Chapter 195: Ghosts in the Mists (Part-17) [Samehada Hates This One Weird Trick]
Ren didn't wait for the chakra spike to peak. The moment Kisame's grin widened and his chakra flared, Ren moved, his feet blurring against the cracked terrain, dodging to the side just as Kisame slammed into the spot he was standing a breath ago.
The earth cratered beneath Kisame's fist, chunks of stone flung into the air.
Ren's legs coiled and exploded in a blur as he pushed off again, circling the shark-like man in a wide arc, dust kicking up with every step. He couldn't afford a frontal contest anymore. That kind of power wasn't sustainable, not without opening the Sixth Gate, and that was off-limits for now.
Kisame turned slowly, eyes locked on Ren. "Still running?" he called out, grinning. "Come on, kid. I haven't even started."
Ren responded, "Oh stop it, you're just salty those wind clones worked on you aren't you?"
He reached out with one arm, coiling it, locking his elbow. then fired chakra straight through the joint, increasing the torque of his punch as he twisted his waist.
[Shock Pulse: Arc Drive.]
A compressed wave of air tore through the space between them, a curved pressure strike that slammed into Kisame's flank. He tanked it, skidding back a step, but didn't stop and didn't even flinch.
"That was shameful I admit, but as long you die no one would know about it would they?"
Kisame vanished in a blur, reappearing right in front of Ren with his knee already chambered.
Ren however could see everything with his Hyperfocus so, he kept his arms crossed in front of his chest as Kisame's kick slammed into him. The impact launched him back like a ragdoll, dirt carving under his feet as he dug into the ground to stop his momentum.
He winced slightly. Even though he could see the attack that one still hurt.
Kisame didn't wait. He was already moving again, fast, faster than before, barefoot steps cracking the ground with every launch. Fists flew like hammers, in wide, crushing arcs meant to break Ren's guard entirely.
Ren ducked, twisted, dipped to the side, and narrowly avoided a punch that cratered the stone behind him.
Another followed immediately.
He blocked this time, barely, using a split-second chakra burst from his forearm to stiffen the block and soften the blow.
[Shock Brace.]
The chakra reverberated backward, easing the impact, but the force still drove him half a meter into the dirt.
He kicked off the crater wall and twisted his wrist sharply, locking his joints and fired chakra from his shoulder blade into the upper arm as he swung upward.
[Shock Pulse: Crescent Knuckle.]
This one was sharper and way more compact, focused. The upward punch didn't connect directly, but the shockwave caught Kisame in the chin and disrupted his follow-up strike. For a moment, his balance tilted and Kisame was lifted lightly in the air and Ren took the chance.
He twisted mid strike as his foot connected and launched Kisame even higher and Ren followed with a flurry of kicks and punches, he was about to follow up with an axe kick however mid air Kisame grabbed his leg and threw him like a ragdoll and both of them fell down.
Ren knew he couldn't give Kisame even a moment of chance as, if the demon had a briefest moment he could very well spew out shit ton of water and make the field which Ren had selected due to no visible water would turn to waste.
So, he darted right back in, low, almost crawling across the stone like a four-legged beast. His movements were ragged but tight, constantly adjusting to Kisame's tempo. He wasn't aiming to out power him, he just needed to stall him till he get a chance to escape.
Kisame caught on. "Oh, I get it," he laughed, ducking a shockwave punch that blasted the tree behind him into splinters. "You're not fighting. You're delaying, however what good would that do in face of certain death."
His chakra flared again and Samehada twitched on his back.
Ren's eyes narrowed as he saw the sword, with his current fighting style the sword wouldn't pose any fighting style however if he got caught by the sword and make actual physical contact that would suck his chakra dry faster than a thirsty person drinks water.
However, that too wasn't much of a problem for him, for others having their chakra sucked dry might spell certain death, however for him, he could cast S-rank jutsus hundreds of times and his chakra wouldn't finish off, after all there were too many chakra batteries he could use.
He fired chakra from his ankle this time, springing upward, twisting into a kick that didn't aim to hit, only to blast.
[Shock Kick: Windstep Cannon.]
The blast of air beneath his heel shattered the ground and launched Ren sideways like a thrown weapon, bypassing Kisame's grab and sliding across the battlefield in a low arc.
He landed hard, knee scraping stone, and spun out into a crouch.
Kisame turned casually, unbothered. "That all you got?"
Ren didn't answer. He was already charging another one. His left palm locked open, chakra building in the arm as he stepped forward.
[Shock Palm: Hollow Drive.]
The air between them compressed suddenly, like a vacuum ripple. Kisame blinked as the air punched outward and slammed him in the torso, pushing him a full step back.
That was two steps in total.
But it was still not enough. He needed more distance.
Kisame's eyes flashed. "You're getting annoying," he muttered, then lunged again, this time faster, lower, fists drawn back with lethal intent.
Ren spun midair, both hands bracing as he launched two controlled blasts of chakra from his elbows, sending his arms backward and his body flipping over Kisame's shoulder.
[Shock Feint: Twin Arc Step.]
He landed and didn't pause. His left hand slammed down into the ground, fingers open wide as he released a palm-shaped burst of compressed air directly into the earth.
[Shock Pulse: Groundbreak Echo.]
The ground erupted behind him in a delayed burst just as Kisame tried to pivot. Chunks of rock rose and twisted in the shockwave, disrupting Kisame's footing for a half-second.
It wasn't a real hit, but it was enough.
Ren darted in again, low, moving from the side, firing a compressed shot of chakra directly from his hip into his heel, amplifying the spin of his body as he sent another punch at Kisame's side.
[Shock Strike: Revolver Fist.]
This one slammed into Kisame's side, the shockwave punching through the air hard enough to tear a groove into the stone wall ten meters behind them.
Kisame staggered for a second then his arm shot out and caught Ren by the collar.
Ren's breath hitched.
He twisted fast but not fast enough to stop Kisame from slamming him into the ground like a boulder.
The ground exploded under the impact. Ren's vision spun for a second, his body groaning under the force.
But he was still conscious and he still had chakra.
Kisame loomed over him, one foot already coming down for the kill.
Ren didn't try to dodge.
Instead, he fired himself.
A pulse of chakra from every joint in his legs, all at once, knees, hips, ankles, the whole system firing in sync.
[Shock Burst: Repulsor Launch.]
The explosion of force launched him upward like a missile, narrowly avoiding the stomp. Dust and stone exploded outward in his wake as Ren flipped through the air, landed backward, and slid to a stop.
His legs ached. His chest hurt. His mouth tasted like blood, however he still had a grin on his face, "Hehe, Old Shark, you'll never get any fun from me." He paused, "No wait, that came out weird, lemme think again."
However Kisame didn't give him much time to think words for trash talking, as he suddenly zoomed in and punched Ren at a speed which though Ren could see and block couldn't defend against.
Ren landed hard on a slanted patch of stone, feet slipping slightly on the loose gravel. He didn't waste a second, his body was already moving, adjusting, taking in Kisame's position through the dust cloud.
The shark man stepped through the fog like it wasn't even there, Samehada now unstrapped and resting loosely against his shoulder. His smile was gone. That was bad.
Ren's legs tensed automatically.
"You've got some serious reflexes," Kisame said as he walked forward, cracking his neck once. "But you're starting to slow down."
He was right however he couldn't give in could he? "Oh yeah? Try me!"
Even though he said this he knew Kisame was right. His chest was tight, his arms were heavy, and the last two shockwave techniques had been off by just a little. Not enough to be useless, but enough that Kisame had started walking through them instead of dodging.
The difference was subtle but it meant everything.
Ren circled sideways, keeping his body angled. He couldn't let Kisame control the pace.
Kisame didn't give him the chance.
In the next instant, the man shot forward, faster than before, a blur of muscle and chakra with Samehada sweeping down like a falling wall.
Ren fired chakra through both knees and leapt backward. The sword smashed into the ground, carving a jagged trench that split the battlefield. Chunks of earth flung skyward.
Mid-air, Ren twisted, coiled his arm and released a compressed punch downward.
[Shock Pulse: Hammerfall.]
The shockwave exploded beneath him, launching him further up and away. But Kisame was already gone.
Ren's gut twisted.
Above him.
He felt it before he saw it, Kisame's chakra crashing down from above, blade first. He twisted, fired another blast sideways from his palm, and barely avoided being split open.
Samehada tore past his shoulder, grazing the edge of his armor and sucking away a chunk of his chakra but not enough that he'd need to use his battery.
The two of them crashed into the ground again, Ren tumbling like a stone, barely managing to turn the fall into a roll. He skidded to his feet and threw up a wild forearm block just in time to catch Kisame's follow-up punch.
It felt like getting hit by a tree.
The block held but just barely and Ren was flung back a full ten meters before he dug his heel in and stopped. Dust settled around him, his arm throbbing.
Samehada twitched in Kisame's grip as if it liked what it had eaten.
Ren's mind raced. He couldn't let that sword touch him, not anymore. The moment it made proper contact, his chakra would be gone and with it, the shock techniques that were the only thing keeping him alive, or atleast, that's what he'd have to show to Kisame so as to not give away his advantage.
"Getting tired?" Kisame asked, stepping forward again, not rushing this time. "You're fun, but I can't play forever."
Ren didn't respond. He was already running calculations.
He had maybe two more good shock strikes in him before his arms locked up.
The flow of battle had flipped. Kisame wasn't probing anymore. He was closing in. No more testing, no more casual flickers. He was walking forward with purpose now, and the look in his eyes wasn't playful, it was clinical which meant he was done waiting.
Ren ducked under another swing once again, barely twisting into a side-step and punching the ground with his off-hand.
[Shock Pulse: Skew Line.]
A directional blast carved the earth into a sliding trench that cracked beneath Kisame's feet, throwing off his balance just enough to stop the forward charge. Ren capitalized instantly, firing another shockwave through his hip into his retreating leg, twisting into a back-kick that didn't connect directly but created a burst zone around him.
[Shock Kick: Ringbreaker.]
Kisame skidded back, Samehada raised to block.
However, Ren used that moment to run.
Not away.
But, up.
He fired a short-range chakra blast from both palms, launching himself vertically like a stone from a catapult. His feet struck a broken pillar from a ruined archway, and he pushed off again, landing higher, on the shattered remnants of a rocky ledge.
From here, he could see the whole battlefield. Broken terrain, scattered debris. Kisame below, watching calmly. No water sources. Still dry.
But it was only a matter of time before Kisame knew he couldn't win without any Jutsu.
So, Ren didn't wait anymore.
He pulled out a pair of smoke bombs, activated them, and flung them to the far left then simultaneously launched a chakra pulse through the stone directly below him.
[Shock Pulse: Echo Bloom.]
This one however, wasn't meant to harm. The shockwave burst outward from beneath the rock and spread unevenly across the ground, cracking it open and releasing dust from underground pressure.
What it created was a delayed dust bomb built right into the earth.
Kisame tensed slightly as the wave passed under him. But before he could react, Ren fired his strongest strike yet.
He coiled his entire upper body, drawing in chakra from every limb. His right arm locked, and he twisted violently, firing a full-body shock punch directly into the cracked section of the ground between them.
[Shock Pulse: Hollow Barrage.]
The ground exploded upward in a cone, debris raining in every direction and that was the signal.
Ren moved at once, vanishing into the chaos.
Kisame's voice echoed through the smoke, calm, almost amused. "You think that's enough to get away?"
Ren didn't answer as he knew he would be able to get away this time.
Behind the main ledge, tucked into the collapsed structure of a half-destroyed wall, Ren fired a rapid series of directional chakra bursts through his arms, launching himself between broken ridges like a human ricochet.
Each jump fired him further away from the fight, angling upward, out, away.
He didn't try to mask his trail with Genjutsu or tricks.
He just relied on speed and disruption, the kind Kisame couldn't track without sight.
The battlefield behind him trembled. He felt it, Kisame's chakra flaring again, the last thing he left should have worked by now.
Back in the battlefield Kisame was shielding himself from an intense explosion as the Samehada was raised in front of him.
As soon as Ren had left a clone had launched itself to Kisame immediately. This was a clone Ren had made before the fight began after he blasted off the crater and it had been hiding in the earth all this time waiting for the right moment.
Kisame was particularly pissed at Ren's clones so he attacked in an instant however just before the attack could work the clone's chakra flared and it exploded right in front of him.
Still, it didn't affect him much however it had brought Ren the precious time he needed to escape.
As the dust from the explosion settled Kisame became visible once again, his body had a few minor injuries however it didn't bother him much.
"He ran," he said to no one in particular. Then chuckled.
"Well, he can't run away when I kill his comrades can he. And he did give me a good time today so I'll let him go for now."
He thought something was weird with his sentence but he didn't care much as he hefted Samehada onto his shoulder, turned, and walked away.
~~~~~
{I feel like it's been way too long since I wrote a real fight scene even though I like writing them so much, so I might have been a bit too excited with the fight.}
{Also, though I don't think I need to explain it but the shockwave is released in the opposite direction from where the chakra is blasted, this should be enough to understand everything that happened in this fight, if not, well
Technologiaaaa}
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{ h t t p s : / / w w w . p a t r e o n . c o m / Z e e n o n }
{You know what else}
{280 Stones = Extra chapter}
{STONES!!!!}