Naruto : Crimson wood

The Storm Eagle's body was covered in feathers hard as iron, but Renji Takahashi's Sharingan locked onto a small weakness at its throat.With a sharp thrust, he drove his dagger deep into that vulnerable spot.

"Squelch!"

The half-meter-long blade pierced straight through the eagle's twenty-centimeter-thick neck.

"GAAH!!"

The Storm Eagle screeched wildly, its wings flapping in one final act of resistance.

Teamwork in Action

"Water God Chain!"

Suddenly, a glowing water chain shot from the ground, wrapping tightly around the flailing eagle and pinning its wings.

Renji turned, surprised—it was Yuna Hoshizaki.

Even while controlling another Storm Eagle, she had the presence of mind to help him.

On the other side, Shun Hayashi and Mei Kobayashi were struggling just to keep their eagle restrained.

Clearly, even though both Renji and Yuna were Double S-Class, Yuna's true power hadn't been fully shown before now.

Without wasting time, Renji clasped his hands together.

"Wood Style: Explosive Tree Bind!"

Thick wooden trunks burst from the ground, wrapping around the eagle attacking Shun and crushing it with violent force.

"Chain of Holy Water!"

Yuna struck again, summoning two more water chains to help Mei restrain her eagle before it broke free.

Renji didn't hesitate. Drawing his dagger, he dashed toward Mei's target and delivered the finishing blow—driving his blade straight into the eagle's throat.

Now, only one eagle remained.

Before Renji could act, Yuna raised her hand, calm and composed.

"Sacred Water Blade!"

Multiple blue water blades spun through the air, slicing through the final eagle's neck.

In seconds, all four Storm Eagles lay dead.

A Small Victory

But this was only a brief success.

The real threat was still growing.

Despite their efforts, the Corrupt Wolf pack was relentless. Nearly half of Special Class 3 had already been killed or injured.

In contrast, fewer than ten wolves had fallen.

And this was only the first-level wolves.

Hiding in the forest were several second-level Corrupt Wolves, biding their time. Above, more powerful second-level Storm Eagles hovered, waiting for the right moment to strike.

If just the first-level monsters had pushed them this far, how would they survive when the second-level beasts attacked?

No Mercy from the Monsters

"ROAR!"

A Corrupt Wolf lunged forward, biting into a Beast-type student.

That student had an Elephant Form ability, with a defense comparable to a first-level monster.But dragged into the pack, he only lasted a few seconds before being torn apart.

The sound of flesh ripping and the student's agonized screams made everyone's blood run cold.

Renji clenched his fists as he watched.

The gap they'd created by killing the Storm Eagles was already closed by the wolves.The monsters were tightening their encirclement, slowly but surely.

Casualties kept mounting.

Yan Yue's Plan

"Yuna, what do we do?"Mei leaned against Yuna, her body trembling.Her spiritual energy was almost drained. Without it, she was as good as dead.

Yuna bit her lip, then whispered to Renji:"I'll break a hole through their lines. You lead the others out."

Renji froze for a moment but didn't argue. He gave a solemn nod.

"Alright."

Yuna closed her eyes.When she opened them again, golden light filled her irises.

A blinding glow burst from her body, radiating outward like sunlight.

The monsters flinched, retreating for the first time in fear of her sacred power.

"Renji, now—this way!" Yuna called out.

She raised her hand, and a Golden Path opened through the sea of monsters.Wherever the light touched, no beast dared approach.

"Go!" Renji shouted, shoving Shun and Mei forward.

The students, desperate for survival, bolted down the glowing pathway like drowning men grabbing a life raft.

Yuna remained at the rear, maintaining the Golden Path with her power.

A Dangerous Choice

But after barely ten seconds, the golden light began to fade.

Renji glanced back and saw Yuna's light weakening rapidly.

He gritted his teeth, turned around, and grabbed her hand.

"We're leaving—together!"

He could abandon strangers to save himself, but he wouldn't let Yuna die alone while protecting them.

The moment Yuna was pulled away, the Golden Path began to collapse.

The monsters, no longer held at bay, surged forward once more.

"Without the holy light… we won't outrun them."Yuna's voice was faint, her face pale from the massive energy drain.

"Run anyway!" Renji shouted.

Even as they ran, the wolves chased relentlessly, and Storm Eagles swooped overhead.

A second-level Storm Eagle, faster than any of them, circled around to cut them off from the front.

They were trapped.

Betting Everything

"Damn it... This is it. Jump with me!" Renji yelled.

Without hesitation, he dragged Yuna along and leapt into the air.

The second-level Storm Eagle dived straight for them, its talons ready to strike.

"Illusion: Sharingan!"

Renji locked eyes with the Storm Eagle.

For a moment, the world stood still.

The Storm Eagle's pupils suddenly transformed into spinning Sharingan.It had fallen into Renji's illusion!

A Bold Escape

Under Renji's mental control, the Storm Eagle didn't attack.Instead, it swooped beneath them, catching Renji and Yuna on its back.

Then, with a powerful flap of its wings, the second-level Storm Eagle rocketed into the sky, blasting away the wolves below in a violent gust of wind.

"CHIIIIIIUUU!!"

The eagle soared higher, leaving the battlefield far behind.

Below them, first-level Storm Eagles tried to follow, but they had no hope of catching a second-level king of the skies.

The Aftermath

"What… what is happening?"Yuna stared down in disbelief.This monster—this predator—was carrying them to safety?

She was certain this was Renji's doing.

"How... how did you pull that off?" she asked, still stunned.

Renji panted heavily, exhausted.

His spiritual energy was completely drained.His Sharingan faded, and his eyes returned to their normal black.

"Doesn't matter how.What matters is... we're not out of danger yet."

He gazed toward the distant horizon.The beast tide still raged behind them—and they had no idea what awaited them ahead.

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