Renya patrolled the streets for a while and suddenly noticed how rapidly Konohagakure was thriving.
Under Senju Tobirama's governance, the village was flourishing and full of vitality.
With the war over and peace restored, the most common activity among ordinary people was, well—making babies.
In just a few short years, a great number of newborns had been born. In the future, not only would these people stimulate the village's economy, but some of them would also become shinobi, replenishing the losses suffered during the war.
Give it another ten years or so, and the village's overall strength would rise dramatically.
Both the economy and military power were climbing to unprecedented heights, returning to their former glory.
The same was happening in the other hidden villages. And when that time came, unless something unexpected occurred, war would break out once again.
War was something that could never be truly avoided—only delayed.
Take Kumogakure, for instance. The village was completely wrecked in the last war.
While other shinobi villages could recover in about ten years, Kumogakure would need at least twenty before it could return to form.
During the Second Great Ninja War, there was an eighty percent chance Kumogakure wouldn't even be able to participate.
They might even have to pray no one decided to attack them while they were still down...
And the very culprit behind all this devastation was now earnestly inspecting his territory.
"Hmm, not bad." Renya nodded with satisfaction as he gazed at the bustling shops.
All these stores were his assets—the more prosperous they were, the better.
That way, every month would bring him an endless stream of income, making the already wealthy Renya even richer. Ideally, he'd be so rich that gold bars might fall out of his pockets as he walked.
After wandering for a while, he found nothing else to do, so he decided to head to the office and see how Danzo and Hiruzen were handling the paperwork.
After all, that old man Senju Tobirama had gone in early this morning to supervise them.
...
Hokage's Office.
The atmosphere inside was suffocatingly tense. Shimura Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen kept their heads low, hardly daring to breathe.
Across from them, Senju Tobirama sat in his chair, reading over the documents they had processed. His face was growing darker by the second.
Bam!
He slammed the papers heavily onto the desk. Both Danzo and Hiruzen flinched.
Tobirama-sensei was angry.
And when he was angry... they were doomed.
"You two idiots!" Tobirama roared, his voice sharp and furious. "I've only been away from the office for a few days, and you've already turned the paperwork into this mess!"
If the village really followed their plans, the progress he had worked so hard to build would all be destroyed sooner or later!
"Who processed this file? Step forward!" Tobirama's tone dripped with fury.
The two of them trembled uncontrollably, frozen in place.
Clearly, they were scared out of their wits.
"I asked you a question!" Tobirama repeated impatiently.
Finally, Danzo and Hiruzen staggered toward the desk, each silently praying it wasn't their handwriting.
Danzo held his breath and glanced at the page—then exhaled in relief.
Thank goodness, it wasn't his.
He immediately cast a smug glance toward his best friend, Hiruzen, gloating inside.
Better you than me.
Hmph. And you think you can compete with me for the Hokage position? How naïve.
When Hiruzen saw what was written, his face instantly turned pale.
It's over.
That was his handwriting.
In that moment, he felt as if the sky had collapsed on him.
"S–Sensei... it... it was me..." Hiruzen stammered, raising his trembling hand.
"Idiot! You absolute fool!" Tobirama's voice thundered with rage. "Who taught you to process documents like this?!"
He was about to blow a gasket.
"S–Sorry, Sensei..." Hiruzen hung his head, too scared to say anything more.
Danzo looked on with schadenfreude—but his satisfaction didn't last long.
Tobirama picked up another document, this one clearly signed by Danzo himself.
And then, Danzo received the exact same treatment as Hiruzen.
...
The two of them hung their heads, enduring Tobirama-sensei's relentless scolding.
"You two idiots! Imbeciles!" Tobirama fumed, his voice still trembling with fury. "With your incompetence, how am I supposed to trust either of you to take over after me?!"
Renya was just about to push the door open when he heard the commotion inside.
That old man clearly wasn't in a good mood. If he went in now, he'd probably get caught in the crossfire.
Better knock first.
Knock knock knock.
It was the first time in his life Renya had ever knocked before entering the office.
Quite an achievement!
Inside, Tobirama froze the instant he sensed who it was.
Did I just hallucinate? Did that kid... actually knock?
Danzo and Hiruzen, who had their heads lowered, glanced up in confusion.
Why did Sensei suddenly go silent?
But soon, they understood why.
Renya stepped into the office.
That meant... the one who knocked was him!
The two of them stared at him like they'd just seen a ghost.
Was this really the same Renya they knew—the one who never knocked?
At that moment, they both wondered if they were trapped in a genjutsu.
"Hey, old man, what are you guys doing?" Renya asked curiously.
He'd heard Tobirama's angry shouting from afar—it was clear Danzo and Hiruzen had messed something up.
He was bored anyway, so he might as well enjoy the show.
Tobirama didn't respond. He just stared blankly at Renya.
Could it be... this kid's developed another personality?
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
Even if the sun rose from the west, Renya would never knock before entering!
There was no doubt about it—this had to be another personality.
Damn it, Tobirama cursed inwardly. I haven't even dealt with the last one yet, and now there's a new one!
"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Renya felt uneasy under their strange stares. "What's wrong with you guys?"
"Are you... really Renya?"
After a moment of silence, Hiruzen asked cautiously.
Tobirama's pupils contracted sharply.
Even the monkey noticed something was off about him?
Then it was certain—a new personality had emerged!
Danzo, meanwhile, looked thoughtful. He remembered the rude, shameless Renya he'd encountered before.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Renya looked genuinely confused.
He'd just knocked on a door—did that really warrant such a reaction?
"You people are overreacting."
"I don't care who you are," Danzo said coldly. "Get out of Renya's body, or don't blame me for what happens next!"
"That's right! Get out of Renya's body!" Hiruzen echoed loudly.
Tobirama narrowed his eyes, carefully observing Renya's expressions and movements.
Renya: "???"
Had these guys all lost their minds today?
"Weren't you two just getting scolded by the old man?" Renya said with a smirk. "Trying to use me as a distraction now, huh?"
"Save it. You two should just accept your punishment quietly!"
Danzo and Hiruzen: "..."
That familiar tone and smug attitude—it was unmistakable.
This was Renya. No doubt about it.
Tobirama sighed in relief.
Good. It was still the same kid he knew.
At least no new personality had manifested this time.