{Had to edit this chapter from mobile so comment if there are some mistakes.}
Ren looked up and saw a woman standing at the entrance of the cave. She had brown hair, slightly pale skin, and distinct markings on her cheeks. A mocking smile played on her face as she gazed down at the gathered Leaf shinobi.
Ren squinted, trying to recall her identity. 'Na… Nin… Something… Ni. Right, she was Ni.' He remembered seeing her in one of the Naruto movies, though her exact abilities escaped him.
The woman, Ni, kept her smirk as she addressed the group below. "You must be here for your comrades, right? Then come, follow me, dearies," she said with a wink, before retreating into the cave.
Bear glanced at Utakata, clearly leaving the decision to him. Since Bear had been compromised earlier by the Fuinjutsu- Confundus Seal, he wasn't sure if he could trust himself to lead again just in case the caster had left something behind.
Before Utakata could reply, the ground trembled slightly as a large pack of the dog-wolf creatures appeared from the forest. This time, their numbers were far greater, enough that each shinobi would have to face at least five if they split up.
Utakata turned to Ren. "Can you handle them?" Ren revealed his claws and nodded. "Yeah, but it'll be difficult with everyone here."
Utakata understood what Ren meant, the technique he was planning to use wasn't safe to use around allies. He looked at the rest of the group and gave his command.
"Let's go. That woman is our only lead for now. Bear, handle the rear. Sensors, monitor the path ahead. I've already checked, there are no sealing barriers, so Genjutsu shouldn't be an issue but still check for Genjutsu every five seconds. Ren, catch up once you're done."
With that, he led the group into the cave. The others swiftly followed, expertly dodging the lunging dogs as they made their way in. The pack's attention turned fully to Ren, now the only one left outside.
Ren gave a small, eager smile. 'These guys are perfect to try that technique.'
He tightened his gloves, spread his arms, and watched as the creatures began to encircle him.
He started to spin slowly, releasing wind chakra from more than half of his tenketsu points. His spinning speed increased until he became a miniature tornado. As the spin intensified, razor-sharp wind cutters burst forth from the vortex.
The dogs had no chance as they were cut in half before they could even get close.
This was Ren's newly developed technique, born from an idea he had during his first D-rank mission. Since then, the wind-style clone had worked tirelessly to perfect it. While there were still some issues with stopping, Ren had become significantly more proficient with it.
He had proudly named it:
[Wind Style: Spinjutsu: Wind Tornado Ultra Fast Sharp Claws Attack.]
Although the jutsu looked easy, in reality it was quite difficult. It required a high level of wind chakra control, as the user had to simultaneously release wind from the tenketsu points while also forming and directing wind cutters. The tornado formed a defensive barrier, while the wind cutters served as the offense.
Ren had demonstrated it to both Utakata and Juichi. Utakata had classified the technique as A-rank, saying that if Ren perfected the drawbacks, it would become a high-level A-rank jutsu. It could even reach S-rank however that has very low chance since S-Rank techniques are an entirely different league.
Utakata also suggested submitting the jutsu to the village in exchange for other A-rank techniques. Ren agreed.
However, for some reason, Utakata changed the name to [Wind Style: Whirlwind Killing Wave.]
Ren didn't know why, but he didn't mind either.
In return, he received a jutsu called [Wind Style: Wind Ignition Field] it is a technique that involved releasing oxygen-rich wind in an area, then igniting it using continuous fire chakra to create a massive explosion.
Ren had handed it off to the wind-style clone for study, but later learned that the jutsu required yang chakra for oxygen control. That made him somewhat excited about its potential.
Back in the present, Ren spun through the field, dogs falling around him in bloody halves, unable to withstand the storm of wind cutters.
Under a minute later, the field was clear. Not one dog remained standing.
Ren slowly began to disengage the jutsu. He stopped the wind cutters first. Then cut off chakra flow to each tenketsu point, one by one. Finally, he slowed to a halt.
Once stopped he exhaled deeply, checking his chakra. 900 points used, this was even more than a Rasengan. However, once he perfected the jutsu, he estimated it would take only 600–700 chakra points.
Satisfied, Ren glanced one last time at the field littered with torn beasts then turned toward the cave and began making his way to rejoin the others.
Once Ren reached the entrance of the cave, he paused to check for any sealing formulas. Finding none, he stepped inside.
At first glance, it looked like a normal cave, but its unusual size and smooth layout hinted otherwise. 'This must've been generated using Earth Release jutsu,' Ren thought as he proceeded deeper.
He soon spotted a small insect on the ground. As he approached, the insect hovered into the air and spun slightly. Recognizing the signal, Ren released a bit of his chakra.
The insect immediately flew close to him, it was one of Hitoshi's insects, used by Team 1 as a rendezvous marker in case they got separated or in situations like this. The insect began to lead the way, and Ren followed.
As he traveled deeper, he noticed broken remains of modified snakes and dogs, the same types of enemies they had faced earlier. It seemed that the others had encountered some them and cleared the path.
Eventually, he entered a large open area where he saw Yugao, Hitoshi, and the cat-masked ANBU engaged in battle against two massive dog-wolf creatures. These dogs were significantly larger than the previous ones. He saw that Yugao and Hitoshi were handling one of them appearing a little under pressure. The cat ANBU was holding her own one-on-one against the second beast. The ANBU ninja had the cloak before which was now torn apart.
Ren paused briefly, observing the ANBU and confirmed she was female.
Turning to his teammates, he asked, "You guys need any help?"
"No, go on we can handle this one," Yugao replied, her focus never wavering.
Ren nodded. If his teammates didn't need help, it was better not to interfere otherwise it would only create negative feelings.
He resumed following the insect, moving faster now. It was likely the second insect was with Utakata, meaning he was nearing the main battle.
As he moved, he noticed human skeletons scattered along the cave walls. He frowned. 'I can't remember much about the main villain from that movie but it had something to do with gathering Kekkei Genkai. Fighting without knowing the abilities is going to be tough. I should have given the movies some importance too.' He sighed as he remembered how he, like everyone else just saw the movie because it was a Naruto movie and didn't give it much importance.
He quickened his pace, prompting the insect to accelerate as well.
In the next clearing, he saw the remaining two ANBU, the ones with the Bee and Mantis masks, carrying some injured Konoha shinobi. These were likely the ninja's that went missing they had been sent to find. Ren didn't stop to talk, instead focusing on the path ahead.
Finally, the cave gave way to an open field. There, Ren saw the main battlefield.
Utakata and Bear were engaged in combat against Ni, who was wielding the Storm Release Kekkei Genkai, storm release was a powerful combination of lightning and water chakra.
Bear took the rear position, launching Earth Release jutsu to trap and disrupt the enemy, while Utakata handled the front line, engaging in close-quarters combat. His Water Style was at a clear disadvantage against Storm Release, forcing him to rely more on taijutsu and sneak attacks.
Despite facing two Jonin-level opponents, Ni still wore that same mocking smile.
When she noticed Ren arrive, she laughed, "Oh? Another little lamb has arrived."
At that very moment, she dodged Bear's Earth Spear at point-blank range, flickered behind him with incredible speed, and formed hand signs in a flash.
"[Storm Style: Shock Needle!]"
She declared, launching a thin, glowing needle of lightning-infused chakra from her mouth.
The needle struck Bear with a violent burst of electricity, sending him crashing to the ground in a fit of convulsions.
Ni laughed wickedly as she approached to finish him off, but Ren appeared instantly, slamming a powerful kick into her stomach, sending her flying back.
Utakata immediately seized the opportunity and rushed to Bear's side, beginning healing procedures to stabilize him.
Ni, who had been sent skidding backward by Ren's kick, stood up with little effort. She casually dusted off her clothes, flashing a playful smile.
"Oh my, that was quite a strong kick you've got," she said, tilting her head. "But don't you think it was a little rude to kick a lady like that?"
She gave him a teasing wink and continued, "Looks like this big sister has to teach you how to impress girls. Isn't that right, little one?"
Ren ignored her provocation and glanced toward Utakata, who was still healing Bear. Sensing Ren's eyes on him, Utakata spoke "Distract her for a bit. I'll have him standing in a few seconds. Three on one will be helpful."
Before Ren could respond, Ni's voice echoed again but she was undoubtedly closer this time, "Oh my, you want to gang up on me? Three to one? How pitiful I must be... Sob."
As she spoke, Ren instinctively tilted his head to the side, narrowly dodging another Shock Needle that zipped past him.
He immediately closed the distance, aiming to land a clean hit but Ni was faster. She quickly formed hand seals and announced
"[Storm Style: Storm Beam!]"
A searing beam of water infused with lightning tore through the air toward Ren at high velocity. Ren jumped back just in time and made a single hand seal, countering with,
[Wind Style: Divine Wind!]
A dense spiral of wind surged forward, colliding with the Storm Beam. The two opposing jutsu clashed violently, but ultimately canceled each other out, leaving a gust of energy in their wake.
Seizing the opening, Ren lunged forward again, engaging Ni in close quarters. He unleashed a flurry of fast-paced punches and kicks, each with expert precision.
But Ni was no ordinary opponent. She matched every blow, deflecting his strikes with an array of swift, precise counterattacks. Despite the speed, neither side gained the upper hand.
After a blocked punch, Ren quickly leapt back and focused.
He opened the First Gate, the Gate of Opening and the seal appeared on his forehead.
Instantly feeling the surge of chakra and strength coursing through him, he blurred forward once more, and just as his empowered punch was about to connect with her face, he muttered under his breath.
"This is for gender equality."
The punch landed squarely, sending Ni flying across the battlefield.
{I watched the movie again multiple times but couldn't confirm if Ni had Storm Release, but there were many people on forums that said Hiruko's subordinates had one of the Kekkai Genaki that he had each.
Since I wasn't sure if she had one I just included it myself. Including the movie had already made the fic AU so I don't think it matters much.
Anyway Ni might be stronger than she was in the original and some future villains too that I think were not properly depicted. So think about this before you continue the fic.}