Chapter 101: An Audience with the Kyuubi

“Damn it, Uchiha Ren! What did you just do to him?!” Shikamaru’s voice was sharp with panic and anger, cutting through the eerie silence that had followed Naruto’s agonized scream.

He had been frozen in place, first by the shocking use of Wood Style, and then by the horrifying sight of that strange device siphoning the violent, red chakra directly from Naruto’s body.

Ren paid him no mind, his focus entirely on the glowing canister now filled with a swirling, malevolent red energy.

“I told you,” he said, his voice calm and detached as he stowed the Tailed Beast Chakra Collector into a sealed scroll. “I’m merely borrowing a little chakra. It won’t harm him permanently. I have no personal quarrel with the boy.”

Nearby, Kankuro’s mind was racing, pieces clicking into place.

First, he went after Gaara and Shukaku’s chakra. Now the Nine-Tails… His goal is the Tailed Beasts themselves. But why?

With his objective complete, Ren turned his attention back to Naruto, who was still bound tightly by the thick wooden vines, though his struggles had weakened into feeble twitches. The Four-Tails cloak had receded slightly, its fury dampened by the theft of its energy.

“Now then,” Ren murmured, a spark of genuine curiosity lighting his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. “Let’s have a proper introduction.”

His eyes pulsed with power.

“Beast,” he commanded, his voice echoing with ancient authority. “Calm yourself!”

In an instant, his consciousness was pulled, not into a genjutsu he cast, but into one he invaded.

The world dissolved around him, reforming into a place of damp, cold stone and the constant, echoing drip of water.

He stood in a massive sewer. A foul, shallow liquid flowed around his ankles. The air was heavy, thick with hatred and the cloying smell of decay. This was no ordinary place; this was a prison, built deep within a young man’s soul.

A faint, ominous red glow emanated from the end of a long tunnel ahead.

Ren began to walk, his footsteps silent on the wet stone.

As he drew closer, the scene clarified. A colossal iron gate, covered in intricate sealing formulas and a large talisman marked with the kanji for ‘Seal,’ stood as the final barrier. From behind it, a deep, dark red chakra oozed like blood from a wound.

And there, in front of the gate, was Naruto.

He was on his knees, fighting a desperate, losing battle. The oozing chakra was crawling over his body, slowly swallowing him whole. Only his head remained free, his face a mask of strain and terror as he fought against the overwhelming hatred threatening to consume his mind.

“Pathetic,” Ren said, his voice cutting through the oppressive atmosphere.

Naruto’s eyes snapped open.

“Wha—? Ren?! How are you—?”

Before he could finish, Ren’s hand shot out, gripping Naruto by the scruff of his neck. With effortless strength, he ripped him free from the clinging, suffocating chakra and tossed him unceremoniously onto the wet ground behind him.

Naruto landed with a splash, gasping for air as if he’d been drowning.

He looked up, shock and fury warring on his features.

“You bastard! What was that for?!” He scrambled to his feet, ready to charge.

“Enough,” Ren snapped, not even bothering to turn around. His gaze was fixed on the gate.

“The genjutsu is over. Your precious friends are fine. It was all an illusion. Now, be quiet. The adults are talking.”

The words, delivered with such cold finality, stopped Naruto in his tracks.

The reality of the Tsukuyomi’s false horrors was still fresh, and the logical part of his brain knew Ren was telling the truth.

The fight drained out of him, replaced by a confused and seething resentment.

“Then why… why did you do it?!”

“To meet the real tenant of this dump,” Ren replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm. He took a step closer to the giant gate.

“Well? Aren’t you going to say hello? I didn’t come all this way for the scenery.”

For a moment, there was only the drip of water and the low hum of hatred.

Then, two slits of pure, corrosive malice opened in the darkness behind the bars.

They were followed by a wet, rumbling snarl that vibrated through the very foundation of the sewer.

A massive, fox-like muzzle pressed against the bars, revealing teeth as long as swords.

“You…” The voice was a low, earth-shaking growl, filled with centuries of loathing.

“An Uchiha. I should have known. I can smell that cursed chakra… that accursed Sharingan. It reeks of him.”

“Him?” Ren asked, a cold smile playing on his lips. “I assume you mean Madara. I’ve been getting that comparison a lot lately.”

“Do not speak his name!” the beast roared, the force of its anger causing the sewer water to ripple. Google seaʀᴄh novel-fire.net

“Your eyes… your presence… it is just as vile and controlling as his was! You come here to steal my power, just as he did!”

“Call it a down payment,” Ren said, utterly unfazed by the display of primal rage.

“And consider this a courtesy visit. We’ll be seeing more of each other.”

“Heh… hehehe…” The Kyuubi’s laughter was a terrifying sound, full of promised violence.

“A bold little gnat. You think you can control what you do not understand. I look forward to our next meeting… when I will tear you limb from limb.”

“I’m sure you will.” With a final, dismissive glance, Ren’s form began to fade, his consciousness withdrawing from the seal.

“Try to keep your pet in line, Naruto,” he tossed over his shoulder. “He has terrible manners.”

Back in the real world, the change was immediate.

The violent, bubbling red chakra that had encased Naruto receded like a tide, pulling back into his body until it vanished completely.

The Wood Style bindings dissolved into splinters of light.

Left behind was Naruto, collapsed on the ground, his skin raw and red as if from a severe burn, faint tendrils of steam rising from his body.

He was unconscious, breathing in shallow, pained gasps.

“Naruto!” Shikamaru and Kankuro rushed forward, skidding to their knees beside their friend.

Shikamaru carefully checked his pulse, his face pale with worry.

They looked up, ready to confront his attacker, but Uchiha Ren was already gone.

He had vanished as silently as a shadow, leaving behind only the wreckage of the temple, a traumatized Jinchuriki, and a chilling promise hanging in the air.

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