After tidying up the empty boxes, chopsticks, and other items, Ren turned his head to look beside him, only to see Rin standing on the balcony looking outside. On the sofa next to her, besides Isobu and Chomei, there was now a slug.
"Huh?"
Ren walked closer and said with some surprise.
"Saiken, you're out too."
"Ah."
Hearing his name, Saiken wiggled his body and turned around. His pair of antenna-like eyes looked at Ren, swaying slightly, and he replied,
"Long time no see, Ren."
"Long time no see."
As Ren responded with a smile, Rin, who was not far away, also turned around and walked over, sitting on the sofa, and explained,
"Saiken said he wanted to come out, so I asked Chomei and Isobu to help him out for some fresh air."
"That's good."
Ren sat down on the opposite sofa and cautioned,
"But still be careful to avoid accidents."
Both Rin's and Saiken's identities were quite sensitive, and Ren had to be cautious.
"Mm."
Rin nodded, then spoke,
"So, is there something you called me over for this time?"
"Of course there is."
Meeting Rin's gaze, Ren raised his hand and pointed to his chest, nodding.
"This time, I mainly came to remove the cursed seal from your body."
Upon hearing this, Rin's eyes flickered. She looked at Ren and said with some excitement,
"Is there finally a way to solve it?"
Although there had been no signs of the cursed seal activating during this period, keeping it was ultimately a hidden danger. Rin had been worried during this time, fearing that she would be controlled again.
"Get ready, we'll start now."
Ren stood up, formed hand seals, and whispered,
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Two clouds of white mist exploded out of nowhere in the room, and then two Shadow Clones of Ren slowly walked out from them.
Before Ren could speak, the two Shadow Clones had already walked to the balcony and the doorway, standing still, and simultaneously raised their hands, forming the "Unyielding" seal.
"Buzz."
A Chakra fluctuation emanated from the two Shadow Clones, spreading throughout the entire room before suddenly brightening. A faint blue light shield flashed and then dissipated into nothingness, everything returning to calm, as if nothing had happened. But in fact, this room was already enveloped by a barrier.
"Alright, let's begin."
Seeing that everything was ready, Ren turned his gaze to Rin opposite him and nodded.
"Mm."
Rin nodded, then sat there without moving, while the three beasts, Chomei, Isobu, and Saiken, sat on the sofa nearby, quietly watching the two.
Ren took out a scroll from his person and spread it on the ground in front of him. His hand also rose, and he began to form hand seals.
After a few seals, a faint blue Chakra emerged from Ren's hand, extending towards Rin.
Upon reaching close, the Chakra began to split, turning into four or five thin Chakra threads. After a brief pause in the air, they directly pierced into Rin's chest!
As the Chakra threads pierced in, Rin let out a muffled groan, and her relaxed hands instantly clenched!
"Hold on!"
Ren whispered, then said no more, beginning to focus on manipulating those Chakra threads. After all, he was operating on the heart, and a single mistake could have unimaginable consequences.
As time passed, sweat began to seep from Ren's forehead, and Rin's body trembled slightly due to the pain, but to remove the cursed seal, she could only grit her teeth and endure.
Looking at the pained Rin, Saiken's body swayed slightly, looking at her with a worried expression.
Although they had only been together for a few months, the person and the beast got along perfectly. The gentle Rin quickly became close friends with the lively Saiken, sharing everything.
Although Saiken was very worried, he was also helpless. He could fight, but for such delicate work, he was powerless.
A quarter of an hour later, as several Chakra threads simultaneously broke, the stifling atmosphere in the room was broken.
Ren dispersed the Chakra in his hands, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his palm, and looked at Rin, grinning.
"Alright, Rin."
"Whew."
Rin let out a sigh of relief, leaning back on the sofa behind her. A look of relief appeared on her somewhat pale face.
No matter what, the trouble in her heart was finally resolved. From now on, she wouldn't have to live in fear anymore.
"Rin."
Seeing that the matter was over, Saiken also moved closer, looking at his Jinchuriki, and asked with some concern,
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, I'll be good after a short rest."
Rin shook her head, raised her hand to touch Saiken's body, and smiled.
"Thanks for your concern, Saiken."
Upon seeing the task completed, the two Shadow Clones also dispelled the barrier and simultaneously dissipated into white mist.
"Oh, right, Rin."
Ren handed over a brand new towel and nodded.
"Adjust yourself first. I still need to ask you about some things later."
"Okay."
Rin took the towel, wiped herself simply, and immediately felt much refreshed.
Looking at Rin, who had closed her eyes, Ren did not disturb her. He just sat opposite her, quietly waiting. After a short while, Rin opened her eyes and nodded slightly towards him.
"Let's begin."
"Mm."
Ren nodded slightly, looked at her, and said softly,
"Regarding the investigation of those Ninja World forces, is there any progress?"
The last time the two parted, after Ren used a map to categorize most of the hidden forces in the Ninja World, he handed it to Rin, asking her to investigate these forces while she was undercover in Hidden Cloud Village.
"There are some results."
Rin took out an ordinary Ninja World map from her person, spread it on the table, pointed to a spot, and explained,
"To save time, I chose a relatively close place to start my actions first."
Looking at the place her finger landed, Ren's eyes flickered, and he murmured,
"Land of Hot Springs?"
The Land of Hot Springs, adjacent to Hidden Cloud Village, was indeed the most convenient and easiest place to operate. As for the hidden forces there…
"Evil God Cult."
Rin stroked Saiken with her hand and said,
"I've learned about this organization. They are one of the top organizations within the Land of Hot Springs. Their members are spread throughout the country, and everyone is particularly bloodthirsty. They worship the so-called Evil God, and they are notorious in the Land of Hot Springs."
Saying that, Rin took out another scroll from her person and placed it on the table, saying with some apology,
"After this period of investigation, I also found several strongholds, but their main stronghold is too deeply hidden. I haven't found it yet."
"It's alright, this is enough."
After seeing Ren put away the scroll, Rin's finger moved again, shifting to another place, and she said softly,
"And here, with the information you gave me last time, I didn't waste much time and easily located the target."
"Oh?"
Seeing the place Rin pointed to, Ren was first stunned, then a look of excitement appeared on his face, and he murmured,
"Land of Grass, huh…"