In Konohagakure, the Aburame Clan wasn't widely known, but even someone like Renchi Furuyama, hailing from a prominent clan of Kumogakure, recognized them.
As his eyes caught the peculiar moth clinging to the ceiling—different from any ordinary insect—and considering it was the wrong season for such bugs to be flying about, Renchi reacted immediately.
This was one of the Aburame Clan's specially reared insects.
Without hesitation, Renchi aborted any thought of crushing the insect. Instead, he swiftly exited Veigar Koshima's house and reappeared atop the rooftop.
With wary eyes, he scanned the surroundings. As he activated his sensory perception in search of the Aburame ninja, a subtle shift occurred behind Dove's mask—he realized that the moth had indeed been exposed.
There was no time to waste. To seize the initiative in combat, Dove immediately gave the order.
"Move in."
Even before the words finished leaving his lips, Dove lunged forward with a kunai, aiming directly for Renchi.
At the same time, his two comrades—Moth and Octaspike—joined the attack. A black cloud of tiny moths burst from Moth's body, trailing after Dove as they surged toward their target.
Meanwhile, Octaspike flung eight shuriken with blinding speed, streaking through the air ahead of Dove's charge.
"Three opponents," Renchi muttered as the trio closed in.
But his expression didn't change. What had unsettled him earlier was the risk of the Aburame moth escaping—not this. An attack was exactly what he preferred.
Renchi, brimming with confidence in his own strength, relaxed slightly. As long as he wasn't surrounded by a swarm of Konoha shinobi, he had no fear—even when outnumbered three to one.
In fact, he considered the trio's decision to confront him rather than flee or rally reinforcements the worst mistake of their lives.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
Renchi's hands moved with blinding speed, forming seals almost faster than the eye could follow. The Furuyama Clan's pride had always been their mastery of Lightning Release jutsu and unparalleled speed at casting them—traits that had once allowed them to compete with the Yotsuki Clan for the title of Raikage.
Even as Octaspike's shuriken closed in—just two meters from impact—Renchi completed the hand signs.
From his mouth burst a piercing lance of lightning, obliterating the incoming projectiles in a blink and continuing its deadly course straight toward Dove.
False Darkness wasn't just powerful—it was devastating. It could pierce through stone as if it were paper, let alone human flesh.
Dove, chasing behind the now-vanished shuriken, hadn't anticipated the sheer speed of Renchi's jutsu. The lightning spear tore through his chest, punching a gaping hole through him in a flash.
But the bolt didn't slow—it hurtled forward with undiminished force toward Moth and Octaspike.
Still mid-formation—Moth channeling his insect techniques, Octaspike preparing more hand signs—they saw the azure spear flash past Dove's lifeless body, heading straight for them.
Panic surged through them. Abandoning their techniques, both leapt back in desperation.
BOOM!
The rooftop exploded in a burst of light and thunder. Amid the roar, a cry of horror rang out from Octaspike.
"Dove!"
The eruption near Veigar's residence reverberated through the village, catching the attention of nearby Konoha shinobi on patrol.
Among them was Hiyū Uchiha, a jōnin of the Konoha Military Police Force and the Uchiha Clan's night watch commander. He immediately activated his Sharingan, eyes flaring to life.
"We've got a situation—everyone, converge on that location. Lock it down."
"Don't let anyone escape."
Even as he barked orders, Hiyū was already on the move.
"Yes, sir!"
The surrounding shinobi echoed in unison, racing after him.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Body Flicker!"
Intent on ending the battle quickly, Renchi unleashed another technique after casting False Darkness—Lightning Body Flicker.
Just as Octaspike landed atop a nearby rooftop, catching his breath from the narrow escape, Renchi vanished from sight.
Before Octaspike could react, Renchi reappeared behind him in a flicker of electric light—his kunai slashing cleanly across the man's neck.
In an instant, a fountain of blood sprayed into the night air from Octaspike's severed carotid artery.
Moth, now alone on another rooftop, watched his comrades fall in the blink of an eye. His face behind the mask turned deathly pale.
He understood—he stood no chance against Renchi Furuyama.
But instinct kicked in. Driven by raw survival instinct, Moth unleashed a jutsu he had prepared but never released.
A deafening buzz followed.
"Bzzzz… bzzzz…"
A swarm of tiny moths burst forth from within him, bred and nurtured through his Insect Control Technique, and shot toward Renchi in waves.
But Renchi, calm and focused, caught the movement from the corner of his eye. Instantly, he launched another jutsu—one of the Furuyama Clan's secret techniques.
Many in the shinobi world knew the Yotsuki Clan's Raikage lineage for their monstrous physical prowess and terrifying Lightning Release Taijutsu.
Few, however, knew that the noble Furuyama Clan possessed lightning techniques nearly equal in power—focused not on raw strength, but unmatched speed.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Flash!"
As the final seal was formed, Renchi's entire body became wreathed in radiant, crackling arcs of blue lightning.
To Moth's eyes, Renchi was no longer a man—but a living bolt of lightning.
Fast—faster than fast.
No—at this moment, Renchi was lightning itself.
He tore through the incoming swarm like a thunderbolt, scattering the cloud of insects with pure electrical force. Charred moths rained from the air as he surged forward.
Before Moth could blink, Renchi was right in front of him.
With the same bloodied kunai he'd used to kill Octaspike, Renchi struck—driving it mercilessly into Moth's chest, straight into his heart.
-----------------------
Want to read ahead of schedule?
Join here for advance chapters: PATREON.COM / PRIMALDEMON