Renji hovered in the air, both hands gripping the blade that had gone straight through them.
His eyes widened. "I'm… in the air? But I was on the ground…"
On the sideline, Kurosaki pushed himself off the tree and narrowed his eyes.
"He did it," he muttered with a smirk.
Ryju stood frozen, staring up in disbelief. "It felt so good… But—I actually switched places with him."
Renji dropped to the ground, grunting as he landed on one knee.
"You mind pulling the sword out of my hands?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh—my fault!" Ryju hurried over and yanked the blade free.
"Sorry."
Renji flexed his fingers, blood dripping from his palms. "It don't even hurt like that. After all, I am an S-Rank Ninja."
Ryju nodded. "True."
"But you did it." Renji suddenly wrapped his arms around Ryju in a firm hug. "You really did it."
"Yep," Ryju said, caught off guard but smiling.
Renji pulled back slightly. "Did it feel like time was slowing down?"
Ryju's eyes lit up. "Yeah! It felt… awesome."
"I know. I've felt it too. Supposedly, it's like the eyes accept you," Renji said, gazing at his brother. "They'll help you out when you need them most. Not everyone gets that gift. It's like a legend."
Ryju stared at his hands. "Then… the eyes will protect me when I need them most."
Kurosaki raised a brow. "Well, I guess we're not fighting now. Your hands are a mess."
Renji grinned. "So what? You scared I'll beat you even with stabbed hands?"
"You stupid idiot," Kurosaki snapped.
"Scaredy cat~" Renji teased.
"What?!"
Kurosaki chased after him.
Meanwhile, Ryju clenched his fists and turned inward, his smile fading slightly.
I really did it… but my ability still needs an upgrade. I can't keep relying on others' powers. I need my own techniques—ones made for offense. I need to train my ability more… make it stronger.
"Hey, Kurosaki," Ryju called.
Kurosaki paused mid-chase. "What's up?"
"I'm curious… What's your eye ability?"
"Oh, mine? Look."
Kurosaki stared at Ryju, eyes glowing faintly.
"Huh?" Ryju blinked.
"Try moving."
Ryju attempted to shift his arm… but couldn't. His body refused to budge.
"I—I can't move!"
Then, just as suddenly, the effect wore off.
Kurosaki smirked. "We can freeze people and their spiritual force for five seconds. That's our eye ability."
"That's… cool," Ryju said in awe.
Renji chimed in. "But ours is way cooler."
"What!" Kurosaki snapped.
"You heard me. Scaredy cat."
Kurosaki let out a growl and began chasing Renji again.
I wonder how the others are doing… Ryju thought.
Elsewhere – Training Grounds
Kenshiro gritted his teeth. "Damn it, we can't land a hit on him."
"I know. It's frustrating," Azar said, his hands glowing faintly with fire.
Kaji stood ahead of them, arms relaxed, unimpressed. "C'mon already."
Jett was sweating. "Man, I'm almost out of spiritual force."
Kaien sighed. "So annoying."
Zanden glanced sideways. "You know he's annoying if Kaien's talking."
Taro added, "For real—he never talks."
Kaji yawned. "I'm losing excitement."
"Then let's rush in!" Kenshiro barked.
"Wait," Rei said, eyes narrowing.
Kaji smirked. "Coming at me head-on? I like that. You got guts."
Kenshiro swung his sword. Kaji jumped over it with ease. Kenshiro followed with a kick—caught. He twisted for a second strike, but Kaji blocked that too. Another sword swing—Kaji leaned back, just out of reach.
"Close," Kaji said.
"Should we help?" Azar asked.
Goro shook his head. "No. Let's see what Kenshiro's planning. He never rushes in without one."
Rei nodded. "He's always scheming."
"Okay, if you say so," Azar said uncertainly.
Kenshiro kept up the pressure, swinging nonstop while Kaji dodged with practiced grace.
"Oh?" Kaji raised an eyebrow. "You think you can land a hit on me solo?"
"I am the strongest out of the bunch," Kenshiro replied.
"So you've got something to prove?"
"Sometimes fighting alone clears my mind."
Another swing—Kaji leaned back. Kenshiro swept his leg. Kaji flipped, landing on his hands and flipping out of range.
Shun… it'd be a great time to help, Kenshiro thought desperately.
"Oh, I get it now!" Shun said suddenly.
Rei blinked. "What?"
"That was close," Kaji muttered—until roots erupted from the ground, shoving him toward Kenshiro.
Kenshiro lashed out with his blade—Kaji barely dodged and smacked his hand. The sword drops and it vanished into a small black hole.
Kenshiro twisted, throwing a punch—Kaji blocked it.
"Nice teamwork," Kaji said. "But not good enough."
Bang!
A shot grazed Kaji's cheek. Kenshiro was holding a gun.
"Yes!" Jett cheered.
"I thought it didn't work," Kenshiro said.
Kaji's eyes narrowed. "When did you get that?"
"When I tried to sweep you," Kenshiro explained. "You flipped, and Jett tossed it while you were midair. The second you landed, I already had it."
Kaji chuckled. "Not bad… But I thought you liked fighting alone."
Kenshiro smirked. "I said sometimes. Not always."
Kaji gave a quiet grin in response.