{Yamato and Tenzo are used interchangeably}
{Also, read the notes at the end}
~~~
After learning that Yamato was still in the village, Ren didn't waste even a second, he slipped into the hidden ANBU passageways and moved.
Eventually, he reached the familiar room where Kakashi's unit usually gathered. Without a shred of hesitation or shame, Ren pushed the door wide open with a loud creak that echoed through the quiet space.
Inside, Kakashi was leaning lazily over his desk, scribbling down a few casual notes, his single visible eye squinting in mild concentration. Beside him, Yamato was trying, rather unsubtly, to peek over his shoulder and read whatever Kakashi was writing.
Both of them jumped slightly at the sudden intrusion. Kakashi relaxed immediately upon seeing who it was, Yamato, on the other hand, visibly tensed up even more.
Ren just raised his hand casually, offering a simple greeting. "I need to borrow Tenzo for a bit," he said cheerfully. "Hope you don't mind."
Kakashi didn't bother replying with words, he just gave a small nod and went right back to writing like this was an everyday occurrence. Yamato, though, looked like he was about to protest, maybe ask a question, maybe try to negotiate, tut Ren had already flickered behind him in a blur.
Without warning, he grabbed Yamato by the collar like someone lifting a stray cat, and with zero ceremony or context, flickered away once again, vanishing from the room and carrying the poor man through the network of paths, rooftops, and branches until they arrived outside the Senju compound.
It was there that Tsunade and Shizune were resting under a shaded area. Both of them looked up with raised eyebrows when Ren arrived, carrying a man double his size behind him like he was hauling around a training dummy.
Ren stopped in front of them and casually dropped Yamato to the ground. "This is Tenzo," he announced. "He's gonna fix the forest."
Tsunade arched an eyebrow.
Ren turned to Yamato, pointing at the wrecked, scorched battlefield ahead, the result of his and Tsunade's earlier R&D of his hardening.
"Tenzo! I choose you!" he said dramatically, like a trainer summoning their favorite Pokémon. "Use the forest jutsu!"
There was a moment of stunned silence.
Then Tsunade narrowed her eyes and turned her attention to Yamato. "So he's the one?"
Ren thought, 'As expected, she knows.' He gave a nod. "Yeah. I met him on the last mission. Given the state of the forest right now, he's the best one to handle this."
Yamato, still trying to process what the hell was going on, stood motionless for a second longer.
Ren nudged him with his elbow. "Come on now," he said casually. "The faster you fix it, the faster you can leave. Don't say I never did anything for you."
That seemed to put a little hope back into Yamato's eyes. Wordlessly, he stepped forward, knelt down to inspect the ruined land, and got to work. He started with a few quick Earth Style techniques to stabilize the soil and level out the destruction. Then he ran through a series of precise hand signs, faster now that he was back in his element, and slammed his palms into the ground.
[Wood Style: Small Forest Technique!]
Two young trees sprouted in front of him, quickly shooting up to towering heights in a matter of seconds. Their shapes, texture, and even the spacing matched the trees that had once stood there, before Ren and Tsunade had obliterated them during their fight.
He continued his work in focused silence while Ren walked back to Tsunade and stood beside her.
"So you already knew about him, huh?" Ren asked without looking away from Yamato.
Tsunade nodded slowly. Her eyes were distant, like she was remembering something buried under years of dust.
"Yeah," she said quietly. "It was a few years after the Third Hokage took over. Grandma Mito was already in the later stages of her life. That bastard Danzo came to her, asking for a sample of grandfather's cells for experiments."
Her fists clenched slightly.
"Of course, I beat him up for it. I thought that was the end of it. But a few days later, grandma told me she'd given him a vial of blood anyway. Said it was better to extend an olive branch from our side before they did something reckless. I was furious. I wanted to kill Danzo."
Ren nodded thoughtfully. "She probably did the right thing," he said. "She must've known she didn't have long. If she hadn't done it willingly, then after she passed, and with you gone from the village... the Third and Danzo might've resorted to worse like grave-robbing and desecration. With the kind of things Danzo was willing to try, who knows how far they would've gone."
Tsunade let out a long breath. Her face looked weary in a way Ren didn't see often.
"Yeah," she said quietly. "I didn't get it back then. I was too angry. But over time, I came to understand it so I let it go. Especially since they weren't making any progress, they couldn't replicate the Wood Release no matter what they tried."
Her eyes drifted back to Yamato. "But then... this guy showed up."
Tsunade's gaze shifted over to Tenzo for a brief moment, then returned to Ren. Her voice was a touch more serious now. "It's been a long time since any solid results from Wood Release surfaced, so I let my guard down. I didn't think much of it anymore. But a few years ago… after the Nine Tails incident, the Third was attacked, at that time there was something."
Her fingers tapped against her folded arms, eyes narrowing. "Among the attackers, there was this guy," she said, motioning toward Tenzo. "Kakashi was guarding the Third at the time, and he recognized wood release. He reported it to Jiraiya, who then passed it along to me. That's when I realized, there were actually some results after all."
Ren gave a small nod, listening carefully as she continued.
"So, when this kid transferred from Root to the regular ANBU, I had someone start keeping tabs on him. I wanted to see what he could do. But once I saw it in action… well, I figured out pretty quickly it was just a cheap knockoff of my grandfather's technique. So I lost interest, let it go and got back to my own life."
She exhaled lightly, then glanced at Ren again with a raised eyebrow. "You don't actually think that's the real Wood Release, do you?"
Ren didn't even need a moment to think as he shook his head.
"Obviously not," he said flatly. "You can tell just by looking. His wood release lacks the vitality. It's shallow. In the records I've read on the First Hokage, his Wood Release wasn't just strong, it was alive. Like the trees in the Senju compound."
He flicked his chin slightly in Tenzo's direction.
"This guy's Wood Release has only the faintest trace of life. Like someone tried to force it into being. That alone was enough for me to figure he was the result of some experiment. I guess I wasn't wrong."
Tsunade gave a small nod at that, a hint of satisfaction playing in her expression. She always enjoyed talking to people who actually used their brains.
Ren wasn't finished. "Do you have any ways to improve his Wood Release?"
That made Tsunade pause. Her brows furrowed slightly as she turned her head. "…Why would you want to improve it?"
Ren replied in a calm, even tone. "Because I don't trust Danzo. And if that man ever finds himself on the edge of death, I wouldn't put it past him to pull some reckless stunt involving Naruto."
Tsunade blinked at that. "Naruto?"
Ren clarified without hesitation. "The jinchuriki. The Fourth Hokage's son."
Tsunade let out a quiet sound of recognition. "Ahh. That kid."
For a moment, her expression turned thoughtful, her gaze drifting slightly as she mulled over the idea.
"You might have a point," she murmured. "There's a real possibility Danzo could try something drastic. And if whatever he does triggers the Nine Tails… yeah, in that case, this guy might become useful."
It wasn't that she doubted her own ability, or Jiraiya's, or the Third's to suppress the Nine Tails. But if Danzo really set something off, it was unlikely to be simple. There would be layers to it with multiple contingencies, it would be a disaster waiting to unfold. In that kind of situation, it wouldn't hurt to have someone capable of Wood Release around, just in case.
She let out a tired sigh. "I don't want to help him… but I guess it's for the best."
Ren looked at her with faint amusement. "Seriously? I didn't expect you to agree that quickly. I thought I'd have to drag you into it with a bit of coaxing."
Tsunade made a low sound, somewhere between a grunt and a chuckle. "It's not like I'm planning to pass down my grandfather's entire legacy to this guy," she said, waving a hand dismissively. "I'll guide him a bit. That's all. Honestly, even you could help him."
Ren tapped his chin in thought. "Yang Release training?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow and gave him a nod, silently encouraging him to continue.
So he did. "Well, I noticed this earlier too. The trees he creates barely feel alive. There's something missing from them. That something is likely yang chakra. Wood Release is a combination of Earth, Water, and Yang. His Earth and Water seem fine. But the Yang part, that's where he's lacking."
Tsunade smiled, pleased, and gave a light nod. "Correct. Your brain's surprisingly useful sometimes, even if it's mostly filled with chaos."
Ren shrugged.
She glanced back toward Tenzo. "That's exactly it. If he wants to make any progress, he needs to improve his control over yang chakra first. If he manages that… maybe I'll offer him a bit more help down the line."
With that, both of them fell into silence again, watching Tenzo work from afar.
Ren adjusted his sunglasses, pushing them slightly higher on his nose. Then, casually, he glanced at the floating system panel only he could see. A new reward notification had popped up, apparently, just the act of interfering in Tenzo's future had been enough to trigger it.
Not bad. Definitely a win in his book.
~~~
It took a good while before Tenzo finally wrapped up the restoration work as he had been handling everything on his own, he let out a quiet sigh and turned to leave unnoticed, preferably without another word exchanged. He really didn't feel like talking to Ren right now.
But of course, Ren was faster.
Much faster.
In an instant, Ren was in front of him, blocking his path like it was scripted. Tenzo didn't even get a full second to react before they were back in front of Tsunade.
Tenzo paled again the moment his boots hit the ground. Not that Tsunade was glaring at him or anything, quite the opposite, in fact. She gave him a once-over and shrugged.
"Hm," she muttered, folding her arms under her chest, "your Wood Release is… barely passable."
Tenzo flinched.
Tsunade continued flatly, "As the second person in history to have this Kekkei Genkai, I was at least expecting something. But if you keep using it like this, then instead of pride, it'll bring shame to my grandfather's name."
Tenzo's spine straightened instantly at the mention of the First Hokage.
"But," Tsunade added, tapping her chin, "I'll help you out a little."
He blinked. "Huh?"
"You heard me," she said, not even looking at him now. "Wood Release is a combination of Earth, Water, and Yang chakra natures. Your Earth and Water combination is decent enough… barely. But your Yang chakra's too weak. It's dragging the whole thing down. That's why your wood is flimsy and brittle. It lacks life."
Tenzo's breath hitched in his throat. He had always known something was off, he could feel it in every jutsu. Compared to the legends of Hashirama Senju, his own Wood Release always felt like a cheap imitation.
"So here's your next step," Tsunade continued, "train your Yang chakra. Start with medical ninjutsu. Then move on to fuinjutsu. Both are heavily Yang-based and will help you build up what you're lacking."
Tenzo's eyes lit up behind the mask. He nodded quickly, maybe too quickly. "Y-Yes! Absolutely, thank you, Tsunade-sama!"
He was about to flicker away and go start that training immediately, momentum and motivation fully aligned when Ren's voice rang out again.
"Oh, right! One more thing."
Tenzo paused mid-step, a hint of dread returning.
Ren pulled a kunai from his belt. "If you manage to level up your Wood Release like she said, I'll teach you this seal. It works best with long range constructs like yours. Could be a game changer for you."
He didn't wait for Tenzo's reply. Instead, he waved his hand, launching a B-rank Water Ball jutsu straight into the air. Then, with casual precision, he tossed a kunai directly at the water sphere.
The moment the kunai pierced the jutsu, the water ball vanished, no splash, no noise. Just gone.
Ren snapped his fingers and the kunai jerked back, flying into his open palm. As he held it up, the light caught the faint glint of sealing marks inscribed into the metal.
Tsunade and Tenzo both leaned forward slightly.
Ren gave them a brief look, then turned and lobbed the kunai toward a nearby tree.
It struck the trunk.
Nothing happened at first… and then, BOOM.
The entire tree trunk was swallowed by a sudden burst of pressurized water, blasting splinters in every direction. A full second delay from impact to detonation.
Tsunade raised one brow. "Hoh. Absorption, storage, and delayed release, on a kunai? That's a first, even for me."
Ren looked modest. Or at least, as modest as he ever allowed himself to appear. "Yeah, that was an idea I had back during my genin days. Back then I could only make it work on scrolls. The seal just absorbed jutsu and dispersed them harmlessly."
He rolled the kunai between his fingers. "Then I came across a fuinjutsu made by the Pervy Sage. It could store fire jutsu for something I don't quiet remember but I made some changes. This version can absorb and re-fire B-rank jutsu. Still can't handle earth techniques, though so it's definitely not a finished product but for him it'd be a hell of a boost."
Tenzo stared at him. Then at Tsunade. Then back at the tree, now half-ruined and leaking sap.
"I…" he said, quietly overwhelmed, "…thank you. Both of you. I won't let you down."
He gave them a deep, respectful bow, then flickered away without wasting another second, clearly eager to get to training before anyone changed their mind.
Though just before he vanished from sight, he made sure to quietly restore the blasted tree with a snap of Wood Release.
~~~~~
{You don't know how hard it was for me to write this chapter without making it weird for myself with things like, Hard wood, sucking jutsu, etc. So show some appreciation and make it weird in the comments, I'm waiting.}
{Also, I've officially paused billings on pat-reon today so even though new members can still join in I'd suggest you guys wait for it as after the break I'd take time and write many advanced chapters so that I can make multiple tiers too so hope you guys will like that.}
{One more thing, for those who still want to support me I'll be linking my Ko-fi id in the remaining chapters as ko-fi allows for one time support, so I hope I see some of you there.}
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{You know what else}
{280 Stones = Extra chapter}
{STONES!!!!}