Whether you called it stealing, or "accepting nature's generous gift," Ren had never planned to leave the Dragon Vein behind for anyone else.
What he said wasn't wrong either.
Leaving it here would only keep the Sand Village restless—and in the future, it would even attract that so-called "An Lushan." Since that was the case, striking first was the smarter choice. Better than letting this power be endlessly coveted.
Root doctrine, after all: everything for Konoha.
Of course, this operation wasn't without risk.
Ren had never seriously invested in fuinjutsu. Danzo, Obito—none of them had ever given him the luxury of preparation time.
"LV5 sealing techniques should be enough to loosen the current seal," Ren murmured, eyes narrowing.
"And what I need to do next…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
What he intended to do could be summarized in eight words:
One grab. Instant refinement.
It sounded exaggerated—but only slightly.
Whether it was a kekkei genkai, a kekkei tōta, or his ultimate ambition—Kekkei Net—fusion demanded chakra on a scale that bordered on insanity.
An amount no normal ninja could possibly supply.
A human body had limits. Not everyone could even generate chakra in the first place—otherwise, the shinobi world wouldn't have so many civilians, nor would the academy need aptitude screenings.
Ren had talent. Otherwise, Danzo would never have taken him.
His LV7 physical stats already gave him a solid chakra base. His LV7 chakra attribute granted terrifying control, utilization, and—most importantly—recovery.
Even so, Ren didn't believe it would be enough.
"After this is over, I really need to pour points into physique and chakra," he sighed inwardly.
"Damn it… free points are always too scarce."
LV7 physique only placed him at elite jōnin level.
LV10 barely touched the Kage threshold.
And Senju Hashirama?
That man was a biological anomaly.
As for the Ōtsutsuki—
"Focus on the present."
Ren cut off that line of thought before it gave him a headache.
"I'm about ready. Watch the surroundings," he said calmly.
"You don't need help?" Kabuto asked, adjusting his glasses.
Ren shot him a flat look.
"Do you know sealing techniques?"
"…I'll keep watch."
Kabuto immediately switched lanes.
Ren nodded in satisfaction and crouched, carefully examining the seal array before him.
The moment he drew close, he felt it.
Something inside the seal was roaring.
A vast chakra presence, furious and restrained, its waves completely suppressed by the sealing formula.
"This is insane…" Kabuto swallowed. "At first I thought it was just wind."
Ren's expression grew serious.
"Four Symbols Seal… and this effective?"
After careful observation, he confirmed it.
Minato Namikaze had sealed the Dragon Vein using layered Four Symbols Seals—interlocked, recursive, self-repairing.
If one seal cracked, the others would suppress it.
If suppression caused chakra leakage, that same chakra would be used to repair the damaged seal.
Elegant. Ruthless. Brilliant.
"And if everything fails," Ren glanced at the special kunai embedded nearby, "Flying Thunder God brings him back instantly."
He couldn't help but sigh.
Such meticulous preparation.
If Minato were still alive, Ren wouldn't even have a chance.
"And thankfully it's Four Symbols. If this were Eight Trigrams, I'd be dead already."
He took a slow breath.
"Let's begin."
A thin stream of chakra gathered at his fingertip and touched a deliberately weakened node of the seal.
He didn't need to dismantle everything.
Just open a crack—let the Dragon Vein fight the seal itself.
That would buy him time.
Buzz—
The instant the seal fractured, violent chakra tremors erupted.
The torches inside the tower flickered wildly. A suffocating pressure crashed down on both of them.
"You've got an escape plan, right?" Kabuto shouted.
"I'm not gambling my life," Ren replied calmly.
He sat cross-legged beside the seal and closed his eyes.
Kabuto gritted his teeth and began setting traps around the chamber.
Dragged into this mess or not, he still chose to trust Ren.
Because in this world, the only people he truly trusted were Nono Yakushi—and Ren, this shameless bastard.
Meanwhile, Ren began refining his chakra.
Earth Release—his most familiar.
Water Release—his second strongest, despite limited battlefield use.
Then—
Yang Release.
Three forces rose in unison.
Guided by the formula etched into his mind.
And that was when Ren realized—
Something was wrong.
"This… this is—"
Ren stared inwardly at the torrent surging through his body.
It wasn't out of control.
It wasn't resisting fusion.
It was going too smoothly.
"So this is the power of a formula?"
Once the chakra paths aligned correctly, the moment he instinctively followed the structure—
Fusion happened.
Seamlessly.
Too seamlessly.
"Good for the future… but right now—"
The cost arrived.
Violently.
Chakra drained at an absurd rate.
"This consumption is insane…"
Sweat beaded on his forehead as he forced the fusion to stabilize, eyes locked on the seal beside him.
Now he understood.
Why kekkei tōta users were so rare.
Why new bloodline clans almost never emerged.
The chakra requirement alone crushed ninety-nine percent of shinobi.
"Beyond this… external power is mandatory."
Ren didn't hesitate.
Relying on outside energy wasn't shameful.
At LV7, expecting to rival Ōnoki or Hashirama was delusion.
Drip. Drip.
Sweat hit the stone floor.
His internal reserves were nearly empty.
"What the hell is he doing…?" Kabuto muttered, panic creeping in.
The seal crack widened.
Pressure skyrocketed.
ROOOAR—
A bestial howl echoed through the tower.
The upper levels shattered instantly—stone reduced to sand beneath raw chakra waves.
Kabuto barely dodged the debris, eyes wide as he looked back at Ren.
The ancient city of Rōran was reacting.
They couldn't stay.
"Idiot…!" Kabuto cursed, forcing himself forward. "You're not done yet?!"
Then—
Ren's eyes snapped open.
"Now."
He thrust his hand forward.
Because the distance was so short, his palm plunged directly into the raging Dragon Vein chakra current.
BOOM—
The Dragon Vein screamed as its chakra was forcibly seized and dragged into Ren's body—straight into the fusion process.
"Thank you, Fourth Hokage," Ren breathed.
The cracked seal was fighting to repair itself.
The Dragon Vein was fighting to break free.
Both were already exhausted.
What leaked out—
Was his to take.
Sustainable. Controlled. Ruthless.
RUMBLE—
With the massive influx, the fusion accelerated explosively.
The three forces stabilized.
Solidified.
Merged.
A white glow burst from Ren's body as unfamiliar chakra radiated outward.
Kabuto shielded his ears as a thunderous roar shook the ground beneath his feet.
And when he looked—
His mind went blank.
A colossal, ancient tree erupted from the earth, coiling around Ren as it surged skyward.
Branches pierced the shattered roof.
Leaves spread, blanketing the tower.
And from that tree—
Kabuto felt it.
Power.
Terrifying, living chakra.
His lips trembled, words breaking apart as they left his mouth.
"…How… how is this possible?"
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