"Renya, you're bullying Nawaki again."
Hearing her grandson's cries, Uzumaki Mito walked into the courtyard and spoke helplessly.
Ever since Nawaki learned to walk, he often came over to play with Renya—and every time he went back home, he looked like he had just been crying his eyes out.
"Mito-sama, please listen to me, I—huh?" Sarutobi Hiruzen hurried to explain when he saw Mito entering, but then suddenly realized something was off.
Wait… Mito-sama said Renya was bullying Nawaki, not him!
He looked suspiciously toward Renya, only to see him scratching his head awkwardly and saying with a dry laugh,
"Mito-san, he keeps wanting to drink fruit juice. Little kids shouldn't be drinking that stuff—it affects their growth."
It was Mito-san herself who told him not to let Nawaki drink juice. He was just following orders honestly.
As for kids who liked to cry—well, you could just spank them to fix that habit. You couldn't let them grow up thinking crying solved everything.
But since he wasn't the type to hit children, he had to find… other ways to "discipline" Nawaki.
—Mischievous kids needed proper training!
"Grandma, Renya is mean!" Nawaki broke free from Hiruzen's arms and ran to hug his grandmother's leg tightly.
That old saying—"a crying child gets the milk"—applied perfectly to most kids.
"There, there, Nawaki, don't cry." Uzumaki Mito gently patted his back, deliberately avoiding any mention of the juice.
She knew very well that her grandson had a scheming little mind.
Realizing that crying in front of his grandma wasn't getting him the juice, Nawaki gradually stopped crying.
If there was no juice even after crying, then what was the point of crying?
Hiruzen: "???"
So… he had just been used by a little kid? Sigh, at least his own apprentice was much better behaved.
Danzō quietly glanced at Renya. He could only say—this guy was a real sly old fox.
If it had been him, he'd probably have given Nawaki the juice already.
Kids were definitely the most troublesome creatures!
"Slurp—" Renya deliberately took out another glass of juice right in front of Nawaki, took a loud sip, and showed a satisfied smile.
Lying around every day and teasing a kid—what a comfortable life!
"Uwaaahhh!" Nawaki, still a small child, couldn't bear such torment. His tears burst out again like a broken dam.
Not only was he denied juice, but now Renya was showing off right in front of him!
Renya was the worst!
Hiruzen, Danzō, and Mito: "…"
"We're going home." Uzumaki Mito gave Renya a glare, then carried Nawaki away.
If she stayed any longer, Renya would probably find new ways to make things worse.
"Renya, how could you bully a child?" Hiruzen couldn't help saying. "Nawaki's so cute—don't you feel bad teasing him?"
"Tch, you should be glad I'm not bullying your precious Biwako," Renya scoffed. "You'd better mind your own business, or I'll go visit your place."
He was basically doing nothing every day at home now—bored out of his mind.
Teasing Nawaki was his daily entertainment, and yet this guy Hiruzen had the nerve to complain?
Hiruzen immediately shut his mouth. Knowing Renya's idle personality, he really might go and mess with Biwako if provoked.
In today's village, Renya was probably the only one who could lie around doing absolutely nothing all day, and somehow make it seem normal.
"If you've got nothing else, you can leave." Renya yawned. "I'm going to sleep."
"You've gone soft," Danzō said bitterly, glaring at his friend.
Ever since Renya returned from his travels, he'd spent the past three years living like a total slacker.
Danzō couldn't stand that lazy attitude. Once he became Hokage, he'd assign Renya to dangerous missions every single day.
...
So young and already wasting his potential—keep this up and he'd really rot away!
"If I don't sleep, what am I supposed to do?" Renya yawned again. "I worked my ass off for decades to get stronger. Can't I enjoy life now?"
If becoming strong wasn't for the sake of enjoying life, then what was the point of training at all?
He wasn't about to end up like Senju Tobirama, stuck in an office every day buried under paperwork.
If that was the kind of life waiting for him, he'd rather team up with Uchiha Madara and carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan.
At least in a world of illusion, there'd be no paperwork…
"Hmph, I can't be bothered arguing with you!" Danzō flung his sleeve and left. Once he became Hokage, Renya's slacker days would be over!
"Renya, we'll get going too," Hiruzen said, waving lightly.
Just then, an ANBU wearing an animal mask appeared silently at the gate. His muffled voice came through the mask.
"The Hokage-sama requests your presence."
"Huh? Me?" Renya looked puzzled. "What's the old man want with me?"
Didn't he already deliver lunch right on time earlier? Usually, that old guy only called for him at mealtime.
He glanced at Hiruzen and Danzō. Could it be—the assessment results were out?
Hmm… most likely!
Hiruzen and Danzō's faces lit up with excitement. Their teacher summoning them now could only mean one thing—the final results were ready.
Who would become Hokage would soon be revealed!
...
Hokage's Office
Senju Tobirama stared silently at the thick stack of documents on his desk, lost in thought.
At that moment, the office door was suddenly pushed open.
"Hey, old man, what do you want from me?" Renya shouted even before entering. "Don't you know it's nap time?"
As he spoke, he pulled over a chair and sat down.
This old guy didn't rest himself, fine—but why did he have to drag Renya into it too? Truly evil!
No wonder they called him the born evil Senju!
"Good afternoon, Sensei," Hiruzen and Danzō greeted politely.
Their faces could barely contain the anticipation—three years of assessment had all led to this moment!
Who would come out on top and take the seat of Hokage?
"You're here," Senju Tobirama said, glancing at the three of them. His gaze briefly lingered on the yawning Renya before shifting away.
This kid's condition was only getting worse…
"Sensei, may we ask… why you've summoned us?" Danzō asked, his voice trembling slightly as he tried to contain his excitement.
"Just as you're thinking," Tobirama replied softly. He was indeed here to announce the final results of their assessment.
At those words, the two of them tensed up, breathing faster as they clenched their sleeves tightly.
Three years of assessment—all coming to an end!
Becoming Hokage was the ultimate dream of every ninja in Konoha.
(Well, except for a certain Uchiha who happened to be a Senju…)
Hearing that, Renya suddenly perked up. He wanted to see who Tobirama had chosen as the next Hokage.
Since he got along with Danzō, he naturally hoped Danzō would take the position.
That way, the infamous "Konoha's Shadow" wouldn't ever come to be.
But if Danzō somehow lost, Renya would have to guide him—make sure he didn't stray down a dark path.
Senju Tobirama looked at the three expectant faces before him, then, after a brief silence, announced the final result of the assessment.
"I hereby announce…"
...
Check out my new fanfic "Attack on Titan: The Titan of Fate"
A titan that exists outside the Nine Titans — the Titan of Fate.
This is the story of Yago in the world of titans.
(This book is dedicated to every reader who loves Attack on Titan, striving to make up for all the regrets of the original work.)
P.S. The protagonist is not an ordinary transmigrator; his identity is the greatest foreshadowing of this book.