"Hidan, do you still remember your Ninja Way?"
Ren Uchiha's gaze sharpened, piercing directly into the soul of the arrogant brat before him.
Under that sincere and burning gaze, Hidan's eyes instinctively darted away. He muttered under his breath, "My Ninja Way..."
"Yes!"
"Your Ninja Way!"
"The one where you tilted your nose to the sky and pointed at yourself with absolute confidence!"
"The one where you shouted that you, who had nothing, would become the Yugakage! That you would end the chaos of the Land of Steam, kick every foreign ninja off this land, and become the next Demigod!"
Ren looked Hidan in the eye, a faint, teasing smile curling his lips. "Those were your words. Do I really need to help you remember them?"
A look of embarrassment crossed Hidan's face. His expression shifted through complex emotions as he stammered back:
"That... that was just..."
However, before he could finish, Ren's tone turned ice-cold, cutting him off:
"You want to say they were just big words? Empty words? Lies?"
"That the reality of the world is far more cruel?"
Ren snatched Hidan by the collar again, the single tomoe spinning with overwhelming momentum in his crimson eyes.
"Don't be stupid!"
"To deny your own heart, your own will, and your own dreams—to accept 'reality' and fill your hollow brain with delusions until you march yourself to the gallows, wagging your tail for powers greater than the Hidden Steam Village..."
"If you do that, what is the difference between you being alive or dead?"
"Wait, I..." Hidan choked on his words. He looked like he was desperately trying to argue, searching for a justification for his actions, trying to convince both Ren and himself that his choice was the only one left.
But the words wouldn't come.
Deep down, Hidan knew. The Jashin Cult's philosophy of 'stopping killing with more killing' was nothing more than drinking poison to quench a thirst.
Ren exhaled a heavy breath and said solemnly:
"Hidan!"
"You are a strong person. You have the resolve to face death. You wanted to use your own sacrifice to trade for the Evil God's grace!"
"But let me tell you—that is nothing more than an escape!"
Ren's words hit like a hammer, smashing through the barriers Hidan had built around his heart. Tearing away the sugar-coating of the Jashin Cult revealed nothing but a pile of rotting filth inside.
Hidan was forced to face reality.
His face flushed red, then turned pale. Veins throbbed on his forehead as he grabbed Ren's hand, trying to pry his collar free. But with his strength, how could he be a match for Ren, who was already an Uchiha Genin?
Finally, his face turned beet-red, and he exploded in a desperate curse:
"ENOUGH! Ren Uchiha, enough!"
"Get lost! I don't need your pity! And I don't want your lectures!"
"I've heard words like yours for ten years in this country! How could you understand my situation? My pain?"
"Should I expect anything less from a ninja of a Great Nation? Doesn't that high-and-mighty look on your face make you sick?!"
However, facing the hysterical Hidan, Ren simply laughed.
"Is that so?"
He yanked Hidan's collar hard, slamming him back toward the ground, his expression turning predatory.
Like a Final Boss mocking a Level 1 hero holding a starter sword, Ren began to dismantle Hidan's so-called dreams until they were worth nothing.
His eyes gleamed with a fierce, malicious light as he snarled:
"Listen to me, you brat—"
"I'm not lecturing you. I am proving to you—"
"That my Ninja Way is superior to yours!"
Ren released Hidan and stood up. He looked up at the full moon hanging in the infinite night sky, his gaze growing profound.
After a moment of silence, he looked down with an arrogant, detached coldness.
"Hidan."
"The Land of Steam you see is but a tiny corner of the Shinobi World!"
"Your goal is nothing more than a small footnote on my path—something I will inevitably accomplish sooner or later!"
"As for my Ninja Way—"
Ren's Sharingan flared with a sudden, icy intensity. His voice shifted into a tone so cold it lacked all human emotion:
"It is to overthrow the current Five Great Nations, unify the entire Shinobi World, and end the flames of war that have burned since the Warring States period!"
"To bring eternal peace to this world!"
"This is something I must do. Even if I must face death, I will not hesitate!"
"I shall use these eyes to illuminate the entire world!"
Silence fell instantly.
Hidan stared in shock. The reddish-brown haired girl stood frozen. Even Shennong, sitting in the corner as if he didn't exist, fixed his gaze on Ren.
Their hearts were visibly shaken by the sheer weight of those words.
Hidan swallowed hard, his voice trembling. "Ren... you..."
Before he could speak, the girl stood up from the tree stump. She scrutinized Ren with a calm, piercing look, as if observing a magnificent lunatic.
Then, she asked coldly:
"And what will you use to complete this 'Ninja Way'? How do you dare promise such a thing? What foundation do you have to achieve something that no one in history has ever done?"
"Before you stand the Five Great Nations. The entire Shinobi World!"
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, the 'Strongest Hokage.' Ay, the Third Raikage with the 'Strongest Shield and Spear.' Ohnoki, the Third Tsuchikage who reached the realm of Particle Style. The Sannin, the Demigods, the Tailed Beasts, the Jinchuriki..."
"So many legendary ninjas with world-shaking fame would never dare utter such nonsense!"
"So... what gives you the right?!"
The girl's words were sharp, like a blade pressed against Ren's throat, leaving him no room to maneuver.
But Ren Uchiha had no intention of avoiding the question. As a man who had 'fallen from the sky' into this world, his role was clear. He spoke with unwavering resolve:
"What matters has never been 'talking.' It is 'doing.' It is not running away!"
"No one starts at the top. Even the most difficult path is walked one step at a time."
He looked at the shell-shocked Hidan and said calmly:
"Hidan, I am no different from you."
"Compared to the entire Shinobi World, all I possess is this one insignificant life!"
"But I only need to ensure that my feet are already on this path."
"As long as I stand at the front of this road, my silhouette will naturally draw the gaze of countless others!"
"Even if I fall, a thousand others like me will eventually stand up from behind me!"
Ren's gaze was unyielding, his voice ringing with finality.
"In the end, this dream will be realized!"
"And I have already taken the first step toward that ideal."
"Now, I am simply taking the second—"
"Starting from the Land of Steam!"
"Starting right here!"
"I will end the chaos of this land!"
"I will bring peace to this nation!"
[You have accepted a new quest: Personally end the Chaos of the Hidden Steam.]