Chapter 15: The Hidden Cave
The moment Sasuke left for the academy, Ren erupted into motion. He leaped from his futon, a year of pent-up energy exploding out of him. He did a series of flips across the room, danced a ridiculous jig, and even attempted a cartwheel, which ended with him in a heap on the floor.
"You are my little—little apple! How I love you, can't be too much~" he sang under his breath in a horribly off-key voice, a popular tune from his past life that felt utterly absurd in this context.
He was giddy, almost delirious with the sudden, overwhelming sense of freedom. A year of playing the fool, of suppressing every intelligent thought, of acting like a helpless infant, had taken its toll. This bizarre outburst was a necessary pressure valve.
*Alright, alright,* he finally chided himself, forcing his breathing to steady. *Get a grip. This is no time to lose it.*
He stretched, feeling the unfamiliar softness in his limbs. *I haven't trained in a year. My physique has deteriorated. I've actually gotten… flabby.* He poked at a soft spot on his abdomen with a grimace. Sasuke's care, while keeping him alive, had been the care one gives to a pet—ample food and no exercise.
*System. Total points.*
***Host's current point total: 3,843. Would you like to open the Exchange Interface?***
The novice stipend had ended two weeks prior. The steady drip-feed of points was over. This was his entire savings.
*Not yet. Don't I have one lottery draw remaining? Is it still available?* he asked, a thread of anxiety in his thought. He had been too afraid to use it under Danzo's surveillance, worried the energy signature or some other effect would give him away.
***Host's accumulated lottery draws: 1. Initiate lottery draw?***
*Yes!* Ren's mental shout was full of relief and excitement. *Start the lottery!*
The familiar phantom wheel materialized in his vision, spinning in a blur of light and potential. It slowed, ticking past tantalizing glimpses of power before landing on its prize.
***Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the Ninjutsu: Chidori.***
A wave of warmth flooded his system, followed by a rush of intricate knowledge—chakra control patterns, the specific nature transformation for Lightning, the precise muscle memory for the thrust. It was now as innate as breathing.
*Chidori!* Ren's excitement was palpable. *I actually got it!* This was a legitimate A-rank technique, the signature move of Kakashi and Sasuke. It was powerful, devastatingly so, and undeniably cool. He had been saving points for this very technique. Now, he had it for free.
*Hah! I was planning to save up for this! This just saved me five thousand points!* He grinned, the first genuine, unforced smile in a year.
The urge to test it was immediate, almost overwhelming. But he restrained himself. *The noise… Chidori is far too loud. It'd bring the whole neighborhood running. I need to get out of here. I need to find my old spot.*
He decided to venture out. To maintain his cover, he adopted the shuffling, hesitant gait and vacant expression of the fool people expected to see. He touched walls aimlessly, giggled at nothing, and took an agonizingly long time to meander through the streets, all under the watchful (and now, he hoped, pitying) eyes of the villagers. Finally, he reached the familiar tree line at the edge of the Uchiha district and slipped into the woods.
*Finally! Gods, even being an idiot is exhausting. You need serious acting chops,* he complained internally, dropping the act the moment he was shrouded by the trees.
He moved deeper into the forest, heading for his old training clearing. But as he approached, he stopped. *Huh? A shuriken?* He bent down and picked a discarded throwing star from the leaf litter. *Someone's been training here.*
His suspicion was confirmed when he reached the clearing. Several wooden posts were charred and blackened from fire jutsu. More shuriken were embedded in the trees surrounding the area.
*Tch. Someone's claimed my spot.* Annoyance flared in him. This secluded place was supposed to be his secret. Now he'd have to find another. *Might as well see what's deeper in. I've never fully explored these woods.*
The forest grew denser, the light filtering through the canopy dimmer. He was well beyond any normal patrol routes now. *Should be safe enough. I'm still within Konoha's borders. And if I run into trouble… well, I've got the Moon Step now.*
His wandering led him to a peculiar depression in the forest floor. It was a large, sunken area, overgrown with moss and ferns, as if the ground had collapsed inward upon itself long ago.
*A sinkhole? Or… the entrance to a cave?* Curiosity sparked. *It's remote. Hidden. If this leads to a cave system, it could be the perfect secret training ground. No one would ever find me.*
He started digging at the loose earth with his hands, but quickly gave up. *This is useless. It'll take me days. I need a… better excavator.*
A grin spread across his face. He had the perfect—if temperamental—solution.
He bit his thumb, drawing blood, and swiftly performed the series of hand seals. "Summoning Jutsu!"
***BAM!***
A massive plume of white smoke erupted, shaking the surrounding trees. When it cleared, a colossal creature stood where Ren had been. It was over ten meters tall, a monstrous fusion of lion and mastiff, covered in battle-worn armor. Three curved blades were affixed to its left wrist, and it wielded a massive, cruel-looking scimitar in its right. A fearsome eyepatch covered its right eye, a vertical scar running above and below it.
"**AT LAST! A CHANCE FOR A GLORIOUS BATTLE!**" the beast roared, its voice like grinding stones. "**POINT ME TO MY FOE, SUMMONER!**"
Ren sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Hey. Lord Fluffy. Calm down. Look around. There's no battle."
The giant beast, whom Ren had nicknamed "Lord Fluffy" (much to its fury), lowered its head, its single good eye scanning the empty forest. It focused on Ren, a look of profound disappointment on its bestial features. "**No battle? Then why have you summoned Rokudō-Ō, the King of the Six Paths? Do you seek death, little insect?**"
"Whoa, easy there, big guy. I need a favor. A… digging favor." Ren said, offering his most disarming smile.
"**DIGGING?**" The beast's roar was one of pure, unadulterated outrage. "**YOU DARE SUMMON *ME*, THE SLAYER OF A THOUSAND BEASTS, TO… DIG?**" It raised its massive scimitar menacingly.
"Hey! Buddies! We're buddies, right?" Ren said, holding up his hands placatingly. "Buddies help each other out! You help me with this, and I promise—*promise*—the next time I summon you, it'll be for the biggest, most epic battle you can imagine. Ten opponents! Maybe twenty!"
Rokudō-Ō's single eye narrowed. The promise of a future massacre warred with its immense pride. The promise of violence won. "**HMPH! VERY WELL, SUMMONER. BUT REMEMBER YOUR VOW. IF YOU SUMMON ME AGAIN FOR… *MANUAL LABOR*… I WILL CARVE YOUR BONES INTO DICE!**"
"Deal!" Ren said, pointing at the sunken ground. "Right there. I think there's a cave underneath."
With a sound of disgust, Rokudō-ō reversed its grip on the giant scimitar and began using it as a massive shovel. The earth flew in great clods. In three mighty heaves, it had cleared the collapsed debris, revealing a dark, yawning opening into the earth.
"**IT IS DONE. DO NOT FORGET.**" With a final, rumbling growl, the massive pug-mastiff vanished in another cloud of smoke, leaving Ren alone with the newly revealed cave entrance.
A cool, damp breath of air wafted from the darkness. Ren peered into the abyss, his heart beating with a mix of trepidation and excitement.
*Alright. Let's see what's down there.* Taking a deep breath, he began to carefully climb down into the mysterious cave.