Chapter 110: A Lesson in Humility
In the training ground's oppressive silence, Sasuke's expression was a complex mix of desire, pride, and deep-seated resentment. "If you're giving that to me," he said, his voice strained, "then we're even. Nothing more."
Ren couldn't help but let out a short, dry laugh. *Still so stubborn.* "Sure. Consider the debt paid." He tossed the vial of Pulse to his brother.
Sasuke caught it, his fingers closing around the cool glass. He stared at the glowing liquid within, a war playing out on his face. The craving for the power it promised was palpable, but he hesitated, unsure of how to use it and too proud to ask.
"You drink it," Ren said, his tone flat, cutting through the awkwardness. "Straight down. You'll feel the change immediately."
Sasuke flinched, his pride pricked by the unasked-for advice. He covered it with a dismissive "Hmph!" but his hands were already moving, uncorking the vial. Yet, he paused again, turning his head away slightly. "Are you... certain about giving this to me?" The question was laced with suspicion, a final, feeble defense of his dignity. Check latest chapters at novel~fire~net
Ren sighed inwardly. "Relax. Its effects are marginal for someone at my level. And I've already used my dose. And don't flatter yourself into thinking I'd poison you. If I wanted you dead, Sasuke, you'd already be dead. Just drink it. It will be... an unexpected harvest."
The bluntness of the words finally broke through. With another frustrated noise, Sasuke tipped his head back and swallowed the entire contents of the vial.
The effect was instantaneous and profound. A wave of pure, vibrant warmth exploded from his core, flooding every cell, every nerve ending. The deep fatigue from his relentless training vanished as if it had never been. His depleted chakra reserves didn't just refill; they swelled, broadening, becoming denser and more potent. He felt lighter, stronger, his senses sharpening to a razor's edge. The ceiling of his power, once firmly at an elite chunin level, shattered. He had vaulted into the realm of a special jōnin in a single, breathtaking moment.
"This feeling..." Sasuke breathed, his eyes wide with shock. Then, a familiar, arrogant energy surged back into him, amplified by the new power. He threw his head back, a wild, manic laugh escaping him. "HAHAHA! This power! I can feel it!"
His gaze snapped back to Ren, now filled with a renewed, blazing confidence. The humility was gone, burned away by the Pulse's potent energy. *Maybe now... maybe now the gap is closed!*
Ren watched, unimpressed. *He never learns. A little power, and he forgets every lesson. Time for a refresher.*
"Hey!" Sasuke's voice was dripping with newfound arrogance. "So this is the edge you had? Well, now it's mine! Let's see how you handle my new power!"
He lunged forward, a blue aura of chakra flaring around him, faster than he had ever moved before.
"Still so stubborn," Ren muttered, a cold sneer on his lips. "It seems my kindness was mistaken for weakness."
He didn't retreat. Instead, he vanished from his spot, appearing directly in Sasuke's path faster than the eye could track. There was no grand technique, no Sharingan activation. Just a brutally efficient fist driven into Sasuke's stomach.
The air blasted from Sasuke's lungs in a choked gasp. The arrogant charge ended instantly. He doubled over, his eyes bulging, the sensation of his organs being violently rearranged overwhelming the euphoria of his new power.
"But... damn...!" he wheezed, stumbling backward.
"Humph!" Ren didn't give him a moment to recover. In the same motion, he pivoted and delivered a devastating kick to Sasuke's side, lifting him clean off his feet and sending him soaring into the air.
Before Sasuke could even comprehend the trajectory, Ren was above him, having moved faster than gravity itself. Another kick, straight down, hammered Sasuke into the stone floor of the training ground like a nail.
The impact cratered the rock. Sasuke lay in the center of the wreckage, groaning, every bone in his body screaming in protest. The world swam in and out of focus. The Pulse's enhanced vitality was the only thing keeping him conscious.
"Getting arrogant after a tiny power-up?" Ren's voice was cold, dripping with contempt as he landed gracefully beside the crater and looked down. "You're still 10,000 years too early to challenge me."
"Damn... this guy..." Sasuke coughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood. The frustration was a physical pain worse than any injury. "How... how is he this strong? Even now... I can't even... see him move..." The reality of the insurmountable gap between them crashed down, extinguishing his brief flash of arrogance, leaving only bitter humiliation.
He struggled to push himself up, one arm clutching his surely bruised ribs, the other wiping blood from his lip. He glared up at Ren, but the fire to attack was gone. Replaced by a cold, calculating understanding. This wasn't a fight he could win with brute force.
"You're wondering, aren't you?" Ren said, his voice losing its edge and becoming almost conversational. "Why the gap is so vast. Why a single vial couldn't bridge it."
Sasuke remained silent, but his glare was an admission.
"It seems you really want to know," Ren continued, a taunting smirk returning. "Well... I think I'll keep that to myself for now. Hehe~" He turned his back, dismissing Sasuke entirely.
He began walking away, but paused at the edge of the ruined training ground. He didn't look back.
"Be at the village gates at dawn tomorrow. We're going somewhere."
Sasuke stared at his retreating back, stunned by the command. "Huh? Wh— Why should I listen to you?!" he shouted after him, his pride making one last, weak stand.
But Ren was already gone, leaving Sasuke alone amidst the shattered stone, his body throbbing with pain, his mind reeling with frustration, and a new, unwelcome curiosity burning in his chest.
Back in his room, Ren sealed the door shut. He ignored the dinner that was likely left outside. He had a more pressing question, one that required absolute privacy. He sat on his bed, focus turning inward.
*System,* he commanded silently. *I have a query.*
The familiar, sterile interface materialized in his mind. **["Host interface active. Awaiting command."]**
*Is there any method, any ability or item within your purview, that can artificially induce the evolution of another person's Sharingan? To force the awakening of the Mangekyō?"*
The question hung in the silence of his mind, heavy with implication.
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