"Bro, where's my five hundred million!?"
Hearing that interrogation—filled with confusion, helplessness, anger, and a touch of despair—Ren Uchiha snapped his eyes open.
As if in a dream, he looked on in shock at himself from before the transmigration.
Or rather, this was the state of his soul three months ago when he first left Konoha. It was the version of himself whose thoughts were frozen in that day a year ago when the truck hit him; a self that refused any kindness from the outside world, intensely withdrawn, single-mindedly grinding D-rank missions like a masochist, hoping to either drop dead from exhaustion or die in a ditch.
"Uh... this..."
Under the weight of that question, Ren found himself momentarily speechless. He didn't know how to explain the current situation to... well, himself.
In an instant, thanks to his Sharingan and Sage-enhanced body, he fully understood the mechanics of the Falls of Truth.
Theoretically, this was a unique Yin-style Sage Art. The jagged stone pillars on Turtle Island disturbed the natural energy, which then extracted the spiritual energy from the mind of the person sitting there. The fusion of the two created this phenomenon.
Ren internally dubbed it: Sage Art: One Soul, Two Faces.
The technique drew upon the user's chakra, and the natural energy split that chakra—imbued with the user's will—into a Yin-Yang structure, manifesting a "self" with power identical to the user within this specific barrier.
However, Ren could clearly sense that this replicated version of himself had a pitifully small amount of chakra—not even enough to perform a single Orochi-Style Substitution. One casual strike from Ren would physically destroy this shadow.
This was because the Sage Heart, which was packed with a terrifying volume of natural energy, could not be replicated. Turtle Island simply didn't possess enough natural energy to copy that.
But the condition for passing the trial of the Falls of Truth wasn't combat. It was self-acceptance.
In other words, Ren had to make his dark side—the "him" from three months ago—acknowledge who he was now.
The thought made his head throb. He knew himself better than anyone; his past self was a stubborn youth who wouldn't turn back even if he hit a brick wall!
Still, he had to try. He opened his mouth to speak. "Look, bro, I—"
Before he could get four words out, the older Ren let out a roar of fury. He reached up, violently ripped a piece of rebar out of his own forehead, and slammed it onto the ground.
"Shut up!"
"You're finished, Ren Uchiha. You've been corrupted by the evils of capitalism!"
"Does your brain even have a single thought left for our five hundred million!?"
Clang!
The rebar hit the ground with a crisp metallic ring. A geyser of blood immediately erupted from the older Ren's forehead. Seeing this, Ren's scalp tingled with horror. He rushed forward, reaching out to use Cellular Extraction to heal his "self," terrified that he might actually die right in front of him.
"Wait, bro, calm down! We need to be calm!"
"Let's talk about this!"
"Talk!?" The youth's brow twitched in rage. He slapped Ren's hand away.
"What the hell is there to talk about!?"
"Ren Uchiha, did you forget what kind of battle we fought to secure those conditions!?"
"From the day the accidents started... billboards falling, ceilings collapsing, bridges buckling, being taken hostage by bank robbers, fires, serial explosions... I almost got pulverized by a high-speed train while on a bus, and I almost burned to death on a train because someone's cigarette set the whole carriage on fire! I even nearly got electrocuted in my own home just drinking water because of old wiring!"
"That damn Heaven's Way Insurance Company has shoved a poison pill in your mouth, and you don't even realize it!"
"Do you think that insurance policy just fell from the sky? We fought that company for three days and three nights to win that one path to survival!"
"Tell me the truth—"
The older Ren's expression grew heavy—so heavy he looked like he was on the verge of tears. He grabbed Ren's collar, his hands slick with thick, dark blood that smeared across Ren's clothes. His face was twisted and nearly demonic.
It was the look of a man whose efforts had been ruthlessly overturned, whose sacrifices had been betrayed. It was the look of someone driven to the ultimate edge.
He had no Sharingan, no Ketsuryugan, and no golden Sage pupils—yet his gaze was more terrifying than any of them.
"Right now... is there still a place in your head for the five hundred million we decided on?"
Confronted with this, Ren fell silent. He had no answer.
The seconds ticked by.
Seeing Ren's silence, and looking at this younger version of himself—a version that had fully integrated with this new body and changed the very shape of his soul—the older Ren looked stunned. It was as if all the strength had been drained from him.
He let go of Ren's collar and staggered back two steps. He realized that even if someone performed Edo Tensei now, they would summon this child, not him.
It was a supreme irony. A supreme betrayal.
At that thought, the older Ren tilted his head back and let out a shrill, manic laugh.
"Heehee... hahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
In the next moment, his face turned savage. He reached over his shoulder and pulled out a jagged piece of a car bumper that looked like a long blade.
He pressed it against his own throat.
Ren's face paled. He instinctively moved to stop him.
However, the older Ren glared at him with icy eyes, the bumper-blade digging into his skin.
"Don't move!"
"You know me. In this state, I have a dozen ways to end myself."
He glared coldly at Ren. "This is the Falls of Truth, isn't it? I didn't expect you to make it this far. Choosing the Cloud Village was a decent move; it avoids the Uchiha Massacre and gives you time to grow."
"And now? You want to become a Perfect Jinchuriki? Let me guess, which Tailed Beast did you catch?"
"Was it the Seven-Tails? Or did you strike during the events of the Minato Gaiden, kill Kushina, and take the Nine-Tails?"
"But no matter what you choose..." He lowered his head into the deep shadow of the waterfall, his eyes boring into Ren's. "I feel nothing but despair for the future of this world!"
He tilted his chin up, a crazed, blood-slicked smile on his face, and pressed the blade deeper into his neck without a hint of hesitation.
"So, listen—"
"I won't let you succeed!"
"I don't care what your excuses are, you won't stop me!"
"You won't stop me from going home!!!"