Hell Valley, Edge of the Circular Cliff.
Clang!
The massive tan jar slammed into the earth, spinning in place once. Immediately after, a giant hand of blue chakra materialized and clawed deeply into the abdomen of the collapsed Ren Uchiha.
It began to forcibly extract a black-and-red monster—masked and serpentine—from Ren's midsection.
This was the Tailed Beast sealed within him: The Zero-Tails, Kizuna!
At this moment, as the Zero-Tails spat out the First Hokage's necklace, its bite on Ren's abdominal muscles loosened. The entire serpent was yanked backward, flying toward the jar. The Third Raikage charged forward, hand outstretched to slam the lid shut and complete the seal.
Despite losing the Two-Tails, capturing this unique "Tail-less" beast—combined with the fruits of victory once the Kumo army crossed Hell Valley—meant Kumogakure would still come out ahead in this campaign!
However, just then—
An old, indifferent, and icy voice rang out:
"Sage Art: Transmitting the Strange Shadow!"
Emerald-green chakra erupted from the back of Ren's neck, shooting upward. Seeing this unexpected development, the Third Raikage, A, skidded to a halt, his gaze narrowing in suspicion.
As this chakra flowed out of his body, Ren's expression shifted. He suddenly realized he had lost all control over his physical form. The "Dragon-half" persona, now fully occupied by the White Snake Sage, was no longer something he could suppress with a simple glare of his Sharingan. On the contrary, Ren had become the prey.
Driven by this chakra, the forbidden jutsu Body Rebirth activated uncontrollably!
Breaking past its limits, the sliver of vitality normally locked away by his undying constitution was squeezed out, compressed into chakra, and funneled into his empty chest cavity. Strands of flesh began to weave together at a visible speed, forming a brand-new heart!
In the next instant, the green chakra transformed into the ethereal silhouette of a giant white snake. It bit through the flesh surrounding the newborn heart, swallowed it, and—using the powerful suction of the Amber Purifying Pot—tore itself free from Ren's body. It flew outward, entangling the Zero-Tails that was still being pulled into the jar!
Then, the white snake opened its maw wide.
It swallowed both the Zero-Tails and Ren Uchiha's heart in a single gulp!
At this moment:
With Ren's heart as the core, the white snake as the vessel, and the Zero-Tails as the power source—all controlled by the White Snake Sage who had consumed the Dragon-persona—a brand-new Jinchuriki was born!
The ghostly white snake began to swell. It shed its white scales, bursting with black-and-red flesh until it took the full form of the Zero-Tails, now the size of a double-decker bus.
"Heh... I have succeeded!"
The White Snake Sage's eyes gleamed with triumph. It decisively severed a section of its tail, using its unique Sage Art: Transformation to turn the severed piece into a perfect copy of the Full-Body Zero-Tails, which continued flying toward the Amber Purifying Pot.
This Sage-level illusion was so perfect it even deceived the artifact; the Amber Purifying Pot couldn't distinguish which Zero-Tails was the original.
Seizing the chance, the White Snake Sage broke free from the jar's pull, its massive body slithering away toward the south of Hell Valley.
If it could exit the south side and cross the Lands of Fields, Waterfall, Grass, and Rain, it would reach the Dragon Vein in the Land of Wind! Though it hadn't secured the Mangekyo, the majority of its scheme was complete!
However, just then—
At the edge of the cliff, a brown-haired boy with spiky hair leaped from the forest, gritting his teeth. Looking at the "ZERO" character glowing on his hand, he hesitated no more.
He gripped his left wrist, changing the character from "ZERO" to "SIT." Shaking, he roared at the White Snake Sage:
"Hokage-style Sixty-Year-Era Technique: Kakuan-Entering-Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands!"
As the boy's high-pitched voice fell, the White Snake Sage's body stiffened abruptly. The First Hokage's necklace, which had fallen onto Ren's stomach, suddenly erupted with a blinding radiance!
Beams of green light shot from the necklace, wrapping around the Sage's body and pinning it to the ground. The serpent thrashed in a desperate struggle.
Then, Yamato—under the remote control of Orochimaru—pressed his hands together toward the Sage.
"Sage Art: Transmitting the Strange Shadow!"
Using the power of the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, to suppress the Sage, a different chakra and a different consciousness suddenly surged from within the Zero-Tails!
It was the cursed seal formed by the Hashirama cells Orochimaru had implanted. He had hidden his soul within them, waiting for the perfect moment to deliver the finishing blow to the White Snake Sage!
The Sage was struck with shock and fury:
"Orochimaru!?"
"You dare to plot against me!?"
While the other side of the battlefield was a chaotic mess of hidden hands and schemes, Ren Uchiha only felt exhaustion.
Regardless of what was happening over there, one thing was certain: as a Jinchuriki, he had lost his Tailed Beast.
Being stripped of a Tailed Beast was a death sentence. Without the Zero-Tails providing chakra, the final line of defense held by his undying body began to crumble. If he didn't still possess a Tailed Beast-level constitution, he would have died instantly like Yugito Nii, his corpse forgotten in some corner of the battlefield.
Even so, Ren felt his body growing heavier and his vision blurring. It was as if a valve that could never be closed had been opened, and his very essence was leaking out of his broken frame.
"Heh... heh..."
He panted heavily, his face bone-white. He forced a palm against the ground, rolling his body over until he was face-down, then tried to push himself up.
"Cough... pfft!"
Ren vomited a mouthful of blood, gritting his teeth in frustration. This body had reached its absolute limit.
In this long, yet short night:
He had fought three Kage-level opponents solo. He had killed a Jinchuriki in front of Killer B, chased the Eight-Tails, engaged in a passionate brawl with the Third Raikage, and finally used Kirin to blow up a Tailed Beast Bomb and leave the Eight-Tails' host for dead.
Honestly, Ren didn't even understand it anymore. What was supporting him? Why, in this hopeless state, did he still refuse to give up? And now, having lost everything... what was left for him to do?
Thud.
Even the strength to prop up his palms drained away through the void in his abdomen. Ren lay flat on the ground, barely able to tilt his head to look at the scorched remains of Killer B lying nearby.
Right... he still had to use this guy to threaten the Raikage...
From some unknown source of strength, Ren reached for the innermost pouch on his belt—a torn tool bag. His trembling fingers pulled a kunai from the hole. He aimed to press it against Killer B's throat.
However, he heard a heavy set of footsteps.
Looking up with great effort, he saw a pair of red-and-white Kumogakure leg-wraps stepping steadily toward him. Then, an aged voice—somewhere between pity and indifference—rang in his ears.
It was the voice of the Third Raikage, A.
"You certainly are hard to kill."
A let out a heavy breath. He glanced toward the Zero-Tails in the distance, which was thrashing as three different consciousnesses fought for control, moving further away from the cliff.
He didn't head that way to fight for the Zero-Tails. Instead, he turned his head and walked toward the battered, prone figure of Ren Uchiha.
"The ending is a bit different than planned, but it doesn't matter. I don't mind getting my hands a little bloodier."
"Ren Uchiha... it's over."
With every step, the lightning on his body grew brighter. Finally, he raised his hand-blade, curling his fingers together.
With Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite, he pointed toward the Konoha shinobi standing beside Ren—most of their faces were masks of terror, their bodies shaking, yet not one of them was willing to retreat.
Setsuna Uchiha, Ryoma Aburame, Shikuro Aburame, Hizashi Hyuga, Kenji Hyuga...
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