Chapter 28 – Temptation and Clash
Sasuke stood frozen, his mind racing as he stared at the strange man before him.
"Can you kill Itachi?" he asked seriously.
Orochimaru's mouth twitched slightly. If I could, why would I need you? he thought, but instead he smiled.
"Ahem… I can make you strong enough to kill him," Orochimaru said, licking his lips with his snake-like tongue.
Sakura's mouth twitched in disbelief.
Are we seriously having this discussion right now? she thought, but even she couldn't deny her curiosity. She wanted to hear Sasuke's answer.
Sasuke suddenly turned to Ren.
Everyone leaned forward.
Sakura and Naruto Uzumaki perked up, while Ren and Orochimaru watched with interest.
"Who is he?" Sasuke asked.
Everyone almost fell over.
"You bastard!" Naruto shouted. "What were you doing acting so thoughtful when you don't even know who he is?!"
Ren coughed lightly.
"Ahem… he's an S-rank rogue ninja," he said casually. "One of Konoha's Sannin. The Snake Sannin, disciple of the Third Hokage. A genius second only to Tobirama Senju in research."
Orochimaru chuckled.
"Fufufufu… you praise me too much, Ren-kun."
Naruto and Sasuke stared in disbelief.
"This lame-looking guy is a Sannin like Granny Tsunade?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke's expression turned serious again.
He was tempted.
Hinata, Sakura, and Ino had grown much stronger under Tsunade. If he trained under a Sannin too…
Orochimaru grinned, sensing the hesitation.
"How about I give you a test of the power I can off—"
He suddenly jumped to the side.
BOOM!
Ren's punch smashed into the ground where Orochimaru had been standing, shattering the earth.
"Not so fast," Ren said coldly.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
The ground beneath him hadn't been completely destroyed—that shocked him more than the attack itself.
"That level of chakra control… and mastery over Monster Strength," he muttered.
Ren looked at Sasuke with irritation.
"Make your damn decision already."
"Wait!" Naruto shouted, grabbing everyone's attention. "If Sasuke goes with him, won't he become a rogue ninja too?"
Sakura smacked Naruto on the head.
"You idiot! Why do you think we're waiting for his answer?"
Naruto rubbed his head, wincing.
Ren crossed his arms and looked at Sasuke again.
"We don't have all day. Decide."
Orochimaru licked his lips again, waiting patiently.
Sasuke clenched his fists.
Training under a Sannin meant faster growth. Much faster than staying with Kakashi Hatake…
Ren sighed.
"Well, I'm done waiting," he said lazily. "Orochimaru-san, mind leaving Konoha? Or should I help you out?"
Orochimaru chuckled.
"Fufufufu… you're going to fight me?"
Ren didn't answer.
Instead, multiple kunai appeared in his hands as he threw them into the air.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu."
The kunai multiplied instantly.
Orochimaru's eyes widened.
"Flying Thunder God… no wonder you appeared without me sensing you."
His expression turned serious.
That jutsu was dangerous.
Ren formed a Rasenshuriken in his hand, the compressed chakra spinning violently.
"What will it be?" he asked calmly.
Sakura stepped forward.
Her Eclipse Seal activated again, dark markings spreading across her body.
"Earth Style: Rock Fist."
A thick layer of hardened earth wrapped around her fists, amplifying her already terrifying strength.
Naruto created multiple shadow clones, ready to jump in.
Orochimaru ignored Naruto completely.
His eyes were fixed on Ren and Sakura.
That Rasenshuriken was clearly S-rank… and Sakura's attacks weren't something he wanted to take head-on either.
Sakura charged.
Ren vanished.
Orochimaru slammed his hands together.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Three giant snakes appeared instantly.
One of them was obliterated the moment Sakura's fist connected, a massive hole blown through its body. Another took the Rasengan head-on and was torn apart.
"Orochimaru! You better prepare a thousand offerings for this!" the remaining snake hissed angrily.
Orochimaru ignored it.
"Go after the blond kid and the pink-haired girl," he ordered calmly. "She must be low on chakra after those attacks."
He dropped down and attacked with his Thousand Snake Jutsu.
Ren instantly teleported to Naruto, grabbed him, and moved him near Hinata Hyuga. In the next moment, he teleported back to Sakura.
She was fighting Manda, but her movements were slowing.
Her chakra was running low.
Ren appeared beside her and lifted her into a princess carry.
"You did great," he said softly. "Now take a break and leave it to me."
Sakura smiled faintly as her Eclipse Seal faded.
"Next time… I'll be stronger."
"Of course you will," Ren said with a small smile. "You're Sakura… my Sakura."
He teleported her safely near Hinata before returning to the battlefield.
Ren landed in front of Manda, his expression turning cold.
"You bastard," he said quietly. "How dare you touch my girl?"
Manda laughed arrogantly.
"Hah… it was just an—"
He never finished his sentence.
Ren's fist slammed into Manda's massive body.
His chakra surged inside the snake's body before detonating violently.
BOOM.
Manda's body tore apart from the inside as blood sprayed everywhere.
Ren didn't stop.
Punch after punch rained down mercilessly.
"Let's see how long you can last," Ren said with a grin, his voice filled with battle intent.
Manda roared in pain as blood poured from its mouth.