The next entry Ren found was his, and the small hope sparkling in his chest was ruthlessly extinguished when he saw that nothing had changed with his title.
He was still the Stoner of Elemental Nations.
He felt as if an arrow went through his heart when he realized that he was never going to beat the drug allegations!
... Of course, his information was updated, and his achievement of restraining the Ichibi Jinchuuriki was noted. But that was pretty much it. Even his bounty stayed the same.
For better or worse, Suna had kept Gaara mostly hidden from scrutiny. He had no bounty. No Bingo Book entry. No fame or infamy just yet, outside of a very restricted circle centered around Suna and its ninjas.
Hence, the achievement of taking him down did not seem like a big deal.
'I guess I should be happy about this.' Ren hummed, feeling a bit... he couldn't even describe it. On one hand, it helped him keep to the shadows and out of sight. Something he focused on a lot. On the other hand, he really wanted his title changed.
But that would most likely require something drastic. Some substantial technique to be used in an important moment. Something that had a chance to throw not so little spotlight on him.
Ren sighed. He should have known it was not going to be so simple. Maybe... maybe he should make his peace with his current title?
But his self-pity party was interrupted when Ino eagerly nudged him. "Come on! Do me next." She almost purred, and with some exasperation, Ren sent her a message through the telepathy seal.
'Phrasing.'
As he started turning the pages again, he glanced at Hiruzen, noticing his slight discomfort, and chuckled in his head. Oh, he seemed unbothered and at ease. But there were some tells. A small tension in his neck. A barely noticeable curl of his lips. And so on.
'I said what I meant to say.' Ino innocently replied as she shamelessly used the Bingo Book as an excuse to melt into his side even more.
Inwardly rolling his eyes, Ren finally hit Ino's page and, ignoring her antics, he started reading out loud.
"Ino Yamanaka. The Controller. 95 545 213 Ryo. Dead only." Ren whistled. "And I thought Suna was poor."
"They are. But killing a quarter of an army with the hands of their own comrades has an unusual way of currying the remainder's hatred. I am sure many of those who survived that battle donated toward Miss Yamanaka's bounty." Hiruzen spoke, and Ren had the impression that the old man subtly tried to remind Ino that her circle of mortal enemies now widened to include most of Sunagakure.
Surely, having some backing from Konoha would come in handy in such a situation, no? Ren inwardly snorted. Not that the old man would say that out loud. He wanted Ino to come to that conclusion by herself and eventually come asking for help on her own.
But contrary to Hiruzen's expectations, the implications seemingly went in one ear and out the other for Ino. She had a more important issue to be concerned about.
"The heck?" Ino's expression scrunched in distaste. "The Controller? That's so... lame!" She scowled and looked toward Hinata as she complained. "Why does bitch have such a cool title, but I get something like this? It's not fair! I want a refund. Oi, Ren! Where can I find the people making these Bingo Books? I think they need some face-to-face consultation about how to do their job properly."
Smiling a bit, Ren put his arm around Ino's shoulder and pulled her closer, half-hugging her in a show of solidarity. He understood the sentiment.
That said... "Ino, don't go attacking the people with ties to every ninja village and Daimyo court." He reminded her. If only it were so easy, he would have gone to tell them off already. Sure, they kept themselves hidden, but Ren was sure some digging would let him discover their identity and location.
The problem was... and then what?
To run a business like bounty-hunting across the entirety of the Elemental Nations, these people needed to be extremely well-connected. The confrontation was simply not worth it. Not for a few words in their book.
Besides, 'The Controller' suited Ino. It was short, to the point, and perfectly described why the other ninjas should stay the fuck away from her. Both she and Hinata had the 'Flee on Sight' designation after pretty much decimating an entire small army on their own. But these were at the very end of their entries, and most people do not read that far.
It was the titles that decided how many idiots were going to show up and try claiming their bounties in the future. Hinata's title was grand and a clear warning that if you don't think you could survive a lightning storm, you should not approach. But the warning kind of fell flat. Not many people could imagine a lightning storm. Even fewer could comprehend its danger.
Ino's title with the description of her feat, however, had that simplistic beauty of conveying, 'Oh, she is a Yamanaka who can control the minds of an entire army! If I get close, she could take control of my body!' And that, more than anything, would make even an Elite Jonin balk at the idea of getting closer to her.
And while the Yamanaka clan was known for taking control of their opponents' bodies, it was also known that their technique could only control one enemy at a time. That it was very cumbersome and finicky, that it could be dodged, that it was slow to cast, that it required a lot of concentration, that it was a double-edged sword, and with enough willpower and chakra, their technique could be resisted. Jonin were usually not afraid of encountering a Yamanaka in the field.
But Ino took control of a part of an army at the same time. It didn't matter that she had used a genjutsu for it. Her Bingo Book entry did not explain that. People were going to see the title, see that she is a Yamanaka, and see that she can take control of the minds of a small army, and they would come to their own conclusion that they should avoid her at all costs.
So, yes. Ren totally thought her title was great and fit her well. The mind games pretty much started the second her opponent read her Bingo Book page with this one.
Ren imagined being sent on a mission to assassinate somebody S-ranked, and this good at mind arts, while not having the context about the workings of her abilities. He suppressed a small shiver. It was not a good feeling. If he were to be honest, he might have just started to contemplate becoming a rogue ninja instead, under these circumstances.