(Author's note: Minor correction — Yang Release is LV6. Wood Release here is a temporary narrative tool, not the MC's final path.)
"Lunatic."
Ren muttered under his breath as he headed toward the Uchiha district—their rendezvous point for today.
But what really stuck in his mind was the scene from earlier, when he'd met Aburame Ryūma.
The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to curse.
Danzō was truly shameless.
Allocating funds to the orphanage was something he should have done in the first place. Yet now he was presenting it to Ren as if it were some grand favor, like he was a benevolent saint.
It was nauseating.
"Does this guy not even know how to sell a carrot?"
People always said Danzō was good at manipulating hearts.
After following him for so many years, Ren had to admit—that was true.
Just… in a very literal sense.
Physical persuasion.
Compared to that, Orochimaru was on a completely different level. Even after becoming a rogue ninja, he still had plenty of followers inside Konoha.
The gap between them was honestly embarrassing.
"But those missions…"
That old bastard had slapped two new tasks onto him.
[New Mission Acquired]
[Obtain Obito's Sharingan]
[New Mission Acquired]
[Establish contact with Sunagakure]
Ren didn't even bother reacting to the first one.
Taking a Mangekyō Sharingan from Obito—who had Kamui and Izanagi?
That wasn't ambition. That was delusion.
"Danzō's obsession with the Sharingan is completely out of control. This lunatic really thinks anything is possible."
The second mission, however, was interesting.
The Obito investigation was clearly a long-term assignment, still in the intelligence-gathering phase. Even if something concrete turned up, the higher-ups would still need time to debate their response.
Which meant Ren would have a window.
Time enough to head to Sunagakure and handle the handoff.
And as soon as that thought surfaced, something else followed right behind it.
"…Sunagakure has something interesting, doesn't it?"
Something unclaimed.
Something capable of providing vast quantities of chakra.
The Dragon Vein.
An asset with enormous value.
To be honest, if Minato were still alive, Ren wouldn't dare touch it.
Minato had left a Flying Thunder God mark there precisely to prevent another "An Lushan"-type catastrophe—so he could intervene instantly if something went wrong.
"But now that he's dead…"
Ren clicked his tongue.
"It's basically mine for the taking—if only it weren't so far."
The greater the distance, the greater the chakra cost for Flying Thunder God. And that was without considering the fact that the mark wasn't his, nor did he know the current state of the Dragon Vein's seal.
So, in a rare display of restraint, Ren chose not to act rashly.
"Ren, you're here."
When he reached the gathering point outside the Uchiha district, Yugao was the first to approach him, concern clear on her face.
"I heard about what happened last night. I really didn't expect something like that… are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Ren smiled immediately.
As expected—gentle, beautiful girls really did wonders for one's mood.
Still, he was mindful of the setting. Especially since he'd already spotted Kakashi, Shisui, and Tenzō nearby.
So instead of saying much, he casually took Yugao's hand while she wasn't paying attention and led her over to the others.
"Kakashi-senpai, morning."
Ren greeted him with an easy smile. Yugao was still a little dazed, clearly not fully processing what had just happened.
"Shisui-senpai—Itachi's okay, right?"
"Thank you, Ren. We really owe you."
Shisui nodded sincerely.
Kakashi also looked much better than he had the night before. He gave Ren a brief nod but said nothing.
Seeing that, Shisui quickly stepped in.
"Alright, let's get moving. The clan head is already waiting."
With that, he led the group toward the Uchiha compound.
The Uchiha district sat at the edge of Konoha.
In Ren's memory, this unfortunate clan had been forcibly relocated twice.
The first time was during Senju Tobirama's era.
Under the pretext that the Uchiha were a great clan of the shinobi world, Tobirama allocated them the largest residential zone—and paired it with the powerful Military Police Force.
That "honor" bound them to policing duties.
And that was how they were first pushed to the village's outskirts.
The second time?
That was Danzō's masterpiece.
Using the devastation of the Nine-Tails incident as justification, he launched a new round of clan district reorganization.
With the Third Hokage's tacit approval, the Uchiha were pushed even farther out.
Farther from the village's bustling center.
Closer to the prison.
They were effectively boxed in.
That alone was enough to fuel resentment.
And the Uchiha were proud by nature—many of them couldn't even be bothered to explain themselves.
When faced with village gossip, they preferred physical solutions.
Which, of course, only made the civilians hate them more.
Once that vicious cycle began, reconciliation became impossible.
By now, outsiders weren't even welcome inside the Uchiha district.
"The environment here actually looks pretty nice."
Ren glanced around casually, then turned to Shisui and Kakashi with a grin.
"Though your clansmen don't seem very welcoming. Kakashi-senpai… could that be because of you?"
"…"
Kakashi reached up and touched the eye hidden beneath his headband.
That eye had caused more than a few incidents back in the day.
"Or maybe it's because of you, Ren."
Tenzō blinked, then chuckled softly.
"After all, you beat their clan head's son so badly he couldn't even mount a real counterattack. I've heard his promotion to chūnin stirred up quite a bit of controversy."
Itachi's promotion had been contentious.
After all, Ren had ended the match instantly with Flying Thunder God—no meaningful exchange at all.
Even though most people would've fared the same, doubts were inevitable.
Itachi rushing out on a mission that very night wasn't just enthusiasm for his first assignment.
He probably wanted to prove himself.
"Enough. We're here."
Shisui shook his head, cutting them off.
After all, it wasn't like the Uchiha would welcome anyone right now.
They soon arrived at a large estate—Uchiha Fugaku's residence.
Led by servants, they were brought to a pavilion in the courtyard.
Fugaku was already seated inside, waiting.
"Clan Head Fugaku."
"Please, have a seat."
Fugaku looked visibly worn as he invited them in.
Last night, after bringing Itachi home, certain information had inevitably spread.
And there was nothing Fugaku could do about it.
For any Uchiha, Mangekyō was simply too important.
Its reappearance had severely agitated the radical faction within the clan.
They'd held an emergency meeting overnight.
Some had even proposed taking the initiative—hunting down that mysterious Uchiha themselves.
The suggestion nearly made Fugaku lose control.
That bastard was the one who killed the Fourth Hokage.
The one who ruined everything he'd invested in.
And now Konoha was already watching that mysterious Uchiha closely.
Making a move now would be tantamount to confirming the Uchiha's connection to the Nine-Tails incident.
The Nine-Tails disaster was the most lethal topic possible between the Uchiha and Konoha.
Once that link was cemented, there would be no future left.
Only two paths:
Open rebellion.
Or quiet execution.
Fugaku's resolve had begun to waver. He was no longer completely opposed to extreme measures.
But he wasn't stupid.
Becoming public enemy number one of the entire village was not the same thing as covert opposition.
That night's meeting had dragged on endlessly.
Konoha had demanded certain key information from the Uchiha.
Fugaku—and the elders—were furious.
But in the end, he'd sighed and compromised.
The situation left him no choice.
That said—there were still things he would never say.
Even so…
The blow to his heart had been heavy.
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