"Sorry, sorry—I'm late."
Inside the private room, Shisui looked apologetic as he greeted everyone.
"I didn't expect Kakashi-senpai to be here too. And, uh… this is—?"
"This afternoon turned out to be… rather extraordinary, senpai."
Ren flashed a mischievous grin as he cut in.
"Some things are better kept confidential, but it was definitely interesting."
Interesting was putting it lightly.
For the Uchiha, what happened today was nothing short of turning heaven and earth upside down.
Who was plotting the extermination of the Uchiha clan?
Danzō.
And today, they had stormed straight into Danzō's lair and fought inside it.
From a certain point of view, didn't that count as preemptive revenge?
Unfortunately, Shisui had missed that particular opportunity—which was a real shame.
"Ah… I see."
Shisui clearly had no idea what Ren was thinking. Since Ren said it was confidential, he wisely chose not to ask.
In truth, the reason he was late wasn't because he'd gone to train Uchiha Itachi, as he'd told Yugao.
He'd gone to speak with the clan elders.
The internal factions of the Uchiha clan were complicated.
Before the Nine-Tails incident, there had been three major groups:
One faction was radical, inheriting Uchiha Setsuna's ideology—obsessed with using force to make the Uchiha "great again."
Another faction, led by people like Shisui, hoped to integrate peacefully into Konoha.
The last faction was the so-called "go-with-the-flow" group—fight all you want, whoever wins gets my support.
After the Nine-Tails incident, everything changed.
The Uchiha were forcibly relocated to a remote district. Combined with malicious rumors spreading throughout Konoha, the clan finally snapped.
Most of the former neutral faction drifted toward the radicals.
As a result, life became increasingly difficult for Shisui and the moderates.
Fortunately, Shisui's entry into ANBU was a clear sign of the Hokage's trust.
But it wasn't enough.
They needed more people to gain that level of trust.
This was why Shisui felt they needed outside help.
Ren's performance in this mission had deeply impressed him—and the Third Hokage's actions today had left an even stronger mark.
Earlier, Shisui had subtly brought up Ren during his conversation with the elders.
Naturally, ANBU matters couldn't be discussed openly.
Still, what disappointed him was that the elders trusted "their own people" more than anything else.
"Alright, enough of that."
Ren shook his head and raised his glass of juice with a smile.
"This is our time off. Let's not talk about missions."
"Too bad we can't drink alcohol—otherwise we'd definitely drink ourselves senseless tonight."
"Hey, we're ninja," Yugao protested immediately.
"We can't just drink recklessly."
"And don't forget the Three Shinobi Prohibitions."
"But I've heard plenty of stories about Jiraiya-sama," Ren said, blinking as he deliberately turned toward Kakashi.
"Kakashi-senpai, Jiraiya-sama never seemed to care about the Three Prohibitions—and he's still ridiculously strong, right?"
"Cough—cough—cough!"
Kakashi choked on his words, utterly unable to answer.
What was he supposed to say—people are built differently?
That would be complete nonsense.
"I think," Tenzo said honestly, scratching the back of his head, "that since we're still young ninja, alcohol just makes us dizzy and careless. It's better to avoid it."
Then he added, looking at Ren,
"We've all done missions like that, right? Wait for the target to get drunk… then kill them."
"..."
Yugao and Shisui fell silent.
Wasn't the whole point not to talk about work?
And yet Ren stroked his chin and nodded thoughtfully.
"That's true. Drunk people are the easiest to deal with—and it's easiest to make it look like an accident."
"Like falling off a building."
He paused, then added casually,
"But we've already killed so many people. Having a little drink—"
"Enough!"
Yugao finally snapped, slamming her hand onto Ren's shoulder.
"You two, stop it."
"Senpai, you also have the Sharingan," Shisui said quickly, turning toward Kakashi to defuse the situation.
"I think we could exchange some insights."
Kakashi's Sharingan had once caused massive controversy within the Uchiha clan—an issue their clan head ultimately suppressed.
Shisui never understood why.
But since it had already happened, there was no point condemning it.
And he had to admit—this outsider used the Sharingan exceptionally well.
"Sure," Kakashi replied easily.
The two of them soon began speaking quietly.
Ren pressed his lips together, his gaze drifting to Tenzo across the table.
Wood Release was something Ren was intensely curious about—and deeply desired.
His physical attributes were strong now, but he had no confidence he could survive Hashirama Senju's cells.
Even White Zetsu cells were a gamble he wouldn't touch lightly.
I don't have Tenzo's luck… or a Sharingan to balance things out.
In Ren's view, Hashirama Senju was the most abnormal incarnation of Asura.
Not just his chakra—which was absurd beyond Naruto-with-half-a-Kyūbi—but his way of fighting was completely different.
Throughout history, Indra relied on individual power, while Asura relied on cooperation.
Yet Hashirama?
He cooperated—then crushed Madara Uchihaby himself.
"So in the end… I still have to rely on myself."
Ren rubbed his chin.
He had always believed that Wood Release wasn't truly a kekkei genkai.
More accurately, it was a kekkei tōta.
Tenzo's Wood Release—though Ren didn't know the exact ratios—was clearly a fusion of Earth Release and Water Release.
But that version of Wood Release…
It wasn't weak, exactly.
Its greatest achievement just seemed to be benefiting the home construction industry.
"So the real key to Wood Release must be Yang Release control."
"Only by injecting Yang Release at the correct ratio can true Wood Release be formed."
Ren silently repeated this thought.
He felt he was finally ready to start preparing for it.
He might be a stat monster—but he knew the dangers waiting ahead.
Especially if he truly intended to inherit Danzō's legacy.
Without enough strength, what right did he have to compete?
"Did I upset you?"
Yugao's slightly uneasy voice reached his ear.
"Sorry… I just thought those topics weren't appropriate right now."
"Don't overthink it, senpai."
Ren smiled and shook his head.
"I'm not that petty. That was my fault—I got carried away seeing old Root comrades."
"And I should thank you for stopping it in time."
"…Is that so?"
Yugao blinked.
Ren nodded immediately.
"Yes. And I hope you'll keep looking after me in the future. Is that okay?"
"I told you—just call me Yugao."
She glared at him briefly, then nodded seriously.
"Don't worry. I'll definitely keep looking after you."
As the words left her mouth, she froze.
This 'keep'… how long was that supposed to be?
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