Konoha — Hokage Tower
Jiraiya walked out of the Hokage Tower with a face so gloomy it looked like he'd just lost a lifetime supply of sake. His head was lowered as he led Ren and the others down the steps.
But the moment they reached the ground floor, his eyes twitched.
Shattered glass littered the ground.
A smoking pipe lay nearby.
Jiraiya subconsciously looked up.
Sure enough—the window belonging to the Hokage's office had a huge hole blown straight through it.
Recalling what had just happened upstairs, Jiraiya's already miserable expression became even worse.
It had been several days since they had "run wild" in Iwagakure, and they had finally returned safely to Konoha.
But right now, Jiraiya honestly felt that—
They might as well have died in Iwa.
"…What's wrong, Jiraiya-sama?"
Ren glanced at him, curiosity clear in his voice.
"You look unhappy. Come on, cheer up. We're alive, back in Konoha, and the mission's completed."
"..."
Jiraiya shuddered.
But then he noticed something that instantly eased his nerves—
Ren hadn't called him 'Captain.'
Thank heavens.
Once upon a time, Captain was a sacred word.
It represented responsibility, leadership, unity.
But coming out of Ren's mouth, it had somehow turned into a curse.
Ōnoki hadn't pushed them too hard.
Or rather—after seeing a Wood Golem, the Five-Tails, and a giant toad, and then watching Ren casually redirect his killing intent toward Iwa reinforcements while threatening to let them "experience the Night of the Nine-Tails"—
Ōnoki had instantly learned restraint.
Some truths were universal.
When words failed, force became very persuasive.
After exchanging some intelligence, they were allowed to leave Iwagakure.
But even after escaping—
Jiraiya still couldn't feel happy.
"…Actually, I am happy," he said stiffly, forcing a smile.
"But Ren… I don't think I'm qualified to lead you anymore. From now on, you should just carry out missions on your own."
He truly felt like his brain had been smashed flat.
In Iwa, he took the blame.
Back in Konoha, he took the blame again.
And the worst part?
He knew he was being scapegoated—but couldn't argue.
He was the captain.
He was the one who insisted on infiltrating Iwagakure.
And everything Ren and the others did "to protect him"…
Looked exactly like his responsibility.
"I think that's something to discuss later," Ren shook his head calmly.
"After all, missions are assigned by the Hokage."
Such a good captain shouldn't be wasted.
Then Ren continued casually:
"Besides, the Hokage shouldn't be this angry. The Third Tsuchikage would never start a war—if Konoha and Iwa fought, Kumogakure would benefit the most.
"And we already explained it clearly—the one who burned the Tsuchikage Tower was Uchiha Obito. How is that your fault, Jiraiya-sama?"
"Haha…"
Jiraiya gave a hollow laugh.
That explanation was just a step—a way for everyone to save face.
Who actually did it no longer mattered.
And could no longer matter.
From now on—
It had to be Uchiha Obito.
"Alright, go rest," Jiraiya sighed, waving them off.
"I'm heading to the Nara clan."
Then he muttered internally:
Hopefully… we never team up again.
He left in a hurry, afraid he'd completely lose his composure if he stayed any longer.
"Is Jiraiya-sama… okay?"
Yūgao asked softly, watching his retreating back.
Ren smiled faintly.
"He'll be fine. We handled this pretty well. The mission was a success."
Most importantly—
The system mission was complete.
Compared to Jiraiya, Ren was in an excellent mood.
He had forcibly raised the mission difficulty to an absurdly dangerous level—and harvested the rewards.
And honestly?
With Flying Thunder God as insurance, danger was relative.
As for Jiraiya taking the blame—
Ren didn't think it was unfair.
Hiruzen's anger wasn't about who did it.
It was about the impact and aftermath.
Especially Iwagakure's response.
That wasn't minor at all.
"By the way, Kakashi… Tenzo."
Ren suddenly turned, lowering his voice.
"When you acted—did you eliminate all eyewitnesses?"
"..."
Kakashi stared ahead with his usual dead-fish eyes.
This operation had shaken him badly.
They'd returned safely, but what they had done…
It was insane.
"…Anyone who saw us should already be dead," Tenzo said calmly.
"They were burned."
"No problem then."
Ren nodded, his expression turning serious.
"From now on, remember this clearly—everything will be blamed on Uchiha Obito.
"Don't let a single word slip. Understood?"
Tenzo nodded instantly.
Shisui shrugged.
Yūgao stayed silent.
Only Kakashi sighed internally.
Obito… you're really suffering undeserved calamity now.
Hokage Office
"Stop being angry, Hiruzen."
Koharu and Homura stared at the shattered glass and sighed.
This incident was huge.
"Stop being angry?"
Hiruzen looked at them helplessly.
"These lunatics kept probing the edge of war—and Jiraiya actually led the charge!"
"Jiraiya's bond with Orochimaru…" Koharu shook her head.
"It makes him impulsive."
"But the outcome isn't the worst," Homura added.
"Ōnoki accepted the explanation. The real trouble isn't on our side anymore."
The real problem was—
Uchiha Obito.
Once his abilities were revealed, Ōnoki was guaranteed to spread it.
Whether to shift blame or disgust Konoha—it benefited him either way.
And once the shinobi world learned that Konoha had such a terrifying missing-nin…
Trouble was inevitable.
"…Enough," Hiruzen sighed.
"It's done. Increase efforts to track Obito."
Homura smiled faintly.
"At least now, anything Ren does in the future can also be blamed on Obito."
Hiruzen's blood pressure spiked again.
Only one person consistently escalated things like this.
Ren.
And he had been raised by Danzo.
"…Danzo, what exactly did you do?"
Root Base
Danzo stared at the report, frozen.
"Wood Golem… Five-Tails… Tsuchikage Tower burned…"
Even he felt his scalp tingle.
"…Ren went to Iwagakure?"
"And without my knowledge?"
That was terrifying.
What was worse—
He had arranged for Orochimaru to be there.
"…Did they run into each other?"
Cold sweat trickled down his back.
If Ren learned the truth—
If Orochimaru survived—
Everything could collapse.
"No… there's still a chance," Danzo muttered.
"As long as Yakushi Nono and Kabuto die…"
He stood abruptly.
"I'm going to the Hokage Tower."
Senju Ancestral House
"You really went too far this time."
Tsunade stared at Ren, arms crossed.
"You nearly sent my teacher to his grave."
Ren shrugged helplessly.
"I didn't expect it to escalate either. Jiraiya-sama acted first."
Tsunade snorted.
"Do you think I don't know Jiraiya?"
Kidnapping the Fourth Raikage.
Manipulating intelligence funds.
Burning a Kage tower.
Only Ren fit all the boxes.
"…Anyway," Tsunade sighed,
"the Hokage is furious. Watch yourself."
Ren nodded.
"But the situation can still be resolved. Jiraiya went to consult Shikaku."
Then—
The system panel appeared.
📜 System Notification
Mission Completed: Investigate the relationship between Akatsuki and Orochimaru
Evaluation: SS
Reward: Freedom Points ×12
Hidden Mission Completed: Expose Akatsuki's secret ties (1)
Evaluation: A
Reward: Freedom Points ×8
Special Reward Obtained:
Light-Weight Rock Technique (Ōnoki)
Ren smiled.
Another huge harvest.
Later — Ren's Room
Ren Shihara
Physical Stats: Lv.11
Chakra: Lv.9 → Lv.10
Abilities:
Wood Release Lv.7
Flying Thunder God Lv.7
Taijutsu Lv.6 → Lv.7
Yin Release Lv.6 → Lv.7
Freedom Points: 21 → 0
Earth Release: Lv.7 (integrated with Light-Weight Rock)
Ren floated lightly off the floor.
"…Flying really isn't bad."
Somewhere Far Away
Black Zetsu stared at a new bounty notice.
"…You've been framed again."
Obito read it.
Burning the Tsuchikage Tower.
Wood Release.
Akatsuki affiliation.
"…Ren."
His rage finally exploded.
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