On the battlefield, a torrential wave of chakra erupted from Ren Uchiha.
He raised his gaze slowly, his crimson Sharingan locking onto Hayato Togo with predatory precision. A shockwave of black aura radiated from him, surging in every direction.
The pool of blood churned violently. The wooden crosses groaned and rattled. Even the crimson light pulsating from Hidan's ritual circle flickered, destabilized by the sheer malice of this dark chakra.
Ren was currently trapped in a dual state of mind. Under the influence of the Dark Chakra, shadows of sinister thoughts clawed at his consciousness.
His killing intent was soaring to such heights that he almost felt the urge to perform a "Star-Lord dance"—showing off the secret combat moves he'd been practicing in private just to spite his enemies.
However, thanks to his Combat Instinct, he didn't lose his sanity despite the extreme malice. At the very least, his tactical mind remained sharp:
Identify the enemy. Confirm the intel. Harvest the Dark Chakra.
Trigger the burst. Win the fight.
His plan followed Shikamaru's playbook: dismember the opponent and bury them deep.
Ren had originally intended to accumulate enough Dark Chakra to sustain the forbidden technique, Body Revival, for five minutes. But because he had been forced to tap into the chakra prematurely, the technique was imperfect.
"Two minutes."
He only had a two-minute window for this burst. If he couldn't settle the score within 120 seconds, the show would be over.
Currently, his arsenal consisted of:
1. Two minutes of high-speed regeneration.
2. His own chakra reserves, augmented by two separate eye-opening stimulations—roughly equivalent to a standard Jonin's level.
Without further research, the violent Dark Chakra couldn't be used directly for ninjutsu; it served only as a fuel source for the Body Revival technique.
And then there was his "little brother," Hidan.
In his Curse: Death Controlling Blood state, a single stab to Hidan was a strike against all three of them. By exploiting the time difference between Hidan's immortality and Ren's Body Revival, a lethal trap could be set.
But looking at Hidan's tattered state, the kid was one or two stabs away from collapsing entirely.
Ren's strategy had to be flawless.
Within three seconds, his plan was set.
Step one: Engage.
Ren's expression turned savage. His Sharingan spun violently as he lunged forward, landing in front of Hidan. His hands blurred through a sequence of seals before he slammed his palms onto the ground!
"Super Death Match Barrier!"
A massive circular array of cryptic runes expanded instantly. A pale red dome of light locked onto Hayato Togo, separating him from Ren and Hidan as it flared to life.
A domain inherited and surpassed from the Hidden Cloud.
The Domain was expanded!
Above Ground: The Castle Ruins...
Five figures descended onto the rubble. At their head stood a tall man in a deep blue robe, the Uchiha fan emblazoned proudly on his back. His face was stern, his features sharp.
This was Fugaku Uchiha, leading a squad to recover their missing clansman.
Fugaku took a deep breath as he surveyed the collapsed castle and the wreckage of the main hall. He spotted the telltale marks of Uchiha Style: Wire-Manipulation Shurikenjutsu on the walls—the same marks he had seen on the outer fortifications.
He was now certain. The boy he was so desperate to see, Ren Uchiha, was here.
However... Fugaku's brow furrowed as he analyzed the destruction.
This level of combat was far beyond what a Genin should be capable of handling.
And it wasn't just here. From the volcanic ruins to the sliced fortifications and the shattered cliffside... the intensity of the battles had been escalating. Looking at these battlefields, even Fugaku felt a chill.
Just who was this kid, Ren Uchiha?
How strong had he become to survive this series of life-and-death encounters?
Had he already awakened those forbidden eyes?
Fugaku suspected he had. There was no other logical explanation for how a child could still be breathing after such a frenzied escalation of violence.
Shisui Uchiha called him the bridge between the clan and the village.
Setsuna Uchiha was willing to die for him.
Seiichiro Uchiha had recklessly charged the Jashin Cult headquarters just to find him.
Just what kind of person are you, Ren?
"Captain," an Uchiha member reported, stepping forward. "The ground here isn't normal. I'm sensing traces of chakra underneath."
"Hmm?"
Fugaku turned, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan spinning as he scanned the floor. A moment later, his hands blurred through seals:
Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger!
He cupped his fingers to his mouth and unleashed a Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!
The intense heat, far surpassing a standard fireball, blasted through the floor, melting the stone to reveal a pitch-black tunnel leading downward.
Another Uchiha member immediately performed a Summoning Jutsu, bringing forth an orange ninja cat wearing a red vest. This was Hina, one of Granny Cat's elite subordinates.
"Hina, I need you to catch a scent," Fugaku said, crouching by the hole.
Hina froze, her brow furrowing as she raised a paw as if to scratch him. "That's rude, meow! Fugaku, you're treating me like a—"
Before the cat could finish, Fugaku pulled out his wallet and stuffed a 10,000-ryo note into her paw.
Hina's eyes turned into ryo signs: ($$)!
"Ahem... treating me like a trusted partner, meow! In that case, I shall assist you."
Hina happily tucked the cash away and twitched her black nose. In some ways, a cat's nose was even more sensitive than a dog's. Within seconds, she nodded knowingly.
"The boy's scent is down there. But..."
Fugaku wordlessly produced a 100,000-ryo note and handed it over.
Hina's nose twitched again. "There is a heavy scent of blood down there. And I can hear... screaming. It's the kind of screaming someone only makes when they are being tortured, meow."
The surrounding Uchiha ninjas erupted in fury, their Sharingans flaring to life.
"Dammit! They dare torture a child of the Uchiha?!"
"Captain, let's slaughter our way down!"
"This is unacceptable! We should burn this Jashin Cult to the ground!"
"Captain, if you give the word, we'll send a hawk to the Valley of Hell. We'll bring a hundred Uchiha here and replace the Daimyo of the Land of Steam if we have to!"
Fugaku nodded to Hina, then raised a hand to silence his men.
"Calm yourselves," he commanded coldly. "Follow me down. No one strikes without my order."
He narrowed his eyes. "That boy... he is far stronger than you imagine. Perhaps... even stronger than you."
The Uchiha squad members shook their heads in disbelief. They didn't dare argue openly, but they whispered among themselves:
"Him? The kid who couldn't even handle a trip to the Red-Light District?"
"The kid who only takes D-rank missions? Please..."
"I remember Seiichiro telling us that kid wanted to be the 'glory' of the clan or something?"
They could pity a child, but they wouldn't accept that he was stronger than them. Not unless he beat them down and poured boiling water on them himself.
Watching the mixed expressions of his subordinates, Fugaku Uchiha shook his head.
Without another word, he leaped into the darkness.