The silver radiance of the full moon bathed the earth, as a fierce gale howling from the Land of Wind kicked up coarse stones and sand, dancing wildly across the sky.
Beneath the watchful gazes of the divided Surprise Attack Force, the boy in the high-collared black Uchiha robe stepped forward with terrifying calm. He walked past the kneeling Root ninja, navigated through the crowd of conflicted faces, and brushed past the bewildered commander, Shinichi Uchiha.
Then, he stood alone—one boy facing three hundred.
"Wait, Ren Uchiha! What are you doing? Stop! Don't go any further!"
Shinichi's eyes bulged. He lunged forward, reaching out to grab the boy's arm to pull him back. "Come back! Get back here! This isn't the time to play the hero—"
The wind wailed, carrying the cacophony of war cries through the air. Ren took another step forward, narrowly evading Shinichi's grasp, and came to a halt. His voice was level, as if he had finally accepted his fate. Without looking back, he whispered:
"Shinichi-senpai, I'm going to save you. I'm going to... save a lot of people."
Ren turned his head slightly, showing half of his profile to Shinichi. On that half of his face, a Sharingan was wide open like a copper bell, its whites crisscrossed with countless burst capillaries. The single eye was a deep, visceral crimson—looking more like a demon than a human.
Looking into that bloodshot eye, Shinichi's body froze. Breathing suddenly became a struggle, as if the very air around him had been siphoned away by that one glance. A profound terror was descending upon him.
Genjutsu: Sharingan!
Shinichi realized instantly that he was caught in an illusion. Moreover, it was a Genjutsu far more profound and sophisticated than his own. But how? How could this boy, in just a few short hours, completely master the Sharingan illusions that were considered elite even within the Uchiha clan? And not just master them, but surpass them?
Using a two-tomoe to forcibly control a three-tomoe? It was so fast that he hadn't even had the chance to release Mirror Heaven and Earth Change. This was sheer fantasy.
Shinichi's gaze was filled with shock. In the distorted world of the Genjutsu, the boy's expression was grim, as if he were carrying a mountain on his shoulders. His lips, teeth, and skin were all trembling. Then, staring at Shinichi with that wide, singular eye, the boy spoke calmly:
"Shouldering righteousness, carrying dreams, and rescuing despair."
Ren let out a desperate, tragic laugh as he held the Snake seal with shaking hands. "I'm sorry. I have no room left for myself. If you must blame someone... blame yourselves."
Shinichi's heart hammered against his ribs. He felt an ominous dread. He struggled with everything he had, widening his eyes and asking urgently, "What... what are you talking about? Who asked you to save us? Ren Uchiha! Get your ass back here!"
Ren shook his head. His expression turned completely indifferent, as if that fleeting moment of cowardice and frailty had never existed.
"Shinichi-senpai," Ren said softly. "When you get back to the village... please burn some paper for me at my Memorial Stone."
"Now then—"
He formed the final seal and turned away. A pale red chakra swirled around his palm. Then, he slammed his hand into the ground! On the desolate plateau, before the three hundred screaming Sand ninjas, his fingers struck the coarse sand.
[Super: Death Match Barrier!]
The circular runic formula expanded at lightning speed. A pale red light barrier rose, separating Ren from the ninety-man Konoha force and locking him in with the three hundred Sand ninjas.
The Territory expanded! The grand arena of death returned to the stage of the ninja world.
Ren stood up, looked at his comrades behind the barrier, and offered a faint smile. He waved his hand slightly and whispered:
"Farewell..."
With that, the boy turned back without a hint of hesitation and began to walk toward the enemy.
"You... you... you..."
Shinichi ground his teeth so hard they nearly shattered, his Sharingan spinning frantically. The emotions raging in his chest were enough to burst his heart. "Wait! Stop! Ren Uchiha, you're throwing your life away! Let me go! Let me go! Please, come back!"
Driven by the sheer intensity of his emotions, he finally broke free from the Genjutsu. He rushed forward and slammed a fist into the barrier. But the punch only sent a faint ripple across the surface. It didn't budge.
Shinichi's face went blank. He stared through the barrier at the solitary back of the boy walking toward three hundred enemies. His eyes widened until they were bloodshot.
Ren Uchiha... he's actually... he's going to fight three hundred Sand ninjas alone?
The entire Konoha Surprise Attack Force watched in absolute shock. Shinichi turned around like a madman and grabbed the person behind him.
"Ichiji! Ichiji! Take your Wind Style squad and combine it with my Fire Style! We can do it! And Akichi, your Fang Passing Fang is powerful too! Help me! Help me shatter this barrier! I have to break it! I have to save that kid!"
Shinichi was frantic, pleading with them. He didn't know why he was so desperate, but the sight of the boy's back had completely shattered his mental defenses.
Suddenly, the Root ninja with the bird mask flickered into existence before them. He drew his blade and pressed it against Shinichi's neck.
"Stop," he commanded coldly. "Take one more step and you are traitors."
"What did you say?!" Shinichi glared at him, his neck pressing against the blade. "You expect us to watch a child go to his death?!"
"Hmph." The Root ninja didn't bother to explain.
But in the next instant, a kodachi was drawn in a beautiful arc—moving at a speed completely invisible to the naked eye—and pressed against the Root ninja's spine.
Behind him stood Shisui Uchiha. His eyes were wide, and a trail of blood-tear ran down his cheek. His voice was hoarse and icy.
"You'd better give me an explanation. Otherwise... I will kill you."
The Root ninja turned his head and saw Shisui staring at him with cold, murderous eyes. In Shisui's right eye, the two-tomoe had unknowingly evolved into a three-tomoe. Looking into those sinister eyes, the Root ninja felt an involuntary shiver.
He sheathed his sword and looked at the boy's back inside the barrier. He took a deep breath.
"You are all wrong," he said, his voice deep. "He is not just a child."
The Root ninja looked up with a fanatical gaze. "He is the beloved disciple of the Sannin, Konoha's secret weapon. He is one who understands the Will of Root and walked out from the darkness—a Living Shura!"
"And," he continued, "he is the core member of the Special Operations Squad assigned to this mission—Ren Uchiha!"
A collective gasp echoed through the ranks. "What? He is the member of the Special Squad?!"
The Root ninja ignored them. He stared at Ren's back, his mind flickering back to the city buried by the ocean and the ruins where he had stood before. He looked at the boy's back as if looking at the sun.
"Watch closely," the Root ninja commanded, crossing his arms. "His mission has only one objective: Victory!"
Inside the barrier, Ren stood alone against the Sand army. He began to walk. One step, two steps, three... then he crouched low and exploded into a charge!
The wind whipped his hair and made his black robe snap behind him. Beneath a sky filled with the first volley of kunai, amidst the fanatical war cries of the Sand ninjas, on a battlefield where only the winner would walk out alive—
Ren Uchiha lunged forward, his hands blurring into seals.
Boar - Dog - Bird - Monkey - Ram!
He widened his eyes, leaped high into the air, and let out a roar that echoed across the plateau!
"SUMMONING JUTSU!"
"MANDA!"