"Smack!"
A slap landed on Renya's head, and he instinctively grabbed his head.
"Ow! What was that for, old man?" Renya looked aggrieved.
No one would be happy about getting hit out of the blue, especially in front of so many people. Didn't he care about his image?
Senju Tobirama shot him a glare. "You've been getting more and more arrogant lately."
With a personality like his, always refusing to take a loss, Tobirama felt it was only a matter of time before Renya suffered a serious setback.
"Tch, would this even have happened if they hadn't provoked me first?" Renya muttered under his breath.
In his view, the moment Uchiha Tanaka made a move against him. Only one of them could walk away alive.
Things had already reached that point—why bother being lenient?
While he wasn't in serious danger within the village for now, the moment they were outside, a clash between the two was inevitable...
"In Konoha, no one dares touch you," Senju Tobirama said gently. "So for now, don't take on any missions."
Renya blinked, caught off guard by the old man's words.
This feeling of being protected... wasn't bad at all.
"Okay, I understand, Tobirama-san," Renya nodded obediently.
Senju Tobirama looked at him in surprise. This brat agreed that easily?
He'd thought for sure Renya would ignore his advice.
"As long as you understand. Let's go home." Tobirama turned and began walking toward the Senju compound.
Renya waved at Danzō and Koharu in the distance, then followed.
The two exchanged glances, both looking a bit helpless.
"This is an Uchiha family matter. It's the right decision for us not to get involved," said Danzō.
"But... do you think Renya-kun will blame us?" Utatane Koharu asked, worried.
Danzō's mouth twitched. Now she brings it up—after everything's already over?
Where was all this concern when they were just standing around watching?
...
Senju Tobirama's residence.
"Stay home for now. Don't go anywhere," Tobirama said, leaning against the doorframe and speaking to Renya inside the house.
"I'll go give Uchiha Tanaka a warning."
"Yeah, I got it."
Renya was lounging on the sofa, casually picking up a manga from the table.
Tobirama frowned when he saw Renya's nonchalant attitude.
"You're not a kid anymore. You can't keep acting on impulse."
He was talking about the fight between Renya and Uchiha Tanaka earlier.
If he hadn't shown up in time, things could have gotten really ugly.
Uchiha Tanaka was an elite jōnin, and Renya might not have been able to win against him.
If anything had really happened, the consequences would've been unimaginable…
At that point, they'd only be able to meet again via Edo Tensei.
Listening to Tobirama's nagging, Renya felt a warm sensation in his chest.
This old guy really was worried about him.
He closed the manga.
"I won't do it again, Tobirama-san."
Whether he was being honest—only he knew for sure.
Becoming stronger wasn't just for self-preservation. It was also for a better life.
If he had the power to take out his enemies, why should he have to endure their mockery?
In the end, being a shinobi was a high-risk profession.
Living life constantly on the edge like that—some degree of mental instability was inevitable.
Renya was no different. To survive…
He had to eliminate anyone who posed a threat to him.
Like Uchiha Tanaka, who clearly harbored killing intent toward him.
As long as that man lived, Renya couldn't sleep easy…
No one could predict when Uchiha Tanaka might strike.
Rather than sit around waiting, it was better to take the initiative and remove the threat.
Tobirama saw Renya obediently agreeing and nodded with satisfaction.
"Just stay home and behave. I'll head back to the office."
Just as he was about to leave, Renya suddenly called out to him.
"Tobirama-san, are you coming home for lunch?"
"I'm swamped with work lately, so I probably won't have time," Tobirama stared directly at Renya, his meaning obvious.
"Then what do you want to eat? I'll bring it to you at lunchtime," Renya asked.
He realized that in the past, he always cooked whatever he felt like eating, never once asking what the old guy wanted.
Since Tobirama had stood up for him today, the least he could do was ask what the man wanted for lunch, so he could make it for him…
Tobirama raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised.
Renya had never asked about his preferences before—was he turning over a new leaf?
As he thought about it, he began to consider what he might like for lunch.
But after thinking for a while, he realized… he didn't really know what to pick.
Because he liked everything Renya made.
He genuinely couldn't name a single favorite—everything was delicious.
"Whatever. I'll eat whatever you cook."
"Alright, then go ahead and get back to work. I'll bring it over around lunchtime," Renya said while flipping open his manga again.
Tobirama nodded and turned to leave.
As he walked out the door, he couldn't suppress the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
His personal chef was back!
But then he remembered the reason Renya had returned… and his face darkened.
"The Uchiha clan really needs to be taught a lesson."
Approaching Renya without permission was one thing—but attempting to harm him? That was something Tobirama would never tolerate.
In Tobirama's eyes, the Uchiha clan was a group of lunatics.
No one could predict when they might snap, so strict supervision was necessary to prevent any extreme behavior.
...
"Clan Head Tanaka, I believe you owe us an explanation."
At the Uchiha compound, several elders had surrounded Tanaka.
"How foolish! Why would you hand over our family's business to the village?!"
"That business brings in a huge portion of the clan's income..."
Faced with their questioning, Uchiha Tanaka instinctively clenched his fists. These old fossils were driving him crazy!
But it really had been his mistake, so all he could do was endure it in silence.
"Sigh… You're so reckless. If we'd known this would happen, we never would've made you the clan head."
"Shut up!!!"
Tanaka exploded at those words.
He glared coldly at the elder who had spoken.
"I'm the one in charge of clan matters. It's not your place to run your mouths!"
The elders' expressions turned grim.
Realizing he'd gone too far, Tanaka softened his tone.
"Please rest assured, I'll handle this matter properly."
But the elders didn't respond and simply left with cold snorts.
It was clear they were already disappointed with Tanaka as the new clan head.
Bang!
Left alone in the now-empty meeting hall, Tanaka slammed the table and shattered it in fury.
"A bunch of old fossils… acting like they still matter!"
At the root of all this was that traitor...
Thinking of that, he gradually calmed down.
"Heh… I won't let you off the hook!"
As the Uchiha clan head, being repeatedly provoked by a traitor was something he simply could not tolerate.
If it weren't for Senju Tobirama constantly watching him from the shadows, keeping him confined to the village—
That traitor would've been a corpse by now.
"There's still time. Sooner or later, I'll get my chance."
"Uchiha Tanaka, I believe I already warned you."
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