From the back of his neck to his spinal cord, a surge of electric numbness shot through him.
The Zero-Tails burrowed through the bite wound, sliding down Ren Uchiha's spine like a dragon descending into an abyss. In an instant, it settled in his abdomen, merging with his body as a pool of pure, dark chakra.
Thump-thump! Thump-thump!
His heart hammered, and his blood reached a boiling point for a split second.
The infant Zero-Tails didn't have much chakra—it was roughly the amount of an average Genin—ama yet it provided the spark needed to reignite the dying embers of Ren's broken body.
Knowledge flooded his mind. As the Jinchūriki of the Zero-Tails, he had gained two abilities: [Dark Chakra Extraction (A)] and [Dark Awakening (A)].
The mechanics were simple: Dark Extraction allowed him to gather the darkness from himself and those around him, converting it into chakra. The deeper the darkness, the more power he gained. Dark Awakening was a weakened version of a Tailed Beast Cloak. No armor, no fancy Tailed Beast Bombs, and it came with a nasty debuff—it stripped away his reason, leaving behind only his most arrogant, darkest impulses. It was power for the desperate.
In the plaza, Hidan raised the black spear toward his own stomach.
The Jashin Bishop, Hayato Dōgō, stood with his arms spread wide as if embracing the air. His eyes shone with a sickly, manic fervor as he chanted.
"Yes! Just like this! God loves the world, and so He shares its pain! Every man is born of ignorance and blindness! From this moment, the three of us are linked—one body, one soul! Pierce, torture, hate! Destroy others, destroy yourself!"
Hidan's hands trembled, his face twitching in terror. "No... no! Ren Uchiha!!!" he wailed. "Open your eyes! Please, open your eyes! I'm about to kill you!"
Hayato laughed. Hidan's scream was music to his ears, a symphony of dopamine that masked his own internal agony. The spear tip sliced Hidan's skin, and a bead of blood appeared.
Suddenly, a wave of cold, wicked energy erupted from the cross.
Ren Uchiha snapped his eyes open—a pair of crimson Sharingan spinning with madness. A jagged, crazy grin tore across his face.
"Heh... hehe... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Ren threw his head back and laughed. It was a sound filled with pure mockery. He glared at the Bishop. "You think you can kill me? A piece of trash like you... a worm... you think you're worthy of killing ME?!"
Even pinned to the altar, even as meat on the chopping block, Ren was laughing like a god looking down at an insect. Hayato's fanatic smile froze. I've never seen an Uchiha laugh while being sacrificed, he thought.
"Hidan! Listen to me!" Ren roared, his voice cold and sharp. "STAB DOWN!"
Hidan blinked, stunned. Big Bro, are you crazy? It's gonna hurt like hell! But fueled by pure trust, Hidan gritted his teeth and plunged the spear into his own gut!
Immediately, three blood holes appeared—one on Hidan, one on Ren, and one on the Bishop.
Hayato gasped as blood bloomed on his robe. Ren, ignoring the hole in his own abdomen, spat out a mouthful of blood and laughed even harder.
"I see it now... so that's your plan! HAHAHAHA!" Ren's laughter shifted from mockery to pure, unhinged joy. "With these eyes... I've seen right through you, you piece of garbage!"
A rage born of the world's absurdity surged from Ren's heart, manifesting as thick, black chakra. The sheer pressure of the energy shattered the ropes, snapped the iron nails, and broke the chains holding him to the cross!
Hayato was reeling. Where did this power come from? What did he see? He snarled, pouring more chakra into his threads to control Hidan. If the ritual was failing, he'd at least kill this anomaly. He'd make Hidan stab his own heart, and through the curse, kill Ren!
[Jashin Bishop Hayato Dōgō's intent to kill you has reached the extreme!]
Ren saw the killing intent in the Bishop's eyes and grinned even wider.
"You want to see who's more ruthless?" Ren hissed, his Sharingan glowing with a terrifying light.
"THEN DO IT! HIDAN, KILL ME! STAB THE HEART! DO IT NOW!"
"KILL ME!!!"