Tsunade still carried considerable weight in Konoha.
After she clearly expressed her desire to leave the village for a while, Sarutobi Hiruzen—already exhausted to the point of irritation—went through a long and careful deliberation before finally agreeing.
To be honest, he didn't want Ren to leave.
Ren's talent for causing trouble was terrifying even to him.
And given the current situation inside Konoha, keeping Ren close would obviously be safer.
But in the end, Hiruzen still approved his disciple's request.
There were simply too many messy matters in the village. Leaving for a while to avoid the spotlight and clear one's mind wasn't a bad idea.
For Tsunade—and for Ren, who very likely had already taken action—it was the same.
Besides, Ren possessed the Flying Thunder God Technique. If something truly went wrong—say, if the Uchiha snapped and went all-out—this kid could always return in an instant.
"…Why didn't you come to me?"
Hiruzen's face twisted in pain.
He hadn't asked about the recent incident, nor did he want to dig deeper into the truth.
But deep down, he was certain of one thing—
Among those who acted against Shisui, Ren was very likely involved.
Danzo was Ren's former superior. While Hiruzen was away, Danzo still had limited authority to mobilize Konoha's resources—and Ren probably couldn't avoid being dragged in.
For a brief moment, Hiruzen even regretted not taking Ren with him when he left.
But regret was meaningless now.
"Even if you didn't personally strike… it must still weigh on you."
Hiruzen sighed, biting down on his pipe.
The Uchiha clan had already submitted an official report regarding Shisui's disappearance.
The implication was obvious.
The only thing that gave him slight comfort was that the Uchiha hadn't completely lost their minds—at least not yet.
"…Perhaps Uchiha Setsuna is already dead."
That old man had been a notorious hardliner.
While he lived, the Uchiha's rebellious tendencies had been far more intense.
In fact, compared to the past, the current Uchiha were almost restrained—they hadn't acted yet.
Back then, they really did rebel.
Unfortunately, although Setsuna was dead, his will had been inherited.
And that gave Hiruzen an enormous headache.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Just as his frustration peaked, a knock sounded at the Hokage office door.
"Come in."
The door opened, and a figure in ANBU attire stepped inside.
Uchiha Itachi.
He closed the door behind him and knelt on one knee.
"Hokage-sama."
"Itachi…"
Hiruzen pressed his lips together.
Lately, just seeing an Uchiha made his scalp prickle.
"Stand up. I already know about Shisui. I deeply regret what happened, but I promise the village will give the Uchiha an explanation."
In his mind, Itachi was almost certainly here to convey the clan's stance.
Since that was inevitable, it was better to speak first and offer reassurance.
"I believe you, Hokage-sama."
Itachi stood and nodded calmly.
"But I'm not here about that."
"…Not about Shisui?"
"Yes. I have an urgent matter to report."
"Urgent?"
"About possible rebellion… within the Uchiha clan."
"…"
Hiruzen stared at him in stunned silence.
For a moment, his mind went blank.
Wasn't this a little too far?
I didn't ask you to spy to this extent…
"So… we're really staying in a place like this?"
In a forest deep within the Land of Fire, Tsunade stared blankly as Ren casually used Wood Release to construct a wooden house. Her mouth twitched uncontrollably.
She truly wanted to ask—
Is Wood Release really supposed to be used like this?
But after some thought, she swallowed the question.
After all, they were in the wilderness. Ren had no intention of finding a town, and building a house with Wood Release was objectively the best option.
People shouldn't mistreat themselves.
If you can live comfortably, then live comfortably.
The only problem was that she still didn't know where their final destination was.
Ren had made all the decisions—she had merely suggested leaving Konoha to clear her head.
"Staying here for a while isn't bad," Ren said with a smile after finishing the house, casually creating tables, chairs, and beds.
"The scenery's nice, no one will disturb us, and there's a lake nearby.
Relax, hunt a bit, fish, take a bath—sounds perfect, doesn't it?"
"Are you insane?"
Tsunade snapped instantly.
"I want to drink! What am I supposed to do here?!"
"And since we're already out, shouldn't we go to a large town so I can gamble properly? This dump is worse than staying in Konoha!"
She had money—lots of it.
The "rebates" Ren squeezed out of Hiruzen and Danzo weren't small, and even though he didn't give her most of it, the monthly cut alone was more than enough for her to splurge.
She'd been busy lately and hadn't gambled in a long time.
Her hands were itching.
And this was the result?
"Tsunade-sama, I actually think this place is nice."
Shizune spoke gently while carrying bedding into the house.
"The environment's good, and if you're here to relax, crowded towns aren't exactly ideal. What if you run into creditors again—"
"I'll kill them all!"
Before Shizune could finish, Ren nodded seriously.
"Danzo-sama once said—if you can't solve the problem, solve the person who raised it.
Debt works the same way. If you can't repay it, just kill the creditor."
"Hey! Don't learn from that lunatic!"
Tsunade's face twisted in pain.
Suddenly, staying away from towns didn't sound so bad after all.
She had zero interest in killing civilians.
"That bastard Danzo… why is his shadow everywhere?"
"Don't worry, Tsunade-sama."
Yūgao, who had just finished setting up the campfire, looked over calmly.
"I'll keep an eye on him. He's not as cruel as he makes himself sound—just extreme sometimes."
"…Enough, the two of you."
Tsunade rolled her eyes hard.
"If you're going to act like this, why don't you just live together already?"
Ren's eyes lit up instantly.
Yūgao, meanwhile, panicked and shook her head, completely at a loss for words.
Thankfully, Shizune stepped in to change the subject.
"Anyway… was it really okay to bring Karin with us?"
"School lessons don't matter that much."
Tsunade snorted and glanced at the red-haired girl quietly standing to the side.
"Come to think of it, haven't these two been ignoring you for over a month? Too busy enjoying themselves?"
"No, not at all."
Karin smiled awkwardly, adjusting her glasses, though her gaze still flicked toward Ren and Yūgao.
Truthfully, they had been rather absent—but she didn't mind.
She had adapted to life in Konoha, made friends at the Academy, and was genuinely happy.
Compared to surviving alone in the Grass Country, this life was heaven.
"All right."
Shizune shook her head and took Karin's hand.
"Come on, I'll take you fishing. Yūgao?"
"I'll come."
Yūgao nodded and followed, leaving Ren behind with Tsunade.
"She's a good girl," Tsunade muttered after they left.
"And you, brat… what kind of luck did you step in?"
"Maybe I'm just charming," Ren replied cheerfully.
To his surprise, Tsunade actually nodded.
"You are good-looking. You've got the capital to deceive girls."
"…That's not deception. That's mutual affection."
"Hmph."
She snorted, then grew serious.
"Don't betray her. Especially given your situation."
She paused, then waved it off.
"Never mind. Tell me—why this place? Don't give me that 'nature' nonsense."
"Because it's remote," Ren replied calmly.
"And with you and Yūgao here, it's suitable for… experiments."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes.
"Experiments?"
"I prepared everything during the past month. I need a quiet place."
"And if something goes wrong, I can immediately take you back to Konoha."
She stared at him for a long moment.
"…It's not just that, is it?"
Ren blinked, then smiled.
"Do you remember what I told you? I found something interesting in the clan archives."
"I have a strong feeling we might dig up something… very interesting."
"Treasure…"
Tsunade rubbed her temples.
Why are you always so obsessed with digging up graves?
That night.
After balancing the White Zetsu solution inside Tsunade's body, Ren examined her carefully.
The reaction was intense—stronger than expected.
But it wasn't failure.
It was over-compatibility.
Her body was awakening Wood Release.
Too well.
And that, ironically, was dangerous.
As Ren stabilized the imbalance using Yin Release, understanding finally clicked.
Danzo.
Hashirama cells.
Sharingan.
Yin and Yang.
Balance.
When Tsunade finally stabilized, she stared at him in disbelief.
"This is unbelievable…"
Later, when Ren left the camp alone, moving deep into the forest—
His true purpose revealed itself.
He wasn't here just for Tsunade.
He had come for the sealed Uchiha.
For the grave buried beneath a battlefield that had seen bloodshed for a century.
When he finally uncovered the coffin and lifted the lid—
Tsunade froze.
Inside was not a skeleton.
But a sleeping Uchiha girl, sealed by layers of fūinjutsu.
"What… is this supposed to be?!"
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