"Ren, long time no see."
Itchi let go of Ren's pant leg, then grabbed the corner of his clothes, greeting Ren with a slight lisp.
"Ren, weren't you on the front lines? This is…"
Uchiha Mikoto asked with a puzzled expression. Although her words were incomplete, the other two understood her meaning. Ren stood up, holding Itachi's small hand in his left, and said with a smile.
"I was recalled by the Village for a period of rest. I should be returning to the front lines tomorrow."
"So that's it."
The two suddenly understood. Then Uchiha Akito stepped forward and invited Ren.
"Then, Ren, would you like to visit my home? Tell us about Ryufeng's situation."
"No problem, Aunt Akito, do you have any snacks?"
Ren's eyes lit up. Thinking of the long-awaited sweets, Ren couldn't help but swallow his saliva.
"Hahaha, yes, just bought them."
Uchiha Akito chuckled, lifting the two large bags in her hands to show Ren. Then she turned to her good friend beside her and said with a smile.
"Mikoto, let's have lunch at my house today. It's been a long time since you and Itachi came to visit us."
"Alright, Itachi, let's visit Aunt Akito's house today."
"Then we'll impose, Aunt Akito."
Itachi stood beside Ren, bowing seriously to Uchiha Akito. His adorable little face made the two mothers' eyes sparkle.
"Ah, he's as cute as Ryufeng was when he was little. Should I have another younger brother for Ryufeng?" This was Uchiha Akito's thought.
"Ah, my son is so cute! He really takes after me more. If he were as fierce as his dad, how would any girl like him in the future?" This was Uchiha Mikoto's thought.
...
"Ren, three-colored dango."
"Thank you, Itachi." Ren took the dango, took a bite, and it was soft, chewy, and sweet. Paired with a cup of hot tea, Ren instantly felt warm all over.
"Tsk tsk tsk, you two have such a good relationship."
Uchiha Akito stood at the kitchen door, looking at the large and small figures sitting in the living room, saying with a hint of envy. Itachi was already so big, yet every time he saw her, he would politely call her "Aunt Akito." While it was endearing, it paled in comparison to how he treated Ren.
No matter where he saw Ren, Itachi would immediately share any good things he could find, including but not limited to food and toys. Uchiha Akito often teased Uchiha Mikoto about this; her precious son sometimes cared more for Ren than for Fugaku. Uchiha Mikoto remained noncommittal, as after his parents, Ren was probably the person Itachi liked to be closest to.
"Akito, I'm ready here, let's go."
Uchiha Mikoto walked out of the kitchen with a plate of pastries and couldn't help but call out to her friend who was standing idly.
"Coming, coming."
A few of them sat down at the table and began to enjoy their lovely afternoon tea.
Uchiha Akito held a cup of strong tea, her gaze shifting to Ren beside her, and she asked with some concern.
"Ren, please tell us about Ryufeng's situation. It's been more than two months since the war started. Besides a letter every ten days or half a month, we can't get any other information in the Village. It's really worrying."
"Um… I was transferred to the Iwagakure Battlefield a while ago, so I'm not too clear on the specific news from there. However, my teacher sent a message telling me that everything is fine."
Ren took a sip of strong tea, paused, and then continued.
"Don't worry, Aunt Akito, Ryufeng has Captain Shinnosuke and several Uchiha colleagues looking after him, and his own strength is not weak, so you can rest assured."
"Is that so? Then I'm much more relieved."
The worry in Uchiha Akito's eyes lessened, but she was still somewhat anxious. After all, no matter how strong a child is, they are still a mother's flesh and blood. Moreover, it was on the battlefield, where countless Genin and Chunin died every day, and even a Jonin could fall into a trap if they weren't careful. Uchiha Akito's worries were not unfounded.
"By the way, I haven't seen Shisui in a long time. I wonder what he's doing now."
Uchiha Mikoto, beside them, smiled and took over the conversation, speaking softly.
"Shisui was exceptionally admitted into the Konoha Military Police Force due to his outstanding performance and maintains public order in the Village every day."
"That's good."
Ren nodded. After all, given the current situation, being able to stay in the Village was a good thing.
However, such peaceful days might not last much longer. After all, besides the Land of Wind, Land of Earth, and Land of Fire, there were still two other great nations that hadn't entered the fray: the Land of Water, located overseas, and the Land of Lightning, located northeast of Konoha. According to Ren's analysis and predictions, within a month, they would definitely be unable to restrain themselves and declare war on Konoha.
Although it's said to watch tigers fight from the mountains, if the conflict drags on, the warring parties might pull them into the fight as well. After all, no one is foolish enough to let others reap the benefits after they've fought to the death. The fairest way, of course, is for everyone to join the fray, and the winner is decided by their own abilities. So, with the later participation of Hidden Cloud Village and Hidden Mist Village, there would be virtually no idle Ninja left in the Village. Except for necessary defensive forces, over seventy per cent of their strength would be dispatched to resist foreign enemies. For instance, the heads of the Ino–Shika–Chō clans, who are currently fighting on the Sunagakure Battlefield, as loyal supporters of the Hokage lineage, took the lead in battle to encourage other major clans to send troops.
For example, the major Konoha clans, the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan, although they ostensibly sent some Ninja to show support, these were all ordinary clan members whose potential had been exhausted and whose strength was low. Their true elites were not used at all. But when the time comes for the four nations to besiege Konoha, even clan heads like Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Hiashi will have to lead their entire clans into battle.
More seriously, when Konoha is in imminent danger, even the Hokage will have to personally enter the fray. Of course, generally, unless it's a crisis like the destruction of the Village, the Hokage will not personally take action. After all, as the absolute core of a Village, the Hokage's job is to stabilise morale from the rear and strategise from afar.
Of course, there have been Kage in history who personally entered the fray. For example, during the First Ninja World War, Hidden Mist Village and Iwagakure fought endlessly until, in a fit of rage, Second Tsuchikage Mu and Second Mizukage Hōzuki Gengetsu personally entered the battle, ultimately ending in a mutual kill. With the deaths of their respective Kage, both sides calmed down, and the First Ninja World War drew to a close with the deaths of the two Kage.
There was also the Third Raikage, who, during this war, fought ten thousand Iwagakure Ninja for three days and three nights to cover his comrades' retreat before finally succumbing to exhaustion and dying.
Thinking of this, Ren's eyes flickered. It seemed like this was an opportunity.