Chapter 191: A Heart's Desperate Charge
"The one attacking Konoha," Shizune repeated, her voice heavy with a grief that went beyond the physical destruction, "is Konoha's own S-Class rogue ninja, Uchiha Ren. He is the one controlling the Nine-Tails. He has already... slaughtered countless of our comrades. He has vowed to make Konoha the second Kumogakure. To erase us completely."
The confirmation of the name sent a fresh wave of shock through the trio.
"Uchiha Ren?" Shikamaru breathed, his tactical mind struggling to reconcile the facts. "Why? Why would he do this?" He remembered Ren from their brief encounter during the Hidan and Kakuzu crisis. He had been aloof, powerful, but ultimately on their side. This level of vengeful hatred was incomprehensible.
"He's... that strong now?" Choji murmured, his usual appetite forgotten, replaced by a cold dread. "We were in the same academy year... I never thought..."
"Lady Shizune," Shikamaru pressed, his expression grim. "Do you know his objective? There has to be a reason." He needed data, a variable he could work with. A foe who simply wanted annihilation was the most troublesome kind.
"I... I don't know the full story," Shizune admitted, shaking her head. "It seems to be tied to the Uchiha clan massacre from years ago. There are... secrets from the past involved. But don't dwell on that now. This area is too dangerous. Your priority is to get this civilian to safety. Trust in Lady Tsunade. She will handle this."
"You're right," Shikamaru conceded, though his mind was already racing through scenarios. "Choji, you take the grandmother to the shelter. We'll regroup after."
"On it!" Choji said, hefting the old woman gently onto his back. "I'll get her safe and meet you back here!"
But as Shikamaru turned to discuss their next move with Ino, he found empty space where she had been standing. His head snapped up, and his blood ran cold. Ino was already a distant figure, sprinting at full speed away from them—directly toward the epicenter of the destruction, toward the Nine-Tails.
Damn it!
The moment Shizune had spoken Ren's name, a part of Ino had shattered. The boy she had secretly cherished since childhood, the one whose memory she held onto despite his status as a rogue ninja... was the architect of this nightmare. Her heart screamed in denial. It couldn't be true. There had to be a mistake, a reason he would never share. A desperate, irrational need to see him, to hear the truth from his own lips, overrode all sense of self-preservation and duty. She had to find him. She had to stop him.
"INOOO!" Shikamaru yelled, his voice cracking with panic.
He knew. He knew about her feelings, and he had even suspected Ren held a soft spot for her in return. That was why, until now, he hadn't been overly worried about Ren's status. But the scene before them—the vaporized Hokage Tower, the divided village—spoke of a hatred so profound that any past affection would likely be burned away. Letting Ino run into that maelstrom was a death sentence.
"Choji, hurry! I have to go after her!" Shikamaru shouted over his shoulder, already launching into a sprint.
"Be careful! I'll catch up as soon as I can!" Choji called back, his own worry evident as he turned and ran toward the shelters with his precious cargo.
Shizune, though confused by Ino's extreme reaction, understood the immediate danger. "Shikamaru! What's going on? Why would she run toward the battle?" she asked, falling into step beside him as they chased the blonde kunoichi.
Shikamaru's face was a mask of frustration and fear. "It's... complicated. Ino has been in love with Ren since they were kids. And he... he always seemed different around her. I think she's running to him now, hoping to reason with him, to ask him why."
Shizune's eyes widened in understanding, then narrowed in alarm. "That's suicide! The Uchiha Ren out there today shows no mercy to Konoha. He might not see the girl he knew; he might only see another enemy shinobi! We have to stop her!"
"I know!" Shikamaru gritted his teeth, pushing his chakra to his legs to increase his speed.
They were gaining on her, but Ino, driven by a desperate heart, was faster than either of them had anticipated. She weaved through the ruined streets, her singular focus blinding her to the collapsing buildings and the distant roar of the beast.
Ren, her mind screamed, tears streaming down her face, mingling with the ash in the air. What happened to you? What could have driven you to this? I need to see you! I need to understand!
She didn't know if she could stop him. She didn't know if he would even listen. But she had to try. For the memory of the boy she once knew, and for the village she swore to protect, she charged headlong into the heart of the inferno.
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