The barrier shattered into dust, leaving the combatants in a state of sudden shock.
Ren Uchiha's pupils contracted as he stared at the ancient blade extending nearly a hundred meters across the cavern floor. He recognized it instantly—the Kusanagi Sword, the very blade Orochimaru would use in the future to strike down his own master.
The realization hit him like a physical blow: Orochimaru had arrived.
The butterfly effect of Ren's presence had finally spiraled out of control. Originally, Shennong should have been the sacrifice Hidan brought here, leading to Orochimaru's ambush. But because Ren's own [Forbidden Jutsu: Body Activation] had drawn the scientist's attention, Shennong had stayed back, out of reach. Now, the Great Snake's eyes were fixed on the new prize.
Ren's breath hitched. He turned his head stiffly toward the darkness.
The rhythmic sound of footsteps drew closer—urgent, greedy, and fanatical. A pair of golden serpentine pupils ignited in the gloom, making Ren feel like a mouse pinned under the gaze of a cold-blooded python.
However, just as the darkness prepared to swallow him—
Shing! Shing! Shing!
Three kunai slammed into the earth at Orochimaru's feet. High above, on the cavern's ceiling, five pairs of crimson eyes flared simultaneously.
The Uchiha elite had made their move. Four Jonin surrounded Orochimaru from all sides, while at the front, Fugaku Uchiha opened his fierce Sharingan, staring down the legendary Sannin with cold indifference.
The tension in the air turned leaden. Even Orochimaru hesitated; while he was confident, facing the legendary Captain of the Police Force and four elite Uchiha was a gamble even he wasn't sure he could win.
Ren didn't care about the standoff above. He had less than ten seconds of Body Activation left.
He leaped over the extended Kusanagi blade like a high-jumper and lunged at Hayato Dōgō, his water blade screaming through the air.
"DIE, YOU ANIMAL!"
Ren roared, his bloodshot eyes glowing. He unleashed a rising lunar slash, a shimmering arc of water intended to sever Hayato's arms and stop his casting once and for all.
But as he closed in, he saw it. A smile on Hayato's face—twisted, agonizing, and filled with a manic, vengeful joy.
"It's happening again!" Hayato laughed, his voice a ragged screech. "The pain of losing everything! The despair of being overridden by sudden power! But this time... the anomaly is on MY side!"
BOOM!
A brilliant blossom of blood erupted from Hayato's chest—directly over his heart. The spray was so violent it coated Ren's face in warm, copper-scented liquid.
[Warning: Special Equipment 'Earth Grudge Fear Heart' has been destroyed. Experience in Water Nature Transformation retained.]
Ren's strength vanished in an instant. He plummeted from the air, crashing hard against the stone floor. He looked down, his vision blurring.
There was a gaping hole in his left chest. The Earth Grudge Fear Heart that should have been thumping in his ribs had been pulverized, shredded by an invisible force.
"Cough... agh!" Ren vomited a mouthful of blood.
He didn't check his own wound. He turned his head frantically toward Hidan.
There was only one explanation: The moment the barrier broke, Hayato had thrown a spear. That spear had struck Hidan's heart, linking the damage through the ritual to all three of them.
Hidan knelt a few yards away, his eyes hollow and vacant. He looked at Ren, a black spear protruding from his chest.
Three blood holes—gut, leg, and heart—were pouring out rivers of red. Hidan's face was deathly pale, looking more like a ghost than a boy. He gasped for air like a drowning man, reaching out a trembling hand toward Ren.
"Ren..." Hidan rasped, a silent, helpless plea in his blood-rimmed mouth. "Big brother..."
"I... I'm so cold..."
His lips moved in a stuttering rhythm, his eyes filled with fear, regret, and a lingering, unfinished dream.
"I guess... I won't get to see you... become a God of Jashin after all..."
Ren's pupils shrank to pinpricks. He watched as Hidan's head slumped forward, lifeless.
In that instant, the black tomoe in Ren's eyes spun with a violent, chaotic speed. A sharp, piercing wave of killing intent erupted from his soul, fueled by the Zero-Tails as it converted his absolute despair into a dark, suffocating tide of chakra.
Ren stood up, silent and numb. His teeth were bared, his face twitching with a grief so profound it manifested as physical pressure. He turned his head back to Hayato, who was basking in his sick pleasure.
"What did you do...?" Ren's voice was a low, guttural growl that shook the very blood in the pool.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
"YOU FILTHY PIECE OF TRASH!!"
"WHAT THE F**K HAVE YOU DONE?!!!"
Chakra exploded from Ren, creating a howling gale that sent stone shards flying. The blood pool churned in a frenzy.
Forbidden Jutsu: Body Activation—100% Output!
In the hollow void of his chest, strands of muscle and vessels began to weave together at a terrifying speed, birthing a brand-new heart.
From its first beat, it was bright, incandescent, and burning with a savage heat. It was a heart born purely for destruction—a heart made of fire.
Fire Style: Chakra Mode—
RELEASED!