Stepping out from Sasori's hideout and onto the streets of this foreign land, Ren felt a sense of awe.
The sea of clouds flowed lazily, and the sky felt vast and high. Sunlight pierced through the gaps in the clouds, leaping over the bowl-shaped semi-circular buildings that defined the city's skyline. It flickered across the hard-packed yellow earth of the streets.
The crowds were surging. Shops filled with the unique flavors of Kumogakure lined both sides of the road, and merchants driving horse-drawn carriages passed by in wave after wave. The sound of human voices was like a rising tide.
Unlike Konoha, which blended Eastern aesthetics with a certain refined elegance, this city was defined by its sheer grandeur—a vastness that seemed to open one's very chest.
Mainly... the sidewalks were incredibly wide!
Ren adjusted his bamboo hat and touched the revolver he had quietly swiped from Sasori, which was now tucked into his waistband opposite the one he had previously seized. He couldn't help but let his lips curl into a smile.
A man needs his guns!
With dual pistols at his hip and walking these magnificent foreign streets, Ren felt like an interstellar cowboy. His chest puffed out a few inches higher than usual, and for the first time in a while, he felt a genuine sense of security.
Since being "scavenged" by En Oyashiro, Ren hadn't had a single full meal. A ninja's chakra is synthesized from spiritual and physical energy; even though his body had evolved after the last battle and he had gained powerful skills, his lack of energy was a bottleneck. He had been in a state of severe hunger—practically eating tree bark to survive—and simply couldn't refine enough chakra to test the changes in his body.
But now...
"Boss! Bring me ten cows!"
Ren walked into a newly opened restaurant that looked like it served sit-down meals. The moment he sat down, he slapped the table and let out a hungry roar.
"Apologies. We only serve grilled fish here," a calm, expressionless voice replied.
A handsome young man with purple hair and a beauty mark on the left side of his chin walked over. Hearing that slightly magnetic, youthful voice, Ren looked up and squinted at the waiter. He felt the guy looked strangely familiar.
But Ren was so hungry he was seeing stars, so he didn't dwell on it. "Fine, grilled fish then! Bring me ten plates to start!"
"Hm? Why does his voice sound familiar?" The young man raised an eyebrow but nodded anyway. "Understood. Please wait a moment."
It didn't take long before plate after plate of tantalizing grilled fish was served. Ren took a bite and was instantly stunned.
The taste was incredible! The knife work, the seasoning, the crispness of the skin, and even the plating were perfect. Even with Ren's palate, which had been refined by modern cuisine in his past life, he couldn't find a single flaw.
Moreover, there was a faint... taste of Konoha? It was a strange thought, but he couldn't shake the feeling.
However, the distraction didn't last long. Ren's attention was quickly pulled toward the shifts happening within his own body.
Ever since he lost the Zero-Tails and his talent evolved into the Fragmented Ten-Tails Body, his physique felt like a giant void waiting to be filled. Every cell in his body was constantly screaming for nourishment. Now that the void was finally being fed—
Ren immediately sensed a source of endless, miraculous energy spreading from his stomach to every corner of his frame. It was a strange essence known as vitality.
And that was only the first layer of change.
As his entire body was wrapped in this warm sensation, a power hidden at the root of his bloodline and deep within his cells began to creep through his limbs. It traced back to its source, reaching toward a more dangerous, extreme power—exploring, twisting, and transforming!
In that moment, Ren felt a sudden inspiration and began to refine chakra anew. The color of this newborn chakra was completely different from the norm. It was a chaotic blend of blue, black, and red.
Furthermore—
As Ren willed it, the color began to shift. It went from standard blue to a deep, flickering azure that looked like dancing flames. From that azure, it shifted into a pitch-black that felt like it was surging from the depths of the ocean. Finally, the black transformed into a violent, leaping crimson.
Lines of subtitles flashed before his eyes:
[Influenced by Talent: Fragmented Ten-Tails Body (S, 3/10), you have obtained the chakra characteristics of Matatabi (Two-Tails), Gyūki (Eight-Tails), and Kurama (Nine-Tails).]
[Matatabi Trait: Mouse Hair Fire] – Elevates your Fire Nature chakra to the pinnacle of Fire Release, entering the realm of Blaze Release. It allows you to wield powerful flames with masterful skill.
[Gyūki Trait: Octopus Sealing] – Transforms your chakra into "Ink-Soot" chakra with constant regenerative properties, significantly increasing the strength of Sealing Jutsu.
[Kurama Trait: Will of Hatred] – Infuses your chakra with the violent nature of the Nine-Tails. When applied, it can trigger the malice in people's hearts and grant you superhuman physical strength!
[Your Chakra capacity has increased.]
BOOM!
The chopsticks in Ren's hand suddenly ignited with blue flames, vanishing into ash instantly! The flames surged violently, leaping from his palm like a vertical pillars of fire. They blew off his bamboo hat and threatened to explode right in front of him.
Ren's pupils shrunk as he tried to rein in the power, but the moment he shifted his weight—
CRACK!
The wooden bench beneath him shattered into splinters. Even though it felt like he had only lightly tapped the floor, his foot sank through the wood, crushed the earth beneath, and embedded itself deep into the ground!
"What the hell is going on?!"
Looking at the spider-web cracks spreading from his foot and the deep-blue fireball hovering in mid-air—which looked ready to turn this shop and the surrounding block into dust—Ren felt utterly bewildered.
However, right then—
"What do you think you're doing, Ren Uchiha?!"
A shocked exclamation rang out. It was the handsome waiter who had been bringing out another plate of fish. Or, to be more precise:
Kakashi Hatake.
Kakashi swept his gaze across the scene and didn't hesitate. He dropped the plate, lunged past Ren, and slammed the shop door shut. As he turned his back, his hands were already a blur of seals!
Tiger – Snake – Rat – Snake – Tiger!
"Water Release: Water Encampment Wall!"
Kakashi squatted and slammed his palms onto the floor, funnelling his chakra into the ground to create a violent upward surge of water, aiming to douse the deep-blue fireball before it could detonate.
"Crap!"
Ren realized immediately: ordinary Water Release could not suppress this Blaze Release! If this "waiter" who knew his name continued, he'd only be adding fuel to the fire, completely detonating the unstable Mouse Hair Fireball!
"It's going to blow!"
Ren's scalp tingled. He reached up decisively and tore off the black cloth covering his eyes.
Seeing the upward surge of water making the fireball even more unstable, Kakashi's gaze sharpened. He grabbed Ren's arm, kicked open a hidden trapdoor in the floor nearby, and pulled Ren down into the dark hole just as the world turned blue!
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