Heaven have mercy—Ren Uchiha had only recently awakened his Sharingan.
No one had ever taught him how to use these eyes.
Forget about Genjutsu; all he could actually utilize was the basic "Observation" function of the single-tomoe Sharingan. He couldn't even copy Ninjutsu yet; he could only mimic physical Taijutsu he had seen before.
In that split second earlier, Ren had truly gambled his life on a reckless bluff.
If the opponent had insisted on swinging that spear, Ren—with a crippled leg, no Body Flicker Technique, no Genjutsu, and no time to set up a Substitution log—would have had zero room to dodge.
Life and death hung on a single thought.
Unfortunately for the cultist, a boy who knew no Genjutsu successfully convinced him that he was a master of illusions.
Ren had won the bet.
Dragging his right leg, Ren slowly crawled toward the Jashin leader. His face grew dark and heavy with a strange sense of disappointment.
These losers... How can three mid-rankers get counter-killed by one kid? Do they even know how to play the game?
You already used the Death Controlling Blood curse—why didn't you just stab yourself in the heart? You scream 'Evil God' this and 'Pain' that, so why not actually sacrifice yourself?
Would it kill you to stab yourself a few more times?!
On the other side, the Jashin leader was paralyzed with fear.
He watched Ren approaching like a frost-covered wraith, his back drenched in cold sweat. Unlike the future Hidan, he didn't possess an "Immortal Body" granted by the cult's bizarre sacrifices. That stab to his own leg? He felt every bit of it.
Moreover, to cripple Ren, he hadn't stopped his own bleeding. Now, due to massive blood loss, the cultist's dark face was turning a sickly, pale white.
In limiting Ren, he had also limited himself.
And so, the final result was inevitable.
Ren shuffled forward a few more steps, a ferocious grin stretching across his face. He snatched a black spear embedded in the ground, his body arching back like a bow drawn to full moon tension!
WHOOSH!
The black spear tore through the air, carving a lunar arc!
With one powerful strike, Ren sent the cult leader flying out of the ritual circle, instantly breaking the connection of the Death Controlling Blood curse.
Then, a flash of black light followed. The spear pierced the leader's throat, pinning him firmly to the earth.
The Jashin Leader—Dead!
At that moment, the familiar notifications of his talent rang in his mind.
[Ding!]
[You have fiercely retaliated against the enemy who mocked you. The opponent is dead and unable to argue.]
[The intensity of the retaliation was high; a Critical Strike reward has been generated.]
[You have obtained a random skill from the opponent: Wind Style: Air Drilling Blast (Proficient, C-Rank)]
[Skill has Critically Upgraded! Current Attribute: Wind Style: Decapitating Extreme Wave (Master, B-Rank)]
[You have obtained a random skill: Rope Escape Technique (E-Rank)]
[Your Heartsteel stacks have increased.]
The crimson barrier that had touched the sky finally dissolved. Ren gasped for air and collapsed onto his backside, his body covered in water and dust. The bloody hole in his right leg was a gruesome sight.
Around him... silence.
The villagers in the square stared blankly at Ren, the boy who had killed three cultists single-handedly.
But there were no cheers. No flowers. No praise.
The woman clutching little Yuko's hand stared in horror at the unmoving bodies of the three cultists. In the next heartbeat, her shock turned into pure, unadulterated terror.
Driven by this fear, the woman stepped forward, pointing an accusing finger at Ren's nose, her voice shrill and hysterical:
"You monster! What have you done?!"
"You actually killed the Lords of the Jashin Cult!"
"Do you have any idea what this will bring upon us?!"
The woman leaned against a wall, as if all her strength had been drained. She began to laugh and cry at the same time, her face contorted.
"It's over... it's all over."
"We're all going to die here. Haha... die right here."
A sudden wave of malice washed over her. Snarling, she pushed Yuko aside and lunged forward, clawing at Ren's face as if to tear it apart in vent of her rage.
Before she could reach him, the hooded girl flickered in front of Ren. She extended a delicate palm, blocking the woman's path. She didn't say a word, but her emerald eyes were cold as she formed a one-handed seal.
A rotating water blade began to take shape in her hand.
"Get lost!"
Ren didn't have the energy to care about his surroundings. Due to blood loss, he was dizzy, short of breath, and his limbs felt like ice.
He looked at his wounds and let out a satisfied smirk. With injuries this severe and no medical ninja around... I'm definitely a goner!
Ren tried to shake his head to stay conscious, but the world went black. He tumbled forward into unconsciousness.
Just before his eyes closed, he saw Hidan dragging Shennong toward him.
The smile on Ren's face froze. A look of genuine horror flashed in his eyes.
Wait... no... damn it, don't come over here!
Ren remembered—Shennong was a medical ninja! And not just any medic, but a high-level one second only to Tsunade, capable of performing advanced techniques like the Mystical Palm Jutsu with ease.
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
In an underground cavern beneath a large refugee camp outside the Land of Steam.
Rivers of blood flowed past forests of bleached bones. Within the deep, dark wind tunnels, the faint, piercing wails of the suffering echoed.
An Archbishop of the Jashin Cult, dressed in black robes with a pale complexion, stood by a pool of blood. He turned his head as a subordinate flickered into view and knelt.
"My Lord, we have found it."
"Found what?" the Archbishop asked coldly.
The subordinate smiled morbidly. "We have found the child with the special constitution you mentioned. Three elites have been dispatched to that village to bring the child back. Soon, we may truly create an 'Immortal Monster'!"
The Archbishop narrowed his eyes, a slow grin spreading across his face.
"Good... very good indeed..."
"Lord Jashin will be most pleased with this sacrifice!"
However, neither of them noticed a small white snake lying quietly in a corner of the blood pool. It watched everything in silence, its forked tongue flickering... Ssss~
Night fell.
The sky was cloudless, the full moon casting a silvery glow. A roaring campfire illuminated the dark wilderness.
Ren Uchiha slowly opened his eyes.
Nearby, a young girl stood atop a tree stump, staring into the dark horizon with a heavy heart. Her reddish-brown hair fluttered in the wind. Hearing movement, she turned around.
Ren saw the girl with the emerald eyes again. She had taken off her hood, revealing an exquisite and lovely face.
A lock of her brownish-red hair curled near her luminous white ear, while the rest was pulled back into a bun shaped like a crescent moon. She looked like a fairy descended from the moonlight.
"You're awake?"
"Where am I?" Ren struggled to sit up, realizing he was wrapped in fresh bandages. He tried to move his right leg and discovered, with a stone-cold expression...
He had been healed. It was still tender, but it no longer hindered his movement.
"You killed the Jashin cultists. The villagers were not welcoming, so we were kicked out."
The girl crouched down, studying Ren's face with intense curiosity.
"I have to ask..." she began. "Are you really not afraid of death?"
Under the gaze of those clear green eyes, Ren felt his face heat up. He coughed quickly to change the subject.
"Have you seen Hidan?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, a voice full of resentment erupted from nearby—
"Ren, you bastard! I'm going to kill you!"