Three days later would be the day Hayato Ren and Tsunade set out.
During these three days, Hayato Ren spent most of his time with Kushina and Mikoto.
One was the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki, while the other was the young lady of the Uchiha Clan.
The likelihood of them going to the battlefield was extremely slim, so to alleviate the longing they would feel in the future,
Hayato Ren stayed almost inseparable from the two of them over these three days.
Moreover, this time, Hayato Ren planned to bring Yuhi Kurenai and the other two youngsters along.
Even though they were bound to clash with the Sand Hidden Village, keeping them under his watchful eye would ultimately be safer.
Because in the upcoming Third Ninja World War, the Leaf would have to face the other four major Ninja Villages single-handedly.
There was no telling when Yuhi Kurenai and the others might be dispatched to the battlefield, so it was safer to have them by Hayato Ren's side.
After bidding farewell to the reluctant Kushina and Mikoto, Hayato Ren set off with Yuhi Kurenai and the other two toward the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind.
Tsunade had already departed two days earlier, as she needed to command the advance Ninja in setting up camps and scouting the enemy's situation, among other trivial tasks.
There were two commanders for the Sand Ninja front: Tsunade and Hayato Ren, one as the primary and the other as the deputy.
However, Hayato Ren clearly had little interest in such matters.
So, he simply left everything to Tsunade.
...
"Ren Sensei~ how are we getting to the front lines?"
Yuhi Kurenai tugged at Hayato Ren's right hand, speaking with an ingratiating expression.
Her demeanor was completely opposite to her usual self.
Hayato Ren gave her a Head Flick on the forehead and then asked:
"Of course, we're walking. Did you think we'd fly there?"
Hearing this, Yuhi Kurenai immediately became excited.
"Are we flying there?"
Hayato Ren understood what Yuhi Kurenai was really after, but he pretended not to know and asked:
"Are you and Konan going to fly there? It wouldn't be a problem for the two of you to arrive first."
Before Yuhi Kurenai could answer, Konan, standing nearby, sternly and resolutely said:
"Absolutely not."
Even though they had spent so much time together and the relationship between Konan and Yuhi Kurenai was no longer as tense as before,
and they had instead become companions who could rely on each other,
Konan still had no desire to help Yuhi Kurenai fly into the sky.
Firstly, it was unnecessary, and secondly, it would feel humiliating, as if she were being used as a mount.
If it were Hayato Ren, that would be a different story.
Moreover, if she and Yuhi Kurenai left first,
wouldn't the entire group be left with only Hayato Ren and Nohara Rin?
Konan always remained more wary of girls her own age.
Especially someone like Nohara Rin, who seemed gentle and soft-spoken but had a certain look in her eyes when it came to Hayato Ren.
"Not Konan! I heard you have a very powerful Summoning Beast, Teacher. Could you let us experience what it's like to fly?"
Yuhi Kurenai wore a pleading smile as she made the suggestion to Hayato Ren.
That's right, she wanted to experience the feeling of soaring through the sky on Charizard's back.
Given Charizard's current size, it could easily accommodate not just Hayato Ren and his group of four, but even with Tsunade, Kushina, and Mikoto added, there would still be plenty of room.
Hearing this, Hayato Ren pondered for a moment before replying:
"We're not in a hurry right now, so there's no need to trouble Charizard. Besides, you're the only one who wants to experience it, aren't you?"
"Ah, teacher, please help me out. I already promised Hongdou..."
Upon hearing this, Hayato Ren immediately gave her a dead-fish-eyed stare.
No wonder Yuhi Kurenai was making such a fuss now—she had already bragged to Hongdou about it.
It seemed Hongdou was among the advance ninjas following Tsunade this time.
Looks like even after becoming Orochimaru's student, Orochimaru didn't truly consider Hongdou as one of their own.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been tossed to Tsunade like this.
"I could agree, but what will you give me in return? Even with our relationship, troubling Charizard requires some compensation."
Hayato Ren showed an infuriating grin as he spoke cheerfully to Yuhi Kurenai.
Hearing this, Yuhi Kurenai's face showed a conflicted expression.
After struggling internally for a while, she gritted her teeth and suddenly reached out to wrap her arm around Hayato Ren's neck.
Yuhi Kurenai's action was completely unexpected by the three people present.
Nohara Rin's face was full of shock, mixed with a trace of admiration and envy.
Meanwhile, Konan, after a brief moment of shock, immediately stepped forward and pulled Yuhi Kurenai away, shouting angrily:
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
Caught off guard, Yuhi Kurenai was directly pulled to the ground by Konan, landing hard on her bottom.
Hayato Ren meanwhile reached up and touched his left cheek, showing a strange expression.
He never expected that Yuhi Kurenai would make such a move.
Based on their usual interaction patterns, Yuhi Kurenai should be wishing for him to drop dead on the spot.
How could she possibly do something like that?
Could this be the so-called Morocco syndrome—no, Stockholm syndrome?
Thinking this, Hayato Ren's gaze toward Yuhi Kurenai grew even stranger.
Although he was an excellent Medical Ninja, he could only treat physical injuries.
When it came to such mental issues, he had no solutions.
Had Yuhi Kurenai studied too much Illusionary Arts and ended up damaging her own mind?
Just as Hayato Ren was still pondering this, Konan suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Yuhi Kurenai by the collar, and raised her other hand.
Seeing this scene, Hayato Ren immediately caught Konan's raised right hand.
If he let that slap land, their team might be having a breakup dinner today.
Taking advantage of Konan being restrained by Hayato Ren, Yuhi Kurenai quickly scrambled up from the ground and hid behind Hayato Ren.
There was no helping it—her proud Illusionary Arts were completely useless against Konan.
If Konan really wanted to fight, it would be a sixty-forty split.
Konan could turn Yuhi Kurenai's head into a swollen mess four times in six minutes.
Even after hiding behind Hayato Ren, Yuhi Kurenai didn't settle down.
She tugged at Hayato Ren's sleeve and asked in a coquettish voice:
"Konan, what are you doing? Aren't we the best companions?"
Watching Yuhi Kurenai's smug expression, Konan was grinding her back teeth in fury.
If Hayato Ren weren't still holding her right hand, Yuhi Kurenai would probably be buried underground right now.