"Ren, Ren?"
Ren, who was lightly sleeping while hugging his quilt, immediately opened his eyes, sat up, and after seeing who had come, he closed his eyes again and lay down, saying in a dazed voice,
"It's Kurenai, you startled me."
"Where have you been these past two days? I haven't seen you in the Konoha Camp."
Kurenai sat by the side of the bed, looking at the sleepy Ren, and asked with some confusion.
"Nothing, I was recalled to the Village for a trip, and after returning, I was sent out on a mission. Last night, Lord Jiraiya dragged me to review documents for half the night."
Ren's voice revealed a deep weariness; he forced his eyes open, staring at the ceiling, and gave a bitter smile.
It was truly tragic; he had worked so hard to complete the mission, and not only was there no bonus or holiday, but he was also forced to work overtime by a certain person due to personal grudges.
It wasn't until two in the morning that the three of them finally cleared all the accumulated work from the previous days. Only then, when Jiraiya's anger had subsided, did Ren go back to rest. As soon as Ren lay down, sleepiness overwhelmed him, and he was snoring in no time. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Kurenai.
"Oh, I see. I'm sorry, why don't you rest a bit more?"
Kurenai said somewhat apologetically. It was seven in the morning, and they had a mission at eight, so she had come an hour early to check on Ren. She hadn't expected to disturb Ren's rest instead, which made her feel a bit bad.
"It's alright, it's no big deal. Waking up early to breathe fresh air is quite nice."
Ren sat up, yawning as he took the water bottle Kurenai handed him and drank a few sips. The cold water slid down his throat, and Ren felt himself fully wake up.
"By the way, Ren, everyone in the Konoha Camp has been saying these past two days that we seem to be changing battlefields. Do you know about it?"
"I know."
Ren's expression was calm. Clearly, such a thing could not be hidden, nor did it need to be. After all, the lower-level Ninja only needed to follow the orders of the higher-ups. This time, the Land of Rain was once again the focus of the entire Ninja World, though of course, this was not good news for them.
"Kurenai, promise me, in the upcoming battles, you must be careful, extremely careful, understand?"
"Eh?"
Looking at Ren, who had suddenly become serious, Kurenai was a little flustered, but she quickly composed herself and said to Ren with a serious expression,
"I will be careful, and so should you. Try not to get hurt and make everyone worry."
"Definitely."
Ren's expression finally softened, and the two walked out, chatting and laughing. But what Kurenai didn't notice was that Ren's gaze towards her still held worry. Clearly, Ren was not as relaxed as he seemed, because the upcoming battle was not comparable to a typical localised war.
This was a true bloodbath of tens of thousands; aside from Kage-level powerhouses, even a Jonin could accidentally lose his life in the Pure Land in this war. His current strength could barely ensure his own survival, let alone look after others. Now, he could only leave it to fate.
Time to act. It seems I can't delay any longer. My strength should advance further...
Two days passed quickly. The three great Ninja Villages acted almost simultaneously, dispatching their troops to the Land of Rain at the fastest possible speed. Upon arrival, they did not immediately start fighting but instead occupied advantageous terrain and set up camp, subtly forming a tripartite standoff.
And Chiyo and Sakumo Hatake from the Sand Battlefield also made a decision: relocate the Konoha Camp!
Because the Sand Battlefield was not very close to the Land of Rain, if the main Konoha Camp was not relocated, the battle line would be stretched, and the Commander would not be able to react quickly to sudden incidents and implement targeted strategies.
So, on the second day after receiving intelligence from the Land of Rain, both major Konoha Camps were already deserted, with everyone on their way to the Land of Rain with the main army.
What would normally be only a half-day journey, due to the large number of people and most carrying various supplies, their speed could not be increased. Finally, after a day of travel, nearly ten thousand troops met up with Yuhi Shinku and others sent by Jiraiya to rendezvous.
And while waiting for them, everyone was not idle, but under Jiraiya's command, they began to expand the Konoha Camp. Everyone was a Ninja, so the efficiency was quite fast; in less than half a day, hundreds of tents rose from the ground. The defensive work also had no flaws under the arrangement of Nara Choumei.
When Sakumo Hatake and others arrived, the thousands of Ninja, weary from their journey, quickly got ample rest. The Sunagakure Ninja, however, were much more miserable compared to Konoha; after they arrived at their destination, they didn't even have time to catch their breath before they were put back into the task of building their Konoha Camp, finally finishing late into the night.
As for Konoha, after the combined Konoha Camp was set up, dusk fell. The finally idle crowd gathered in their tents, reuniting with long-separated friends and family.
Ren, after some inquiries, finally found the tent where Shinnosuke and the others were. As he lifted the curtain, he saw Ryufeng leaning back on the bed, eyes closed in meditation, emitting an aura of "do not approach strangers."
Hayama, next to him, was wiping his beloved sword. As for Shinnosuke, he was not seen, having gone somewhere.
"Hmm? Ren!"
Hearing the movement at the entrance, both men looked up simultaneously. Upon realising it was Ren, Hayama immediately exclaimed in surprise, shouting excitedly. Although Ryufeng didn't shout, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and his cold aura dissipated considerably.
"Yo, long time no see, you two."
Ren waved to the two of them, then walked quickly to the bedside after entering the tent, hooked his arms around their shoulders, and chuckled.
"Did you miss me, Brother Hayama, Ryufeng?"
"Hahaha, Shinnosuke and I were a bit worried about how you were doing here, but looking at your current situation, you seem to be doing quite well."
Hayama re-sheathed his sword, then turned his head to Ren and said.
"With my strength, you still don't trust me? Anyway, it's good that you're both fine."
As soon as Ren finished speaking, the atmosphere in the tent instantly dropped to freezing point. Before Ren could react, Ryufeng's eyes next to him dimmed.
"I'm going to rest first."
After Ryufeng finished speaking, he quietly lay down, turned over, and pulled the quilt over himself, leaving Ren somewhat flustered.
"This…"
Before Ren could finish speaking, Hayama, next to him, gestured with his eyes for Ren to go outside and talk.
The two quietly walked out of the tent. After stepping outside, Ren glanced at the tent, then turned his gaze to Hayama.
"Brother Hayama, he's…"
"Sigh."
Hayama scratched his head, looking a bit troubled, and after a moment of silence, he told Ren a surprising piece of news.