The atmosphere had split into two extremes following Setsuna Uchiha's explosive declaration. On the Cloud side, there was trembling, pale faces, and the cold realization that their days were numbered. On the Uchiha side, it was a cycle of self-destruction and bounty-hunting madness.
Truly, the Uchiha stage is always open—if you've got a screw loose, you're welcome to perform!
Ren Uchiha realized his "heroic speech" might have been a bit too effective. Looking at how moved the old man Setsuna was... it was getting out of hand. His original goal was simple: get a "good ending," trigger his insurance, and go home. To do that, he had essentially tricked everyone.
Ren's logic—that the Uchiha would suffer massive losses from the Two-Tails if he didn't sacrifice himself—was actually a bit of a lie. In reality, the Valley of Hell wouldn't need the Uchiha for long. The plot between the Chinoike and the Cloud was already falling apart because the Lightning Daimyo's envoy was dead.
At this very moment, the wife of En Oyashiro (the head of the Chinoike) had committed suicide, unable to bear the shame and pressure of the failed mission. Only her daughter, Chino, remained. En Oyashiro—or rather, Oyashiro En—was currently descending into a madness fueled by guilt and hatred for his own clan. Soon, he would wipe out the Chinoike himself and become the world's top black-market arms dealer.
But this lie was Ren's way of ensuring the safety of his teammates. To Ren, sacrificing only himself was the best possible conclusion.
Great Elder Setsuna turned to Ren, his gaze a bizarre mix of agonizing grief and a strange, haunting fatherly affection.
"Ren... go then. Die." Setsuna's voice was steady but heavy. "As long as I draw breath, this blood feud will never be erased. Not even Hiruzen Sarutobi can stop me."
Ren broke into a cold sweat. Elder, you're being way too extreme... under your leadership, the Hawks are going to dive straight into the trash bin of history. Still, looking around, the stage was set. Setsuna had already planned his funeral; if he didn't die now, it would be downright embarrassing.
Ren's gaze hardened as he looked at Setsuna with grim resolve. "Then my death... will have value!"
The Cloud trio flinched, their eyes locked on Ren. Earlier, the Thunder Kill Bind had left him paralyzed, only able to fake an explosion. But now, he had adapted to the numbness. His fingers finally regained enough strength to grip the tags.
With a decisive motion, he pulled!
"NO! He's really going to do it!"
"Dodai, quick! Get back!" Ramii shouted, his eyes darting to Moroi inside the barrier. He made a gut-wrenching decision. "Moroi! Use THAT! You have to survive, or the mission is a failure!"
"What?!" Moroi gasped, his eyes wide with hesitation. "But Captain, the Third Raikage said that was our insurance policy against the Chinoike! We can't use it early!"
Ramii clenched his fists. Time was running out. "Who could have predicted we'd run into two psychos like this?! If you don't use it, you'll be blown to bits, the mission fails, and that old Uchiha maniac will hunt us to the ends of the earth! Think about it—your life or this godforsaken mission?!"
Ramii's beard trembled with tension. As a veteran of the Warring States, he knew Setsuna wasn't bluffing. "If the Uchiha truly mobilize, we won't even make it out of the Land of Hot Springs alive. THINK, dammit!"
One hundred million Ryo for a single head. Even if they made it back to the Land of Lightning, bounty hunters would be crawling all over the country to kill them.
Inside the barrier, Moroi's expression shifted rapidly between fear and desperation. Finally, he looked at Ren and let out a defiant roar.
"Ren Uchiha, was it? You're good! I'll remember you!" Moroi snarled. "But do you really think you've won?"
Ren raised an eyebrow. Are we really doing the "Do you think you've won" turn-based dialogue again? He didn't even bother to respond, his gaze indifferent as he continued his suicidal advance.
Moroi gritted his teeth. He couldn't cut Ren anywhere without triggering the tags, but if he didn't kill him, he'd be blown up. As a sealing specialist, he had two ways to fight: quick-sealing signs (like the ones he used earlier) or complex arrays. The latter took too much time to draw unless... he used a high-value pre-prepared scroll.
As Ren closed the distance, the fear of death finally hammered against Moroi's heart. He drew a specialized scroll from his pouch.
Ren, sensing a change, ignored the lightning-induced pain in his arms and gave the explosive tags on his chest a violent pull!
TEAR—!
A blinding, high-intensity light erupted!
At the same moment, Moroi ripped the seal off his scroll and threw it open. He slammed his hand into his own bleeding wounds, coating his palm in thick, dark blood.
With a look of savage desperation, Moroi slammed his bloody hand onto the scroll and roared at Ren:
"How could I lose to a piece of trash Genin like you?!"
"WATCH CLOSELY!"
"Sealing Jutsu: Ink Flush Sealing (Ink-Flush Binding Slave - Iñu-Tatami)!"