Whish! Whish! Whish! Whish!
A blizzard of hidden weapons danced through the air!
Their trajectories were as unpredictable as falling petals, yet each held a killing intent as sudden as the darkness before dawn. The sheer density and precision of the throwing technique were enough to make anyone's scalp tingle with fear.
No one present had ever witnessed Shurikenjutsu of this caliber.
It was, quite literally, a "splitting headache" of an experience that opened their eyes to true mastery. Under the relentless barrage of the Danmaku, the two Jashin cultists scrambled backward, diving behind a crumbling wall for cover.
Even with their swift reflexes, they couldn't escape unscathed. Blood began to bloom on their clothes.
"Boss, this kid's firepower is insane!"
The Jashin leader realized the situation was spiraling out of control. Before joining the cult, the three of them were rogue Chunin from the Land of Steam. They weren't weak—especially in a three-on-one.
But Ren Uchiha...
With the aid of his Sharingan, he layered Shurikenjutsu with Fire Style, wave after wave. He was like a human Gatling gun, suppressing them so fiercely they could only flee in a panic.
However, survivors of the war-torn Land of Steam were no fools. Even while retreating, they stuck to their original plan.
The leader finally snatched his black spear from the ground and let out a thunderous roar:
"Takeshi, pin him down! I'm starting the ritual!"
Takeshi nodded, his face contorting with grim resolve. He leapt from cover, hands moving through a dizzying blur of seventeen seals:
Tiger — Ox — Monkey — Hare — Rat — Boar — Bird — Ox — Horse — Dog — Tiger — Dog — Tiger — Snake — Ox — Monkey — Hare!
He slammed his palms onto the ground.
"Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!"
A massive wall of water erupted from the earth, rising over three meters high! It crashed forward, drenching the flames and sweeping away the debris as it surged toward Ren.
Facing such a large-scale Ninjutsu, Ren had no choice but to flip backward, leaping onto a nearby rooftop to avoid being swept away.
Takeshi seized the opening. Under the cover of the rushing water, he drew a black spear from his cloak and charged toward the roof.
On the other side, the Cult Leader stood within a "circle-and-triangle" ritual array drawn on the dirt. His eyes began to burn with madness.
"Brat, you forced my hand!"
He spread his arms wide as black, ink-like patterns crawled across his skin, staining his face into a terrifying mask. Gripping the spear coated in Ren's blood, he glared at his own thigh and clenched his teeth.
SHLUCK!
He plunged the spear straight through his own leg!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
A scream—distorted, manic, yet strangely satisfied—echoed through the village.
"Feel the pain! Wail! Admire!"
"This is the rite of the Evil God!"
"This is... LOVE! AHAHAHA!"
Curse: Death Controlling Blood—Activated!
In that instant, a primal terror gripped Ren Uchiha's heart. Every cell in his body screamed a single warning:DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!
It was as if a massive, crimson kanji for "DEATH" had been branded onto his forehead.
Ren's heart hammered against his ribs. His blood felt like it was rushing toward a single point of failure. Suddenly, an invisible force pierced his right thigh. A bloody hole, four fingers wide, burst open!
No way to dodge. No way to parry. No way to resist.
Flesh tore, blood sprayed. The sheer intensity of the pain made Ren's eyes bulge and his face quiver. His leg buckled, and he nearly collapsed as blood gushed from the wound.
"Hahaha... HAHAHAHAHA!"
The Jashin leader's madness was overflowing. His arrogant laughter rang in Ren's ears:
"Brat! Face reality!"
"Even ninjas from small nations like ours... under the Evil God's ritual, our hatred can transform into power far beyond yours!"
"Tremble! Pity yourself!"
"Stand there and watch as your foolish self is disemboweled and torn to pieces!"
"In this world... PAIN IS POWER!"
The leader turned to his subordinate with bloodshot eyes. "Takeshi, kill him! KILL HIM NOW!"
Killing intent flooded the air. Takeshi's massive silhouette lunged forward, swinging his black spear in a wide arc aimed directly at Ren's throat.
But amidst the lethal crisis, after hearing the leader's murderous words...
"Heh... hehe... HAHAHAHA!"
A low, haunting chuckle broke through the fog.
Ren Uchiha was laughing.
He tilted his head back, hand over his face, standing atop the swaying rooftop tiles. He looked down at the two cultists, his laughter growing louder and more deranged.
His eyes were wide, filled not with fear, but with pure, unadulterated excitement!
"Hahahaha! Not bad... not bad at all!"
"A ninja is a being who endures pain. The deeper the pain, the greater the power!"
Ren's laughter stopped abruptly. He stared down at them with a gaze as cold as ancient ice.
"But what makes you think..."
"That your pain is greater than mine?!"
Ren dropped his hand, staring directly at the charging Takeshi. His eyes snapped wide.
"LOOK AT ME, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"
A single, lonely tomoe spun frantically within the blood-red Sharingan. To anyone who saw it, the eye was a masterpiece of soul-shattering beauty.
"It's a Genjutsu! Watch out, Takeshi! He's using the Sharingan!" the leader warned.
Takeshi flinched. He saw Ren standing still as a statue and realized something was wrong. Is this the real body or a Genjutsu image? I can't tell!
His momentum slowed. He landed on the edge of the roof, holding his spear defensively. He watched the "Ren" before him—motionless, facing the wrong way.
I knew it, he thought. Just an illusionary image!
But in the next heartbeat, the "illusion" exploded into motion!
Ren whipped out the last tool in his pouch—ninja wire! He coiled it around his fingers, pulling it taut until it hissed with sparks, sharp as a blade.
With a ferocious snarl, Ren lunged. He executed a grapple move seen only once before—the Swastika-style "Strongman's Lock!"
He clamped his elbow around Takeshi's neck, kicked his feet out to break his balance, and pinned his arms with a leg-lock. With his free hand, he yanked the wire taut.
SHRRRIT!
Takeshi—Dead!
Ren tumbled from the roof, gasping for air. Dragging his useless right leg, he limped toward the stunned Jashin leader.
He let out a weary, mocking sneer.
"And that... is the Genjutsu of the Sharingan!"