Although Senju Tobirama said nothing, it was as if he had already said everything.
Renya couldn't help but feel a little wistful. Every day, he lay around idly in the village, and when mealtime came, he would prepare food. Was this really the life he wanted?
Well… living idly wasn't bad either…
Back when he had no power, all he wanted was to survive. Now that he had great strength, there were far more things to think about.
Lying low in the village was indeed a good option, but he couldn't possibly stay idle there his entire life, could he?
He was only nineteen now. Living like a retiree already was far too early.
Retirement was something to consider at forty or fifty. While still young, he should be doing the things he wanted to do.
The world was so big—he wanted to see it!
Back then, when Renya was weak, leaving the village was dangerous. Did people think he liked staying cooped up at home? In truth, he had no choice.
Without great strength, wandering recklessly through the ninja world was courting death. He didn't have someone like Senju Hashirama as a protector anymore, so he could only stay within the village and develop quietly.
Over time, being confined at home became a habit.
That was why, even though the war had ended five years ago, Renya spent nearly all his time in the village, except for monthly missions.
In the past, he had to sneak out occasionally to cook for Hashirama and Madara. Now that they had left the Land of Fire, he no longer needed to do that.
Other than Danzō and a few others, Renya basically had no friends.
Hyūga Muki and Nara Motoha were often away on missions, and he barely saw them a few times a year.
And since he rarely went out, most of his days were spent basking in the sun at home, cooking meals for Tobirama when mealtime came, then returning home to train…
He had lived this same three-point routine for five full years!
At first, he thought it was fine—he had grown used to it.
Sometimes he had the urge to leave the village and travel, but he always gave up on the thought quickly.
But Uchiha Tanaka's words clearly struck a chord in him.
They made him realize he was still young. He couldn't spend every day stuck in the village cooking for Tobirama. He could absolutely go out and see the world.
In all these years since arriving in the ninja world, he hadn't truly gone out to see it properly.
When he traveled with Hashirama in the past, because Hashirama didn't have many years left to live, they rushed everywhere.
That so-called ninja world trip was nothing more than a checklist—they never stayed long enough to really experience the lives of the locals.
But this time, Renya wanted to leave the village and spend a year or two outside. It would be like giving himself, the cook, a long holiday.
He could take the opportunity to truly observe the lives of the ninja world's people.
Right now, few in the entire ninja world could pose a threat to him. He could walk freely wherever he pleased.
Even if he encountered someone he couldn't defeat, he could always escape with Flying Thunder God.
His only concern was whether Uchiha Madara would take advantage of his absence and target the people around him.
Imagine it—if he returned to the village to find Tobirama, Danzō, Koharu, Hiruzen, and the others all killed…
In that case, Renya would very likely awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
But he didn't want to awaken it for such a reason…
This fear made Renya hesitant to leave the village, worried that Madara might do something outrageous.
There was a solution, though—he could invite Hashirama and Madara to travel with him. But that would strip away all freedom from the journey…
Madara was just a troublesome guy!
He could only hope Madara wouldn't strike at his companions while he was away.
...
Tobirama was eating when he noticed Renya lost in thought. He couldn't help but ask:
"Kid, what are you thinking about?"
He found the boy strange. First, he had asked an obvious question, and then he just zoned out.
"I want to travel," Renya said.
After weighing things, he had finally made up his mind.
After all, he couldn't protect a few people for a lifetime. If Madara wanted to go after them, sooner or later, they would have to face it…
And besides, if he left, Madara might even temporarily give up on targeting them.
If worst came to worst—
He could join the "Eye of the Moon" plan. Anyway, until Madara awakened the Rinnegan, the plan couldn't be carried out.
By then, he wouldn't need to worry about Madara targeting them anymore.
"Travel?" Tobirama frowned. If the kid left, then who would bring him meals?
Traveling meant at least ten days or half a month, maybe even longer. He didn't want to go without delicious food for that long.
"No." He refused without a thought. "The ninja world isn't peaceful lately. Leave the village too long, and you'll run into danger."
"Oh, come on, old man." Renya curled his lip in disdain.
"There's almost no one in the ninja world who can threaten me."
The only one who could was Uchiha Madara. But their relationship was decent for now.
Madara wouldn't target him, the cook, anytime soon. And soon, he'd pretend to join the "Eye of the Moon" plan.
Only then could he ensure Madara wouldn't strike at his companions.
Renya didn't want to get too entangled with Madara, but because of Hashirama, he was already too deep.
If he didn't join, who knew when Madara might act?
So he had to take the chance while traveling to explain things to Madara.
It was all for his companions' safety. Hopefully, Tobirama, the stubborn old man, would understand his reasons.
As for being the cook—he could pick that up again after returning from his trip.
The office fell silent.
Tobirama's crimson eyes swept across the young man's earnest face. Though unwilling, he finally had no choice but to nod.
"Fine."
The kid had grown up and had his own thoughts.
He couldn't demand Renya stay in the village forever, could he?
"How long do you plan to be gone?"
Renya hadn't expected the old man to agree so readily. He slowly raised three fingers and said tentatively, "Three years."
Tobirama: "???"
He stared at Renya in disbelief, his voice rising sharply.
"How many years did you just say?!"
At first, he thought Renya meant three months. But no—it was three years.
What a joke!
There was no way he could agree to such an outrageous demand.
Going three years without Renya's cooking was worse than death.
"I want to go for three years."
"No way!" Tobirama rejected coldly.
Renya sighed helplessly. He knew the old man wouldn't let him go for that long. He could only keep bargaining.
"Two years, then. Two years, okay?"
"No. Two years is still too long."
"One year?"
"Still no."
"If not that, not this, then how long do you expect me to be gone?"
"Three months."
Renya: "…"
So that was it—Tobirama was dead set on not letting him leave for too long.
Hmph. Truly, Senju Tobirama, born evil!
Another suffocating silence fell.
"Three months isn't enough for traveling. I need at least a year."
"Half a year."
"Deal!"
After a long bout of haggling, Renya finally secured himself a six-month vacation.
Tobirama watched Renya's departing back and sighed helplessly.
Even half a year… was still too long.