Until now, Renya still had no idea why Danzo was angry.
Anyway, he had nothing better to do, so he decided to follow along and see for himself—Just who had the guts to upset the future "Shadow" of Konoha.
After all, this guy was notorious for holding grudges. Some things, he could remember for a lifetime.
"What are you following me for?" Danzo glared at Renya, visibly displeased.
This bastard was definitely here on purpose to annoy him!
"Nothing much, just keeping you company while you shop." Renya grinned cheerfully.
"Suit yourself." Danzo said nothing more and continued walking forward.
"Danzo, why are you out here alone? Where are Hiruzen and the others?" Renya asked curiously.
He had been spending so much time with Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama lately that he hadn't seen Hiruzen and the others for quite a while.
At Renya's question, the veins on Danzo's forehead bulged, and he clenched his fists with frustration, as though recalling something unpleasant.
That damned Hiruzen… he'd actually gotten himself a girlfriend!
Danzo had seen Hiruzen on a date with some girl not long ago, and at the time, it felt like the entire sky had collapsed on him.
They'd grown up together since childhood—why did he get to have a girlfriend?
Not that Danzo was particularly interested in women, but it still irked him to see his friend escape the "single club."
It almost felt… like betrayal.
After a moment of silence, under Renya's curious gaze, Danzo finally muttered in a low voice,
"Hiruzen found a girlfriend."
Renya's lips twitched at that. He thought it was going to be something serious… and it turned out to be this?
He already knew about that ages ago.
Judging by Danzo's expression, though, anyone who didn't know better would think Hiruzen had just become Hokage or something.
So that's why Danzo was upset—it was because Hiruzen had a girlfriend.
Wait a second…
Renya's eyes widened suddenly as he stared at Danzo in shock.
This guy… couldn't possibly… like Hiruzen, could he?
Otherwise, why would he be sulking alone like this after finding out the truth?!
Renya felt like he had uncovered the "real" reason behind everything.
No wonder, in the original timeline, Danzo remained single his whole life… turns out the man he liked had already gotten married.
Damn it… was this the so-called "battlefield camaraderie" of the shinobi world?
So full of passion!
Subconsciously, Renya put some distance between himself and Danzo. Who knew if this guy might start having ideas about him next?
After all, he wasn't bad-looking himself.
What if Danzo, seeing that Hiruzen was taken, decided to "change targets"?
For the sake of his personal safety, some suspicions—even if wrong—could not be ignored.
Assuming the worst in others was sometimes the safest way to live.
Renya began regretting ever following Danzo out of curiosity in the first place.
Turns out the old saying was right—curiosity really does kill the cat.
Now he didn't even dare be alone with Danzo anymore, feeling an eerie chill running down his spine.
With that thought, he slowed his pace, trailing behind Danzo at a safer distance.
Danzo, noticing Renya's sudden behavior, frowned.
"What are you doing?"
First, this bastard went behind his back on missions, and now he was deliberately putting distance between them for no reason.
Damn it, he was definitely doing this on purpose!
Renya jolted slightly at being caught, but on the surface, he forced himself to act calm, pretending nothing had happened.
"Hiruzen's got a girlfriend. Shouldn't you be happy for him?"
"Hmph. And why would I be happy about that?" Danzo snorted coldly.
Not being happy was as good as admitting he was upset.
Renya: "…"
Hearing that only made Renya even more convinced of his theory.
This guy Danzo definitely had a problem!
He'd better start keeping his distance, or one day, he might end up getting caught in Danzo's "trap."
Sure, Renya wasn't particularly interested in women either, but that didn't mean he liked men!
Danzo, though… Danzo was different.
Renya's wary gaze grew sharper, and Danzo, noticing this, grew increasingly baffled.
Just what the hell was this bastard thinking?!
"Don't you have anything better to do?" Danzo said coldly, now just wanting to get rid of this annoying pest.
"Right, right, I do!" Renya quickly turned and left, afraid that if he stuck around too long, Danzo might try something "inappropriate."
After all, good-looking Uchiha were always at the greatest risk in the shinobi world…
Especially when it came to perverts like Shimura Danzo!
Watching Renya's figure vanish into the distance, Danzo snorted coldly.
"Ridiculous."
With that, he continued wandering leisurely through the streets.
...
Meanwhile, Renya had sprinted across three entire blocks before finally stopping to catch his breath.
Once he confirmed Danzo was nowhere in sight, he exhaled in relief.
"That was terrifying…"
From now on, no matter what, he would never be alone with Danzo again.
Just as he was feeling relieved to have escaped danger, Renya suddenly noticed three little figures walking toward him from down the street.
It was none other than the future infamous "Sannin" of Konoha—
Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru.
Renya hadn't expected the three of them to already be sticking together at such a young age.
"Tsunade, are you really gonna treat us to yakiniku?" Jiraiya asked eagerly.
Being an orphan, he survived off a meager monthly stipend and could barely afford to eat, let alone enjoy something like grilled meat.
The moment he heard Tsunade was treating them to yakiniku, he was thrilled beyond belief.
He was practically ready to devote himself to her as her number one fanboy.
So this… this was the power of being a rich girl, huh?
Orochimaru silently followed behind the two, his pale face devoid of expression.
His family situation wasn't much better, so a free meal was a free meal—he'd be an idiot not to take advantage.
Besides, if Jiraiya the fool was coming along, what was there to worry about?
Just then, Orochimaru suddenly felt a gaze fall upon him.
He instinctively looked up, only to see a black-clad boy standing not far ahead, staring directly at them.
For once, Orochimaru's usually emotionless face showed a rare hint of surprise as he murmured softly:
"Renya-sama…"
Renya was a war hero. Practically everyone in the village knew who he was.
"Why are you calling him?" Tsunade asked, puzzled, glancing at Orochimaru. She couldn't figure out why he'd suddenly bring up her "uncle."
Speaking of which, it had been a while since she last saw Renya.
According to Grandpa Tobirama, he'd been away on missions.
Who knew when he'd be back…
If it weren't for her grandmother's terrible cooking, she wouldn't have even dragged the two of them out here for yakiniku today.
"Renya-sama's right there," Orochimaru reminded her, nodding ahead.
Following his gaze, Tsunade spotted Renya waving at her from a short distance away.
The little girl's face lit up instantly as she skipped over to him excitedly.
"Renya-san! You're finally back!"
"Mm, I'm back." Renya smiled warmly, ruffling Tsunade's hair.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru quickly followed, stopping a short distance away, their eyes filled with admiration as they stared at Renya.
Though they deeply respected him, neither dared speak up, afraid of saying the wrong thing and upsetting him.
"Where are you three headed?" Renya asked.
"Renya-san, I was taking them to the yakiniku place for grilled meat…"
Tsunade trailed off halfway, as though suddenly struck by a thought.
She turned back to the other two, eyes sparkling.
"Forget the yakiniku! I'll treat you to something even tastier!"
Renya froze for a moment, a sudden ominous premonition creeping into his heart.
It couldn't be what he was thinking… right?
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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