Outside Hiruzen Sarutobi's home, Ren was waving goodbye.
"Then I'll be going, Grandma Biwkao."
"Take care on your way, little Ren."
Grandma Biwkao stood at the door, smiling as she watched Ren.
"Come play again next time."
"Certainly."
As Ren replied, his gaze turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was looking their way from the living room, and he said playfully,
"Old man, I'm off then. Take care of yourself."
"Hmph."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Ren's bulging Ninja tool bag, his face instantly darkened, and after disdainfully waving his sleeve, he turned and sat down in the living room, turning his back to Ren and ignoring him.
"Hehehe."
Ren, seeing this, wasn't annoyed. He waved to Grandma Biwkao one last time before turning and leaving.
After watching Ren walk away, Grandma Biwkao turned and went back inside. As she closed the door, she looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi on the sofa and said with a hint of complaint,
"Hiruzen. You, why can't you just speak properly? Ren is such a good child, why did you shout?"
During their earlier conversation in the living room, she hadn't heard anything except that loud shout, so she was a bit displeased that Hiruzen Sarutobi had raised his voice so much at a child.
"Who shouted at him...?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pipe, just about to loudly retort, but when he looked up and met Grandma Biwkao's sharp gaze, his voice, which had just risen, instantly dropped again.
"No matter what, as an elder, you shouldn't act like that."
Grandma Biwkao walked behind the sofa and gently kneaded Hiruzen Sarutobi's shoulders as she spoke softly,
"Every time I see him, I think of Miyata and Hiyori. The family of three is so alike, all so polite..."
Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi was silent for a moment, then looked up at the clock on the wall, a look of reminiscence in his eyes.
"Miyata and Hiyori, huh..."
He still remembered their first meeting, which was during the Chunin Exams.
At that time, he was only in his thirties, and it was a time of peace, so he even served as an award presenter in his spare time.
Originally, there were only four promotion slots, but interestingly, the two were teammates in the same squad yet were drawn to fight each other. In their match, both gave their all and fought until exhaustion.
Just as the referee was unsure how to decide, he stepped forward and allowed both of them to be promoted.
At that time, five people were promoted to Chunin, and the most conspicuous among them was Starview Miya Ten, who was holding hands with a girl among four boys and one girl.
When he presented them with their Chunin headbands, their simultaneous bows and thanks made him pause for a moment.
After that, he began to pay attention to these young people. With his sharp swordsmanship, Sakumo Hatake directly distanced himself from his peers and shone brightly in the Second Ninja World War. Following closely behind him were the perfect pair, Starview Miya Ten and Hiyori.
Both were commoners, yet they relied on their talent and hard work to suppress the contemporary geniuses of various great clans, closely following behind Sakumo Hatake.
Years later, one became the Anbu Commander, holding a high position and great power. Although the other two also held high positions, their good fortune was short-lived, as they both died in an accident.
Only one orphan remained, and that was the current Ren.
Hiruzen Sarutobi once thought that if Ren didn't have Ninja talent, he would let him live a stable life, grow up, marry, have children, and live peacefully in Konoha Village for the rest of his life.
But Ren did not turn out as he had imagined. On the contrary, Ren, who had been unremarkable in the Ninja Academy, seemed to become a different person after his father, Starview Miya Ten, died.
In a very short period, his performance in both theory and practical combat advanced by leaps and bounds. He then applied for early graduation along with Uchiha Ryufeng, the child of the Uchiha Elder and Yusuke Uchiha. He then defeated his opponent with overwhelming force, officially becoming a Ninja, and then, by a stroke of luck, was taken as a disciple by his own student, Tsunade.
What followed was two years of tempering. Under Tsunade's guidance, Ren did not rush for success but instead progressed steadily.
Under the tutelage of Tsunade, Kosuke, and others, Ren did not neglect either Ninjutsu or Medical Ninjutsu, making progress every day.
Two years passed like this, and then the Third Shinobi World War broke out. Ren, who had been promoted to Chunin, went to the battlefield under the leadership of his eldest son, Shinnosuke.
The first major battle he faced surprised him, even being far away in Konoha.
Two Chunin managed to hold off the Hidden Sand Village's top master, Pakura of Explosion Release, which surprised him while also making him extremely worried.
But the Hokage had to guard the Village, so he could only write to Shinnosuke, asking him to take good care of Ren and the others.
What he hadn't expected was that from the beginning of this battle, Ren seemed to have divine assistance. The successive major battles not only didn't scare him but made him fight with increasing vigor, and his strength also began to advance by leaps and bounds.
After that, he applied to leave his squad and moved between various battlefields, participating in battles large and small, which caused his reputation to quickly spread outwards, centered on the Land of Fire.
In just half a year, Ninja from various countries remembered this young Konoha Ninja, especially the Ninja from the other four great Ninja Villages, particularly Hidden Mist Village, who practically wished to eat his flesh and sleep on his skin.
It wasn't just about the Scroll of Summoning Ninja Blades and the Three-Tails; even the death of the Third Mizukage was greatly related to Ren.
It was because of the huge commotions he repeatedly caused behind Hidden Mist Village's lines that the Third Mizukage's emotions were stirred up again and again, simultaneously aggravating his internal injuries. He was directly withdrawn from the front line, brought back to the Village, and died within two days.
Therefore, this hatred was transferred by the Hidden Mist Village Ninja to Ren. It could be said that now, whoever could kill Ren would immediately surpass the current Fourth Mizukage Yagura in prestige, rivaling the Elder-Master.
As for the Iwagakure Ninja, most of them knew Ren through the rampage of the Four-Tails and the encirclement and killing of the Third Raikage.
Whether it was killing the Explosion Release Ninja Karyu, subduing the Four-Tails, or standing against their ten thousand men with the Third Raikage, every event left a deep impression on them.
As for the Kumogakure Ninja, they also learned about Ren through the incident of their Raikage being besieged.
After all, their own Raikage failed to break through and died in battle after three days and three nights, while that young boy broke through the encirclement and escaped alive.
As for the Sunagakure Ninja, their familiarity with Ren was no less than that of other Ninja. After all, Elder Chiyo's poison was deciphered by Ren and his master, and he had also fought against their two previous Kazekage without being at a disadvantage.
Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but sigh. Ren, the heights this child has reached completely exceeded his expectations. The power he now possesses is not much inferior to his own.
Konoha Village.
There are successors...