83: Maturity

Maturity

"Ren Uchiha vs. Kishimaru Kuriarare! Both contestants, please come down to the arena!" Shigeo's words resounded across the arena, causing the audience to cheer even louder. They just saw what the Uchiha were capable of, so they couldn't wait to see more. If you listened carefully, you'd hear some annoying ones asking for longer chapters- ... Fights.1

With all eyes on them, Kushimaru and Ren both made their way to the arena, standing a few feet apart. Holding his thin sword, Kushimaru let a chuckle escape as he stared at his opponent.

"Kukuku. Make sure you don't forfeit... I promise that I won't hurt you too much." Bringing the sword up close to his face, Kushimaru's body language did not match his words.

"..." Furrowing his brows, Ren got into a fighting stance. His eyes spun, turning crimson and showcasing two tomoe.

"Begin!"

Hearing Shigeo's words, Kushimaru laughed loudly. "The Sharingan... Show me what you got!" Pressing the ground with his feet, he maniacally rushed towards Ren with his sword. "I'll kill you!"

Through his eyes, Ren was capable of seeing all of Kushimaru's moves. Dodging the first stab, he moved gracefully as the mist ninja's attacks failed to draw blood.

"Stop running away!" Consumed by rage, Kushimaru continued thrusting his sword in piercing motions, trying to rid his target's body with holes.

Narrowing his eyes, Ren watched as Kushimaru left an opening. Using it, he tilted his body sideways and dodged the last hit, pivoting perfectly to deliver a liver-shot.

"Guagh!" Taken by surprise, Kushimaru placed a hand on his side as he retreated a few steps. Although he felt terrible pain, he gnashed his teeth and stayed up. Ren had hit gotten a perfect hit.

"Great move!" Up in the stands, Shinju and Hizashi were both watching Ren, cheering him on. Seeing him land a hit, they both rejoiced.

"Mhm. I don't know what's gotten into him, that boy. He used to be so rash and uncaring." Crossing his arms, Fugaku, who was sitting with his students, nodded in approval. Seeing Ren hold back and wait for the right opportunity made him smile.

He was the type to jump straight at the enemy, so this sort of patience came as a surprise. 'Did he finally decide to lear under Lord Masaki...?'

Noticing his target slowing down, Ren used the opportunity and quickly performed hand-seals. Inhaling a bunch of air, he released a mass of flames. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

"Shit...!" Noticing the fire coming his way, Kushimaru ignored the pain and quickly jumped in the air, dodging it.

"You can't dodge now!" Using his Sharingan to its full effect, Ren whipped out a slew of Shuriken, all directed at his opponent.

"As if! Kin'niku Ekika no Jutsu!" (Muscle Liquefying technique!)[1]

Placing his hand on his closed fist, Kushimaru formed the 'dog' seal. Once the Shuriken landed on him, they seemed to touch water, passing right through him.

"He turned his body into water... What a useful jutsu!" Gripping the handrails, Minato stared at Kushimaru in shock.

"Not quite... He only turned his muscles into water." Activating his Sharingan, Jun stared at Kushimaru. He had infused his muscles with concentrated water-chakra, temporarily turning them into a liquid state.

That sort of technique needed a lot of chakra and great expertise, so Jun didn't believe he could keep it up for long, or even turn certain parts of his body into water. Although it was a good technique, it wasn't perfect.

"Not done yet!" Clenching his teeth, Ren seemed to grab thin air, tightening his fists and pulling. Seeing him do that, the audience stared in confusion.

And then, it happened. The Shuriken that passed through Kushimaru spun, making circles around him and trapping him in the air.

"ARGH!" Screaming in pain, Kushimaru canceled his jutsu. Because he had turned specific parts of his bod into water, once the wires turned, they dug into the inner parts of his body, causing tremendous damage.

"Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu!"

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[1] Not to be confused with the Hozuki clan's Kekkei-Genkai. They're able to turn their whole body into water, while Kushimaru is only able with specific parts of his body, but not organs.

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Special thanks to Frozoka Swaggins, God Erebos, and Daniil!

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