As Ren Uchiha's words echoed, both men in the plaza looked up in absolute shock.
"What... what did you say?!" Hidan's pupils dilated. He looked at Ren in terror. "You're telling me to kill you? To kill myself? Are you out of your mind, Ren Uchiha?!"
Even Hayato Dōgō couldn't believe his ears. Had he heard right? This brat was telling Hidan to stab his own heart immediately. Doing so would mean both boys dying right there. Hayato had intended to kill Ren to eliminate the anomaly, but he hadn't even given the order yet! This Uchiha kid was not only predicting his moves but actively rushing toward death. Is he in that much of a hurry to die? Hayato's mind raced, trying to understand Ren's logic.
Ren looked at Hidan. For a split second, a trace of pity flashed in his eyes, but it was replaced by cold resolve.
"Hidan, haven't you realized it yet?" Ren roared. "The purpose of this ritual, the sacrifices, the extent of his madness! This animal has sacrificed a thousand people. But he still hasn't found what he wants. You, Hidan, are special. You have the body he covets. He brought you here to control you! To make you kill everyone you care about so your agony reaches its peak! He wants to turn you into a human weapon! You're not stupid—you've already seen it!"
Hidan fell to his knees, trembling. "Yes, I see it! But what does that have to do with me killing you?! You said you'd crush the Five Great Nations! You said you'd unify the world! Are you giving up here?!"
Ren shook his head, a look of profound sorrow on his face. "Because I can't stop him. I can't protect you. I have no chakra left, and my body is at its limit. But there is one thing we can do: stop this evil ritual. If you stab your heart now, we both die. He loses. And you won't have the pain of killing those you love. Hidan... this is the best outcome."
Hidan felt as if his soul had been struck by a sledgehammer. His faith in Ren, the man who was supposed to be invincible, was crumbling. This extreme despair, betrayal, and powerlessness surged from Hidan's heart like a tidal wave.
At that moment, Ren took a deep breath. Inside his abdomen, the infant Zero-Tails let out an excited shriek. It was acting like a giant bellows, sucking in the massive dark emotions radiating from Hidan and converting them into pure, dark chakra. Ren felt his broken body being filled with a power so dense he felt he could crush boulders with his bare hands.
Not enough yet, Ren thought. To sustain 'Body Activation' against a Jonin with 'Immortality,' I have to gamble everything. I have to deceive the enemy and my ally alike.
Hayato, regaining his composure, sneered. "Nice plan, kid. But did you forget I'm right here?" He yanked his chakra threads. Hidan's body moved against his will, plucking the spear from the floor and plunging it into his own thigh!
PLUCK!
Three blood holes appeared simultaneously—on Hidan, Ren, and the Bishop.
Hidan wailed in agony. Ren grunted, falling into the blood pool as his leg gave out.
"HAHAHAHAHA!" Hayato laughed maniacally. The hole in his own leg began to heal at a visible, albeit slow, pace. "See, Hidan? This is the power of Jashin! This is immortality! This 'genius' you believed in is nothing but cattle. He can't even stand up! You'd abandon your faith for this trash?"
Hayato grabbed Hidan by his hair, dragging him over to the gasping, bleeding Ren. "Look at him! This is reality! In this land, your only hope is the Hidden God! Now, give up your fantasies. Complete the ritual with me!" He tossed the spear at Hidan's feet.
Hidan stared at the spear, then at the helpless Ren. The physical pain was nothing compared to the void in his chest. His white skeletal markings began to twist and complete their cycle. He was on the verge of a total mental breakdown.
Ren narrowed his eyes. It's time.
He couldn't wait for more chakra. He reached down and touched his abdomen. An Ouroboros-like seal appeared, circling his palm.
Suddenly, the light dimmed. A violent wind surged outward, and a dense cocoon of darkness erupted around Ren. Hayato spun around, his eyes wide.
From the darkness, a figure tore through the cocoon. Ren Uchiha stood up, surrounded by swirling black currents of chakra, his Sharingan glowing like twin dying stars. The blood holes in his gut and leg were instantly filled with new flesh and skin. He was completely healed.
Ren threw his head back and let out a roar of mockery.
"What kind of 'God' is that?! You call that pathetic healing 'immortality'?! LOOK AT ME!"
"THIS... is what real immortality looks like!"