"In this world, wherever there is light, there are shadows. As long as there is the concept of winners, there must also be losers. The selfish desire to maintain peace leads to war, and hatred is born to protect love."
"Exactly like right now!"
A gaze fell upon the face of the boy plummeting down the cliff.
Watching that twisted, savage, and terrifying expression—one that looked as if it wanted to destroy everything—an old man stood on the edge of the circular cliff. Clad in a deep blue robe with withered white hair, he watched the development of these events with cold indifference.
"Like two sides of a coin, to protect one thing... another must be sacrificed."
"When a person learns to love, they must bear the risk of hatred."
"And the Uchiha are a clan destined for revenge..."
In the darkness of the night, a sinister and evil crimson light suddenly flared.
"Ren Uchiha, your story ends here."
"So, next—"
"You shall inherit my name, 'Madara Uchiha,' and for this world..."
"Bring true peace!"
With the Zero-Tails extracted, the undying body breached, a "Black Tiger Steals the Heart" strike from the White Snake Sage, and his throat self-punctured, the forbidden jutsu Body Rebirth could no longer be activated.
Every part of Ren's body was covered in fatal wounds!
Theoretically, even with a Tailed Beast's constitution, Ren should have been dead by now.
However...
Despite being blinded by Kakuzu, thrown off a cliff, and pierced by dense Earth Grudge Fear tendrils, Ren felt something strange. Aside from the initial burst of agony, he felt a warm, comfortable sensation as blood began to race through his veins once more.
And then:
Thump-thump!
Thump-thump!
A new heart, hidden by the cover of the Earth Grudge Fear tendrils, had been implanted into his chest. It began to beat rhythmically!
In this moment, Ren finally understood the meaning of Kakuzu's final words. Just as Ren had kicked Hidan off a cliff in front of Kakuzu to "save" him earlier, Kakuzu had chosen this cruel method to save Ren in this impossible situation.
Kakuzu didn't know Minato Namikaze was on his way. From his perspective, everyone would be killed by the Third Raikage, and even trying to carry Ren away would have invited death upon himself.
So, he could only save one person—using this brutal method.
But what Ren found difficult to comprehend was... why? Why did Kakuzu save him?
At that moment, the tendrils of Earth Grudge Fear transformed into dense threads, latching onto every wound on his body to stitch them shut. They converged in the transparent hole in his chest, combining and reshaping to act as flesh, blood vessels, and tissue, delivering the blood produced by the new heart to his entire body.
In the silent darkness, a light seemed to be born! Then, Ren saw a massive wall of text continuously refreshing before his eyes.
[Ding!]
[You bravely confronted the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii, who intended to kill you. The target is incapacitated. Reward Critical Hit triggered! You have obtained a random skill from the target: Fire Style: Fire Rat Ball (A-Rank, Proficient).]
[Ding!]
[You bravely confronted the Tailed Beast Matatabi, who belittled you. You have obtained a random skill: Talent: Tailed Beast Constitution (S- Rank).]
[You bravely confronted the Tailed Beast Gyuki, who intended to kill you. The target is incapacitated. You have obtained a random skill: Talent: Tailed Beast Constitution (S- Rank).]
[Reward Critical Hit triggered!]
[Duplicate Talent: Tailed Beast Constitution (S- Rank) has stacked and upgraded! The effects are enhanced across the board. You have obtained the High-Tier Talent: Ten-Tails' Body (S-Rank, Fragmented, 3/10. Currently missing six Tailed Beasts and the Gedo Mazo).]
[Ding!]
[You bravely confronted the Third Raikage, A, who intended to kill you. You have obtained a random skill: Hell Stab: Four-Finger Nukite (B-Rank, Transcendent).]
[Hell Stab: Four-Finger Nukite (B-Rank, Transcendent): Known as the "Strongest Spear." As the number of fingers decreases, the skill evolves to Three-Finger (A), Two-Finger (A+), and One-Finger (S). Proficiency remains unchanged.]
[Your 'Heartsteel' stacks have increased.]
[You have obtained new Special Equipment: Earth Grudge Fear Heart (Earth). You have obtained attached ninjutsu: Earth Style: Earth Shore Needle (B), Earth Style: Earth Spear (B).]
[Current Status: You have mastered nature transformations for five elements. Therefore, the 'Earth Grudge Fear Heart (Earth)' has combined with the host's affinities and upgraded to: Earth Grudge Fear Heart (Five Elements).]
[Special Equipment: Earth Grudge Fear Heart (Five Elements): The ultimate form of the heart. Skill unlocked: Earth Grudge Fear: Five Elements Final Shot! (S- Rank)]
In just an instant, his skill bar was flooded with new abilities.
And most importantly: The Fragmented Ten-Tails' Body.
The moment this constitution merged with Ren, the process of death was instantly delayed! But following right behind was an infinite sense of hunger and emptiness.
Ren finally lost consciousness, exhausted from the back-to-back battles where he had staked everything.
Thud!
A heavy object hit the bottom of Hell Valley, kicking up a spray of blood and dust.
At that moment...
Clang... clang...
The sound of a blade tapping the ground echoed. Amidst the fluttering of a blue robe, a withered old man using a scythe as a cane stepped out from the cliff face and approached.
He looked down, his gaze chilling as it landed on the shattered body of Ren Uchiha.
"Hmph. Truly pathetic, brat..."
With a sneer, the old man raised a withered arm and formed a single 'Ram' seal. As the seal was held, a white spore began to grow on his shoulder, rapidly expanding into a humanoid shape.
This was the Spore Technique, a physical clone technique belonging to White Zetsu. Unlike normal clones, it wouldn't disappear if the original died, nor would it send memories back upon death. It was highly stealthy and could absorb the chakra of a host to transfer it to others.
"Madara-sa—"
White Zetsu had just formed and was about to greet the old man when a withered hand suddenly shot out, seized its throat, and twisted.
Snap!
Madara Uchiha didn't need a living White Zetsu. He only wanted the biological properties it possessed: the Substitution Technique.
By absorbing chakra, a White Zetsu could transform its body, meridians, organs, and even chakra to perfectly match a host. In Madara's eyes, this property was perfect for the current situation. He would harvest the White Zetsu's tissue to repair Ren Uchiha's body.
More importantly, Madara didn't want the Zetsu collective to know about this. He already had a primary candidate in mind, but he wanted Ren Uchiha to be a deeper backup—a hidden ace to ensure the ultimate success of his plan.
At this stage, he trusted no one but himself.
He tossed the dead Zetsu to the ground and pulled a jar filled with formalin from beneath his robe. Inside, a pair of Three-Tomoe Sharingan floated. Madara then pulled down his robe to reveal a patch of pale skin on his chest—the face of Hashirama Senju, formed from the flesh Madara had bitten off during their battle at the Final Valley. It contained Hashirama's cells.
Using the Substitution Technique to increase compatibility, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan to use Izanagi to mitigate risks, and then merging Hashirama's cells into the body to nurture Ren Uchiha—this was Madara's plan to mold the boy into the vessel he envisioned.
As he prepared to start, Madara shook his head, glancing at the boy.
"He only reached Three-Tomoe after sacrificing that old man? His talent is truly lackluster."
"No matter. After I take back the eyes and kill that Jashin-cult brat and the Mist girl... it should be enough to achieve the Mangekyo."
However, just as Madara approached, opened the jar, and reached for the eyelids to transplant the new eyes...
His hand suddenly stopped. His brow furrowed.
"Hmm? This is... a Transcription Seal!?"
In that moment, Ren Uchiha's hollowed-out right eye socket suddenly flared with a crimson light! An ethereal, vortex-like Mangekyo Sharingan appeared in the empty socket.
It immediately activated its unique ocular power—
[Takamimusubi]! (The Standing of Heaven)
Note: Support me and get early access to chapters on Pat reon.com/XareonMTL