Renya planned to leave the village three days later, but before that, he needed to say goodbye to the people he was close with.
Otherwise, if he suddenly disappeared, others might think he had died.
Especially that guy Danzo, who always liked to assume the worst about people. He didn't want to go out for a while, only to return and be branded a traitor colluding with the enemy.
That was exactly the kind of thing Danzo might actually do...
He intended to tell Danzo about this first, and then let Danzo pass the message to Hiruzen and the others.
...
"You're going on a trip?"
In the Shimura compound, after listening to Renya's explanation, Danzo's brows immediately furrowed.
He couldn't understand what had gotten into Renya this time, suddenly deciding to go on a trip?
Had something upset him?
His reaction was exactly the same as Senju Tobirama's—it really showed that the two were master and disciple.
"How long do you plan to be away?" Danzo asked.
If it was just a short while, that was still fine. But if it was for a long time—
The squad that had been so hard to assemble would have to disband again.
If it weren't for Renya inviting him, he wouldn't even do missions with others.
Once Renya stopped doing missions for a long time, then he and Koharu had no reason to work together anymore.
"I managed to get half a year from my uncle," Renya explained with a smile. "I originally wanted a full year, but he absolutely refused."
Danzo's lips twitched. There was no way their teacher would ever allow him a year.
Honestly, Danzo hadn't even expected Renya to get permission for half a year.
If it were him, a month outside the village would already be the limit.
...
As everyone knew, unless there was a special reason, ninja from a shinobi village weren't allowed to leave for long periods of time. The stronger the ninja, the stricter the restrictions.
This was a tacit understanding among all the villages...
Otherwise, if several elite jōnin wandered around the shinobi world unsupervised, who wouldn't be worried sick, unable to sleep?
Who knew what they might end up doing?
And if a ninja stayed away from their village too long, they would be harder to restrain, more likely to act out of line.
At the core, ninjas were powerful killing tools in the eyes of ordinary people. Naturally, the daimyō of various nations disliked seeing such situations.
So all the villages treated ninjas who left without reason as defectors, to prevent them from doing things that could damage the village's reputation.
Normally, outside of missions, most ninja stayed in their villages. Very few spent long periods away.
...
"You mean you won't come back at all for half a year?" Danzo couldn't help asking.
Surely this guy didn't intend to stay gone the whole time?
"Something like that," Renya nodded. "Even half a year won't really be enough for me."
This time he wasn't just traveling—he also had to find Uchiha Madara and explain things to him.
Just dealing with Madara would take time, and if things went as expected, he'd be staying near the man for a while.
And this wasn't just sightseeing—it was about experiencing the lives of different nations. Half a year really wasn't enough.
Of course, Renya couldn't tell Danzo that he was forced to join Madara's camp for their safety...
"Half a year is more than enough to travel the shinobi world." Danzo snorted coldly.
He couldn't understand what Renya would do outside for so long. There weren't any places in the shinobi world worth visiting or lingering in, better to just stay put in the village.
"I'll leave in two days. See you again in half a year." Renya patted Danzo's shoulder and advised, "Be careful on missions. Don't try to be reckless if it gets dangerous. If you die, then it's all over."
...
"Hmph, I don't need you to remind me." Danzo brushed his hand away. "You're the one leaving the village—make sure you're careful. Don't get killed out there where we can't even find your body."
He didn't want Renya to be in danger. Otherwise, he'd be forced to inherit the position of Hokage with tears in his eyes.
Wait... thinking about it like that, if Renya did die out there, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
But he quickly dismissed that thought. He didn't believe anyone in the shinobi world could actually kill Renya.
That guy's life was harder than anyone's.
"Haha, got it," Renya answered with a smile.
"Make sure you spend more time with uncle, talk to him about the village's future development. Let him see your value. That way, it'll be easier for you to become Hokage in the future."
Before leaving, Renya offered Danzo some advice.
They'd been teammates for nearly ten years, and his relationship with Danzo was naturally closer than with Hiruzen.
As the saying went, better to keep the benefits within the family. As long as Danzo didn't mess things up, Renya actually preferred him to become Hokage rather than Hiruzen.
He didn't want his teammate Shimura Danzo, out of obsession with the Hokage title, to become Konoha's scheming pot king...
Hearing this, Danzo's eyes lit up, and his breathing quickened. Clearly, the words had struck deep.
"I understand. Thank you."
Though he didn't know why Renya was telling him this, he was still sincerely grateful.
If he really did become Hokage one day, he would never forget this kindness.
In his eyes, Renya's figure suddenly grew tall and majestic, radiating a sacred glow.
Perhaps, this was God!
"That's that then, Danzo. See you in half a year." Renya finished and left the Shimura compound.
Danzo stared at his retreating back, unconsciously clenching his fist, muttering to himself.
"Renya, I will become Hokage!"
...
Unaware that from this very moment, his life's trajectory had begun to change.
...
At the gates of the ninja academy.
"Renya-san, what are you doing here?!"
Tsunade came running out after school and immediately spotted Renya waiting at the entrance, rushing over in excitement.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru exchanged glances, then followed behind her.
Tsunade had been dragging the two of them to mooch dinner at Renya's place every day, until Mito put a stop to it.
Aside from when she scored full marks on exams, she wasn't allowed to disturb Renya.
With only one exam a month, that meant just one chance to eat good food—a grievance that left the little girl no choice but to vent her frustrations by beating up Jiraiya.
After learning the truth, Renya had been both amused and helpless.
Poor Jiraiya—beaten since childhood...
"Tsunade, bring aunt Mito along tonight and come eat at my place."
"Really, Renya-san?!" Tsunade's eyes lit up—finally, after so long, she could have a proper meal again!
"Of course it's real." Renya ruffled her hair, then turned to Orochimaru and Jiraiya with a smile. "You two come as well."
"That's great, thank you, Renya-sama!" Jiraiya cheered, jumping up.
He had thought he'd never be invited to such family dinners. The fact that Renya-sama had actually included him was completely unexpected.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, looked suspicious. From Renya-sama's attitude, it seemed he had something important to announce.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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