The Genjutsu: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change shattered the world like a bullet piercing glass. Countless spider-web cracks rippled through the air before the entire illusion exploded into fragments.
The Sand ninja who cast the spell coughed up a violent spray of blood. His eyes widened in sheer disbelief as he stared at Ren Uchiha, screaming in terror:
"Damn it! The intelligence was wrong!"
"This kid... he knows Genjutsu!"
The surrounding Sand ninjas stiffened. Having realized the danger, they immediately averted their gazes, not daring to make eye contact. These were elite ANBU; they knew all too well how lethal an Uchiha's gaze could be.
Ren tilted his head slightly, his gaze locking onto the injured ninja in the crowd. Under the corrosive influence of the Cursed Seal of Heaven, his crimson eyes began to warp.
The black pupils constricted, narrowing until they formed vertical, serpentine slits. The two black tomoe stopped spinning, fixing themselves on either side of the vertical pupils.
It was a gaze that was both eerie and breathtakingly beautiful, like a deity of death stepping out of ancient myth.
Ren felt it instinctively. He wasn't just capable of reflecting illusions anymore. With his heightened, 360-degree infrared-like vision, even if the Sand ninjas avoided his direct line of sight, the very concept of "looking at him" seemed enough to pull them into his range.
He felt he could now unleash a Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes on everyone present simultaneously.
But as the thought crossed his mind, a cold shiver crawled up his bloodline. A primal warning told him that if he did this, his eyes would undergo an irreversible, terrifying mutation.
In that split second of hesitation, a cold command tore through the air.
"Kill him!"
"Wind Style: Wind Cutter!"
"Puppet Style: Thousand Senbon Rain!"
The Sand ANBU unleashed a barrage of lethal techniques. Ren's serpentine pupils constricted. He no longer cared about side effects or future consequences. He was exhausted; the Cursed Seal was his only lifeline. He had to trust it.
"RAAAH!"
Ren widened his eyes. Fine, blood-red veins surged into his irises, linking with the crimson light. The icy natural energy from Ryuchi Cave flooded his optic nerves.
A single tear of blood escaped his eye and trickled down his cheek. An invisible wave of ocular power erupted, lunging at everyone before him like a spectral predator.
"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes!"
The Sand ninjas felt a sudden, bone-chilling cold, as if they had fallen into an ice cellar. But before they could process the sensation, the chill vanished as quickly as it had come.
"Ren! What are you standing around for?!"
A hand grabbed Ren's shoulder, yanking him backward and forcefully interrupting his technique.
Shisui Uchiha, Akichi Inuzuka, and the Root ninja, Otsu, flickered into the center of the fray, forming a triangular formation in front of Ren. Shisui's youthful face was set in a mask of grim determination. He drew his kodachi, his thumb bracing against the hilt.
"Leave this to us!" Shisui shouted. "Akichi-san, take the left! Otsu-san, the right!"
"The ones in the middle... are all mine!"
Shisui's eyes burned with a resolution that surpassed his years. He looked back at Ren one last time.
"Ren Uchiha... go! You are the bridge between the Clan and the Village. Do this your way!"
"We will guard your back!"
The interruption of his ocular jutsu left Ren momentarily dazed. Then, his vision blurred as a dozen Shisuis suddenly materialized. Each one looked like a physical entity; even with the Sharingan, it was impossible to tell the shadows from the original.
The army of Shisuis charged, unleashing a torrent of dragon fire that tore a hole through the Sand's line. On the left, two massive Fang-over-Fang drills tore through the dunes, while on the right, Otsu engaged several enemies with master-class kenjutsu and Earth Style.
Ren stared at the opening his comrades had bought with their lives. Beyond the gap, Ebizo's retreating figure was already a distant speck.
Ren's serpentine pupils narrowed to pins as he ground his teeth until they nearly cracked.
"Again... it's happening again!"
"Every single time it matters, you bastards think you can just run away!"
"COWARDS! ALL OF YOU!"
His chakra, fueled by that frigid, dark energy, surged into his legs. The mutation deepened.
The muscles in his thighs and calves twisted, reshaping themselves at a genetic level. They became leaner, more powerful, and corded with raw strength. The black patterns of the Cursed Seal climbed his skin like vines, forming intricate, jagged markings.
Ren's vision sharpened until the world around him turned into a series of barely perceptible lines.
He lunged through the gap.
He sprinted. He hunted.
He moved like a Black Mamba striking through the grass, his eyes locked onto Ebizo's back. The crimson snake-eyes were filled with nothing but pure, unadulterated killing intent.
"Dammit! If you don't kill me today..."
"NONE OF YOU ARE LEAVING ALIVE!"
Ren leaned forward, arms tucked behind him, a black arrow shot toward the night. The air in front of him stacked and compressed until it created a sonic boom. He kicked up a sandstorm that rivaled a tsunami.
Ahead of him, Ebizo had torn off his robes and mask, revealing a surprisingly muscled, athletic frame. The old man's arms pumped rhythmically as he moved with practiced, graceful speed.
"In the Land of Wind, no one knows how to run better than me!" Ebizo thought, a smirk of satisfaction playing on his wrinkled face.
As a Wind Style master, he had perfected a scientific running method infused with chakra that doubled his speed in the desert.
"At this speed, kid, you won't even see the dust I leave behind!"
Ebizo accelerated further, his legs a blur as he kicked up a massive screen of sand. He tilted his head slightly, wanting to witness the look of despair on the youth's face as he was left in the dust.
He expected to see the boy collapsed on the ground, helpless.
The old man's eyes flicked backward.
His smile froze.
Less than a hundred meters behind him, the Uchiha brat was surfing a monstrous wave of sand, charging at him with a face of absolute madness!
WHAT IN THE WORLD?!
Ebizo's heart skipped a beat. This was impossible! No one should be this fast!
Ren Uchiha looked up, his crimson snake-eyes burning with a savage, manic light. A terrifying grin split his face.
"Old man! Where do you think you're going?!"
"STOP RIGHT THERE!"
Ren took a sharp breath and lunged lower. His speed exploded. In the blink of an eye, he closed the gap, pulled alongside, and then surged past!
Ren's feet dug into the freezing night sand, carving two deep trenches nearly a hundred meters long as he skidded to a halt. As he braked, he slammed his left hand onto the desert floor.
"Time to drop your loot, old man!"
"SUPER · DEATHMATCH BARRIER!"