The Konoha camp was brightly lit.
When Senju Tobirama entered the camp with Renya and the others, the stationed shinobi all stood respectfully at attention, their eyes full of reverence.
The Nara commander quickly stepped forward to greet them and said respectfully,
"Tobirama-sama, you've arrived."
Senju Tobirama gave a slight nod, his gaze sweeping across the camp.
"How's the situation?"
He hadn't had time to get a full picture of the situation at the camp before he received news that Renya and the others were engaging a Kage-level enemy.
Worried they might be in danger, he immediately used Flying Thunder God to rush to the battlefield.
Only after returning did he finally have time to assess the situation in the camp...
The Nara commander stepped to the side and gestured for him to follow.
"Please come with me to the command tent, I'll give you a full report."
"Also... regarding the recent performance of Renya's jonin squad and Sarutobi's jonin squad, I believe it's necessary to brief you in detail."
Senju Tobirama nodded, not in a hurry to leave. He looked back at Renya and the others.
"You all go get treatment first. Come find me later."
"Got it." Renya nodded in response.
Only then did Senju Tobirama turn and leave with the Nara commander.
"Tch, Tobirama-sensei really does care about Renya-kun," Uchiha Kagami remarked with a hint of emotion.
Even though Sensei had just told them to go get treatment, his gaze had been fixed on Renya the entire time.
He hadn't even spared a glance at the equally gravely injured Mitokado Homura.
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded in agreement and lowered his voice.
"Sensei really dotes on Renya. While we were on the way here, I even heard him say he thinking about him."
"For real?" Koharu's eyes lit up. As a girl, she loved hearing juicy gossip.
She never imagined someone as stoic as Tobirama-sensei could say something so cheesy...
"It's true, I heard it too," Mitokado Homura recalled seriously.
While they were traveling, he had accidentally overheard a conversation between Tobirama-sensei and Renya.
He distinctly remembered hearing something like "I was thinking about you."
Shimura Danzō didn't join in the discussion and only let out a cold snort.
Ever since the genjutsu incident, he had completely toned it down.
He no longer dared gossip about his comrades behind their backs.
Especially with Renya around, there was likely no chance for him to become the Third Hokage. His best bet now was to aim for the Fourth.
Fourth is fine, better than nothing...
After all, he was still young and had a long future ahead.
If not the Third, there was always the Fourth, Fifth, or even Sixth.
As long as he didn't die, he would eventually become Hokage!
And the first step to becoming Hokage… was to not gossip about your comrades.
Danzō glanced with disdain at the others, who were chatting excitedly. In his mind, he scoffed—these guys were clearly unfit to ever become Hokage.
...
"What are you all whispering about?" Renya looked at them, puzzled by their quiet murmuring.
His gut told him they were talking about him...
"Haha, it's nothing." Sarutobi Hiruzen awkwardly scratched his head and quickly changed the subject. "We should hurry and head to the medical unit for treatment."
"Yeah, Renya-kun, your injuries are really serious," Uchiha Kagami chimed in.
No way could they let Renya find out about this. None of them wanted to experience what Danzō had gone through with that genjutsu.
Didn't he stop joining any group conversations after that?
They didn't know exactly what had happened inside that genjutsu, but they were sure they didn't want to find out firsthand.
"My chest is burning..." Mitokado Homura clutched his chest with a pale face.
He wasn't joking—the wound on his chest that had just healed had split open again.
Looks like Tobirama-sensei's medical ninjutsu wasn't that great after all!
Renya was just about to ask more, but was cut off by their remarks.
Feeling the pain in his body, he eventually relented.
"Alright then, let's go to the medical unit."
Seeing Renya drop the issue, everyone visibly relaxed.
Uchiha Kagami wiped away nonexistent sweat from his brow and muttered with lingering fear,
"That was close—we almost got caught."
"Next time, we really shouldn't talk about Renya in front of him. It's way too scary!" Sarutobi Hiruzen whispered.
"Mhm!" Everyone nodded in agreement.
Shimura Danzō snorted at this, full of contempt. Cowards who couldn't even own up to what they said—what a bunch of losers!
If Renya found out what they'd been talking about, he'd probably explode on the spot.
Damn, this was even more outrageous than the rumors Danzō had once spread!
...
Inside the command tent.
The flickering glow of the oil lamp danced across the walls. The Nara commander handed a scroll to Senju Tobirama.
"Tobirama-sama, this is the battle report from the past seven days."
Senju Tobirama accepted the scroll and scanned it quickly. His red pupils reflected rows and rows of dense text.
The Nara commander stood at his side and added in a serious tone:
"A six-man squad led by Jonin Renya completed several S-rank missions—all successfully."
"These included eliminating the Raikage's personal guard, killing Ginkaku, stopping Kinkaku and killing him, and taking out Kumogakure's newly appointed field commander..."
The tent fell silent. Senju Tobirama raised an eyebrow.
The intensity and difficulty of these missions...
Even several veteran elite jonin would struggle to handle them, let alone complete them all successfully.
These kids had truly exceeded his expectations.
The Nara commander continued, "What's more important is Jonin Renya's tactical capabilities."
He pointed to several markers on the map.
"He coordinated perfectly with his teammates, dividing roles clearly and managing to defeat and kill four Kage-level enemies..."
The Nara commander paused, a flicker of amazement in his eyes.
"He even developed a powder specifically designed to counter Lightning Release Chakra Armor ahead of time, successfully catching the enemy off guard. That kind of tactical foresight and poison-crafting talent... is nothing short of astonishing."
Especially his poison-crafting talent!
Now he understood why the clan head's intel report had praised Renya so highly from start to finish.
Senju Tobirama slowly put down the scroll, shock evident on his face.
Though he had already suspected Renya would do well, this level of performance still surprised him.
Sending this kid to the battlefield had definitely been the right choice!
Outwardly calm, Tobirama's lips twitched in a faint but telling smile—one that betrayed the pride swelling inside him.
This brat really was raised right under his wing!
The Nara commander then went on to evaluate the performance of Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others.
"Jonin Hiruzen showed excellent coordination and command skills, repeatedly stalling enemies to buy time for his team."
"As for Jonin Danzō..."
He concluded, "I believe they… may very well become Konoha's sharpest 'sword' in the future."
Senju Tobirama nodded in satisfaction and said in a low voice, "Your report was very good."
"Thank you for your praise, Tobirama-sama!" the Nara commander replied. "It's mealtime now. Please, allow me to lead you to dinner."
As he spoke, he turned and began walking ahead to guide the way.
Hearing that, Senju Tobirama instinctively swallowed.
Speaking of food… it had been a long time since he'd tasted Renya's cooking.
He wondered if… here in the camp…
Would that brat be able to cook?
The thought came out of nowhere, and before he could stop himself, Tobirama blurted out:
"Can we cook in the camp?"
The Nara commander: "???"