"He isn't just strong. His foresight and planning rival some of the best strategists in the ninja world." Kakashi's words hung in the air for a brief moment before he continued.
"We cannot afford to make an enemy of him."
Tsunade's eyes unintentionally narrowed.
When did the Shinobi world become so convoluted that an entire village was worried about one man?
However, worrying about this wouldn't do anything good. So instead, she changed the topic.
"Do you know when Benimaru is returning to the village?" Tsunade asked.
Unfortunately, Kakashi shook his head.
"We haven't had any reports about him or Lord Chandler." Kakashi's tone had calmed down considerably—but he had to admit he was worried. Although a specific time frame wasn't given for Benimaru's training, he thought he'd be back by now.
"Should we issue a search team?" Tsunade wished to hear Kakashi's opinion.
But he once again shook his head.
"I don't know why, but… I have a feeling he is closer than we think."
"You seem confident. Any reason why?" Tsunade wasn't worried. Even before he left, Benimaru's strength had been remarkable—the peak of what most could achieve.
"My instincts are telling me something. I don't know how, or where, or even if we would find him. But my instincts are never wrong, and right now they say—" Kakashi revealed a slight smile. Even beneath his mask, the signs of certainty in his voice were obvious.
"Benimaru is nearby. We just need to find him."
Tsunade's back rested against her chair in a leisurely fashion. Chandler, one of the strongest jonin in the village, was with him. She was confident he could put up a good fight against one of the Sannin—anyone else would be a walk in the park.
But she had to admit, although trusting one's instincts was a crucial part of being a shinobi, it was better to not place all your eggs in one basket—a fact she was certain Kakashi was well aware of.
"That man, Ren, he doesn't release any aura at all—neither oppressive nor comforting." As if reading her thoughts, Kakashi spoke. His playful tone was gone in an instant—replaced by the formal, respectful manner befitting their Hokage.
"In many ways, he is the opposite of Benimaru, who constantly released a comforting aura and was filled with immense devotion and love for the village."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed. What was Kakashi getting at?
However, even she had to admit, the contrast was surreal. One seemed to treat life and people as a game—while the other cherished it like precious metal.
But even then, what was the relationship?
"What are you getting at, Kakashi?" Her words held an icy, cold tone. Even though no malice was directed toward Kakashi, the hairs on his spine began to tingle. Truly, their Hokage was not one to be crossed.
"I hold Benimaru in very high regard. His potential and growth speed surpass even mine. In fact, I could bet that even before leaving for training, his power had eclipsed that of my own." The white-haired jonin said in one breath—leaving no room for doubt. Every word, every syllable that spewed from his mouth held utter conviction.
But Tsunade wasn't convinced.
"You still haven't given me a correlation, Kakashi." Her words kept that delicate tone.
A deep wave of air entered the jonin's lungs as he took a deep breath.
"The tremendous power Ren possesses is one that I hoped Benimaru would one day wield. And even if no other similarities can be made, then one thing is certain." Kakashi took a brief pause—exemplifying his next statement.
"Ren's power is what Benimaru could achieve if pushed hard enough—the power to rival legends. Without a shadow of a doubt, I can say…" Kakashi didn't stop. In fact, he only continued his words—too far gone to care about their implications.
"Benimaru will one day surpass the likes of Hashirama and Madara."
The silence hung in the air for a brief moment—neither party willing to say a word.
"Well then…" Tsunade broke the silence, her lips curving upward—forming a light smile.
"I think we just figured out a way to defeat Ren."
Unbeknownst to Tsunade, her greatest win condition was also her greatest enemy.
….
In the bustling streets of the Leaf Village, Ren walked calmly—each stride expressing purpose and control.
A gentle smile to a woman, a nice wave to a man, helping an old lady carry her bags home—acts such as these had created a reputation for Ren.
He was loved and adored by civilians and shinobi alike—always ready to lend a helping hand to those in need.
"Ren, can you help me with these groceries?"
"Ren, my cat is stuck in a tree. Can you help?"
"Ren, do you want to play hide and seek with us?"
"Ren, do you want to train together?"
Along his walk, multiple people had requested help with various daily tasks—mostly children—causing amused looks to appear on the adults' faces.
"I'll help you all later, I promise." Ren gave a thumbs-up to the growing crowd, hoping to get away from the troublesome situation.
Declining them all softly, his true aim began to materialize in sight.
In a run-down apartment—leaky roof, broken walls, scratched windows, and markings everywhere—a single boy seemed not to mind his poor living condition.
As Ren peeked through the side of the window, his vision became ever so clear.
Naruto Uzumaki—or rather, the beast inside him—was the next variable to be used.
Ren had gone through many sleepless nights, attempting to uncover the Akatsuki's secret plan—but to no avail.
But regardless, he refused to let it come to fruition.
Naruto sat at his nearly broken dining table—a plate of hot, sizzling ramen resting on it.
Water dripped from Naruto's mouth—eagerly waiting to savor the meal in front of him.
His excitement was palpable, the glint in his eyes exuding both an intense hunger for a meal—but also love for the dish.
Naruto's fingers wrapped around the plastic container—clutching it for dear life as he ripped the lid off.
But just as he prepared to dig in, a knock at the door startled him—causing his meal to slip out of his grasp and fall to the floor—spilling its contents on the cold, sterile ground.
The blond-haired boy's disappointment was palpable—a downcast expression adorning his face as he reached for the door.
Opening it, the smiling face of Ren startled him—almost scaring him slightly.
From the few interactions he had with Ren, he seemed to be a stone-cold killer with no emotions—yet here he was—smiling like it was Christmas morning.
"Are you going to let me in, or are you going to keep staring at me?" Ren's goofy and teasing tone confused Naruto even more. But regardless, he let him enter.
Upon walking past him, Naruto's eyes, keen as ever, noticed a bag in Ren's hands—and in that bag contained something he would always recognize.
"Is that… ramen?" Naruto instinctively gulped. The ramen which had fallen to the ground was the last he had—so he was fully prepared to go hungry tonight.
"It sure is." Ren turned around, his lips curving upward to form a grin.
"How about we enjoy this together?"
The night was filled with the sounds of laughter and joy. Even over dinner, the duo conversed over seemingly mundane topics, and in this one night—the blond felt truly happy.
"Man, I'm stuffed." Naruto's voice rang through the small apartment. His slightly puffed-up belly rolled across the wooden floor—a crude belching sound escaping his lips—eliciting a laugh from Benimaru.
Naruto blinked in confusion.
"You laughed." His voice, barely a whisper, carried more weight than he knew. And in that moment, Benimaru's laughter died down—nothing but Ren's facade of happiness remained.
"I guess I did," he responded.
Towards the end of the night, Ren posed the question of the night—the real reason he had come here.
"The beast inside you—I need to meet with it."
Although reluctant and unwilling, Naruto gave in—providing Ren access to his mindscape.
The duo appeared in a completely new environment: an orange sewer, flooded with enough water to get wet—but not enough to sink below knee level.
Beyond where the two stood, barely a few meters away, was a cage—harboring a beast of incredible power.
The strongest tailed beast—the Nine-Tails.
Upon sighting his vessel and Ren, a single eye of its shot open—killing intent rushing toward the duo in waves.
Ren, however, remained unaffected. Naruto, although shaking slightly, stood his ground—he had faced this countless times before—he refused to waver now.
"Naruto, who is this you have brought with you?"
The beast's voice boomed through the sewer, its killing intent never wavering—only growing stronger with each syllable spoken.
Naruto, not knowing how to proceed further, kept quiet—because even he didn't know who Ren truly was.
Thankfully, he didn't have to say anything—the man in question walked forward himself.
Each step he took splashed against the water on the ground—both Naruto and the Nine-Tails wondered at what distance he would stop walking.
None would be foolish enough to walk into the Nine-Tails' cage, right?
Right?
Defying all odds, Ren did exactly that. His feet crossed the boundary of the cage walls. Despite not being named by either Naruto or the beast, it was considered the danger zone.
An area where the Nine-Tails had free reign.
"Do you mind… spilling your heart out to me?" Ren's voice held a deathly-sweet tone. It was his way of issuing a warning to the Nine-Tails.
"You don't have a choice in this—cooperate, or you die."
Anger surged from within the beast. His massive paw lunged forward—claw outstretched in an attempt to kill. A large growl escaped his lips as his fangs were visible to all.
"DON'T MAKE FUN OF A TAILED BEAST, YOU DAMN BRAT!"
His paw slammed downward, a massive shockwave being created from the sheer pressure. The force shook the entirety of the mindscape—this was the power that could reduce the world to ash.
"REN!" Naruto shouted. The fear of losing a friend gripped him tightly.
"You guys should stop shouting, or else my ears are going to start hurting."
The voice of Ren resounded in the mindscape, clear as day. His finger pricked at the inside of his ear without a care in the world.
His other arm lay rather occupied, gripping the paw of the tailed beast with only a single hand—shocking both the container and the contained.
"Is this really how Hagoromo told you to treat humans, fox?" His tone remained as cheeky as ever, casually name-dropping the Sage of the Six Paths like it was nothing.
"How… how do you know that name?" The beast's voice, originally loud and furious, had turned timid and shaky—the name of his father had turned the strongest tailed beast into a headless chicken.
"I know a lot of things." Ren smirked.
"But what I don't know is what happens when all the tailed beasts are gathered." A finger rested against Ren's chin. "Care to tell me?"
A conceding sigh escaped the mouth of the Nine-Tails. A human who could not only stop his paw with ease but also knew the Sage of the Six Paths' name was not a normal human.
Against his better judgment, he chose to trust the brat.
"Have you ever heard of… the Ten-Tails?"
The tailed beasts, nine in number, were originally a single being known as the Ten-Tails. A single whip of its tail could level mountains, and a single step could destroy villages.
Its size dwarfed the nine tailed beasts by a ridiculous margin.
The Ten-Tails once roamed the land as a free being. But the Sage of the Six Paths saw its power as too enormous, so he split it into nine different parts.
The One-Tail, which he dubbed Shukaku.
The Two-Tails, which he dubbed Matatabi.
The Three-Tails, which he dubbed Isobu.
The Four-Tails, which he dubbed Son Goku.
The Five-Tails, which he dubbed Kokuo.
The Six-Tails, which he dubbed Saiken.
The Seven-Tails, which he dubbed Chomei.
The Eight-Tails, which he dubbed Hachibi.
And finally,
The Nine-Tails, which he dubbed Kurama.
"And that is the story of how the tailed beasts came to be," Kurama explained, waiting for the boy's reaction—all the while Naruto sat quietly, trying to understand what he had just heard.
"Interesting," Ren finally replied. "Before I leave, I'll give you some info of my own."
Kurama scoffed.
"What information could you possibly give me?"
Ren ushered Naruto out of earshot, then began to speak. His expression, originally solemn, formed into a smile.
"That boy, Naruto—he isn't like the rest of us. He isn't tainted by the evil or hatred of this world—a clean slate, would you say. You may think that I am the one most suited to bear your trust, but you would be wrong—he is, and always has been. He may look goofy and unserious right now, but I believe Naruto can save the world. So put some faith in him and help him when you can—he may save you one day."
With those few words, Ren's body began to destabilize—the mindscape rejecting him as a foreign entity—leaving Kurama to contemplate his thoughts.
Once in the real world, Ren exchanged pleasantries with Naruto before leaving—quickly arriving home.
But not a minute later, a discussion started in his mind.
"You know… you could've just asked the Nine-Tails immediately—having dinner with him wasn't necessary."
"I know." His tone remained flat—almost too flat.
"Then why did you?" She pressed further.
"Maybe it's because of the way people treat him. The glares, the insults, the loneliness—maybe I felt bad for him."
He scoffed.
"Or maybe it's just the old me coming back to the surface."
"And is that so wrong?" Astra's voice was soft.
"Maybe not. But I won't allow it," he said firmly.
"I looked through your memories. You always treated them as brothers… Naruto, Sasuke."
Ren nodded.
"Back then, they were my brothers. But the world is too cruel for people like them—I have seen what it can do to people. So I shall carry the burden of change myself—so the sword shall slay anew and change this broken system."
CHAPTER END