chapter 192 part 2
An Ukaku and a Rinkaku burst out from his body without warning. Under the moonlight, the massive wings looked incredibly bizarre.
It was like...
...a vampire from ancient times?
At the same time, his eyes under the mask underwent an astonishing change.
His Sharingan, originally hidden in the darkness, appeared uncontrollably. In his crimson pupils, the light was dazzling yet strange.
The degree of crimson was countless times more intense than before, as if it had been dyed with endless amounts of fresh blood.
Uchiha Ren felt a hot current rush to his head, followed by a sharp pain in his brain, as if countless steel needles were piercing it.
His body began to tremble uncontrollably. He clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails dug deep into his palms, and fresh blood slowly dripped from between his fingers.
However, he clenched his jaw, forcefully enduring the impact of this power.
Feeling the surging power in his eyes, Uchiha Ren slowly moved his shoulders, and the pair of enormous Ukaku wings trembled slightly.
He took a deep breath, adjusted his breathing, retracted his kagune, and continued walking toward the purgatory ahead.
Tonight, he was going to "eat" to his heart's content!
On the outskirts of the Uchiha Clan grounds, a team of Anbu and Root shinobi lay in ambush in the shadows like ghosts. Their auras were concealed so perfectly that they seemed to have merged with the dark night.
Suddenly, the figures of a mother and her child appeared in the night.
The mother held her child's hand tightly, her steps frantic and hurried, clearly trying desperately to escape this terrifying disaster. While fleeing, she cried for help, calling out for the Anbu, the word "Anbu"...
However, this sliver of hope for survival was mercilessly shattered in an instant.
Almost at the exact moment the mother and child appeared, several shuriken, accompanied by sharp whistling sounds, flew out like a torrential downpour.
The mother's eyes widened in terror. She subconsciously pulled her child behind her, trying to shield him from the fatal attack with her own body.
But it was all in vain.
The shuriken ruthlessly pinned them. The bodies of the mother and child trembled violently before the immense impact sent them flying backward, slamming heavily against a wall.
Their bodies were pinned to the wall by the shuriken. Fresh blood gushed from their wounds, trickling down the wall in horrifying streaks.
Among the Anbu, a ninja with brown, close-cropped hair, wearing a green jonin vest, witnessed this scene. A trace of pain and struggle flashed in his eyes. His lips trembled slightly as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just turned his head away.
This was all an order from above. In the world of shinobi, obeying orders was their duty. Even if his heart was filled with resistance, he had no choice but to silently accept the impact of this cruel reality.
Just then!
A loud explosion suddenly came from the direction of the Hokage Tower!
A pillar of fire shot into the sky, accompanied by rolling black smoke. The sound of the explosion was deafening, and the entire Leaf Village trembled.
The Anbu heard the sound and all turned their heads, a flash of shock and tension in their eyes.
"Not good, something's happened at the Hokage Tower!" someone exclaimed in a low voice.
"Compared to this Uchiha mess, the Third Hokage's life is far more important! Quickly, let's go!" The team leader, Yamato, made a decisive call and gave the order to move.
The Anbu immediately flickered, rushing toward the Hokage Tower. Their figures quickly vanished into the darkness.
The Root shinobi, however, didn't move an inch, as if the Hokage's life or death had nothing to do with them.
At this moment, below the Hokage Tower, Orochimaru stood casually.
He wore a long white robe, his long hair draped casually over his shoulders. His snake-like tongue occasionally flicked out from his mouth, dancing lightly in the air.
Tonight, because of the Uchiha Clan's annihilation, the Anbu had been fully deployed, and the jonin were all on standby around the clan grounds. No one could have imagined that someone would come straight for the Hokage at a time like this.
Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen appear, Orochimaru's lips curled into a strange smile. He spoke in a slightly teasing tone, "It's been a while, Teacher."
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the man who was once his prized student, his heart filled with anger and pain! He roared furiously, "Orochimaru, you bastard! You defected from the Leaf, and now you dare to sneak back! What in the world are you trying to do?!"
Orochimaru, however, was unfazed. He tilted his head back slightly and let out a low laugh. "Teacher, I should be thanking you. Thanks to you wiping out the Uchiha Military Police Force, I'm able to move so freely in the Village, right up until I saw you. How nostalgic. It's been so, so long since I last set foot in the Leaf."
Sarutobi Hiruzen threw a shuriken at Orochimaru, but Orochimaru easily dodged it.
"Teacher, you've really gotten old. Even your movements have become sluggish."
Sarutobi Hiruzen clenched his fists, his body trembling slightly. "I never thought you would become like this."
Orochimaru just gave a cold smile. "People change. If they don't change, it just means they died before they had the chance."
Orochimaru took off his white scarf, which was blown away by the wind. "I have no lingering attachments to the Leaf Village anymore. This rotten Village stifles the development of shinobi. I will shatter all of this and create a new world, a world of shinobi that belongs to me. And you, Teacher, will be the final obstacle in my path."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression was resolute. "As long as leaves dance, flames will burn. The shadow of the fire will illuminate the Village, and new leaves will sprout. When one wishes to protect something precious to them... that is when a shinobi's true strength is revealed."
As he spoke, he threw off his Hokage robe, revealing the mesh battle armor underneath. "Orochimaru! You are not worthy of being a Leaf shinobi, nor are you worthy of being my student! Today, right here, let me end this with my own hands!"
Orochimaru flicked his snake tongue. "I'm looking forward to it, Teacher."
(end of chapter)