Golden radiance flooded the night sky, turning the entirety of Konoha into blinding daylight.
Countless shinobi stood frozen where they were, staring blankly at the heavens as the overwhelming power continued to surge and spread, wave after suffocating wave.
That power was not merely destructive—it carried with it a sense of finality, as though the night itself had been judged.
Suspended in midair, Ren exhaled slowly. His gaze swept across the shattered earth below, across the vast ruins carved into the land, and finally toward the direction where the Akatsuki members had vanished.
Only then did he truly allow himself to stop.
"They escaped…"
Even he hadn't expected the destruction to reach this level. But after a moment's thought, it made sense.
He had drained himself completely.
Every last drop of chakra—gone.
So… the more chakra I pour into it, the stronger this bootleg "Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion" becomes.
The reward points he'd obtained from the previous "storytelling" task had all been invested into chakra, pushing it straight to LV11.
This time, he hadn't held anything back.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path had appeared. At that point, restraint was meaningless.
If it couldn't be destroyed anyway, he might as well find out just how far he could go.
And the result…
He had clearly underestimated himself.
The true carrier of Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion is the Truth-Seeking Orbs.
I don't have those yet, so I'm brute-forcing it with chakra instead.
Ren couldn't help but think—
If one day he truly condensed Truth-Seeking Orbs of his own, and then poured this level of chakra into them…
Would splitting the moon really be impossible?
"Ren!"
A large group was rushing toward him from the distance.
Ren glanced over and immediately spotted Sarutobi Hiruzen, as well as Danzo—his former superior.
Tsunade was there too, along with several high-ranking ninja.
Only then did Ren finally relax.
With a faint hum, he dispelled the Light-Weight Rock Technique and descended.
The moment his feet touched the ground, his body swayed slightly.
Exhaustion caught up with him at last.
Still, he recovered quickly, straightened his posture, and gave a respectful nod.
"Hokage-sama."
His gaze briefly passed over Danzo before shifting to Tsunade.
"Danzo-sama. Tsunade-sensei."
"Are you hurt?"
Tsunade didn't wait for Hiruzen to speak. She strode forward and grabbed Ren's wrist, checking his condition with practiced efficiency.
Yūgao, still dressed in ANBU gear, followed closely behind.
Seeing Yūgao unharmed, Ren smiled faintly.
"I'm fine," he said. "What about the village? I remember riots breaking out."
"They're under control," Hiruzen replied solemnly. Seeing Ren standing here intact, he finally allowed himself to breathe easier.
Then his expression hardened.
"Ren… what exactly happened tonight? The Uchiha—"
What worried him most was not the destruction itself, but the consequences.
Looking at the scene before him, Hiruzen already knew the answer.
The Uchiha were finished.
Whether there were survivors at all remained uncertain.
A clan that had stood for generations—gone in a single night.
And Konoha had lost an enormous source of strength.
"Hokage-sama," Ren said calmly, "there was something very wrong about tonight."
He nodded slightly—and at that moment, a commotion erupted from the perimeter.
"Let me in! Let me in! This is my home!"
A young, hoarse voice rang out.
Ren didn't need to think to know who it was.
Sasuke…
Hiruzen sighed and gestured to the ANBU nearby.
Moments later, Sasuke was escorted in.
The boy's face was pale, his eyes red and swollen.
Hiruzen looked at him for a long moment.
The last Uchiha.
"Ren," Hiruzen said quietly, "continue. He's a member of the clan. He deserves to know."
Ren nodded.
He glanced at Sasuke's trembling figure and sighed inwardly.
I moved too fast… didn't even give the brothers a chance to meet.
"Earlier tonight, while resting, I sensed spatial distortions within the village," Ren began. "It immediately reminded me of someone."
"Uchiha Obito," Hiruzen said without hesitation.
"Exactly. Only he fits."
Blaming Obito had become instinctive for Ren.
And more importantly—it was effective.
No one could deny that Obito had appeared tonight.
"I followed the chakra disturbances to the Uchiha district. By then, someone was already there… and the smell of blood was overwhelming."
"So it was Akatsuki?" Hiashi Hyūga asked despite himself.
"Yes," Ren replied. "And also no."
He shook his head, his gaze briefly passing over Danzo's stiff expression.
"When I entered the compound, Uchiha Itachi was already slaughtering the clan. Akatsuki blocked me from intervening."
The effect was immediate.
Shock rippled through the crowd.
"What?!"
"That's impossible!"
"Uchiha Itachi?!"
Sasuke's voice cracked.
"You're lying! My brother—my brother would never do that!"
Ren sighed softly.
"If intact bodies are recovered, a proper examination will make everything clear."
"To be honest, if I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't believe it either. Who could kill their own clan… their friends… their parents?"
"I saw the bodies of elders, children, and even pregnant women. Those were not killed by Akatsuki. Their wounds match police-force methods."
Police Force.
Clan members.
Children.
Pregnant women.
Fists clenched.
Even the ANBU present felt their stomachs churn.
Killing enemies was one thing.
This?
This crossed a line no shinobi could justify.
"Uchiha Itachi… Akatsuki…" Hiruzen muttered, his knuckles whitening.
Danzo stood stiffly to the side, unable to speak.
Then Ren delivered the final blow.
"There's one more thing I need to report, Hokage-sama."
Danzo's heart sank.
"Obito believed victory was assured and told me this personally. Someone inside Konoha had already agreed to act against the Uchiha."
"That's why Akatsuki moved so smoothly. They hired mercenaries to attack from outside, released prisoners to create internal chaos, and struck the Uchiha while Konoha's forces were distracted."
"Which means…"
"The Uchiha may never have intended to rebel at all."
"Enough."
Hiruzen cut him off immediately.
This was already enough.
This was about saving face.
And choosing a scapegoat.
Hiruzen slowly turned his gaze.
"Danzo."
The word alone carried killing intent.
"Do you have anything to say?"
Danzo opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
"You abused my trust," Hiruzen roared. "You failed to verify Itachi's loyalty, allowed him to massacre his own clan, and dragged Konoha into disgrace!"
"I did it for the village—!"
"Enough!"
Hiruzen's voice was absolute.
"Effective immediately, you are stripped of all authority. You are removed as Hokage Advisor. Root is dissolved."
Danzo's world collapsed.
Sasuke sobbed quietly.
The surrounding shinobi remained silent.
Only Ren stood expressionless.
Because—
[System settlement in progress.]
Far from Konoha, space twisted violently.
Blood-stained figures stumbled out one by one.
"That power…" Orochimaru murmured, staring back toward the distant glow. "If that strike had faced inward…"
"This is Senju power?" Kakuzu muttered, cold sweat on his brow.
The Akatsuki were silent.
Finally, Obito spoke.
"We take Itachi. Mission complete."
Nagato hesitated.
"…Ren. What is he?"
Black Zetsu answered calmly.
"The power of the Six Paths has two aspects."
"The Sage's Eyes."
"And the Sage's Body."
"Hashirama Senju possessed the Sage's Body."
"And now…"
"So does Ren."
Silence followed.
A chilling realization settled over them.
Dawn rose over Konoha.
No one slept.
In the Hokage's office, reports stacked endlessly.
Ren stood quietly as notifications flooded his vision.
[Completed Special Mission: Uchiha Incident]
[Mission Rating: S]
[Reward: Free Points ×10]
[Completed Special Mission: Preserving the Flame]
[Mission Rating: A]
[Reward: Free Points ×8]
[Completed Special Mission: Root Succession]
[Mission Rating: S]
[Reward: Free Points ×10]
[Special Condition Met]
[Special Rewards Unlocked]
[Special Reward 1: Ninjutsu Prodigy]
[Special Reward 2: Shadow of the Shinobi World]
[Special Reward 3: Free Points Doubled]
[Current Free Points: 64]
Ren lowered his gaze.
This night… was worth it.
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