Location: Border of the Wind Country – Endless Dunes
The heat was oppressive. Sand blew in blinding sheets across the horizon, the landscape barren and cruel. But Ren walked as if the world parted for him—his cloak trailing like ink across golden earth. Behind him strode Samui, Haku, Mei, Hinata, and Koyuki, each unbothered by the blistering wind.
Ahead, nothing but dunes.
Until the earth whispered secrets.
Ren's Sharingan caught it first—a flicker of chakra, then another. Symbols beneath the sand. Seals etched into ancient stone.
He raised a hand, and the ground split with a surge of shadow. A stairwell revealed itself—leading into the ruins below.
"Another tomb?" Mei asked, voice low.
"Not just a tomb," Ren replied. "A shrine. The last one… of the Kazehime Line."
Location: Temple of Dust – Deep Underground
It was dark, but not empty.
Carvings lined the walls—depictions of old gods and monstrous beasts sealed away by warriors with crimson eyes and sand-blessed blades. Statues stood guard, cracked but unfallen. And at the heart of it all sat a woman, alone in the center of a ritual circle.
She did not move as Ren entered. Her eyes—bright red and glowing—were closed in meditation.
Her hair was silver-gold, her skin pale against the darkness. Ancient chakra pulsed from her—not raw, but refined, like the stillness before a sandstorm.
"I know who you are," she said without opening her eyes. "Ren Uchiha. The boy who binds the world with shadow and charm."
Ren smiled. "And you must be Lady Seira of the Wind Shrine. The last priestess of the Kazehime."
She stood, slowly.
"And you've come to claim me, haven't you?"
"I've come to offer a choice," Ren said, his tone calm. "Follow me, or stay here—watching the desert consume what's left of your legacy."
Her laugh was soft. Sad. "There is no legacy. Only the end."
Ren stepped closer, his voice darkening. "Then let me give you a beginning."
Location: Temple Sanctum – Later
The ritual seals shattered under the influence of Ren's Pocket Hunting Dimension. The temple shifted—no longer a tomb, but a sanctuary tethered to his will. And at the center of it, Seira stood reborn, her priestess robes traded for a cloak of living sand threaded with shadows.
"You unsealed the Curse of the Crimson Wind," she whispered, her voice reverent. "I feel… stronger than I've ever been."
Ren offered his hand.
"I don't collect queens to place them in cages. I give them crowns."
She took it—her expression serene, her power awakening in waves.
[Seira: Claimed – "Desert Oracle Bride"][Ren Unlocks: "Wind Binding Arts – Crimson Veil Rituals"][Land of Wind: Secret Faction Swayed – Hidden Temples Stir]
Location: Sunagakure – Council Chambers
Baki slammed the report on the table.
"He revived the Crimson Shrine! That place was sealed for a reason!"
Gaara sat still, his gaze locked on the swirling map of recent chakra activity. "He didn't destroy it. He restored it."
"And took the last Kazehime priestess as his consort," another council member added grimly. "She's no longer bound to Wind Temple law. She serves him now."
Gaara closed his eyes. "We'll watch. For now."
Location: Oasis Fortress – Pocket Hunting Dimension
That night, Seira stood beside Ren on a cliff that overlooked an artificial lake of silver water. The shadows rippled across it, lit by dozens of floating blue orbs—resources gathered from his hunts, used now to expand his empire.
"You really built all this," she murmured, voice soft.
"I built freedom," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist. "And I want you to help me shape what comes next."
She leaned into him. "Then let me show you something. A vision passed down only to the shrine's last heir."
Her hand glowed with a seal—and an image appeared above the lake.
A gateway. No… a rift. To another world.
Ren's eyes narrowed. His heart surged.
[New Path Unlocked: Dimensional Rift – Outer Worlds Entry Point][First World Identified: "A Realm Where Dragons Still Reign"]
End of Chapter 35