Chapter 130: The Serpent's Return

The oppressive killing intent that had filled the room vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Ren took a slow breath, the cold fury receding back into the depths of his mind. He offered a thin, dismissive smile to his startled team.

"My apologies," he said, his voice returning to its usual calm. "An unpleasant thought crossed my mind. It seems my control slipped." He didn't elaborate further, the mystery itself serving as a reminder of his unpredictable power. "Let's go. It's time we greeted our host and his... guest."

He led the way out of the chamber. Suigetsu, Karin, and Jūgo exchanged uneasy glances before following. Despite their growth, their leader remained an enigma wrapped in terrifying power.

***

In the main hall of the stronghold, the air was thick with a different kind of tension. Orochimaru, flanked by the ever-attentive Kabuto, stood with a third figure—a young man with pale skin, dark hair, and an unnervingly placid expression. This was Sai, the guest.

From the shadows near the entrance, another figure emerged. Sasuke Uchiha stepped into the dim light, his Sharingan already active, casting a crimson glow that illuminated the disdain on his face.

"You're late," Sasuke stated, his voice flat and devoid of respect as he addressed Orochimaru.

Kabuto adjusted his glasses, a frown of disapproval on his face. "Sasuke-kun, must you always be so discourteous to Lord Orochimaru?"

Orochimaru merely chuckled, a dry, rasping sound. "Patience, Kabuto. Though my arrival is delayed, I bring an interesting gift." His golden eyes slid toward Sai. "He is a shinobi from Konoha, just as you once were. Perhaps you can... reminisce about home."

Sasuke's snort was pure contempt. His gaze shifted to Sai, scanning him with utter disinterest.

Sai responded by stretching his lips into a wide, perfectly symmetrical smile that didn't reach his eyes. "A pleasure to meet you. I am Sai. You must be Uchiha Sasuke—"

"Spare me the pleasantries," Sasuke cut him off, his tone icy.

The fake smile on Sai's face didn't waver. "It seems a smiling face is easily disliked. Naruto disliked me as well... though I suspect you and I might get along better than he and I did."

The mention of Naruto's name acted like a key. Sasuke's eyes, which had begun to turn away, snapped back to Sai with laser focus. For a split second, the intensity of his gaze, amplified by the Sharingan, seemed to pierce through Sai's emotionless facade. Sai's breath hitched. He saw something in those crimson eyes—a depth of darkness, a promise of violence—that triggered a primal alarm he didn't know he possessed. He took an involuntary step back, his legs buckling beneath him, and he collapsed to the floor in a heap.

"Sasuke!" Kabuto snapped, recognizing the subtle genjutsu pressure Sasuke had exerted.

Sai, sitting on the cold stone, was bewildered. He reached a hand to his face and found it damp with cold sweat. *I feel nothing. I am a tool. So why... why was I afraid?* The encounter had lasted less than a second, but it had shaken him to his core.

Orochimaru watched with amusement. "Hehehe~ I did warn you. He is far more troublesome than I am."

Sasuke ignored them both, turning back to Orochimaru. "That fool is irrelevant. What matters is that you teach me a new ninjutsu. Now." He began to walk away, dismissing the scene.

But Sai, gathering his composure, spoke again from the floor. "I heard much from Naruto. He's been searching for you for three years."

Sasuke paused, his back still turned. "Hn. Is that so? I have no memory of such a person."

"Naruto considers you... his brother," Sai continued, pushing himself up. "That's what Sakura said, as well."

Sasuke slowly turned around, his expression darkening. "My brother," he said, the words dripping with venom, "is the man I will personally kill. And he is—"

"—And he is me. Uchiha Ren."

A new voice, eerily similar to Sasuke's but carrying a different, more calculated weight, finished the sentence. Everyone's attention snapped toward the corridor from which Sasuke had emerged.

Ren walked into the hall, followed by Suigetsu, Karin, and Jūgo. To an outsider, the resemblance between the two Uchiha brothers was staggering. They were mirror images in face and form, differentiated only by their clothing and the subtle, dangerous aura that clung to Ren.

Orochimaru's smile widened into a genuine expression of delight. "Ren-kun! What a welcome surprise." Kabuto's face, however, grew more guarded.

Sai's carefully constructed neutrality fractured for a second time. His eyes widened slightly. *Uchiha Ren? The other brother? The one who vanished without a trace. So he's been here all along, under Orochimaru's wing.* His mind, trained for assassination, began recalculating. *Two high-priority targets in one location. This complicates the mission, but it also presents an opportunity.*

He quickly schooled his features back into a blank slate, but internally, he was on high alert. The simple reconnaissance and infiltration mission had just become exponentially more dangerous. The shadow of the Uchiha clan, it seemed, was longer and darker than he had been led to believe.

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