The Wave incident ended smoothly.
The Konoha pursuers—after Kisame and Zabuza drew a brutal amount of blood in their ambush—were sent back to Fire Country's coastline in a dizzy haze of pain and humiliation.
They weren't happy with Kirigakure's heavy-handed methods.
But the Mist shinobi had shown restraint: no one was killed.
They'd even provided a bit of treatment for the more severely wounded.
In the end, the Leaf shinobi could only swallow the bitter taste of failure and return to report what they'd seen.
As for whether Anko had fallen into Mist's hands…
As for whether Mist truly had ties to the defected Orochimaru…
That was for Konoha's leadership to judge based on comprehensive intel.
Not something a half-ruined pursuit team could decide.
The people of Wave, meanwhile, were informed in a daze that their government had fallen.
From this day on, they were citizens of the Land of Water—under Kirigakure's rule.
If it had been a country whose ruler had any presence, this kind of crude takeover would have sparked backlash.
But Wave's leadership had been weak and almost invisible for years.
The locals couldn't summon much beyond confusion.
Even a young bridge builder like Tazuna—someone who'd seen the outside world—felt unease at Kirigakure's arrival, given the Blood Mist reputation.
Yet precisely because of that reputation…
they didn't dare to organize resistance.
The Blood Mist shinobi were the kind who could slaughter dissent without blinking.
"The Blood Mist name… only in times like this does it have a positive use," Ren mused, surveying the shoreline and its currents.
"If a country without even a shinobi village dared resist us, that would be a joke," Zabuza scoffed.
"None of that matters," Mangetsu cut in, eyes bright and fixed on Ren. "You said if I kept those Konoha shinobi alive…"
"…you'd give me a curse mark. Or something."
"That promise still stands, right?"
"Relax," Ren replied. "I'm not petty enough to play games with a child over something like this."
He summoned a small white snake that carried the curse mark's power, spoke with it briefly, then let it bite into Mangetsu's neck.
As sealed curse power and senjutsu chakra flowed into him, the wound rapidly morphed into the shape of two interlocking tomoe.
And Mangetsu's body—
burst into a spray of water.
"Cough—cough—what is this?!"
His voice turned panicked at first.
But then he realized he could still reconstruct his body through the surrounding moisture.
He could clearly sense every droplet he'd become.
With the humid air and ocean at hand, he could even "blink" to any droplet's location.
"…This is like the Yuki clan's Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals," he breathed, shock leaking into awe.
Watching Mangetsu zip around the shoreline like a child discovering flight, Ren nodded thoughtfully.
"As expected… the Hōzuki clan's Hydrification Technique is, in a sense, also a secret art designed to interface with natural energy."
"Once boosted with full senjutsu chakra, it gets strengthened drastically."
"I'll need to speak with the Hōzuki elders when we return."
"If we can trade for the training and usage methods, Hydrification could become part of the next generation's public curriculum."
"After all, it should only require the water chakra nature to learn…"
"And Kirigakure is not short on water-style shinobi."
Compared to Ren—who had expected something along these lines—
Mangetsu's transformation struck Zabuza and Kisame far harder.
"Fourth-sama…" Kisame turned to Ren, a chill running up his spine. "Is this… the power of the curse mark?"
"Why does it feel like…"
"…Mangetsu has taken on a presence similar to yours?"
"Because the curse mark is, at its core, a degraded, low-end version of Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode," Ren said casually, stroking the little white snake coiled around his fingers.
"The real thing has a brutal entry barrier, brutal training difficulty, and if you slip, natural energy goes berserk and devours you."
"It boosts strength enormously, yes—but it's a premium product reserved for a tiny handful."
"The curse mark was created to lower that barrier."
"Orochimaru's first version was just as dangerous as learning senjutsu directly."
"But it lowered the threshold."
"And thanks to the groundwork he laid, I can develop an improved version this quickly."
"Orochimaru…?" Zabuza and Kisame exchanged a glance. Understanding flashed across their faces.
So that was why Fourth-sama had sent them for a "rendezvous" without naming the real target—
why he'd hidden the mission under the pretense of "taking Wave"—
and why a clone had shadowed them.
Ren didn't bother explaining the details.
Kirigakure would be outsourcing a lot of research to Orochimaru going forward.
Better everyone got used to the idea now.
He gave them a moment to digest, then turned toward Mangetsu—who had reformed his body, eyes shining.
"How does it feel?"
"Incredible," Mangetsu said, clenching his fist hard. "Better than anything I've ever felt!"
Under Water Release: Great Water Arm Technique, his arm swelled grotesquely—larger than a man.
He slammed it down on the beach.
Sand and soil exploded.
A crater over five meters wide and half a meter deep appeared instantly.
"My taijutsu and ninjutsu are boosted to a ridiculous level—like it's not real!"
"And the burden isn't even that heavy!"
"With this, even if Kisame and Zabuza team up, I'm confident I can beat both of them quickly!"
"Big talk, Hōzuki brat…" Kisame frowned, then looked to Ren. "Fourth-sama—this kind of power can't be without risks."
"There are… for now," Ren said, holding up two fingers with a smile.
"First: after using my curse mark, surrounding natural energy will flood into your body."
"It freezes your physical energy and spiritual energy at a one-to-one-to-one ratio."
"Your total chakra capacity drops."
"If your remaining chakra becomes too low, you risk being petrified by natural energy."
"This can be solved either by learning senjutsu yourself…"
"…or by having someone who has mastered senjutsu drain your excess natural energy."
"Which route you take depends on your talent and personal will."
"Second: the more you use the curse mark…"
"…the stronger my control over you becomes."
"That too can be solved by mastering senjutsu—"
"But until then, don't even think about betraying me."
"So if we're willing to be loyal," Mangetsu grinned, "those 'side effects' basically don't exist."
"And as for mastering senjutsu and betraying you later…"
"If senjutsu were easy, there wouldn't be only a handful of sages in all of shinobi history."
"Smart," Ren said, nodding approvingly.
"When I fully dissect the Heaven Curse Mark on this girl Orochimaru tossed my way…"
"You can be my first volunteer for an upgraded version."
"It can be upgraded?!" Mangetsu's eyes widened.
"Of course."
"Don't tell me you think a curse mark that only matters in Special Jōnin-level fights is the limit."
Ren's eyes narrowed, his voice turning almost lazy.
"The limit…"
"…should be something that still matters even when facing a Kage-level opponent."
"Kage-level."
The three boys fell silent.
Their hearts pounded in the hush.
After a long moment, Zabuza spoke first, breaking the charged quiet.
"Then what do we have to do to receive your curse mark, Fourth-sama?"
"Swear loyalty," Ren said simply.
Then he looked at Zabuza with mild surprise.
"I thought Kisame or Mangetsu would speak first."
"And yet it's you—the one who looks the most unruly."
"Because you said it yourself," Zabuza replied, taking a deep breath. His eyes burned with dangerous heat.
"The curse mark is just a degraded version of Sage Mode."
"It's a reward—and a control mechanism."
"But even degraded, it has an upper limit capable of fighting Kage."
His voice sharpened with obsession.
"If a subordinate who fully draws out the curse mark can handle Kage-level enemies…"
"Then how strong are you, Fourth-sama?"
"A man who holds the true Ryūchi Cave senjutsu?"
"If I'm going to choose a target to challenge with my entire life…"
"Why would I pick relics who are already falling behind the era?"
"A good reason," Ren said, nodding.
Then he turned to Kisame.
"And you? Do you want it—or not?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Kisame grinned, fangs showing.
"I have no desire to challenge you."
"But I also don't want to be pushed out of your inner circle over something like this, Fourth-sama."
"You understand that once you step onto my ship…"
"…there's no turning back. No regrets."
"That still fine by you?"
Kisame looked down at his hands—hands that still felt like they could remember the warmth of his comrades' blood.
"I've already made mistakes I can't undo."
"If I add a little more wrong to that… it won't make me any more beyond saving."
"So why would I hesitate like a brat who's never sinned?"
He lifted his gaze, voice steady.
"If I'm already damned…"
"…then I might as well choose the path that leads somewhere."
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