Power. What is it?
When Hiruzen Sarutobi dangled the "carrot" of becoming the Fifth Hokage and placed this weight before him, Ren Uchiha remained silent for a long time.
His own power had come so easily. It felt as though as long as he kept moving forward, the entire world would follow in his wake, lifting him up and crowning him king. This was the unshakable confidence granted by Heartsteel.
In Ren's eyes—possessing what felt like a "cracked" version of the shinobi world's source code—power was simply an inevitability, provided one followed the right steps. If he had to give it meaning, he felt his distant ancestor Madara Uchiha put it best:
'Power is not will; it is the phenomenon of making things happen.'
He drew this conclusion because he stood even higher than Madara—he possessed the "God-view" of a transmigrator armed with future knowledge. After a moment of thought, Ren looked up and met the gaze of the "Professor," the man who (according to Orochimaru in the original series) was still capable of killing an older Orochimaru ten years from now.
"Third Lord," Ren said calmly, his voice steady. "In my eyes, power is nothing more than a tool for combat. It is neither noble nor lowly."
"However, no matter the situation, no matter how dire—I will fight with everything I have." Ren paused, his gaze hardening. "Because that is a mission I cannot escape!"
The strength he had forged through blood and steel gave him the confidence to speak his truth. He didn't need to twist his will to fit the "Will of Fire" or offer empty platitudes. He would go to Hell Valley regardless of the village's stance. Even Jesus couldn't stop him.
"Is that so?" Hiruzen shook his head slightly and sighed. "As I thought... you are still very young. A child."
Looking at Ren, Hiruzen couldn't help but recall Kagami Uchiha. They shared the same innocence, the same willingness to risk everything for comrades. But Ren was different. As a clan shinobi, he didn't have Hiruzen's total trust. Furthermore, he was the disciple of Orochimaru—the man who had drifted away from the village's heart ever since he was allowed into the Forbidden Scroll library.
Hiruzen set down his pipe and looked at Ren with a heavy, paternal gaze. "Ren Uchiha... I see a thirst in your eyes. A pure pursuit of power, just like Orochimaru. But such a pursuit can blind you. You haven't yet experienced bone-deep despair, nor have you truly lost what you cherish."
"But some things are predestined. One day you will realize: a ninja's true power only manifests when they have someone they truly want to protect."
Ren frowned. Hiruzen's words were ambiguous. Was he being cleared for the mission or placed under house arrest? He tensed, half-expecting Anbu to spring from the shadows at the Hokage's command.
"Lord Hokage," Ryōma interjected, "your decision?"
Hiruzen closed his eyes, then snapped them open. "Very well. For this mission, I shall hire you as 'Heroes of Konoha' to continue guarding this village!"
As the sun dipped toward the horizon, Ren strolled through the bustling streets of Konoha, a red-covered scroll tucked under his arm.
Before leaving the office, Hiruzen had given him one final piece of advice: 'You only live once. You don't have to choose a path you dislike; living or dying as you please is fine. But whatever path you take, never forget to protect those you cherish.'
Then, he had gifted Ren this scroll: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu.
It was a high-level A-rank jutsu developed by Hiruzen himself. It could turn a single thrown shuriken into thousands of physical copies, creating an inescapable net of steel. For an Uchiha—masters of shurikenjutsu—the value was immense. Ren realized that if he understood the underlying theory, he could likely reverse-engineer the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu from it, as the two were fundamentally linked.
Ren couldn't help but grin at the "free loot." First, he'd white-pored Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear threads, and now he had a way to multiply his weapons. He could save a fortune on ninja tools! The Uchiha Style: Wire Shurikenjutsu, which was starting to feel outdated against high-level foes, now had a whole new world of possibilities.
The setting sun cast long shadows from the telephone poles. A flock of sparrows took flight as the warm white streetlights began to flicker on. Ren was deep in thought, imagining flashy new ways to combine wires and clones—a level of "fashionable" combat no Uchiha could resist.
Suddenly, a small hand tugged at his sleeve. "Senior... please wait!"
It was Yamato. Ryōma had dumped the kid on Ren after setting the meeting time for tomorrow, and the boy had been trailing him like a duckling ever since.
"Hmm?" Ren snapped out of his trance. He realized they had walked past the Yamanaka flower shop and were standing right in front of Ichiraku Ramen.
"Ah," Ren realized. Ryōma hadn't fed them, and seven-year-old Yamato was growing. The kid was probably starving but too shy to say anything. Ren reached into his pocket... and his face fell. He was in a new outfit. He didn't have a single ryo on him. And since they weren't in the Uchiha district, he couldn't put it on a tab with Grandma Uchiha.
Ren coughed awkwardly. "Well... Yamato. A ninja is one who can endure anything. Be patient. Let's head to my place; I'll fry you some eggs. Besides, as your senior, I have to tell you—street food isn't hygienic..."
"Senior, what are you talking about?" Yamato sighed, pulling Ren around and pointing at the ramen stand. "There's someone calling for you over there!"
Ren blinked and looked up. Sitting on a high stool at Ichiraku was Kushina, waving her hands frantically. She cupped them around her mouth and shouted:
"Oiii! That's right, you! You bratty Uchiha jerk! Get over here right now!"
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