Chapter 29
Manda stared in horror as his massive body trembled under the relentless assault. Despite being beaten to the brink, he wasn't being unsummoned, something that had never happened before. Panic crept into his slitted eyes as he realized something was terribly wrong.
Ren noticed his expression and burst into laughter. "Bahahaha… facing a seal master and still thinking you can escape? You're delusional." His voice carried cold amusement as faint sealing scripts flickered across Manda's body, locking him in place.
"Seal… master?" Manda's voice trembled. The realization hit him like a storm. "Damn you, Orochimaru!" He thrashed violently, but the seals tightened further, restricting even his chakra flow.
Just then, a familiar presence slithered into the battlefield. Orochimaru appeared, his golden eyes narrowing at the scene before him. "Fufufu… you really are troublesome, Ren-kun," he said, though a hint of caution lingered beneath his usual confidence.
Ren didn't reply immediately. Instead, he formed a shadow clone, which vanished instantly. A second later, Ren reappeared—this time beside a furious blonde woman whose chakra flooded the area like a tidal wave.
"Orochimaru… you bastard. How dare you touch my brother?" Tsunade cracked her knuckles, her voice low and dangerous. The ground beneath her feet fractured slightly under the sheer pressure of her chakra.
Orochimaru's confident smile faltered for the first time. "How…? Why are you this strong?" he muttered, sensing the overwhelming vitality and chakra radiating from her. This was far beyond what he remembered.
Tsunade didn't waste time answering. She vanished in a blur and appeared in front of him, her fist already mid-swing. The impact sent Orochimaru flying across the forest, carving a massive trench through trees and earth alike.
Ren winced slightly as he looked at the destruction. "Umm… don't you think that was a bit too much?" he asked, scratching his cheek while staring at the newly formed canyon.
Tsunade waved it off casually as she walked back. "It's the Forest of Death. Some jonin will fix it in a few days," she said with a shrug. Then her tone sharpened slightly. "Besides, it sends a message to those three old geezers. They've been acting up lately."
Ren smirked faintly but said nothing. He noticed a small snake quietly slipping away through the grass. Of course, Orochimaru wasn't dead—he was far too slippery for that.
Turning his attention elsewhere, Ren looked at Sasuke, who lay unconscious on the ground. The curse mark on his neck pulsed ominously, spreading dark energy through his system.
"Well… you wanted power," Ren muttered. "Now you've got it. Let's see what you do with it." His tone was neutral, neither approving nor condemning.
He crouched down and placed a sealing formula over the curse mark. "This will help stabilize the natural energy and prevent it from overwhelming you," he said quietly. "It should last a few weeks—enough for the Chunin Exams."
With that done, Ren disappeared in a flicker and reappeared near Hinata and the others.
Hinata smiled softly when she saw him. Naruto, however, immediately started complaining. "Damn it, Ren! What was that? Why did you just leave us behind like that?" he shouted, clearly annoyed.
Ren ignored Naruto completely and turned to Sakura instead. "You okay?" he asked, his tone noticeably gentler.
Sakura smiled, though there was a hint of fatigue in her eyes. "I'm fine. Fresh as new," she said confidently. Then she added with a sigh, "But I'll need to refill my Eclipse Seal. That'll take a few weeks, so I'm sticking to medical training for now."
Ren and Hinata chuckled lightly at her words. Meanwhile, Kiba stared at them with disbelief while Akamaru barked in confusion. "Damn it! Are you guys going to explain what just happened? One moment they were there, and the next—gone!" Kiba complained.
Shino adjusted his glasses silently, observing everything without interrupting. His insects buzzed faintly, reflecting his curiosity.
Ren waved his hand dismissively. "Enough with the nonsense. Let's head to the central tower," he said lazily, already turning away.
"But we don't even have an Earth Scroll!" Naruto protested loudly, clearly frustrated at being ignored again.
Hinata calmly tossed a scroll toward him without even looking back. Naruto caught it mid-air and blinked in surprise. "Wait… what?"
"Let's go," she said softly, walking beside Ren and Sakura as if nothing unusual had happened.
As they moved forward, the three began chatting casually, laughing about the earlier fight. Hinata suddenly poked Ren lightly with a fist infused with faint lightning chakra, her cheeks puffed in mock anger.
"I wanted to fight too," she complained, her tone slightly sulky.
Ren draped an arm around her shoulders with a grin. "You mainly use lightning jutsu," he said. "And I'm not letting you unleash 'Dragon King Festival' anywhere near Konoha."
Sakura nodded immediately. "Exactly. We can't trust you not to go overboard with that apocalyptic jutsu," she added, crossing her arms.
Hinata placed a hand over her chest dramatically. "Ouch… that hurts. Sakura doesn't trust me at all," she said, though her eyes sparkled with amusement.
Ren smirked and suddenly started tickling her. Hinata burst into laughter, trying to push him away while Sakura joined in, laughing along with them.
Behind them, Naruto, Kiba, and even Shino watched in silence. Kiba clenched his teeth while Naruto's face twitched with barely contained frustration.
"Damn it… what does this guy have that we don't?" Kiba muttered.
Naruto crossed his arms, clearly annoyed. He remembered all the times he had tried to confess to Sakura—only to be rejected every single time. Watching this scene only made it worse.
"Cheater…" Naruto grumbled under his breath, though no one seemed to hear him.
Ahead, Ren and the girls continued walking, completely at ease, as if the chaos of battle had never happened.