Chapter 14: Return to the Village
Due to Hyūga Haining's injured thigh, Minamoto Ren had no choice but to carry him on his back during the return journey. It took the three of them more than half a month to make it back to Konoha—and by the time they arrived, they had already been officially declared missing.
After all, Mizudori had returned to the village long ago.
At the main gate, the ANBU shinobi in charge of war-time security stood up and said,
"Please wait here. I need to inform the Hokage."
None of them objected. Procedures were critical during wartime; they helped prevent spies and enemy saboteurs from infiltrating the village.
---
At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, sat behind his desk, buried under a mountain of paperwork. His face was tense with exhaustion.
This was the burden of the Hokage—holding absolute administrative authority meant facing a seemingly endless tide of urgent documents.
The ANBU entered swiftly, half-kneeling.
"Hokage-sama, the three shinobi previously declared missing—Senju Nawaki, Minamoto Ren, and Hyūga Haining—have returned. They're currently awaiting permission at the village gate."
Hiruzen's frown deepened at the mention of their names. By the time the ANBU finished, his expression had turned glacial.
"Are their identities confirmed? Not a Transformation Technique or a Suna puppet disguise?"
"Confirmed. Hyūga Haining's Byakugan is real—there's no faking that. And as for young Nawaki… his personality is impossible to imitate."
Hiruzen exhaled through clenched teeth, his gaze like cold steel.
"Let them in. Have them report directly to my office. And send someone to summon Mizudori."
"Yes, sir."
---
Five minutes later, the Hokage's office was filled with all four men. Hiruzen puffed on his pipe as his eyes swept over them, his keen gaze silently drawing conclusions from their expressions and body language.
The three members of Minamoto Ren's team each wore different expressions.
Nawaki—never good at hiding his feelings—glared furiously at Mizudori the moment the man walked in.
Haining didn't even bother to look at him.
And as for Ren, he smiled pleasantly and greeted Mizudori as if nothing had happened.
In Ren's own words:
"He's a dead man walking. The least I can do is offer him a little palliative care."
Mizudori's reaction, on the other hand, was far more telling.
At the sight of the three returning shinobi, his pupils widened in shock. Then came panic. And finally… a kind of deadened silence, like someone awaiting execution.
"Speak. What happened?"
Hiruzen rose from his seat, hands clasped behind his back—his tone sharp and commanding.
"Hokage-sama, I—" Mizudori had barely begun when—
WHAM!
Nawaki launched a flying kick that landed squarely on his face.
Mizudori stumbled back but didn't dare retaliate in front of the Hokage.
"Mizudori! Are you even human? Do you feel no shame? You betrayed us—betrayed my teacher's trust! Huh?!"
Hiruzen didn't stop Nawaki.
Truth be told, he found Mizudori distasteful too.
When the man had first returned, he'd reported that the frontline had suffered a crushing defeat—Hanzo had allegedly ambushed the camp, nearly wiping out the entire force. When questioned about his own actions during the attack, Mizudori mumbled something about how "Lord Orochimaru had ordered him to retreat, preserving his life to better serve Konoha later."
In other words:
"Forget about it. Your three little disciples are dead. Orochimaru specifically told me to survive so I could bring the news back to the village."
A lie so flimsy, it barely qualified as fiction.
Mizudori had planned to use Nawaki as his insurance—drag him back to the village, and as long as Nawaki was alive, Orochimaru's assignment could be glossed over. But the problem arose when Nawaki escaped. Afraid of encountering more Amegakure ninja, Mizudori didn't dare go after him.
From the day he returned to Konoha, he'd been praying for news that the three had perished.
If they were confirmed dead, his lie would stand unchallenged.
He could retire in peace.
But now… everything had unraveled.
---
"Hokage-sama, allow me."
Minamoto Ren stepped forward and began reporting with a calm, efficient voice:
"Hanzo launched a surprise assault on our encampment during a stormy night. The battle was, indeed, devastating. Lady Tsunade and the others drew Hanzo away to engage him directly, while the remaining shinobi split up and attempted a retreat through counterattacks. Lord Orochimaru ordered Mizudori to escort the three of us to safety. However, on the way, we encountered enemy shinobi from Amegakure…"
Minamoto Ren paused at this point, his gaze sliding over to Mizudori, whose face had turned ghostly pale. Then he continued in a calm, deliberate tone:
"The Amegakure ninja we encountered was extraordinarily powerful. In the first exchange alone, he killed a Konoha chūnin. He was a master of Water Release, kenjutsu, and assassination. Mizudori-sama was no match for him and was the first to retreat."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression eased slightly.
If Mizudori had fled because he was genuinely overpowered, rather than out of cowardice, the nature of the matter was somewhat different—more forgivable.
But Ren wasn't finished.
His earlier tone of fairness was merely to lull the Hokage into a momentary calm…
So that the next revelation would strike like thunder.
"However," Ren said, his voice dipping lower, more solemn,
"before Mizudori-sama fled… he did something unforgivable."
Hiruzen's brow furrowed.
"Go on. What did he do?" he asked, taking a long drag on his pipe.
Ren's voice rose sharply.
He extended a hand to gesture toward Hyūga Haining—specifically, the bandages wrapped around his thigh.
"In order to make his escape, Mizudori stabbed a kunai straight through Haining's leg—and knocked Nawaki unconscious. He dragged Nawaki away… as a trophy. Proof, he hoped, that he'd fulfilled his duty."
A chilling silence swept the room.
"Fortunately," Ren added, voice steady now,
"I was still cloaked in the Hidden Mist Technique. Once Mizudori fled, I picked up where he left off. I did not fail the mission."
He then presented a blood-stained ninjatō, its edge notched and stained dark.
"This belonged to the Amegakure jōnin I killed. Hokage-sama, you may send ANBU to verify his identity."
Hiruzen choked mid-inhale. Smoke went down the wrong pipe.
His temple veins bulged with fury—the old nickname "Monkey" wasn't just about his surname or his summoning beast…
It was about his temper.
But he had also been Hokage for many years now, and he forcibly suppressed the rising rage.
One hand reached out to take the blade from Ren.
The other delivered a glare so icy it froze Mizudori in place.
The man collapsed to the floor in a heap.
Two ANBU appeared silently behind him and seized him by the arms.
He didn't resist.
He couldn't.
Awaiting him would be the terrifying Memory Extraction Jutsu of the Yamanaka Clan…
Followed by a likely death sentence.
---
Once Mizudori had been dragged away, Hiruzen's expression returned to calm.
He studied the blade in his hands, speaking to Ren almost conversationally.
"If I remember correctly, your name is Minamoto Ren, isn't it? During the oath ceremony before the campaign, I recall spotting you in the crowd."
"You're too kind, Hokage-sama," Ren replied humbly.
"I was indeed present, listening to your speech. It left a deep impression on me."
Hiruzen traced a finger along the blade, noting the engraved kanji—「苦」, "Pain."
He handed the ninjatō to an ANBU and instructed them to identify its previous owner—likely one of the Amegakure jōnin reported missing.
Then he turned his sharp eyes back to Ren, his tone more curious than accusatory.
"If I recall correctly, you were only a genin before the war. It was Tsunade who requested your transfer into Team Ten. I personally approved the assignment."
"But to kill an enemy jōnin—one capable of severing Mizudori's arm—it would require someone of equal or greater skill."
"I have to ask…" Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"How did you do it?"
A bead of sweat trickled down Ren's spine.
This was it.
The most critical moment.
One misstep in his answer—and he might not leave this room alive.