Rin didn't look back—he threw himself forward instead.
A black shadow swept past where he had just been standing and smashed into the wall with a dull thud. Rin rolled across the ground and sprang back to his feet, his pupils shrinking as he finally saw the attacker clearly.
That thing… could barely be called human.
Its skin was an unhealthy gray, crisscrossed with black, vein-like patterns. Its eyes were a murky yellow with no pupils at all. Its mouth was stretched unnaturally wide, packed with sharp, jagged teeth. Its fingers had become claws, tipped with long, black nails.
Most disturbingly of all, it was wearing a torn Konoha Chunin uniform—identical to the ones worn by the two injured ninja on the ground.
"Wh-what is that thing…?" the conscious ninja stammered.
"Your teammate?" Rin asked calmly.
"N-no… impossible…" the man gasped. "Our squad only had two people…"
The monster let out a low, guttural growl and lunged again.
It was fast, but its movements were stiff and unnatural, like a puppet being dragged by invisible strings.
Rin sidestepped, his kunai flashing as it sliced across the creature's arm. The cut was deep—but no blood flowed. Instead, a thick, black fluid oozed out.
The monster didn't even react. It turned and continued its attack as if nothing had happened.
Rin fought while observing.
Its taijutsu was crude, relying purely on raw strength and speed. But its defense was abnormally tough—striking it with a kunai felt like chopping into dead wood, leaving only shallow wounds.
And it felt no pain. No fear.
Ninjutsu is the only answer.
Rin retreated several steps and formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
Flames burst forth, engulfing the monster completely. It writhed in the fire, releasing a hoarse, inhuman roar. But only seconds later, it charged out of the flames, its body charred black—yet still moving.
Fire resistance?
Rin frowned.
He knew exactly how powerful Dragon Flame Jutsu was. A normal Chunin would have been incapacitated instantly. For this thing to tank it and keep fighting…
It was no longer human.
Then—
Low growls echoed from two other directions.
Two more monsters emerged from the darkness.
Three creatures closed in from different angles, boxing Rin in. Behind him lay the two injured Chunin.
Tch. Troublesome.
A direct fight was impossible. Too many enemies—and there was no telling how many more were lurking deeper inside the mine.
Retreat was the only option.
"Can you still walk?" Rin asked the conscious ninja.
"I… I'll try…"
The man struggled to his feet and moved to lift his unconscious teammate.
Then—
The "unconscious" ninja's eyes snapped open.
They were the same murky yellow.
"Look out!" Rin shouted.
Too late.
The man lunged forward and sank his teeth into his teammate's neck.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
The bitten ninja screamed, collapsing to the ground in violent convulsions.
Rin rushed in and kicked the attacker away—but it was already over.
A massive chunk of flesh had been torn from the man's neck. Blood poured out like a fountain. Within seconds, his struggles ceased.
Then… his eyes slowly turned yellow.
It's contagious.
Rin's heart sank.
Bites could spread it.
That made avoiding contact absolutely critical.
Three monsters… no—five now.
The two bitten Chunin staggered back to their feet, joining the others as they closed in.
Rin inhaled deeply and began forming hand seals again—far more complex this time.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
An overwhelming torrent of flames erupted, taking the shape of a raging fire dragon that tore through the narrow mine tunnel. All five monsters were swallowed by the inferno, their shrill screams echoing against the stone walls.
The flames burned far longer than before.
Only when Rin's chakra was nearly exhausted did the jutsu finally fade.
Smoke drifted away.
Five charred corpses lay on the ground, completely motionless.
Rin bent over, breathing heavily. That single jutsu had drained almost his entire chakra reserve.
He forced himself upright and examined the bodies.
Beneath the burned flesh, their humanoid shapes were still recognizable—but their internal organs were grotesquely altered. Their hearts were abnormally large, wrapped in blackened veins. Their brains were shrunken, while the brainstems were unnaturally developed.
This wasn't natural.
It was the result of surgical modification.
"…Orochimaru's style."
But something was off.
Orochimaru's modified subjects usually retained intelligence and self-awareness. These creatures were completely bestial.
And the method of transmission…
They're closer to zombies than shinobi.
Rin recalled a detail from the original history—among Orochimaru's early experiments were countless failures. Discarded test subjects that sometimes mutated in unpredictable ways.
These were likely some of those failures.
"But why bring them so close to Konoha?" Rin muttered. "And why lure me here specifically?"
His gaze darkened.
The mission scroll.
The emblem of a snake coiled around a sword.
Was someone using him to test these monsters?
Or using the monsters to test him?
Either way…
Rin straightened and prepared to leave.
Then—
A voice echoed from deep within the mine.
"Impressive."
Soft. Calm. Amused.
Rin spun around instantly, kunai clenched tight in his hand.
A figure emerged from the shadows.
It was not fully human.
The upper body was that of a man, but below the waist was a massive serpent's tail. He wore a mask, but beneath it, the outline of a young man was visible, long hair tied back neatly.
"Who are you?" Rin demanded.
"You may call me Snake Fang," the figure said lightly. "One of Lord Orochimaru's experimental assistants."
So it was Orochimaru.
"Did you release those things?" Rin asked coldly.
"Release? No," Snake Fang replied with a smile. "They escaped on their own. Test subjects are always so disobedient. Still… it worked out perfectly."
"For what?" Rin asked.
"To test," Snake Fang tilted his head. "Modified shinobi versus a naturally grown one like you. It seems the latter is far more… interesting."
Rin stared at him. "So you sent that mission scroll."
"Correct," Snake Fang said, clapping his hands once. "But don't misunderstand—I wasn't trying to kill you. On the contrary, Lord Orochimaru is very interested in you."
"The Uchiha's Bloodline Limit. The power of the Sharingan. He wants to see it with his own eyes."
"So this is an invitation?"
"You could call it that."
Snake Fang pulled out a scroll and tossed it toward Rin.
"This is Lord Orochimaru's greeting gift. Research materials related to the Sharingan… and methods involving Wood Release cells."
Rin caught the scroll but didn't open it.
"And the conditions?"
"None," Snake Fang said calmly. "Lord Orochimaru simply hopes you survive—and grow well. After all…"
"You are very valuable experimental material."
The words were blunt. Honest.
In Orochimaru's eyes, everyone was experimental material. The only difference was value.
"And if I refuse?" Rin asked.
"Refuse?" Snake Fang chuckled. "You don't have that luxury. Konoha cannot protect you. Danzo Shimura wants to control you. Other forces outside the village are already watching."
"Only Lord Orochimaru can give you true freedom—and true power."
"Freedom?" Rin sneered. "The freedom to be dissected?"
"Believe what you like," Snake Fang said as he turned away, his serpent tail sliding across the stone. "Keep the scroll. When you come to your senses, come find us."
"We'll meet again soon."
His figure vanished into the darkness.
Rin stood there in silence, staring at the scroll in his hand… then at the burned corpses scattered across the ground.
Orochimaru.
Danzo.
Zetsu.
The Akatsuki.
Everyone wanted him.
Yet none of them saw him as human.
A tool.
A pawn.
Experimental material.
A vessel.
How ridiculous.
Rin shoved the scroll into his ninja tool pouch and turned to leave.
As he passed the corpse of the Chunin who had been bitten to death, he paused.
They were innocent.
Killed by ambition.
By experiments.
Even in death, their bodies had been turned into monsters.
Rin clenched his fist.
He needed to become stronger.
Strong enough that no one would dare treat him as a tool.
Strong enough to decide his own fate.
Just as Uchiha Madara had once done.