"Huh?" Akira muttered, surprise evident in her voice. Beside her, the other four squad members wore similar expressions of disbelief.
"We should all attack you at the same time?" Kudo managed to ask, still processing the unusual instruction. His confusion was mirrored in the faces of his teammates.
"Yes, that is what I meant," Renjiro confirmed, his tone calm but authoritative.
Despite his reassurance, the five were still hesitant. Miki, in particular, was deep in thought. 'While he is our squad leader, he is also a chunin like us. There shouldn't be much of a difference between us and him since he only became a chunin a couple of months ago.'
Seeing that none of them were moving, Renjiro decided to take matters into his own hands.
'I actually did not get a chance to use my weapon, so this might be a good time to use it.'
With that thought, he retrieved his staff from behind his back. The sleek, black weapon gleamed under the afternoon sun, a testament to its craftsmanship and deadliness.
The sight of it seemed to snap the group out of their stupor; they immediately shifted their stances, readying themselves for whatever Renjiro had planned.
Still, they hesitated. Renjiro's smirk deepened as he realized their reluctance.
"Fine," he said, his voice carrying an edge of challenge, "If you won't attack, then I'll come to you."
In an instant, Renjiro seemed to vanish. He then reappeared behind Miki, swinging his staff down with swift, calculated precision.
With her senses blaring at her, Miki barely had time to react. Instinctively, she activated her Sharingan, the three tomoe spinning to life in her eyes.
With a flicker, she vanished just in time, the sound of Renjiro's staff slamming into the ground behind her echoing through the clearing.
"Crack!"
The impact left a visible web of fractures on the earth where Miki had stood moments before. As she appeared a few meters away, her heart racing, one thought dominated her mind,
'Fast! He's fast!'
But Renjiro gave them no respite. He was already moving toward his next target, Kudo.
The young Uchiha barely had time to register Renjiro's approach before a fist was flying towards him. Reacting on instinct, Kudo twisted his body, narrowly dodging the punch. His eyes widened, and he quickly adjusted his stance, preparing for the next move.
Meanwhile, Akira seized the opportunity to attack from a distance. She launched three shurikens at Renjiro with a flick of her wrist, her eyes watching closely.
However, Renjiro didn't flinch. He simply raised his staff, split it into two batons, and, with a deft flick, caught the shurikens in mid-air, inserting one of the batons into the eye of each projectile.
"If you're going to do that, you need to be more creative," Renjiro chided, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.
He wasn't done. In one smooth motion, Renjiro released the bladed end of his other baton and sliced through the nearly invisible strings attached to the shurikens.
The cut was clean, precise, and left Akira momentarily stunned.
'How? How did he see my string?! He's not even using his Sharingan!' she thought, her mind racing.
She knew that Renjiro was able to dodge a few projectiles coming at him, so she planned on using her strings so that she could control the trajectory of the shurikens and give him a harder time dealing with them. But Renjiro had seen through her ploy with unsettling ease.
Renjiro didn't waste any time; he flicked his wrist, sending the shurikens back toward Akira.
"Thunk! Thunk!"
They flew through the air, embedding themselves in the ground and the tree behind her with an eerie precision.
Immediately after, Tora lunged forward, his twin swords gleaming.
'Now this is more like it!' Renjiro thought, his eyes gleaming with excitement. With a swift motion, he blocked Tora's attack using his two batons.
But Tora was relentless, launching a flurry of strikes at Renjiro. The two of them moved in a blur, weapon meeting weapon in a symphony of combat. Renjiro's batons danced in his hands, effortlessly parrying and deflecting Tora's attacks. The two seemed evenly matched, their movements almost synchronized.
Renjiro's familiarity with swords was limited, but the lessons he'd absorbed over the years served him well. He recalled the graceful yet deadly movements of Hiro with his sabre and the meticulous teachings of Riku, who had instructed him in the basics of bladed weapons. These experiences allowed Renjiro to anticipate Tora's attacks, reading the flow of his movements with an almost instinctual ease.
'Good posture and movements, the only thing he is lacking is speed and power,' Renjiro mused as he sidestepped a few kunai aimed at him, leaving Tora vulnerable.
The young swordsman struggled to dodge the projectiles, his form breaking as he tried to recover.
A moment later, Miki launched another attack, her voice clear and commanding, "Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!"
The burning projectiles flew toward Renjiro, but he didn't bother using his batons this time. He stored them and with a fluid somersault, he avoided the scorching flames, landing gracefully a few meters away.
But Renjiro barely had time to pause as Kudo fired a series of wind bullets at him.
'I just have to continue dodging,' Renjiro thought, his movements a blur as he evaded the gusts.
He was walking a fine line between pushing the chunins to their limits without causing them any real harm. He could have ended this skirmish swiftly, but there was value in letting them showcase their abilities and work together.
It was a balancing act, challenging them while ensuring no harm befall them. After all, where would the fun be if he didn't let them stretch their limits?
Seeing her initial projectiles avoided, Miki decided to change tactics. She formed a hand sign and shouted,
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive ball of flames erupted from her mouth, hurtling towards Renjiro. At the same time, Kudo amplified the attack with his winds, intensifying the fiery onslaught.
Akira, observing the situation, saw an opening. She quickly summoned a large scroll, unfurling it with a flourish. In an instant, hundreds of weapons materialized, all aimed at Renjiro.
'Three long-range attacks, good. At least now they have a semblance of a team,' Renjiro thought, impressed by their coordination.
But then, the ground beneath him shifted, and two figures emerged. Shoda and Tora, who had been lying in wait for a sneak attack shouted, "Fire Style: Searing Migraine!" and sent a beam of fire at Renjiro.
'It's supposed to be a sneak attack, but why are they shouting?' Renjiro thought, bemused.
The beam collided with the incoming fireball and wind-enhanced flames, creating a massive explosion.
"Boom!"
The shockwave rippled through the training ground, sending debris flying and kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
"Did we get him?" Akira asked, her voice tinged with a mix of hope and disbelief.
As the smoke began to clear, a half-smile played on her lips as they saw Renjiro standing, albeit battered.
He was panting, with burns and wounds evident on his body and burnt patches on his clothing. He looked barely able to stand.
"Yes! We-" Akira's triumphant shout was cut short. Without warning, she collapsed, unconscious before she could even finish her sentence.
Shoda, sensing something amiss, immediately leapt back. His instincts proved correct as Renjiro's kick struck the ground where Shoda had been standing a moment before, leaving a deep crater.
'As expected, if that attack had gotten him, I would be disappointed in our squad leader,' Shoda thought, taking the initiative to launch a series of palm strikes at Renjiro. His Sharingan was active as he tried to predict Renjiro's movements.
But Renjiro was unarmed so he blocked each of Shoda's attacks with ease. There was no hesitation in his movements, only precise and fluid counteractions.
'Why is he slow? Is he getting tired?' Shoda wondered, disappointment creeping in.
"Is dodging all you are going to do?" Shoda taunted, hoping to provoke a reaction.
Renjiro's calm reply caught him off guard. "Yes, that is what I am planning on doing," he said, surprising Shoda. Despite his best efforts, Shoda's attacks continued to meet Renjiro's flawless defences.
As the battle raged on, Shoda spared a glance around him. His eyes widened in shock as he noticed that Tora, Akira, Miki, and even Kudo were all unconscious, strewn across the training ground.
'How?' Shoda thought.
Just then, Renjiro's voice rang out, clear and commanding, "I've seen enough!" The declaration was accompanied by a sudden surge of chakra, and before Shoda could react, his vision blurred, and darkness consumed him.
=====
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