The moment Ren Uchiha tore the first explosive tag, the network of paper charms covering his body ignited in a brilliant, searing yellow flame. In that instant, Ren became light—physically and literally. He was more radiant than the morning sun.
The intense glow filled his vision, giving him the fleeting illusion that he wasn't holding explosive tags, but a transformation device. For a split second, he felt like he was about to emerge in a majestic "Gundam" form.
But that was just a fantasy. Ren hadn't even awakened the Sharingan. He didn't think a man like him—who woke up at 6 AM, went to bed at 10 PM, and drank a soda before sleep to keep his emotions as steady as the alarm clock on his nightstand—would ever awaken those "crazy eyes" meant for the unstable.
Shaking his head, Ren bared his teeth and let out a triumphant roar:
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Farewell, Uchiha! Farewell, this shitty world!"
He threw his head back, his face filled with smug satisfaction. He opened his arms wide, diving into the growing heat and flames, embracing the world like a victor.
Increased temperature, searing tongues of fire... If everything went as planned, in three seconds, Ren Uchiha would turn into a spectacular firework, taking his final bow from the shinobi world. Then, clutching his five hundred million insurance payout, he'd head home in spirit.
This is it! Showering in explosive tags, skipping the funeral process, and heading straight to the crematorium. How could I possibly lose?! Tell me, how do I lose this?!
But Ren had forgotten one thing. Before leaving, he had smashed his alarm clock. He had thrown himself into the Third Shinobi World War—the most unpredictable variable in existence. And besides... does a man who drinks soda instead of herbal tea really have "stable emotions"?
Sealing Jutsu: Ink Flush Sealing (Ink-Flush Binding Slave - Iñu-Tatami).
This was a unique sealing art of the Cloud, second only to the Uzumaki clan's techniques. Its production cost? The ink of the Eight-Tails, Gyuki. This material could only be obtained by the Third Raikage, A, through physically beating the ink out of the beast.
How strong was it? During the Fourth War, Killer Bee used this to seal nearly a thousand enemies at once. The ink forms clones that use a "manji" style grappling technique to pin the target, turning them pitch black and completing the seal in exactly three seconds.
However, the technique had one major flaw: it took exactly three seconds to fully activate from the moment of contact. And as luck would have it, standard explosive tags also have a three-second fuse.
What a coincidence.
At the edge of the ruins, Moroi's eyes were cold. His blood-stained hands formed the 'Ram' sign as he shouted: "Sealing Jutsu: Ink Flush Sealing!"
A massive 'Eight' (八) kanji glowed on the scroll. A waterfall of ink erupted, forming a looming silhouette shrouded in dark-red tailed-beast chakra. It tilted its head, its emotionless white eyes locking onto Ren.
The ink-shadow lunged.
It was a masterclass in grappling. It locked Ren's neck with an elbow, kicked his feet out to ruin his balance, and pinned his arms and waist in a "Golden Lock" maneuver.
Ren, who was mid-laugh, was suddenly tackled by a chakra-shrouded powerhouse into the dirt. His handsome face was slammed into the mud. In the next breath, everything went black. The ink-clon dissolved into a viscous liquid, drenching Ren like a squid spraying a cartoon character.
As the ink spread, the brilliant yellow light of the explosive tags died out. 10%... 50%... 80% of the tags were rendered useless, turning into wet scrap paper. The remaining 20% that were about to pop flickered and went silent.
The triumphant smile on Ren's face froze.
On the other side, Moroi's expression was an exact mirror of Ren's. He was dumbfounded. The Third Raikage had warned him to only use this as a "final insurance" against a full-scale Chinoike revolt. He said it was powerful enough to suppress an entire clan.
And this was it? An ink-man tackled a kid into the mud, and that's it? Where was the power? Where was the majesty? Is there a refund policy for this scroll?! Moroi wanted to scream at the sky.
But then, eight kunai whistled through the air, grazing Moroi's cheek and pinning themselves into the barrier wall behind him.
Suddenly, a screeching, distorted howl—like a starving demon from the deepest pit of hell—blasted into Moroi's ears.
"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST DO?!"
The voice was filled with a hatred so profound it sounded like a hellhound that had crawled out of the abyss only to find its path blocked.
Ren Uchiha struggled to his feet, his face covered in black ink, his features twisting into a mask of pure agony.
Suddenly, two scarlet eyes flared to life!
A single, lonely Tomoe spun violently in each eye.
Ren, crawling on the ground like a vengeful spirit, shrieked with a voice that cracked from raw fury:
"What did you do?!"
"I'm asking you!"
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!!!!"
"ANSWER ME!"
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY PLAN?!!!!"
Ren glared at him, his body trembling, his eyes filled with shattered capillaries. A single tear of blood traced a path through the black ink on his cheek. The killing intent and madness in his gaze were almost physical.
Unfortunately for Ren, in the world three seconds later...
Ren Uchiha had still...
Failed...
To say "Farewell" to this world.