Chapter 38 — Konoha Gold (5)
Minamoto Ren was deep in thought.
He was weighing his cards, calculating whether what he had left was enough to win this battle—one where their odds were barely more than zero.
A single-tomoe Sharingan.
The Shikotsumyaku.
Those were his only two trump cards. The Sharingan could give him the precision to suppress any one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen in close combat, and the Shikotsumyaku might allow him to take one out instantly—provided he could exploit a gap in their awareness.
At most—at the very most—he could handle two of them. Beyond that, he was powerless.
So this is the terror of elite jōnin…
Take Suigetsu's older brother, Mangetsu, for example—when they'd cornered him earlier, what real weakness had he shown?
With Hyūga Ganghachirō dead, the only one left in their group with the skill to stand beside Ren against the Swordsmen was Namikaze Minato. The others would only be liabilities on the battlefield.
Two against seven… could they even survive?
The pressure on Ren's heart was immense—ten times heavier than the night he fought Yoru Kurayami.
The Seven might be selfish, but in battle their coordination was razor-sharp.
Ren stood, his gaze sweeping over each person in the cave. He needed something stronger—something decisive. He needed to unlock the Power Index in his system, to gain what he needed to break the deadlock.
But here, far from Konoha, he had no authority, no chain of command to draw from.
If he wanted power—he'd have to claim loyalty.
"Power System… when you say 'loyalty,' do you mean what I think you mean?" Ren asked in his mind.
[For loyalty to take hold, the follower's original faith must first be shaken. Only then can you replace it. In other words, loyalty is comparative—the old must die for the new to be born.]
The system's explanation was abstract, but Ren understood. You couldn't trick someone into true loyalty—it required the right moment, the right place, and the right alignment of hearts.
Right now, the only one in this cave whose loyalty he could realistically sway with words was Shimura Yū. The others were likely too devoted to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
With no other choice, Ren strode toward Yū, whose face was heavy with gloom, casting a long shadow over him.
"C… Captain," Yū stammered, swallowing hard. He had a feeling Ren knew more than he let on.
Could the captain be here to "clean house" and deal with him first? He was just a lowly chūnin errand-runner from the Shimura clan—surely not worth killing, right?
"Danzō Shimura—the advisor. You know him well?" Ren's eyes glinted with a strange light, sharp enough to pierce into the soul.
Of course the captain knew everything.
"Lord Danzō… he, uh, might seem a little… shadowy, but his heart is still in the right place," Yū said, though even he didn't believe it.
Protecting the village might have been the original intent, but in Danzō's hands, the execution had… warped.
Ren almost wanted to laugh.
"He wants me dead. He wants Minato dead. And you—don't you see? You're nothing but a discarded pawn. You know that, don't you?" Ren's words cut through the last layer of self-deception in Yū's heart.
It's true. Yū was just a slightly greedy, slightly lustful clan chūnin—but he hadn't done anything wrong. He had worked diligently in the ANBU, faithfully reporting intel to his clan head. So why did he have to die?
Yū wasn't brilliant, but he wasn't stupid either. He fell silent.
"Do you really think what Danzō's doing is for the village?" Ren pressed, his tone sharp.
"These five scrolls we carry—they're worth at least five hundred million ryō. This is Konoha's next-stage fiscal lifeline. And Danzō's plan is to hand them—along with us—to Kirigakure? Or is it that the Shimura clan has already struck a deal with them? After we're all dead, you split the spoils—thirty-seven percent for you, sixty-three for them?"
Ren's words came faster and faster, each one like a kunai thrown to shatter the last of Yū's illusions.
Inside the cave, everyone heard clearly.
They didn't know why Minamoto Ren suddenly brought up Danzō, but judging from Shimura Yū's expression, this matter was almost certainly tied to the Shimura clan.
Namikaze Minato rose to his feet, his expression dark.
"Hannya… what did you figure out? Mind telling us?"
Minato was as sharp as they came, but he had too little information. He didn't yet realize the extent of Danzō's hostility toward him—and that wasn't his fault. He was still young. With a few more direct hits from political knives, he would understand naturally.
"You," Ren said, pointing at Minato.
"Me?"
Ren pointed to himself.
"We… are standing in Advisor Danzō's way. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen are just the blades in his hand. If we want revenge, we go after the one holding the hilt." His voice was calm, as though the whole affair had nothing to do with him.
"That's it? Just for this?" Minato asked in disbelief.
"That's it." Ren drew a finger across his neck in a cutting motion.
Minato's face grew shadowed, his warmth gone.
The "Little Sun" of Konoha was truly angry.
He had thought the Swordsmen's attack was due to a Kirigakure spy in the village—or that the money they carried had lured the enemy.
But no—this was betrayal at the highest level.
Damn it.
Danzō—this worm—how could Konoha thrive with men like him in power?
Ignoring Minato, Ren turned back to Shimura Yū.
"What do you think?"
"What do I think?" Yū's voice was hollow. At this point, he barely cared whether he lived or died. He just felt… tired.
Physically exhausted, mentally drained.
Caught between clan and village, this constant tug-of-war wore down a man of only average talent like him until nothing was left.
"Do you want to be a ninja of the village… or a ninja of Danzō?" Ren gave him the boundaries of choice.
"Is there even a difference?" Yū's mind felt sluggish. "Clan Head Danzō is the Hokage's advisor. Doesn't that mean he represents the village?"
"If he represents the village, then Konoha should already be in civil war!" Ren laughed. "Hyūga, Uchiha—do you think either of them would obey him? A man who can't even control the ANBU dares claim to represent the village?!"
"…Then I want to be a ninja of the village. Being the village's ninja… isn't as tiring," Yū said, following his true feelings.
When he was in ANBU, life was simple—draw a steady paycheck, enjoy a drink after hours, maybe hold a courtesan's arm. That was the life he wanted.
He didn't understand Danzō's ambitions—and he didn't want to die for them. It was just… too exhausting.
Ren's smile widened.
"Then choose the village. And the village's future… is right here. Between me and Namikaze Minato, one of us will be the future Hokage. Choose."
Yū looked at Minato, silent and brooding on the ground, then back to Ren standing before him.
"I'll choose you, Captain. If you take the seat, I'll rest easy," Yū said quietly. He didn't know Minato well, but he knew Ren—knew he was the kind of man you could entrust with real responsibility.
[The shadow of power is cast by the backs of those who swear loyalty… You have taken from the Hokage an oath-bound follower. Personnel authority has risen.]
[Power Index: 6]
[Power Manifestation Reward: Mutual Insight Elixir]
In the darkness, Ren pretended to take a drink from his canteen, but in truth, he pulled out the Mutual Insight Elixir and downed it in one go.
When he finished, he asked the system, "What does it do?"
[Mutual Insight Elixir—a special potion that Orochimaru often drank when his research inspiration ran dry. It enhances creativity, making breakthroughs easier during discussion with others. Duration: 24 hours.]
Ren nodded.
He had no choice now—whatever the system gave him, he would take it, and find a way to use it to break the stalemate.
And this potion… might just help him, in a way that could only be called fate.