After giving Sasuke a motivational speech about "four in the morning Konoha," Ren's life returned to an odd sort of calm.
A calm that stood in sharp contrast to the turbulence shaking the shinobi world.
The violent chakra eruption in the Land of Grass could not be concealed. Too many had noticed forces from Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure converging there. The Fourth Raikage. The Third Tsuchikage.
And then—
Konoha quietly removed Shimura Danzo's bounty.
It didn't take long for speculation to ignite.
"Danzo is dead."
"And the Kage personally led the hunt?"
He had been the hottest topic in the entire shinobi world. A former Konoha elder. Ruthless. Calculating. Carrying secrets worth nations.
But before the world could even decide who had taken his head—
Another bombshell dropped.
The Kage hadn't returned.
Neither had their escort forces.
Silence from Kumogakure. Silence from Iwagakure.
And that silence screamed.
"Konoha did it."
The words spread like wildfire.
Had Konoha captured them?
Killed them?
If so—
Would another Great Ninja War erupt?
Memories of devastation from barely over a decade ago were still fresh.
Fear followed speculation.
Rain fell steadily over Amegakure.
Konan stood by the window, watching droplets streak down the glass.
"This world is restless," she murmured.
Nagato, speaking through Pain, nodded slightly.
"Two Kage captured. Peace won't come easily."
He paused.
"…I never imagined our rain had such value."
Konan allowed herself a faint smile.
"Our vision was too narrow."
Konoha had already responded. Formal talks would begin.
Ren had convinced the Hokage.
Again.
"I'll go to Konoha soon," Konan said softly. "Leaf negotiations with other villages will begin. We won't have much time."
Nagato agreed, but added quietly:
"Be careful. Our identities cannot be exposed. Not for us. Not for Ren."
"And Jiraiya?"
"If he returns, avoid him."
They both knew that truth.
Nagato's expression darkened briefly.
"And Uchiha Obito…"
"He's the one to watch."
Konan's gaze sharpened.
"Never underestimate anyone."
Back in Konoha, Ren sat in an izakaya.
Across from him, Kakashi stared.
"…You really travel with two personal guards now?"
Ren coughed awkwardly.
Hikari sat to his right without a mask.
Uchiha Izumi, wearing a half-mask reminiscent of Aburame Torune's, sat nearby.
Yugao calmly occupied his other side.
The atmosphere was… complicated.
"I am the Root Chief," Ren replied solemnly. "Protection is natural."
Kakashi's dead-fish eyes twitched.
"You need protection?"
Two visiting Kage sat under guard in Konoha.
The Land of Grass still bore scars.
And Ren needed protection?
Yamato cheerfully added, "Danzo had guards too."
Kakashi smacked him on the head.
This idiot.
Then Kakashi sighed.
"I may leave ANBU."
That caught Ren's attention.
The timeline was moving.
Soon—
The next generation would graduate.
Naruto.
Sasuke.
Sakura.
The real story would begin.
But this world was no longer the same.
Ren had already reshaped too much.
Kakashi cleared his throat.
"Just… stay low for a while."
Ren blinked.
"…You think I'm a disaster?"
"The Hokage is hospitalized."
"…That was his stamina."
Kakashi pressed his palms together.
"Please."
Ren stared at him for a long moment.
"…Fine."
A few days later.
Ren sat outside a medical chamber within Root's underground facility.
Hikari lay inside.
Today was important.
He had injected minimal White Zetsu cells.
Carefully controlled.
Yin Release stimulation to trigger suppressed memory pathways.
He could guarantee safety.
But recovery—
That depended on her.
He leaned back and reviewed system prompts.
[Spatial Adaptation Technique Developed — Please Review]
His Yin–Yang-enhanced Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion had evolved.
Now—
Space itself was within reach.
In his mind, a simulation unfolded.
He saw himself standing in a confined area.
He drew a short blade—
Swung once.
And in an instant—
Countless blade phantoms erupted across the entire space.
Not afterimages.
Not clones.
But a single strike replicated through spatial control.
One cut—
Manifesting everywhere within his domain.
"…So that's how it works."
This wasn't teleportation.
This was space domination.
He controlled the field itself.
If an enemy stood inside—
He could designate an internal point.
Strike from within.
Bypass defense.
His breathing slowed.
If paired with Yin–Yang chakra—
This technique would be terrifying.
Its only limitation was range.
But that could grow.
With more chakra.
With refinement.
He exhaled slowly.
"…This is dangerous."
Footsteps approached.
Shisui.
Kabuto.
"She's stable," Ren said before they asked.
Then—
He sensed a shift.
The door opened.
Hikari stepped out.
Her eyes were different.
Not in power—
But in clarity.
Ren stood.
"You okay?"
She didn't answer.
She walked forward—
And hugged him.
Kabuto and Shisui froze.
"…Thank you," she whispered softly.
Inside her mind—
Memories had returned.
Her parents.
Their smiles.
Their warmth.
And her name.
Uchiha Hikari.
The name Ren had chosen by coincidence—
Was her true name all along.
A cruel twist of fate.
Or destiny.
She had read the file he prepared.
The careful research.
The confirmation.
And the note he left:
I believe you're kind. No matter what your past was.
She tightened her grip slightly.
Outside the room, Kabuto and Shisui quietly closed the door.
They sat on the bench together.
After a long silence—
Shisui spoke.
"…Don't tell Yugao."
Kabuto blinked.
"Tell her what?"
Shisui glanced at him sideways.
"…I understand now why Ren values you."
Kabuto smiled faintly.
"Likewise, Shisui."
Underground—
Hikari finally stepped back.
Her gaze was steady now.
"I remember."
Ren smiled.
"Good."
Outside, the world continued shifting.
Inside Root—
Something far more significant had just changed.
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/lucarioTL