Chapter 15 — The Ninja of the Gekkō Clan
"You are… Ren!"
While Gekkō Ren was lost in thought, a surprised voice suddenly rang out in front of him.
"What? The kid is Ren?"
"It really is that brat Ren!"
"He's alive? That's wonderful!"
A string of exclamations followed—shock, disbelief, and finally relief. More than a dozen Konoha ninja who had been passing by immediately gathered around Gekkō Ren.
...
"Uncle Hoshino, is that you?"
Hearing the voices around him, Gekkō Ren raised his head and looked at the middle-aged man leading the group. His voice remained calm—almost cold.
Gekkō Hoshino, father of Gekkō Hayate and the clan head of the Gekkō clan, one of only two jōnin in the clan. At this time, Hayate was only four years old.
Ah… Shina and Meiko's deaths have affected this child far more than I imagined.
Hearing Gekkō Ren's flat, indifferent tone, Gekkō Hoshino fell silent for a moment, sighing inwardly with pity.
Gekkō Shina was Ren's father, an ordinary chūnin with an unremarkable standing within the clan. Meiko—full name Gekkō Meiko, formerly Tomosaka Meiko—was Ren's mother, a civilian-born ninja. She was also a chūnin, but a medical-nin whose combat ability was even weaker than most chūnin. Her status was equally ordinary.
Ren's parents had lived ordinary lives within the clan. Their relationships were ordinary, their reputations modest. Yet Ren himself had always been extremely well-liked. At a young age, he was already somewhat of a little celebrity within the clan.
Children were naturally endearing—but aside from his poor talent, Ren had always been diligent, hardworking, sweet-tongued, polite, and helpful. He even behaved like a little adult. Nearly everyone in the clan knew him well. Some even knew Ren better than they knew his own parents—Hoshino included.
(Of course, that was largely because the former Ren knew his talent was lacking. At the time, he didn't know whether he even possessed a "cheat" ability—most likely he didn't—so he had placed great importance on building relationships.)
"Ren, it's such a relief that you're alright," Gekkō Hoshino said with a smile, patting Ren on the shoulder without minding his cold tone. "Earlier we heard from the logistics team that you had applied to go to the battlefield. We were worried sick."
"Later we heard you disappeared on the battlefield. We even thought you had died. Your Aunt Keiko was heartbroken for quite a while. Seeing you safe now truly is a blessing."
"That's right! You little brat, I cried so much because of you!"
A female ninja behind Hoshino placed her hands on her hips, scolding angrily. "This is war! Everyone else is trying to avoid the battlefield, and you volunteered to go! You just graduated as a genin—were you trying to get yourself killed?"
"Exactly! When we heard you were missing, we thought you were dead!"
Others began chiming in, their complaints laced unmistakably with concern.
"I'm sorry for worrying you, Aunt Keiko… and everyone else," Gekkō Ren said apologetically.
Gekkō Keiko was Hoshino's wife, an elite chūnin.
"Ren, Lord Orochimaru wants to see you."
Just as Ren was at a loss for how to respond to his clansmen's concerned scolding, Namikaze Minato appeared at the perfect moment to rescue him.
"Minato-sama!"
Upon seeing Minato, Hoshino and the other Gekkō clan members immediately stopped crowding Ren and greeted him respectfully. Minato was an elite jōnin and the disciple of one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya. His status and strength were both extraordinary.
"Sorry, Clan Head Hoshino, and everyone of the Gekkō clan," Minato said with a gentle smile. "Lord Orochimaru has requested to see Gekkō Ren. I'll be taking him to the commander's office."
"Of course, no problem!"
Hoshino quickly replied with a smile, then hesitated before asking carefully, "Minato-sama, may I ask… did Ren make some kind of mistake?"
"If he did, I hope you might speak on his behalf. He's a good child. Both his parents fell on the battlefield."
In Hoshino's mind, Ren had only just become a genin. His strength was low, and this was his first time on the battlefield. It was impossible for him to have earned any great merit. More likely, he had made some grave error.
Considering Ren's previous disappearance and sudden return, Hoshino feared the worst—perhaps he had fled from battle and been captured, or perhaps he had been taken prisoner and only just rescued. Maybe he was now awaiting interrogation and punishment.
Hoshino was already prepared to personally plead for leniency—anything to preserve Ren's life.
"Clan Head Hoshino, there's no need to worry," Minato said with a reassuring smile. "Ren's disappearance was simply him getting lost. And he killed many enemies, earning considerable merit. There's no possibility of desertion or betrayal."
With that, Minato led Ren toward the wooden command hut.
"Killed many enemies? Earned considerable merit?"
The Gekkō clan ninja exchanged stunned glances. They wanted to ask more, but Minato had already left with Ren. They could only wait where they stood, intending to question Ren once he returned.
——————————————
Gekkō Ren followed Minato into Orochimaru's command post—the same wooden hut Minato had entered earlier.
The moment Ren stepped inside, he felt an interested gaze lock onto him.
The hut contained only one person: Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru-sama," Minato said respectfully to the man seated behind the wooden desk, who was studying Ren with visible intrigue. "Gekkō Ren has been brought."
"Thank you for your hard work, Minato-kun," Orochimaru replied with a faint smile, his eyes never leaving Ren.
Yet no matter how one looked at it, Orochimaru's smile carried a trace of something sinister.
Minato, long accustomed to that smile, showed no reaction and simply returned it calmly.
"Minato tells me you've awakened an entirely new bloodline limit," Orochimaru said in a commanding tone, smiling faintly at Ren. "Show it to me."
From Minato's report, Orochimaru already knew that Ren had previously possessed only the strength of an ordinary genin. For someone who had just graduated to slaughter over a hundred Suna ninja—including ten jōnin—and even force Pakura of the Scorch Release to retreat, this powerful and unknown kekkei genkai fascinated him deeply.
Minato, too, watched Ren with curiosity. The only thing he had seen was Ren's arm transforming into a strange weapon. Even Minato had instinctively felt danger from it—its attack speed had seemed bizarrely fast.
But the exact nature and effect of the ability remained unknown to him.
(At the time, the distance had been too great, and the battle was already nearing its end.)