On the surface, the landscape was a mess of chaos.
Giant snakes coiled through uprooted forests, deep ravines carved into the earth, and shattered rocks were driven into the soil like javelins.
Orochimaru stood atop a towering Rashomon gate, looking down at the ravaged battlefield.
His expression was twisted with cold fury.
"He actually escaped..."
The Sannin's voice was a low hiss, his golden slit pupils narrowing as he glared at a massive hole in the ground. Orochimaru had come here for one thing: the forbidden Body Revival technique held by Shinnō.
His original plan was to drive Shinnō into the underground caverns, using the terrain to trap him with a swarm of summoned snakes. But for some reason, the man had lingered outside the trap for ages. Desperate for the immortality he craved, Orochimaru had finally intervened personally.
Naturally, Shinnō—possessing only incomplete Zero-Tails chakra—was no match for a Legendary Sannin. Seeing the tide turn, Shinnō had feinted, forcing Orochimaru to summon the Triple Rashomon, and used that opening to burrow into the earth and flee. By the time Orochimaru reacted, the man was already two kilometers away, taking to the skies in a flying machine.
Even Manda's acute sense of smell couldn't track someone through the open air.
"Sky Ninjas... Hmph."
Orochimaru suppressed his killing intent, taking a deep breath to steady his emotions. He frowned, calculating his remaining time. The Third Great Ninja War was about to erupt, and the Third Hokage would likely deploy him to the Land of Fields or the Land of Rain soon. He had to secure a regeneration technique before then.
Beneath the gate, the massive purple serpent, Manda, raised its head and snarled.
"Orochimaru! You promised me a hundred human sacrifices. Where are they?"
Orochimaru leaped onto Manda's head, his gaze cold. "Go underground. There are thousands of sacrifices waiting there."
He licked his lips, a sinister glint in his eyes.
"Let's see just how 'immortal' this cult's body really is..."
Deep Within the Underground Cavern...
The pale red barrier expanded, sealing the chamber. But outside that light, the sound of rhythmic, rustling footsteps began to echo.
The first to arrive were five Uchiha shinobi, led by Fugaku Uchiha.
They emerged from the ceiling, clinging to the stone overhead like bats, looking down at the unfolding scene.
Fugaku's Sharingan flared to life, scanning the battlefield. He noted the barrier and the boy charging toward the Jashin High Priest.
"That barrier... it resembles the Cloud's Regeneration Barrier, but stronger," Fugaku mused. "Did the cult leader cast it to keep others out? And that boy... is that Ren Uchiha?"
Fugaku knew that a concentrated volley of Uchiha Fire Style could shatter such a barrier. However, before he could act, he sensed another presence in a dark corner of the cavern.
There, a small white snake suddenly vomited out a scroll.
The scroll erupted in a cloud of smoke, summoning a giant grey-black python. From the serpent's maw, a figure crawled out.
Fugaku's pupils contracted.
Pale skin, long black hair, and golden vertical pupils. He recognized him instantly: Orochimaru.
The two Leaf shinobi made eye contact. Neither moved.
Fugaku wondered what role Ren played in Orochimaru's schemes, while Orochimaru wondered why the Uchiha Police Force had suddenly arrived in force. The Uchiha were notoriously arrogant; they rarely cared for the secrets of others.
In a moment of silent, mutual understanding, both sides held their breath.
Fugaku wanted to see what Ren was capable of.
Orochimaru wanted to study the effects of the "Immortal Body."
They both turned their eyes toward the center of the barrier.
Even Deeper Underground...
White Zetsu watched the cavern fill with heavy hitters, feeling utterly confused.
Madara Uchiha had ordered him to plant a spore on the boy inside the barrier, but with so many Sharingans and Orochimaru's snakes around, even his Mayfly technique wasn't a guarantee of total stealth.
"Is everyone just bored?" Zetsu muttered to himself.
Madara's secret base, built over decades, had never been this crowded. He remained hidden, watching Ren silently.
Inside the Barrier...
Ren had no idea the "audience seats" were now filled with the elite of the ninja world.
With the Dark Chakra swirling around him like a black tide, he felt like Danzo reincarnated—absolute focus, no hesitation.
He drew a kunai, threw it, and lunged!
Hayato Togo's shock turned into a dark scowl. He realized he'd been played. Ren's words to Hidan were a distraction to buy time for this burst.
"You little brat... you're a glitch in the system!"
Togo dodged the kunai and counter-charged. He pulled a black spear from his sleeve, thrusting it violently toward Ren's chest.
Ren's gaze went cold. He flipped backward, kicking the spear aside. Before he landed, he gripped the air. The kunai he had thrown earlier—now pinned in the ground—flashed as the black thread attached to it snapped taut.
The wire became a razor-sharp blade.
Ren landed, a spray of water erupting from his feet as he slid across the floor.
Wire Slicing + Water Style: Water Surface Slice.
Using his dizzying speed and gymnastic agility, Ren turned the thread into a five-meter-long blade, swinging it directly at Togo's hand.
Togo gasped.
The Jashin immortality meant you could survive a crushed heart, but regrowing a severed limb took time! Ren's opening move was aimed precisely at a crippling weakness.
"Don't mock me!"
Togo snarled, his face contorting. He pulled a second black spear with his free hand to block the wire blade.
But that was exactly what Ren had calculated.
The wire was a feint—a lure to force a defense.
Six shuriken had already been pinned in a circle around Togo's feet.
Ren leaped high into the air once more. His fingers manipulated the threads attached to those shuriken, pulling them toward the center with a violent, wrenching motion.
Six blades of light converged!
For the first time, Togo's eyes filled with genuine terror.