[Ding!]
[You bravely confronted Mifune, General of the Land of Iron, who intended to kill you. The target is deceased and cannot rise again. Reward Critical Hit triggered! You have obtained a random skill from the target: Secret Sword: Sky-Sunderer (Rank A+, Master).]
[Ding!]
[You bravely confronted Chiyo, Elder of Sunagakure, who intended to kill you. The target is unable to refute. Reward Critical Hit triggered! You have obtained a random skill from the target: Forbidden Art: One's Own Life Resurrection (Incomplete, Rank S-, Proficient).]
[Ding!]
[You bravely confronted Kitsuchi, the powerhouse of Iwagakure, who intended to arrest you. The target is deceased and cannot rise again. Reward Critical Hit triggered! You have obtained a random skill from the target: Earth Release: Super Added-Weight Rock Technique (Rank A+, Master).]
[Ding!]
[You bravely confronted Roshi, the Jinchuriki of Iwagakure, who intended to kill you. The target is playing dead and cannot rise again. You have obtained a random skill from the target: Lava Release: Granite (Rank B, Master).]
[Reward Critical Hit!]
[Since you have already mastered Fire and Earth nature transformations, combined with the proficiency boost from the "Master of All Weaponry" effect:]
[You have mastered the advanced skill of Lava Release: Granite—Lava Release: Needle in the Depths (Rank A, Master).]
[Simultaneously, you may attempt to train in Lava Release to master a brand-new Bloodline Limit: Lava Release.]
[Your Heartsteel stacks have increased.]
When Ren Uchiha woke up again, struggling to pry open eyelids that felt sealed by a steamroller, the gloomy sky he last remembered was gone. Sunlight filtered through water droplets hanging at the cave entrance, refracting onto his face and making him squint in discomfort.
Outside the jagged, cell-like opening, a fierce sun hung high. Rows upon rows of buildings constructed along the mountainside stretched as far as the eye could see. The rumbling sound of heavy horse-drawn carriages passing by echoed periodically.
Ren moved his limbs, only to find his body wrapped in blood-stained bandages. Beneath the cloth, he could vaguely see black surgical threads—stitches. A dull pain, like sand being rubbed into his raw flesh, radiated through his body with every movement.
He was lying in a damp mountain cave that doubled as a shelter. As a drop of water fell from the ceiling onto the back of his hand, Ren frowned and looked up.
"Is this... Rain Tiger at Will Technique?"
For some reason, Ren felt his body was now extremely sensitive to external chakra. The mere touch of a water droplet allowed him to sense the foreign chakra within it, acting like a link through the damp environment to transmit data to a specific location. He quickly deduced that this was a sensory ninjutsu.
As if confirming his suspicion, footsteps soon echoed from outside. A youth (roughly 15 years old) with long red hair, an Amegakure forehead protector, and a high-collared black robe walked in. He stared at Ren with curiosity.
"You're awake?"
Ren recognized him instantly: Nagato, the "rack" chosen by Madara Uchiha to hold his eyes, a founding member of Akatsuki, and its future second leader. However, logically speaking, Ren wasn't supposed to know him yet. Their only prior encounter was back in the Land of Rain when Yahiko invited Ren to join, and even then, Nagato had kept his hood up.
"You are..."
"Just call me Nagato. We've met once before in the Land of Rain—the three of us with Yahiko. Our other partner is named Konan." Nagato stepped forward, squatting in front of Ren, and handed him some dry rations and water.
Ren took them as Nagato continued, "Your injuries were severe. We thought about kidnapping a medical ninja, but after Mr. Kakuzu stitched you back together, he said... it wasn't necessary. He said you could heal yourself. Still, the sight was a bit frightening, so I helped bandage you up. I hope you don't mind."
Nagato gave a shy, somewhat stiff smile.
Ren thought back to his collapse. He had used a Sage Form different from the Snake Sage Mode and, through a series of accidents, gained the Sage Transformation talent. But the process of natural energy fusing with his cells—similar to when his mutated eyes nearly exploded during the fight with Ebizo—involved his body expanding like a balloon and then "popping."
It was no wonder that even Nagato, who was used to slaughter, found the sight hard to stomach.
"I see. Thanks." Ren closed his eyes to check his internal condition.
His body surface was mostly fine thanks to the high recovery speed granted by his Tailed Beast constitution and immortality, though he still felt Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear threads. However, the overexertion of the Sage Form had put him in a period of extreme weakness. His heart rate was slow, and his cellular activity was low. Furthermore, his vision was blurry from overusing the Susanoo and Sage arts, though it would recover since he hadn't stepped into the Mangekyou territory yet.
"So, I've been unconscious for a day." Ren opened his eyes and looked at Nagato, who habitually kept his head down, hiding his Rinnegan in the shadows of his hair. "Nagato, can I ask you something? What happened while I was out? Where is this, and where are the others?"
As he asked, the sun outside was swallowed by clouds. The cave plunged into dimness. The sound of drip-drop echoed.
Nagato tilted his head slightly, his eyes with their eerie concentric circles meeting Ren's in the dark. After a moment of silence, he spoke calmly:
"We have been declared wanted."
"The Five Great Nations, the Five Hidden Villages, and the minor nations—through a joint decree issued by the five Daimyos—have labeled us a terrorist organization aiming to subvert the world. Hiruzen Sarutobi of Konoha has labeled you an S-rank rogue ninja. Hanzo of the Salamander has labeled us A-rank rogues. Sasori of the Red Sand and Ghost Hozuki have also become rogues of their respective villages."
Nagato paused, his gaze turning cold and piercing, like a man opening Pandora's box.
"But that doesn't matter. Ren Uchiha—before I take you to see the others, I have a question for you."
Ren straightened up, sensing the shift. The shy, insecure boy was gone. In his place was a youth with a terrifyingly cold gaze.
"Ren, the greatest pain of my life began ten years ago," Nagato said tonelessly. "That year, the war started by Konoha spilled into the Land of Rain. Konoha ninjas broke into my home and killed my parents. That pain... I can never forget it. It turned into hatred for Konoha and all Great Nation ninjas."
"But fate is ironic. I met Yahiko and Konan, and under Yahiko's lead, we became students of Jiraiya—one of the Sannin of the very village that killed my parents. My enemy became my teacher. I was eventually won over by Lord Jiraiya's heart and came to understand his ideals. But—" Nagato clenched his fist tight. "I still cannot let it go!"
Ren listened silently. His gaze shifted from sympathy to scrutiny. As a member of the Uchiha and a ninja of Konoha, he couldn't deny his heritage. He wasn't responsible for Nagato's parents, but he knew how this world worked. If Nagato wanted to vent his rage on him, Ren would simply have to show him the strength of his fists.
Nagato took a deep breath, staring at Ren with his Rinnegan. "By now, I no longer wish to dig into the past. Lord Jiraiya told me that when people are hurt, they learn to hate. When they hurt others, they are hated and burdened by guilt. But it is through understanding this pain that we can be kind to others. Experience pain, think about it, and find the answer—the answer to creating a beautiful world."
Nagato shook his head. "To my shame, even with his teachings, I cannot find that answer. But I found Yahiko!"
His voice grew firm. "Yahiko is the man who can change the Land of Rain and the world! His ideals have never wavered! Though he speaks of using non-extreme force to reach a future where people understand each other... of being open and sincere with enemies... I am the only one who has seen what lies beneath his kindness."
Nagato's face became solemn. "Yahiko wants to become a God. In this world of constant war, he wants to stand at the top and stop all conflict as a deity. But he knows he cannot be a God himself, so he placed that dream on me. He wants me to be the bridge to peace. And now—"
Nagato leaned in, his Rinnegan sharp. "After seeing everything you have done, and seeing the power you possess—a power that exceeds even the eyes of a Sage—Yahiko has chosen you!"
"Ren Uchiha! Are you prepared to become a God!?"
Ren blinked, stunned.
Me? Become a God?
He thought Nagato was looking for a fight because of his Konoha roots. He was ready to scrap with a Rinnegan user who could probably summon a Gedo Mazo right now.
But this? Why were they trying to push him onto a pedestal?
"I..." Ren felt his scalp tingle. He wanted to say he was nowhere near qualified for such a high-stakes job. He couldn't even beat the Sage of Six Paths yet, let alone a half-dead Madara. This felt like being shoved into a furnace.
Nagato stood up and grabbed Ren's arm, pulling him toward the cave exit without waiting for an answer. "It doesn't matter if you aren't ready yet. Just... come with me."
As they stepped out of the damp shelter and onto the platform of a fortified gate in the city's outer wall, Ren saw them.
En Oyashiro, Ghost Hozuki, Sasori, Kakuzu, Konan, and Terumi Mei were sitting in a circle. They were looking up with expressions ranging from boredom to fascination at Yahiko, who stood in the center, clad in his black robe, gesturing wildly.
"...And so—" Yahiko shouted, his head held high. "That is my ultimate plan! We will absorb the ninjas who have suffered from war and build an organization that acts as a bridge of peace between the Great Nations!"
"And centered around Ren Uchiha, we will forge an ultimate weapon capable of deterring the entire shinobi world, stopping all war, and preventing all tragedy!"
"Akatsuki!"
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