Renya walked down the bustling street, carrying a food box in his hand. The nearby vendors were loudly hawking their goods.
Looking at the increasingly prosperous village, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"Konoha has really flourished."
Just a few years ago, the village wasn't nearly this lively.
Now, many merchants had come to Konoha to do business, and all kinds of village infrastructure had been upgraded.
All of this was thanks to the Senju brothers and how they governed the village.
Especially Hashirama. If he hadn't stood up back then to end the chaos of war, where would such peaceful scenes be seen today?
If only Hashirama-san's body were still at its peak...
Then this peace could last for a good long while.
Come to think of it, it had been quite some time since he last visited Hashirama-san.
Renya planned to head home, wash the bowls, and then check in on how Hashirama-san was doing.
"Renya-kun?"
Just then, a familiar voice interrupted his train of thought.
Renya followed the sound and saw two figures standing not far away, staring straight at him.
Nara Motoha, dressed in a green chunin flak jacket, looked slightly surprised.
"It really is you!"
Just a few steps away, Hyūga Muki's long hair fell over his shoulders. Renya's reflection was clearly visible in his pair of Byakugan.
Renya noticed that the two of them looked a bit rough and smiled.
"You guys just got back from a mission?"
Motoha's vest was ripped and tattered—clearly slashed by sharp weapons.
Muki's clothes were stained in several places with dirt.
Renya remembered that this "King of Smug" had a cleanliness obsession. He wouldn't get himself dirty unless it was during a mission, so it was easy to guess that they had just returned.
The two of them nodded in confirmation.
"Renya-kun, it's really rare to see you in the village," Motoha clicked his tongue, face full of emotion.
Renya's squad was infamous for how intense they were.
Either on a mission or on the way to a mission.
Because of that, they hadn't seen Renya and the others in quite a while.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had organized several class reunions, and yet...
The three of them hadn't attended a single one.
Even when they went to the Senju compound, they were told Renya was out on a mission and no one knew when he'd return...
After a while, people just stopped inviting them.
There was no point if they were never home.
And since each squad had their own missions, the chances to meet naturally dropped.
Of course, all of this stemmed from Renya's squad.
Because they worked so hard, other ninja didn't want to fall behind and tried to catch up—thus triggering a spiral of overachievement.
In recent years, the number of missions being completed had skyrocketed.
Back then, jōnin only needed to complete two B-rank missions a month to hit their quota.
Now? If you didn't finish five B-rank missions a month, could you even call yourself a jōnin?
Faced with this situation, Senju Tobirama, as Hokage, was more than happy to see it. He even went out of his way to praise the squads with the highest mission counts.
With encouragement from the Hokage himself, these "nuclear-powered donkeys" worked even harder.
This was one of the main reasons why the village had developed so rapidly in such a short time.
Hearing Motoha's complaint, Renya gave a sheepish laugh.
"We're not taking missions for a while. You can come find us and hang out when you're free."
Hyūga Muki looked puzzled when he heard that.
His expression practically said: Did Uchiha Renya really just say something like that?
"Renya-kun, did you guys piss off some bigshot out there and now you're too afraid to take missions?" Motoha asked.
From his point of view, it was unthinkable for Renya to voluntarily stop taking missions.
There could only be one reason—they had angered someone powerful and were laying low back in the village.
Muki's eyes lit up. He felt that Motoha's theory made perfect sense. It really was quite likely.
Renya's mouth twitched. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
As expected of someone from the Nara clan... their brains really worked differently.
Just one sentence and he had nearly guessed the truth.
Seeing that Renya didn't deny it, Motoha's expression turned into one of I knew it!
"Renya-kun, mind telling us who you pissed off?"
If it was enough to keep Renya's squad grounded in the village, then the person must be no ordinary figure.
Could it be a Kage from another village? Or a daimyo from one of the feudal domains?!
While he was spiraling into wild guesses, Renya's answer left him completely stunned.
"It's nothing serious. Just the Uchiha clan head—Uchiha Tanaka."
Hyūga Muki's eyelid twitched violently.
"You offended the Uchiha clan head?"
As someone raised on a strict code of rules, Renya's behavior felt downright rebellious!
He was a member of the Uchiha clan and had dared to go against the clan head?
He could already imagine the tragic scenes that awaited Renya in the clan's future.
Wait a second... wasn't Renya living in the Senju compound now?
Motoha's jaw dropped.
"Renya, are you planning to get yourself exiled from the village?!"
"It's just Uchiha Tanaka. What's the big deal?" Renya said dismissively, curling his lip in disdain.
The two of them stared at him in disbelief.
At the same time, an absurd thought entered both of their minds—
Could it be that... Renya had grown so powerful that he no longer feared even the Uchiha clan head?
Their expressions turned complicated.
Was this really the same classmate they used to go to school with?
Renya had no idea what they were thinking.
If he really was strong enough to ignore Tanaka, then that guy would already be a corpse by now.
The reason he wasn't afraid of Uchiha Tanaka was because he had confidence in his own strength, and more importantly, the protection of Senju Tobirama.
If things really went south, Tobirama would definitely step in to save him.
Though honestly, Renya didn't think he'd lose to Tanaka anyway.
With the poisons he had developed, anyone who got hit was done for.
Unless future Tsunade showed up—maybe she could make an antidote.
Even then, it'd be pointless.
That little girl called him "uncle," after all.
Renya noticed the two of them still standing there blankly.
"What's wrong with you two?"
Why were they suddenly spacing out?
Hearing that, the two of them snapped out of it.
"Renya-kun, you're getting stronger and stronger," Motoha said, his tone conflicted.
Hyūga Muki didn't say anything, only pressed his lips together subconsciously.
"You make it sound like I wasn't always strong." Renya grinned. "I'm heading back now. Come visit sometime."
With that, he turned and walked off, food box still in hand.
He still had to go home and wash the dishes, then check on Senju Hashirama's condition.
He didn't have time to keep chatting with the two of them.
He still had to cook dinner later, and who knew if Senju Tobirama, that old bastard, would be back to eat?
If not, he'd have to bring the food to him.
The two of them stood there, watching as Renya's figure disappeared around the corner.
"Muki-kun, do you think you could beat him?"
"...Maybe."