If you have a grievance without retribution, you're no gentleman. After his confrontation with Danzō, Ren certainly wasn't going to let things lie. He knew very well that going to Sarutobi Hiruzen at this point would yield no results. Therefore, Ren chose to use his own methods to let Danzō understand the consequences of provoking him. Didn't he want to launch a sneak attack? Then let him know what it feels like to have his own home attacked! With Ren's strength, if he wished to remain undetected, secretly setting a fire was an effortless task.
"Hahahaha! You've really gone too far with this one!" Tsunade burst into laughter in the yard, the frustration that had been simmering in her heart all night instantly swept away.
"Drink," Ren said, smiling as he produced the sake he had prepared earlier.
Tsunade paused, then remembered his previous words: he had agreed to drink. She suddenly recalled Ren telling her before, Drink good sake when you are happy. Only then can you truly savor its deliciousness.Could he have foreseen everything that would happen tonight?
---
The night passed. Early the next morning, the story of the Shimura clan compound catching fire spread like wildfire throughout Konoha. The blaze had raged for three hours, almost completely destroying most of the Shimura clan's land. Dozens of Shimura clan members were seriously injured or dead, suffering heavy casualties.
At the same time, news—no one knew how it had leaked—that the Shimura clan's chief elder intended to steal the Scroll of Seals also spread rapidly throughout Konoha. For a time, the name of Shimura Egawa became synonymous with scorn, an existence that everyone cursed and reviled like a rat scurrying across the street. Many people also linked the Shimura Egawa incident with the Shimura family's compound being burned, believing it was divine retribution for the Shimura clan's misdeeds. Consequently, the patriarch, Shimura Danzō, saw his status and reputation in the village plummet, earning the hatred of the villagers.
Concurrently, another significant, albeit quieter, piece of news also caused a stir in the village. It was the announcement that Ren, who had only recently been promoted to Konoha Assassination Corps captain by the Third Hokage, had chosen to resign from his position! This incident attracted considerable attention!
Who was Ren? He was a young prodigy, promoted to captain of the Konoha Assassination Squad—a rising star with a truly promising future! One could say that with just a few more years of dedicated effort, the position of Konoha Anbu Commander would undoubtedly be his! But now, he had suddenly resigned, wanting to leave Anbu? Thus, those sensitive to village politics had already begun to secretly speculate that Ren's departure from Anbu might be related to the recent incidents involving the Shimura family.
As for this matter, Ren's family said nothing. If Ren held a high position in the village, as family members, they would naturally be happy for him. But if he was unwilling to continue working in Anbu, they would, of course, respect his wishes. In this regard, Ren's family members were remarkably open-minded. In his father Keiko words, Our family is so wealthy now! Even if the two siblings, Tenten and Ren, don't want to be ninjas their entire lives, or go out on missions, the money at home is more than enough for them to live comfortably for the rest of their days. In response to this, Ren could only sigh inwardly, Indeed, this is the happiness of financial freedom~
However, that woman, Tsunade, after learning that Ren had resigned from Anbu, wore a worried expression. It seemed she vaguely guessed something, likely related to the attitudes of Shimura Danzō and Sarutobi-sensei in the recent incidents. If he had trusted Sarutobi-sensei, he wouldn't have silently burned down the Shimura clan compound that night. Although Sarutobi-sensei hadn't found any trace of the arsonists, among intelligent people, things never needed to be explicitly stated; they already understood each other perfectly.
In this regard, Tsunade had many things she wanted to discuss with Ren. She was currently living at Ren's house, and the two often found themselves seeing each other. With Tsunade's straightforward temperament, she was willing to speak directly with Ren.
"Hey, boy," Tsunade began, "if you don't feel comfortable staying in the village, why don't you leave Konoha with me? I already hated this boring place anyway." Tsunade's face was filled with interest as she stared at Ren, who was meticulously cleaning a hidden weapon, a kunai in his hand. She clearly showed considerable enthusiasm for the plan she had just proposed. With this kid, if we go out gambling together, we'll be invincible! Wouldn't that be far more fun than staying in this pesky Konoha?
"What do you think?" Ren was amused by Tsunade's thoughts. "My parents and my sister are in the village. My family's property is also in the village. Is there a more stable, more prosperous, and more suitable place for business than Konoha Village in the entire Land of Fire? I can't bear to leave a place like this. Besides, if I left Konoha with you, what reason would I even have?"
"But…" Tsunade's face showed hesitation. "You hate being in Konoha too, don't you?"
Ren was taken aback. "When did I say I hate Konoha?"
Tsunade wondered, "Huh? Isn't it? Then… why did you resign from Anbu? Isn't Anbu a good career path?"
Ren replied lightly, "It's just that I don't want to see those old things; it's a matter of principle. But those old things aren't worth me leaving the prosperous land of Konoha."
Tsunade naturally knew that the "old things" Ren referred to were the members of Konoha's Elder Council. Tsunade said hesitantly, "But without Anbu's identity, your life in the village won't be easy, right? That guy, Danzō… he'll definitely wait for an opportunity to cause you trouble in the future!"
Ren smiled and asked, "Do you think I'm afraid of him?"
Tsunade suddenly recalled their previous encounter. Ren and Danzō had already fought. That old Danzō was no match for Ren at all and had almost been killed by him. In terms of strength, there was absolutely no need to worry.
But… Tsunade frowned. "But if it goes on like this for a long time… it's not sustainable! If he secretly attacks your family, you can prevent it for a while, but you can't prevent it forever." Tsunade's worries were not unfounded.
But there was no worried look on Ren's face. An imperceptible light flashed in his eyes. Then he smiled calmly at Tsunade.
"It's okay. The power in the village… is coming soon for a reshuffle!"