Chapter 124: A Foundation Laid

The harsh sunlight of the real world felt different after the sterile, controlled environment of the Origin Space. Ren and Sasuke stood once more in the desolate badlands, the entrance to the northern stronghold a dark scar in the cliff face behind them.

“Is it wise to leave them in there?” Sasuke asked, his voice low. He glanced at the spot where their three new teammates had vanished.

“The space is secure,” Ren replied, his gaze sweeping across the barren horizon. “There are no inherent dangers. The Pulse will sustain them, negating their need for food and water for a considerable time. The path we walk requires powerful allies. They are an investment. Their strength must be forged to a level where they are assets, not liabilities.”

Sasuke gave a curt nod. “Fine. What is our next move?”

“We return to Otogakure,” Ren stated, turning to begin the long journey back. “For now, the Sound Village remains our base of operations. We still have use for Orochimaru’s resources and knowledge. And you,” he said, casting a sidelong glance at Sasuke, “will be an attentive student. Drain the snake of every technique, every secret he possesses. It will be crucial for what comes next.”

A flicker of understanding passed through Sasuke’s eyes. “Hn.”

They traveled in silence, two dark specks moving with purpose across the wasted landscape. Upon their return to the subterranean labyrinth of Oto, they were swiftly met by Kabuto, who conveyed Orochimaru’s summons with his usual unctuous smile.

They found the snake sannin in his main hall, a chamber that always smelled of herbs and something faintly decaying.

“Hehehe~ Ren-kun, Sasuke-kun. Welcome back,” Orochimaru rasped, his golden eyes gleaming with calculated warmth. “I trust your excursion was… productive?”

“It concluded as intended,” Ren answered smoothly, offering no details. “Did you fear I would spirit your prized pupil away for good?” The source of thɪs content is novel★fire.net

“Not at all,” Orochimaru lied effortlessly. “I have the utmost trust in our partnership. Though, I am curious. My informants mentioned you sought out Suigetsu and Jūgo. Yet they did not return with you?”

“They have been assigned other tasks,” Ren said, his tone dismissing the subject. “They will be occupied for some time. Does this concern you?”

“Merely curious, hehe~ Nothing more.”

“Good. If that is all, the journey was taxing. I require rest.” Ren’s dismissal was blunt, a reminder that he considered himself an equal, not a subordinate.

“Of course, of course. My apologies for detaining you. Please, rest well.” Orochimaru’s smile remained fixed, but a cold light flickered in his eyes as he watched them leave.

Back in his sparse quarters, Ren allowed himself a moment of calculation. *Three years. That is the timeline. The world is quiet now, but soon, the storm will break. The Akatsuki will begin their hunt in earnest. Powerful figures, now dormant, will emerge. And I will be ready. I will not allow their plans to proceed unchallenged.*

The following day, Ren formally announced his departure to Orochimaru. “The confines of the village chafe,” he explained with a disarming casualness. “I intend to travel, to see the state of the world with my own eyes. I will return to Oto within three years.”

Sasuke, by silent agreement, would remain. His power, while significant thanks to the Pulse and the latent potential of the Mangekyō, still had room to grow under Orochimaru’s tutelage. They agreed to keep the awakening of his advanced Sharingan a hidden trump card, a secret advantage.

Orochimaru, pleased to have Sasuke remain under his direct influence, offered no objection to Ren’s journey. After a brief exchange of hollow pleasantries, Ren set out alone, the heavy gates of Otogakure closing behind him.

As he disappeared into the forests bordering the Land of Sound, events were already stirring elsewhere in the shinobi world. Unbeknownst to most, a crisis involving the resurrected ancestor of the Land of Craftsmen and the capture of the Kazekage, Gaara, would soon draw the attention of the great nations. Konoha’s young generation would be tested, and Naruto Uzumaki would embark on his own training journey with the Toad Sage, Jiraiya.

But for Ren Uchiha, these were distant echoes. He had set his pieces on the board: a team of unique talents incubating in a private dimension, a brother being honed into a perfect weapon within the snake’s den, and himself, a free agent moving in the shadows. The quiet period was ending. The stage was being set for a far greater, more violent drama.

The calm was over. The winds of change were beginning to stir.

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