Chapter 78: Snakes in the Garden
The deal was struck. The air in the hall, still buzzing with the aftermath of the fight, now felt thick and heavy, like a pressure change before a storm. Orochimaru's smile was a thing of nightmares—all teeth and promise, and Ren knew every single one of them was a lie.
"Heyhehe~ A wise decision," Orochimaru rasped, and the sound made the back of Ren's neck itch. "As I said, my resources are yours. I have a sample of the First's cells. You'll have it. And you are a partner here, not a subordinate." He made it sound so generous, like he wasn't already mentally measuring Ren for a new skin suit.
Ren didn't bother with a real smile. He gave a short, sharp nod. "Good. Then I'll stay."
"Then I wish us a... fruitful partnership." Orochimaru's voice was like oil.
"Likewise," Ren said, and the word tasted like ash. They stood there for a second, two liars in a silent standoff, each one sure they were the smartest person in the room.
"Now," Orochimaru said, his voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper that was somehow worse than his normal tone. "A gift. For my new partner. A little... insurance policy."
His head shot forward. I'm not kidding. His neck stretched like taffy, snake-like and utterly disgusting, aiming for Ren's neck. The Cursed Seal. Of course. The snake couldn't help himself. He had to try to brand his new property.
*Typical,* Ren thought, a cold fury settling in his gut. *No respect for personal space.*
He didn't move. He didn't even blink. He just let his eyes do the talking.
The three tomoe bled away, swirling and morphing into the stark, terrifying pattern of his mangekyou Sharingan. He didn't activate a technique. He just let Orochimaru see it. He let him remember.
The stretched neck froze dead in its tracks. Orochimaru's smug grin vanished, replaced by a flash of pure, undiluted panic. It was the look of a man who'd just stepped on a landmine he himself had buried. His head snapped back to his body so fast it was almost comical.
"Heh... it seems you have no need for my... protections, Ren-kun," Orochimaru stammered, a truly pathetic attempt at a recovery. His laugh was brittle. "A simple offer. Withdrawn."
Ren let the silence hang for a beat, let the humiliation sink in. "I'm not Sasuke," he said, his voice low and flat. "Try to mark me again, and I'll give you a reminder of Uchiha Itachi that you can feel in your bones. Are we clear?"
The name 'Itachi' was a spell. Orochimaru actually flinched. The message was received.
"Crystal," Orochimaru said, the oiliness gone from his voice, replaced by a cold, metallic edge. He swiftly changed the subject. "Sasuke. He will live?"
Ren glanced at his brother's crumpled form. "He's fine. He's sleeping off a genjutsu. His life or death is irrelevant to me." He poured every ounce of bored disdain he could into the words. It was a performance, but a convincing one.
"Kabuto!" Orochimaru's call was sharper than before. The medic-nin glided forward. "Take him to his room. Let him rest."
Kabuto hauled Sasuke up with an effortless strength. "Of course, my lord." He gave Ren a look that was probably meant to be polite but just came off as creepy. "Lord Ren."
"Hold on," Ren said, stopping him. He was suddenly, overwhelmingly tired. Tired of the posturing, tired of the snake den, tired of the smell of damp rock and ambition. "I need a place to crash. This 'hospitality' includes a bed, right?"
Orochimaru waved a dismissive hand. "Kabuto will see to it. The cells will be delivered to you tomorrow. We will talk more then."
Ren just nodded and followed Kabuto out. The hallway was dark and cold. Kabuto dumped Sasuke unceremoniously on a bed in one room and then pointed to a door directly opposite.
"Your room, Lord Ren," Kabuto said, pushing his glasses up his nose. A tiny, smug smile played on his lips. "Right across from your dear brother. I'm sure you'll find... opportunities to catch up."
"Get lost," Ren said, not bothering to look at him.
The moment the door shut, the act dropped. Ren slumped against the cold stone wall. The room was a cave. Literally. A bed, a chair, and a single pathetic oil lamp fighting a hopeless war against the darkness.
*God, this place is a dump,* he thought, rubbing his eyes. *He's immortal and this is the best interior design he can come up with? Depressing.*
He flopped onto the bed. The confrontation played in his head.
*Showing him the mangekyou was a risk, but it worked. He's scared of these eyes. Scared of the memory of Itachi. That fear is the only leash that will hold him.* He knew Orochimaru's weakness—all that body-hopping had left his soul a shredded mess, vulnerable to a strong genjutsu. *But a scared snake is still a poisonous one. Can't let my guard down for a second.*
The plan was simple. Get the cells tomorrow. See what the system could make of them. Then, start carefully, carefully poking around for info on that kid, Yukimaru, and the Three-Tails. One wrong move and this whole house of cards comes down.
He closed his eyes. The lamp flickered.
*Right. Tomorrow.*
***
**--- Konoha ---**
Tsunade's office was sunny. It felt like a different world. It also felt incredibly tense.
Kakashi looked like he hadn't slept in a week. Behind him, the rescue team looked like they'd been through a emotional wringer. Naruto was uncharacteristically quiet, Sakura was pale, and the others just looked grim.
"Run this by me one more time, Kakashi," Tsunade said, her voice dangerously calm. She was leaning forward, her hands steepled. "The mastermind behind the Suna attack, the one who strong-armed the Kazekage... was Uchiha *Ren*? Sasuke's brother? The one everyone called... an idiot?"
"Yeah," Kakashi said, the word heavy. "It's him. Suna's intel confirms it. We all saw it. We were wrong about him. Completely wrong. He's not an idiot. He's a prodigy. And he's strong. I'm not even sure I could take him."
The silence in the room was absolute.
Please let me know if this style is closer to what you're looking for. I can adjust further to match your preferred tone.
𝗚𝗨𝗬𝗦, 𝗙𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪 𝗠𝗘 𝗢𝗡 𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗠 𝗔𝗧 𝗚𝗘𝗛𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗪9