Jiraiya must have said something to Choza Akimichi before leaving, because in the short window between his conversation with Ren Uchiha and his departure, the atmosphere of the entire camp shifted violently.
The ninjas who had been gathered in small groups playing cards vanished, leaving only scattered decks on the ground. Konoha shinobi poured out of every tent—some fully armed, some wrapped in bandages, others carrying massive shuriken. Even the dog sitting by the tent flap was hauled away by its owner by the scruff of its neck.
A long line formed in front of the supply warehouse. Amidst the clinking of metal, various ninja tools were dumped from burlap sacks as the rhythmic sounds of roll calls and inventory checks filled the air. In the central clearing, Genin children—looking like little radishes—hauled timber to build a high platform. Despite it being day, the braziers around the clearing were already being doused with oil and lit.
The dense sound of footsteps, whispered conversations, the rustle of gear being checked, the crackle of firewood, and the swish of kunai spinning through fingers... all these sights and sounds wove together.
A heavy, solemn aura of impending conflict spread! This made Ren realize with absolute clarity: War was coming.
Thump-thump! Thump-thump!
His heart began to race in sync with the tension. His blood started to boil. Even the Zero-Tails inside his abdomen perked up. Sensing the massive amount of fear and darkness in the surroundings, it began banging its tail against its food bowl, reminding its "idiot master" to open a gap and feed it.
But the storm of war still needed a moment to brew. The Root ninjas hadn't arrived, and Ryoma Aburame had yet to summon him. Before that, Ren had one more session of training to complete. Given his aptitude, he likely wouldn't master anything complex in such a short time, but if he was going to plunge into a death match, he couldn't afford to miss any chance to grow stronger.
With that thought, Ren's gaze hardened. He moved against the flow of the crowd, brushing past the departing Konoha ninjas as he marched out of the camp.
Behind the Konoha camp lay a quiet forest.
The surroundings were deathly silent. Crows perched on branches, their wings rustling as they watched Ren's approach. Unlike the foul, miasma-filled forests of the Land of Rain, this place felt eerie and dark in a different way. Massive trees reached for the sky, their interlocking branches blotting out every ray of sunlight. Even at noon, it remained chillingly cool.
Deep within the forest, he found a pond about a hundred meters wide. In the center of the pond, a figure sat cross-legged on a large rock, his eyes closed. The stray beams of sunlight that filtered through formed a golden halo around him.
The man wore the Uchiha shirt and a Jonin flak jacket. He was tall and looked cold. It was Shinichi Uchiha, who had clearly been waiting for some time.
As Ren approached, a line of text flashed before his eyes:
[Shinichi Uchiha is extremely dissatisfied with your lateness. He wants to grind your head into the dirt and piss on your face.]
As the text appeared, the young Uchiha sitting on the rock snapped his eyes open. Three black tomoe spun slowly in his pupils.
"Counting the three hours this morning, you are exactly four hours late," he spoke coldly. "To be honest, Ren Uchiha, you make me very unhappy."
Ren furrowed his brow, feeling utterly confused. He checked the text again. This is the 'powerful and gentle' person Shisui talked about? If it weren't for the subtitle system, I wouldn't have known you wanted to give me a golden shower.
Seeing the man's accusatory stance, Ren simply activated his Sharingan. He made a point to avoid eye contact, looking only from the chin down.
"What do you want?" Ren asked plainly. "If you want to fight, fine. I'm in."
He gripped the hilt of his Kusanagi sword, flicking it up just enough to reveal a sliver of the blade. He was ready for combat.
However, seeing Ren's stance, Shinichi shook his head and let out a cold laugh.
"I have to say, you're lucky. Circumstances prevented you from reaching Hell Valley. That's why you have the delusion that you are capable of challenging a three-tomoe Uchiha."
He paused, then snorted, widening his Sharingan disdainfully. "Before I teach you Ninjutsu, I think I'll teach you how to speak to your seniors!"
"I'll give you a free move, Ren Uchiha. Give it everything you've got. If you so much as make me budge, I'll count it as my loss!"
Ren frowned. He sensed something was off but couldn't put his finger on it. He had been careful not to look into the three-tomoe eyes. Theoretically, he shouldn't be under a Genjutsu. But the man was so confident... Is he some hidden Uchiha prodigy?
Since the man was practically begging for a beating, Ren decided to fulfill his wish. Without a word, he raised his hands.
One hand slammed onto his heart; the other onto his abdomen, his fingers digging into his skin. Beneath one set of fingers, brilliant white flames erupted. Beneath the other, a dark Ouroboros pattern spun counter-clockwise!
Fire Style: Chakra Mode!
Forbidden Art: Body Revival!
Zero-Tails: Dark Awakening!
Undying Body!
All activated at once! A violent firestorm suddenly erupted in the silent forest! A miniature sun rose from the flat ground, and within that sun, a pitch-black cocoon trembled. It looked like a giant Sharingan with no tomoe.
Inside that "Eye of the Sun," Ren stepped out of the black cocoon, holding a blade of flowing fire. He looked tall and handsome, his waist-length black hair dancing wildly. His entire being radiated a unique aura: calm, fiery, tyrannical—majesty and brilliance fused into one.
Ren raised his sword, pointing it at Shinichi sitting in the center of the pond. He calmly spoke the name of the move:
"GANA~!"
BOOM!
The flowing fire sword expanded violently, restructuring itself into a colossal blade of flame! It spanned the distance from the edge of the pond to the center in an instant, surging toward Shinichi.
The forty-meter fire sword appeared! The mere air pressure from its eruption flattened a circle of surrounding trees.
However, after firing the strike, Ren's brow furrowed. "A Shadow Clone? No, it didn't even pop into smoke."
The sensation was wrong. The blade had passed right through Shinichi as if he weren't there. Ren carefully sensed his body's condition and his expression twisted. He let out a frustrated sigh.
"Damn it! I'm in a Genjutsu again!"
The fire of the Chakra Mode should have brought him actual burning pain, like being roasted on a grill. And under the Zero-Tails' influence, his mind shouldn't be this peaceful.
I'm definitely under a Genjutsu. Ren gritted his teeth. He couldn't figure out where it went wrong. When did he fall for it?
Meanwhile, in the real world...
Shinichi Uchiha sat in the center of the pond, his hands held in a seal to maintain the Genjutsu. He swallowed hard. Looking through the veil of the illusion into the world he had created, his face contorted. Sweat poured down his forehead and back.
He stared at the "ordinary" boy standing by the pond with sheer disbelief and bone-chilling horror.
The kid clearly didn't realize he had been under a Genjutsu from the very first moment he saw the pond. That meant... that terrifying, overwhelming attack that made Shinichi feel completely powerless to resist...
He actually knows how to do that?!
Shinichi panted heavily, his eyes wide with shock. He had prepared a whole curriculum for the Genjutsu world—shurikenjutsu, fire style, Sharingan application—all designed to make the kid watch in awe before Shinichi smugly revealed it was all an illusion.
But the script had suddenly undergone a freak mutation.
"Are you kidding me?!" Shinichi thought frantically. "How can he be this strong?!"