplessly quickly pick up the bandages on the ground and start bandaging himself, constantly monitoring the battle.
"Boy, hand over the Tailed Beast!"
Captain Ao swung his sword at Ren while constantly watching the package behind the opponent, intending to seize it when the opportunity arose. After all, the mission objective from beginning to end had been the Tailed Beast as the primary target. Ren and the others' lives were just a bonus.
"You wish! Do you think it'll answer if you call it?!"
Ren retorted directly, simultaneously activating his sensory ability to the extreme, constantly paying attention to the two Anbu beside him who were continuously looking for opportunities to sneak attack.
Meanwhile, the situation on the two Shadow Clones' side was much worse. There were a total of sixteen Anbu; one squad had been blown to death earlier, Hozuki Mangetsu was self-healing over there, and on his own side, there was Captain Ao and two guys lurking nearby. The remaining Shadow Clones each held back one squad, and it looked like they were probably not far from running out of Chakra.
"Tsk, time's almost up."
As the battle suddenly intensified, the Chakra within the two Shadow Clones was almost depleted. After exchanging glances, they both made the same choice simultaneously.
Their brief skirmish earlier had already given them a rough idea of this group's strength. As a smoke bomb exploded on the sea surface, everyone's vision was momentarily deprived.
The two Shadow Clones, using their powerful sensory abilities, moved behind the two weakest individuals, deliberately revealing a trace of their presence before attacking to make the opponents aware.
"Get lost!"
The chosen Anbu, noticing the strong wind from behind him, immediately turned around and plunged the Kunai in his hand towards the opponent's heart. In his opinion, the opponent would surely abandon the attack and retreat. What he didn't expect was that the opponent not only showed no intention of giving up, but the speed of his Kunai even increased a few points, directly piercing through this Anbu before the opponent's Kunai could arrive.
"You…"
The latter's eyes widened. He looked down at the Kunai that had completely pierced him, then raised his head to look at the calm expression on the face of the one opposite.
Although his own Kunai had also pierced the opponent's heart, why would he want to die with him?
Suddenly, a puff of white smoke erupted. Watching Mizue, who had turned into smoke and dissipated, the former immediately realized he had been tricked. He had traded his life for a Shadow Clone!
And the same situation occurred not far away. Before falling, the two individuals had strong unwillingness on their faces, their eyes looking mournfully at the sky, and then in their lingering consciousness, a final thought emerged in their minds.
Damn it, why me!
"Is this… a Shadow Clone?!"
As the smoke dissipated, the surrounding people also saw what had just happened, and their faces immediately turned ugly. Then, everyone's gaze focused entirely on Ren.
"Uh, can you guys not look at me like that? I'm a bit socially awkward."
Under everyone's gaze, Ren scratched his head a little awkwardly, but in his heart, he was giving the two Shadow Clones a crazy thumbs-up. As expected of his own Shadow Clones.
This wave of one-for-one clone exchange is pretty good, huh?
"Boy, you are very clever."
Ignoring Ren's teasing, Captain Ao said calmly.
"As for Haru, if he ran, he ran; we can still catch him back. As for you…"
Captain Ao paused in his speech, and his tone suddenly turned chilling.
"Just die here!"