Chapter 226: An Unexpected Interruption
Inside the refuge, time seemed to stutter and freeze. One moment, Uchiha Ren was facing them; the next, he was simply elsewhere, a phantom that had bypassed their defensive line without a sound. The lead ANBU, his senses screaming, spun around just in time to see the aftermath: Ren stood with his back to them, the Ryūko held low in a finishing pose, its edge gleaming with a fresh, wet crimson.
And before him, Koharu Utatane's body remained standing for a single, impossible second. Then, with a ghastly finality, her head tilted and slid from her shoulders. It hit the stone floor with a dull, meaty thud. A moment later, her headless corpse collapsed, the stump of her neck releasing a torrent of blood that painted the ground in a grotesque, expanding arc. The coppery scent of it flooded the cramped space.
"Lady Advisor!" the ANBU captain roared, his voice cracking with a mixture of fury and horror.
The other ninjas turned, their bravado turning to ash in their mouths as they witnessed the gruesome sight. The last of Konoha's elder council, a symbol of the village's old guard, had been executed like a common animal, right under their protection. Their anger was immediate, a hot, sharp spike of emotion, but it was instantly drowned by a colder, more primal tide of fear.
Among the civilians, a wave of muted terror crested. Whispers, frantic and disbelieving, rippled through the crowd.
"He... he killed her... just like that..."
"Didn't you hear? The ANBU said it earlier... Lord Jiraiya is dead too!"
"Lord Jiraiya? But he was... he was our strongest! If he's gone... and the elders are dead... who will save us now?"
The death of the elder was the final shattering of their fragile hope. The divine protectors they had relied on were fallen, and the monster who had slain them now stood amidst them, his work seemingly unfinished.
One of the wounded chunin, his arm in a sling and his face pale, found a desperate, foolish courage. "Uchiha Ren!" he shouted, his voice trembling with rage and fear. "You dare to murder a Konoha elder! The village will hunt you to the ends of the earth for this! You will pay!"
Ren didn't even turn to look at him. He merely let out a soft, disdainful "Hmph."
Then, he finally moved. He turned his head slowly, his gaze sweeping over the huddled ninjas. A cruel, mocking smile played on his lips. "You won't let me go?" he repeated, his voice a low, dangerous purr. "How amusing. It is not a question of Konoha letting me go. It is whether I will let you go. Are you prepared to die?"
As the last word left his mouth, the very air in the refuge changed. A killing intent so dense, so utterly suffocating, erupted from him. It was not mere bloodlust; it was a palpable weight, a spiritual pressure that felt like being submerged in a frozen ocean. The ninjas who had just been shouting threats felt their muscles lock, their breath catching in their throats. Cold sweat drenched their uniforms in an instant. They were flies caught in amber, paralyzed by the sheer, overwhelming force of his presence.
The civilians fared worse. They fell utterly silent, their cries frozen, their bodies pressed together as if trying to disappear into the stone walls. The only sound was the frantic, terrified beating of their own hearts.
In that moment of petrified horror, the Konoha ninjas understood the absolute truth. This man was beyond their threats, beyond their village's jurisdiction. He had already broken Konoha. The smoking crater outside was his statement; the bodies of their leaders were his signature. What threat could they possibly hold over him? The only question that remained was whether he would bother to wipe them out, this last remnant hiding in a hole in the ground.
Yet, even in the face of this certain death, they did not break. Trembling, pale, but resolute, they tightened their ranks, placing their bodies as the final, fragile shield between the demon and the innocent. "Uchiha Ren!" one of them managed to grit out, "Come on! We will not let you pass!"
Ren's response was a short, derisive chuckle. "Hmph! You think your resolve is enough to stop me? You cannot even control the trembling in your own limbs."
His body tensed. The Blade lifted, its point aiming at the brave, pathetic line of defenders. The murderous intent sharpened, focusing into a spearpoint. He was about to end this, to paint the walls with their blood and be done with it.
But then, he froze.
His head cocked slightly, as if listening to a sound only he could hear. The killing intent, so potent a moment before, flickered and vanished, leaving a vacuum of stunned silence. A faint frown creased his brow.
"It's Sasuke..." he muttered to himself, his voice low and laced with an unfamiliar note of urgency. "...What's happened?"
The thought of his brother in potential peril overrode all else. The refugees, the ninjas, Konoha itself—they were all instantly relegated to insignificance. In a single, fluid motion, he sheathed the Blade at his waist. Without another glance at the stunned survivors, his form dissolved into a swirl of black and red, vanishing from the refuge as if he had never been there.
For a long moment, no one moved. The only evidence of his visit was the coppery smell of blood, the two headless corpses, and the profound, soul-deep terror he had left branded in their minds. They were alive. By sheer, inexplicable chance, they were alive. A collective, shuddering sigh of relief passed through the crowd. They didn't know what had called the devil away, and they didn't care. For now, they were spared.
💀 WANT TO READ AHEAD? 💀
👉 JOIN MY PATREON — Patreon.com/The_Ripper_87
════════ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ════════
🔥CURRENTLY AT Chapter 326: The Animal Path's Onslaught🔥
⚡ SUPPORT THE STORY WITH YOUR POWER STONES! ⚡
🖤 EVERY STONE AND EVERY PLEDGE HELPS KEEP THE STORY GOING! 🖤