Chapter 42 Eternal Flames OF Hell.
Hinata observed Ren's behavior with her Byakugan. Her eyes were hidden from him by her bangs.
Ren was watching the match. Naruto stared in horror as Kiba and Akamaru merged into a giant two-headed dog.
"The fuck?"
The giant dog attacked him. Naruto jumped back, throwing kunai and shuriken, but all were deflected by its fur.
"Khahahah, this is my clan's secret technique!"
Kiba attacked, turning into a spinning drill. Naruto was being toyed with by Kiba and Akamaru.
One attack sent Naruto flying.
Just then, Ren's eyes instinctively turned toward Hinata. He looked at her from the corner of his eye.
'So I was right?' A smile formed on Hinata's face.
"Naruto-kun, you can do it!" she cheered.
Everyone turned toward her.
Ino blinked. "What?"
'What is this girl planning? Why suddenly cheer for Naruto?' she thought, narrowing her eyes.
Shikamaru and the others were also confused. Why cheer for Naruto now? And by Hinata?
Ren was also confused.
'Protagonist aura? Damn, it's really something.'
He completely misunderstood, though a bitter feeling rose in his chest.
Hinata's Byakugan caught every twitch in Ren's actions. Her smile grew even wider.
Naruto, who stood up, blinked. "Hinata?" He grinned. "Well, I can't lose when someone is cheering for me."
He finally felt happy. Someone was cheering for him, even though he was losing. His eyes grew moist as a small amount of red chakra started leaking from his body.
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Dozens of Narutos filled the arena, attacking Kiba.
Hinata cheered for Naruto, and soon Shikamaru and the others followed. Naruto's motivation grew stronger.
Ren looked dumbfounded around him.
'What the actual fuck? Did he just power up? What kind of bullshit plot armor is this? Wasn't this only supposed to happen when Naruto was fighting Sasuke?'
'Did my existence cause the plot armor to power up Naruto?'
As the question rose, his eyes fell on Hinata, who was smiling and cheering for Naruto.
'Maybe some things are destined to happen?'
The bitter feeling grew as he unconsciously took a step back. The noise around him slowly started to fade as he began hearing his own heartbeat and breathing.
His eyes grew blurry.
A figure sat in front of him.
"Yo."
The figure raised his hand.
Ren looked at him in disbelief.
"You—" Ren pointed.
The figure smiled. "You still haven't changed, have you?"
Ren's breathing grew faster as sweat formed on his body.
"You still fear it, don't you? You are still the person who thinks you are worthless, aren't you?"
Ren stumbled back as the ground beneath him turned into bottomless water. He started drowning as his limbs were paralyzed.
His heart pounded violently as everything turned dark.
"Without the system, you are nothing, right? You still fear expressing your feelings to them, don't you?"
The voice echoed in his ears and mind.
Ren covered his ears as tears started falling from his eyes.
"Shut up! Please!" he shouted, begging.
"You are still the boy you were, aren't you? A cowardly boy who fears everything."
Ren clutched his head as his surroundings changed.
In front of him lay a boy around 15–16 years old. He lay on his bed, covered in a blanket, trembling and crying without a sound.
Ren's face went pale as his hands and legs started trembling.
A noise came from outside the room.
"Why should I do all the work? What are you even worth?"
"Watch your tone, you bitch. How dare you talk to me like that?"
"You bastard, who are you calling a bitch? My entire life is ruined by marrying you!"
Ren clutched his ears as tears fell from his eyes.
"Stop… please don't fight…"
The kid's thoughts echoed in his mind.
The sounds of fighting, cursing, and shouting came from the next room, where the man and woman argued.
Both Ren and the boy stiffened as they curled up, tears falling from their eyes. Their breaths grew ragged.
"Please… don't fight, Mom, Dad. I'm scared… please stop…"
The boy's thoughts and the sounds of fighting echoed in Ren's mind. His eyes went dull.
The scene shifted.
The kid was eating with his family. He remained completely silent as he kept eating.
The man slammed his hand on the table.
"What kind of food is this? Even dogs won't eat it!"
"Then don't eat. Fuck off!" the woman shouted.
"Who are you shouting at, you whore?" The man threw the plate at her.
"You dare?" The woman threw the pot, and the food spilled everywhere.
The kid didn't move. He kept his head down.
"See? This bastard only knows how to eat and sleep," the woman cursed.
"Get in your room!" the man shouted.
The boy stiffened and ran to his room.
"A worthless trash who can't even score well in exams. Just eats, sleeps, and wastes money," the man cursed from outside.
"What can you expect from your kid?" the woman shot back.
"Was he really mine?" the man shouted.
The sounds of cursing and things being thrown rang in both the kid's and Ren's minds.
The kid looked at Ren.
"I'm worthless, right?"
Ren stood there, empty-eyed, just staring ahead.
"am i right? Why won't you answer me? You are worthless, right?"
Ren just stood there.
"Why?" he finally muttered.
The ground vanished beneath his feet.
Ren was drowning in a bottomless sea, completely dark.
No light. No sound.
Just him, sinking deeper and deeper.
'Why? Why did I have to see that again? Is this a genjutsu? Who is casting it? Where am I? Who exactly am I? Why me?'
Ren's thoughts spiraled. "So who are you? Ren? Or the cowardly kid?" The voice echoed again.
"Who are you? Why do you know all that? Why show me all that?" Ren shouted like a wounded animal.
The kid appeared in front of Ren. His eyes were dark, with no pupils or irises, just darkness, as black tears fell from them.
"I'm worthless. I have no future. If only I had a system. If only I was also the protagonist. If only—"
Ren sat unmoving.
"This is who you truly are. Someone like you, a worthless guy relying on a system, dreams of having Hinata and Ino? When did you stop being self-aware? Are you worthy of girls like them? You are nothing but a fraud."
"I'm selfish, worthless, talentless, a coward," Ren muttered, and suddenly he started laughing. "Kahahaha… you happy? Yeah, I'm a fraud. A piece of trash. A loser!" he shouted.
"So you admit you are unworthy of them?"
"I do." Ren's eyes lost all light and visibility.
"Then, as judgment for your crime, your system is revoked. All the rewards given by the system have been revoked, and you shall burn in eternal flames of hell. Do you object?"
"No, I don't," he answered.
Red flames started burning Ren's body and soul.
"Aghhhhhhh—"
Ren started crying in pain. His soul and very existence were being burned.