Hiruzen Sarutobi felt like the sky was falling.
The Fourth Raikage had been captured—
and actually brought back?
What the hell was going on?!
Hiruzen rushed out of his office, his eyes already red.
Kumogakure was not an opponent to take lightly. If the Fourth Raikage had truly been seized, who knew what kind of disaster might follow?
But just then, his sharp eyes caught sight of Danzo.
Again.
"Have you received the intel?" Danzo asked bluntly as he strode over.
"The Fourth Raikage has been brought back. He's currently being held at a Root base outside the village."
"..."
Hiruzen rubbed his temples. He didn't even bother correcting Danzo for refusing to call him Hokage.
What mattered was the keyword—
Root base.
"You're saying… the Fourth Raikage is with you?" Hiruzen asked.
"Yes," Danzo nodded. "And Tsunade appears to be there as well."
Danzo had actually wanted to head there immediately after receiving the report.
Ever since Ren awakened Wood Release, he hadn't had a chance to meet the boy again—and he was curious to see how Ren had developed.
But this situation was far more serious than expected.
And with Tsunade involved, Danzo knew full well that showing up alone would get him nowhere. That woman would never give him face.
Dragging Hiruzen along was the better choice.
"Lead the way," Hiruzen said. "We'll head there immediately."
The Hokage dashed out, ANBU mobilizing at once.
If the Hokage was moving, they had to follow.
Half an hour later, standing in front of the Root base and staring at the towering, bull-like figure of the Fourth Raikage—
Hiruzen felt his heart skip a beat.
It really was him.
At that moment, Hiruzen genuinely thought:
They should've just killed him and erased the body. This is way worse.
Suppressing the sudden feeling of aging several years, Hiruzen stepped forward calmly.
"Fourth Raikage-dono," he said politely.
"I didn't expect you to visit Konoha. What an… honor."
"Visit?" the Raikage snorted. "Right. Brought here tied up—very hospitable."
His gaze flicked to Danzo.
"Konoha's hospitality is… impressive."
"Fire Lord-sama, Danzo-sama."
Ren walked out from behind, giving both men a respectful nod before turning to the Raikage with a teasing smile.
"Well? Didn't you come willingly to get your subordinate treated?"
"Hmph!" the Raikage growled. "How is it inside?"
"I came out already," Ren shrugged.
"Why don't you go ask Tsunade-sama yourself?"
"..."
Ren spread his hands innocently.
"Sorry, I don't know medical ninjutsu. If you've got questions, you'll have to ask her."
The Raikage clenched his fists—but given his situation, he said nothing and turned to enter the base.
Watching his back, Hiruzen massaged his temples again.
Then he summoned Shisui and Yūgao.
"What exactly happened?" he demanded. "From the beginning."
Shisui glanced sideways—
Ren had already taken a step back.
Yūgao followed immediately.
Leaving Shisui alone on the "reporting front line."
"…Every time we report, you two remember I'm the captain," Shisui muttered helplessly.
Still, he gave a detailed account of everything.
By the time Hiruzen and Danzo heard that the Fourth Raikage had sought Tsunade to save his subordinate, both men inwardly cursed their luck.
Then came the real shock—
Ren using Wood Dragon, combined with Flying Thunder God, to suppress the Raikage.
Wood Dragon.
A technique second only to Wood Golem and Deep Forest Emergence.
And Ren had learned it this quickly?
Their eyes widened.
When they heard how the trio had captured the Raikage and engineered a situation where Kumogakure couldn't retaliate rashly—
Hiruzen finally exhaled.
"…Well done," he murmured.
Ren's approach made it extremely difficult for Kumo to escalate matters.
Hiruzen looked at Ren, emotions swirling.
The boy's strength thrilled him.
His judgment impressed him.
But—
"Ren," Hiruzen sighed, rubbing his chest.
"Could you maybe… focus your future missions on capturing Uchiha Obito?"
This team brought miracles—
but also heart attacks.
"Ah… understood," Ren replied obediently.
Whether he'd actually follow that later was another matter entirely.
"Dismissed," Hiruzen said.
"You performed exceptionally. There will be rewards."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
As they left, Hiruzen turned to Danzo.
"Danzo. Come with me. We need to have a long talk with the Fourth Raikage."
"…Hmph. Understood."
Danzo looked displeased—he'd wanted to speak with Ren—but followed anyway.
This will be useful someday, he thought.
"Finally over…"
Yūgao exhaled in relief.
"This mission wasn't as dangerous as Suna, but it was stressful enough."
Shisui nodded. "I wonder what the reward will be."
"Reward is reward," Ren chuckled. "Konoha has plenty of good stuff."
But his focus had already shifted.
[Side Quest Complete: Find Tsunade]
Evaluation: SS
Reward: Free Points ×10
Special Reward Acquired:
Lightning Release Chakra Mode – Trial Insight
Ren's mood instantly improved.
Ten free points—always welcome.
As for Lightning Chakra Mode…
"…Why a trial?" Ren muttered.
It wasn't that he looked down on it.
This technique's potential was enormous.
But Chakra Mode depended heavily on physical stats—and Ren's body was already LV10.
Still, he hadn't developed Lightning Release yet.
Yet…
"…Wait."
If he treated it as a formula instead of a finished product—
Could he adapt it?
Chakra Mode was one of the strongest power systems in the ninja world, second only to dojutsu.
Sage Mode.
Nine-Tails Mode.
Six Paths Mode.
And Ren already had:
Yang Release
Dragon Vein energy
Curse Mark
Yin Release
Yin–Yang framework
"…I might actually pull this off."
Decision made.
Upgrade: Curse Mark → LV6
Upgrade: Yin Release → LV5
Remaining Free Points: 1
Ren smiled.
Now all that remained was testing it.
"You look happy," Yūgao said curiously.
"Of course," Ren replied lightly. "We're home."
But another thought crossed his mind.
With Tsunade back…
He'd be training with her often.
And Yūgao—being a medical-nin trainee—
"…Why not?"
He turned to her.
"Want to study under Tsunade-sama?"
"Eh?! Really?"
"Why not try?"
Ren squeezed her hand gently.
Worst case—he could always pay off Tsunade's debts.
Meanwhile…
Tsunade finished her treatment and looked at Hiruzen.
"Ren," she said. "What's his deal?"
Hiruzen explained everything.
When she was done, Tsunade nodded.
"Bring him to the Senju residence."
Hiruzen sighed.
"…Of course."
Moments later—
Tsunade walked outside and grabbed Ren by the collar.
"You three. Come with me."
"…Huh?"
"My house is empty. You'll help clean."
Then she looked straight at Ren.
"And you—move in with me."
"???"
Ren froze.
Living together?!
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/lucarioTL