Chūnin, Chūnin, and still Chūnin!
Two men and a woman leapt from the rooftops surrounding the alley. The two men were clad in plain, coarse civilian garb, while the woman wore a standard green flak jacket—Konoha Chūnin uniform.
" Yugao Sensei!?" Ren's eyes widened in surprise, but then his expression turned cold with realization. "I see… I really didn't expect this. Just how deeply have the other nations infiltrated Konoha? Go on then, tell me—who do you bastards work for?"
(A/N : Not the Canon Yugao)
Yugao, Ren's substitute instructor from Class B, was around thirty years old. With a delicate frame, porcelain skin, and a slightly above-average face, she was considered attractive by many male teachers at the academy.
If it were only her, Ren might've assumed some personal vendetta from a disgruntled clan. But the other two men's commoner disguises? No way. They were deep-cover operatives. Meaning: she was too.
Perhaps because she believed the fight was already won, Yugao didn't attack immediately. She giggled, lifting a delicate hand to her mouth, her smile demure but her eyes calculating. "Young Master Shimura really is clever—figuring out we were spies so fast. But really now… does it matter which nation we serve? In a few moments, you'll be dead~"
"Dead, huh? That's true… I probably will be soon. But hey, before I die, can't I at least die a little smarter? Do me a favor, beautiful sensei. Give me a name. Surely someone as pretty as you won't deny a dying boy's last wish?"
When Ren complimented her looks, Yugao visibly perked up. Her eyes glinted with vanity, and she traced her pale cheek with a manicured finger, indulging in his flattery.
As expected!
Ren had done his research. This vain woman loved attention—praise, adoration, flirting from students and fellow teachers alike. It was exactly that trait that let her slip past Konoha's psychological vetting. Anbu had likely assumed a woman so obsessed with appearance couldn't possibly be a threat.
That assumption had cost them.
Above them, an illusory crimson field shimmered to life—his Blood Duel field had successfully activated.
Ren's smirk returned. He twisted on his heel and burst forward, the soles of his feet erupting with a burst of chakra-laced wind.
The rushing wind tore at his face like needles—proof of his sheer velocity. He caught the shocked expression of the man before him as time seemed to slow.
Swish!
A gust swept through the alley. Ren's clothes fluttered with the breeze.
The Chūnin man stood frozen in a defensive posture, kunai raised, unmoving.
A pause.
Then—
Splurt!
Blood erupted like a geyser five meters into the air, painting the narrow sky in crimson. A head dropped with a dull thud, rolling to Yugao's feet.
"Miyazaki Jirō…" she whispered in disbelief.
Her body trembled.
Ren had no idea the man he killed was Yugao's actual lover. They were planning to return to their hidden village and marry after this mission. But fate had other plans. Her man fell by the hands of a bloodied Genin.
"I never imagined Jirō—Jirō would die like this…" she muttered, her voice cracked and low.
Then, her head shot up.
Veins bulged across her face, twisting her beauty into something hideous.
"You little shit—I'll kill you!"
"Earth Release: Earth Spear Pillar!"
The ground beneath Ren rumbled, erupting with jagged stone spears aimed at his feet. Ren reacted instantly—leaping skyward, his body twisting mid-air as his hands blurred into a rapid seal pattern.
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter!"
Light cyan blades of compressed wind chakra slashed through the air like scythes, aimed directly at Yugao.
Slice!
Her figure was split into clean chunks—until it dispersed into mud.
"Tch. An Earth Clone?" Ren landed hard, grimacing. His shoulder throbbed. His arm—already wounded from earlier—bled more freely now.
Three kunai wounds throbbed with every movement. His clothes were soaked with red, but he gritted his teeth and stayed focused.
"If I don't end this soon… I'll bleed out anyway."
He bit his lip, summoning his remaining strength. His eyes snapped toward the other Chūnin, still recovering from shock.
Ren drew his chakra blade—its edge infused with volatile Wind-natured chakra—and hurled it with deadly precision.
"Sato! Watch out!"
Thunk.
The blade buried itself clean through the man's throat. Blood gurgled as he collapsed without a sound.
Two down.
Yugao staggered back instinctively, her fists clenched, a flicker of fear in her eyes.
"Is this… the Shimura child? His chakra's only Genin-level… but his lethality—"
This wasn't just raw talent. The man Ren had just killed could've held his own in a regular fight. But years of undercover life in Konoha dulled his reflexes. Combined with the chakra blade, Wind Release, and the activated Sharingan he looted from that Uchiha Cannon Fodder 1 earlier, the outcome was inevitable.
Fugaku Uchiha had barely escaped this combo. This guy? No chance.
Ren didn't relax after the kill. If anything, his frown deepened.
His second burst of speed had shredded the already wounded muscle on his arm. His right sleeve was now soaked red, blood dripping steadily.
The injuries on his leg and neck weren't as deep, but they bled worse with time.
He swayed slightly, body trembling with fatigue, but his eyes remained locked on Yugao.
"Gotta end this fast…"
His hands moved again, sluggish but determined, forming a final set of hand signs.
He inhaled sharply, chakra gathering in his lungs like a cyclone.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"