Ren's words left everyone stunned into silence.
No one could refute him.
What was truly terrifying was that—after thinking it through carefully—everything he said made perfect sense.
From a shinobi's perspective, the world was simple: fight, obey orders, complete missions.
From a village's perspective, however, the calculus was entirely different.
After leaving Pakura under Yugao's watch—still unconscious, still wearing that stubborn look of disbelief even in her sleep—Ren and Shisui Uchiha stepped outside into the moonlit ruins.
The desert night was quiet. Too quiet.
"…You were lying to her, weren't you?"
Shisui hesitated for a long while before finally asking.
"No," Ren replied casually, shrugging.
"I told her already—those were just my deductions."
He looked up at the silver moon, his tone calm.
"But I think events are very likely to unfold that way. Sunagakure doesn't have the luxury of dragging this out.
Wars aren't just fought with people—they're fought with money."
He turned to Shisui, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"I've heard the Fourth Kazekage personally goes panning for gold.
Do you know what that actually means, Shisui-senpai?"
"…That the daimyō has cut Sunagakure's funding?" Shisui answered after a moment.
"Exactly."
Ren nodded.
"Without money, nothing works. Supplies cost money. Training shinobi costs money. War bleeds money faster than anything else."
Shisui exhaled slowly.
At last, everything clicked into place.
"…Then it really might happen the way you said. End one front, focus everything on Iwagakure, and force the Third Tsuchikage to hesitate."
He looked at Ren again—this time, with unmistakable awe.
How does this guy think this far ahead?
Back in Konoha, Ren had already seen through things that even clan elders and village higher-ups failed to grasp.
Even the Hokage's intentions—misunderstood by so many—had been clear to him.
"Ren," Shisui asked cautiously,
"where exactly were you trained?"
Ren blinked.
"…That's not something I can answer."
He said it so decisively that Shisui immediately realized he'd crossed a line.
"I—sorry. You don't have to say anything."
Ren nodded without another word.
"Well then," Shisui shifted the topic smoothly, "what do we do next?"
"We don't rush," Ren replied.
"Pakura herself probably doesn't know much. To be safe, senpai should personally verify things with genjutsu."
Though Shisui was the nominal squad leader, Ren had already noticed something:
Shisui was powerful—but dangerously idealistic.
Which was perfect.
Someone has to take responsibility if things go wrong, Ren thought. And it won't be me.
"As for Pakura," Ren added, his voice lowering,
"she stays alive. For now, she's more valuable that way."
Shisui nodded solemnly.
"If your judgment is right… then she could be exchanged for peace."
"…."
Ren pressed his lips together.
Now I understand why this guy casually handed Mangekyō secrets to Danzō, he thought dryly.
He's missing a screw.
Without explaining further, Ren waved his hand and headed out.
"I'll scout the area. See if there's water nearby."
"Be careful," Shisui said. "And… thank you."
Ren didn't answer. He simply disappeared into the ruins.
The abandoned village was eerily silent—its destruction unmistakably the work of Sasori.
As Ren wandered through the rubble, he finally opened his system interface.
[Mission Complete: Obtain useful intelligence from Sunagakure and Kirigakure shinobi]
[Evaluation: C]
"…?"
Ren stared at the screen, genuinely confused.
I didn't even "obtain" the intel—I just reasoned it out.
Then again, the conclusions were accurate.
"…Guess the system really doesn't care how the job gets done," he muttered.
[Reward Obtained: Free Point ×1]
[Special Reward Granted due to uncontrollable impact]
[Scorch Release — Experiential Insight]
"Scorch Release… experiential insight?"
Ren frowned—then his eyes widened.
He finally understood.
Bloodline limits in the shinobi world fell into two categories.
The first were innate—etched into blood itself.
Sharingan. Byakugan. Shikotsumyaku. Senju vitality.
Powers tied to Ōtsutsuki inheritance and genetic mutation.
The second type, however…
Were constructed.
Elemental fusion. Chakra manipulation. Artificial bloodline techniques.
Those can be learned.
This reward wasn't granting him Scorch Release.
It was giving him Pakura's firsthand understanding—her control, her sensations, her mental framework when fusing chakra.
A solved equation.
"A blueprint," Ren whispered, eyes gleaming.
With this, he could drastically shorten the time and failure rate of chakra fusion experiments.
"But I'll still need more support…"
Calming his excitement, Ren took out a scroll and quickly inscribed information onto it.
Hand seals flashed.
The scroll vanished.
Ren looked toward the distant horizon.
"Hurry up," he murmured softly.
"I'm waiting for you now."
This technique was something he had obtained long ago—after a brutal Root mission that wiped out an entire household.
The other person who possessed it was someone Ren knew very well.
A future mastermind.
A whitewashed villain.
One of the shadows behind the shinobi world.
And the bastard who once tricked Ren into entering Root—
Yakushi Kabuto.
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/lucarioTL