"Next time, don't take such a risk. The village is full of your comrades."
"I understand, Hokage-sama."
"And you too, Shisui. When you run into a vicious criminal like that, it's better to fire a signal flare immediately. Don't try to handle it alone."
"…My apologies, Hokage-sama."
Late at night, inside the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the two young men in front of him and shook his head helplessly—yet there was also a faint smile mixed into that helplessness.
What that smile and sigh truly meant…
Only he knew.
"But it's a pity," Hiruzen said softly. "That criminal still got away."
"Hokage-sama," Shisui explained without hesitation, "he likely used the Uchiha secret technique Izanagi. That's how he avoided a fatal strike and escaped."
Ren pressed his lips together at the side.
This guy really says anything out loud… no wonder he dared to reveal Kotoamatsukami too.
Konoha knew about Izanagi. There were even records of it, so no one reacted strongly.
But if Shisui ever exposed the true nature of his Mangekyō ability…
Danzō would be knocking on his door first.
The battle was over.
Obito had escaped.
Ren honestly had no good solution for that.
What Shisui used had to be a killing move—something meant to erase Obito's consciousness entirely.
But Obito was a monster in one specific way:
survival and escape.
And with Black Zetsu in the shadows, it became even harder to stop him.
At the moment Obito went dazed—at the moment Ren split his mask—
A massive tree erupted from the ground, forcing Ren to dodge immediately.
And right then, Ren clearly sensed a burst of chakra—
At the same time, the Flying Thunder God mark shifted from its original location to somewhere else.
Ren understood immediately.
He used Izanagi… and slipped into Kamui to flee.
"Did he prepare it in advance?" Ren thought. "Or did Black Zetsu set it up for him?"
Ren vaguely remembered scenes from old stories—when Uchiha chaos reached its peak, and someone used Izanagi to revive both himself and his subordinates.
It was broken to the point of absurdity.
Either Obito had set Izanagi as a failsafe that triggered automatically when his mind was compromised—
Or Black Zetsu had helped.
Once the fight ended, reports had to be made.
Ren could tell Shisui was weighed down with thoughts.
He didn't seem willing to mention what Obito had told him—because it involved Danzō and the upper levels of Konoha.
More than once, Shisui looked at Ren like he wanted to speak… then stopped.
So Ren simply smoothed it over during the report.
He stated plainly:
He had sensed a faint Flying Thunder God mark following Shisui, so he tailed him.
When Shisui encountered Obito, Shisui engaged immediately. Ren appeared to assist.
Hiruzen listened and didn't press further—an open display of trust in his subordinates.
Besides…
Something far more important had been gnawing at him the entire time.
"That man… why does he have Wood Release?" Hiruzen asked slowly. "And Ren-kun… you—"
"Hokage-sama, I also don't know why I can use Wood Release," Ren said at once, shaking his head with a perfectly confused expression.
"When I fought him, I suddenly felt his chakra surge. And his chakra seemed to… tug at my own."
"And when he used Wood Release, it felt like… I could do it too."
"So…"
Ren raised one hand.
His chakra stirred slightly—
And in the next second, a sharp wooden spike thrust out from his palm.
The spike carried a strange chakra signature.
Maybe it hadn't been obvious before.
But now, Hiruzen could sense it clearly.
"So this is what Tenzo meant…" Hiruzen thought. "That 'life' inside it?"
This Wood Release really was different from Tenzo's.
And that difference made Hiruzen's mind settle on a conclusion.
This boy… could he be a Senju descendant?
Senju inheriting Wood Release was an established fact.
And the Senju had long since dispersed into every corner of Konoha.
Their family plaques were practically shattered on purpose—meant to erase the divide between clan shinobi and civilian shinobi.
So Ren being a Senju offshoot…
Was absolutely possible.
"A naturally awakened Wood Release…"
Hiruzen's heart surged with joy.
This boy truly brought him endless surprises.
At first, he thought he'd found an excellent ANBU.
Later, he felt he'd found another Namikaze Minato.
But now—
It looked like this boy had leapt past Minato's shadow and started moving toward the First Hokage.
Danzō… thank you.
Even so, Hiruzen forced himself to remain calm.
He knew there would be trouble afterward.
Danzō would not let this go.
And Hiruzen wanted to learn more about Ren—much more.
He'd read Ren's file before.
Now he felt he needed to read it again—carefully, repeatedly.
If possible, he wanted to trace Ren's ancestry as well.
Of course, if it couldn't be traced, that was fine too.
War orphans often had no clean records.
As long as Ren belonged to Konoha—
Everything else could be handled.
"I understand," Hiruzen said, suppressing his joy, and nodded seriously.
"I'll give you Wood Release materials. For the time being, you'll study with Kakashi. No missions for now."
"Th—"
Ren's face tightened awkwardly.
This… wasn't what he wanted.
"And," Hiruzen continued,不给 him room to refuse, "I will bring Tsunade back."
"Obito possessing Wood Release is not something we can treat lightly. It's best to have Tsunade return and investigate."
"And perhaps," Hiruzen added, voice thoughtful, "you and she may have some connection. It'll be easier for you to look after each other in the future."
What connection?
Ren nearly rolled his eyes internally.
Still, he nodded.
Bringing Tsunade back was absolutely a good thing for him.
…And yes, his thoughts drifted somewhere extremely inappropriate.
"Also, Shisui," Hiruzen said, finally turning his attention to him, "your eyes should not be used lightly."
"You're a genius. You've surprised me as well."
"But I hope your talent can last. Work hard for Konoha—for a long time."
"So protect your eyes."
"If you're willing, I'd like you to stay here too, like Ren. Of course, if—"
"Hokage-sama," Shisui said immediately, "I'm willing to stay—with Ren."
No hesitation.
Shisui understood exactly what kind of trouble his eyes could bring.
From the clan…
From what Obito had hinted about Danzō…
That was why he'd kept it hidden.
But now the situation was different.
Staying close to the Third Hokage would avoid many problems.
And more importantly—
He wanted to use Ren as a path to understand who Danzō truly was.
But Ren didn't have the energy to think about Shisui's motives.
His entire focus was locked on the panel in front of him.
[Mission Complete: Repel Konoha's Invader]
[Mission Evaluation: S]
[Reward: Free Points ×4]
[Hidden Mission Complete: Expose Uchiha Obito (3)]
[Mission Evaluation: A]
[Reward: Free Points ×5]
[Special Reward Unlocked]
[Yin–Yang Release Training Insights]
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