In the vast underground plaza, a twisted old man was forcing a young boy to hold a spear, preparing to stab... something.
So, what was Ren Uchiha doing at this moment?
He was watching the show. Or rather, listening to it, since his eyes were closed.
A minute ago, as he was being pinned to the cross, Ren had squeezed the very last drop of chakra from his desiccated body. It wasn't enough for a high-level jutsu or a forty-meter blade to cut down the Bishop. It wasn't even enough to activate the Sharingan.
But it was enough for an E-rank Escape Jutsu.
As the most basic of ninja arts, it was perfect for slipping out of ropes. While talking to Hidan, Ren silently loosened the ropes on his left leg. Then, seizing the moment when the Bishop turned his back to weave signs, Ren swung his leg up, kicking a scroll hidden in his leg wrappings.
The scroll flew into the air. Ren endured the pain, craned his neck, and caught the yellow parchment in his teeth. He bit through the binding and unfurled it. Biting the tip of his tongue, he let his blood drip onto the script. As the seals began to glow, Ren spat the scroll into the blood pool below.
Hidan saw everything. But following Ren's subtle signal, he stayed quiet, continuing to shout trash talk to distract the Bishop. Ren then closed his eyes, trying to establish a connection with the scroll.
This was the scroll Shennong had given him—the one sealing the Zero-Tails.
In Ren's imagination, this scroll contained a tide of wicked, dark chakra. He expected that opening it would trigger his inner darkness, instantly turning him into a "God of War" like Luminous from Dragon Raja fighting the White King. He'd use infinite body regeneration, infinite chakra, and a "Super Dark Martial Art: Hyperactive Fist" to crush the Bishop in one blow! He'd then save Hidan, earn his eternal admiration, and maybe go find Mangetsu for Round 2.
But... there's always a "but."
What emerged from the scroll wasn't a tide of power. It was a tiny, purplish-black blob of meat that looked... well, questionable.
"Chuu!~"
The little blob, with its two white eyeholes, poked its head out of the blood pool and stared blankly at Ren, who had peeked through one eye.
Ren: "..."
The atmosphere was beyond awkward. The gap between his "invincible Saiyan mode" fantasy and this "blob of crap" reality made Ren fall into a deep, silent depression. He felt like Tom the Cat, wanting to stick ten cigarettes in his mouth at once. It's not smoke I'm exhaling, it's pure misery!
He remembered Shennong's face when he handed over the scroll. "This is the Zero-Tails. It's terrifying, you know!" Ren hadn't expected Shennong to be so generous as to give him the actual creature instead of just a sample of its chakra. This tiny thing had the red hair-tufts and the white mask, but its size... it was like ordering a Lamborghini on Pinduoduo and getting a toy car model.
"Chuu chuu~!"
As if to prove its worth under Ren's dark gaze, the little thing wagged its finger-length tail, splashing a tiny three-centimeter ripple in the blood. Then, losing its balance, it flopped face-first back into the pool.
Ren closed his eyes again. Forget it. He had used his last drop of chakra for an escape jutsu that summoned a "Pokémon" in the middle of a life-or-death ritual. He looked at Hidan, who was still bravely shielding him. Sorry, bro. Looks like I'm destined for the "Sacrificial Victim" script after all. Go ahead, stab me. I don't blame you.
But then, Ren felt an itch on the back of his neck.
"Chuu~!" The little Zero-Tails, unable to understand its master's gloom, crawled up his leg, onto his back, and nestled against his neck. It reached out a tiny, gentlemanly hand, lifted its white mask, and revealed a mouth full of fangs.
CRUNCH!
Suddenly, a system notification flared before Ren's eyes:[You have become the Jinchūriki of the Zero-Tails (Infant Form).][You have learned Dark Chakra Extraction (A-Rank) and Dark Awakening (A-Rank)!]