The Command Tent was larger than the one Sakumo had used. It was bustling with activity—strategists moving markers on maps, encryption corps decoding scrolls, and guards standing rigid at every corner.
When Ren and Satoshi entered, the noise dipped slightly. Eyes turned. The "Hero of the Medical Camp" was a face everyone recognized now.
Standing at the head of the central table was Kato Dan.
He looked every bit the ideal shinobi leader. With his long, pale blue hair tied back and a kind, charismatic face, he radiated a natural warmth that was the polar opposite of Danzo's coldness or Orochimaru's creepiness. He wore the standard Jonin flak jacket, but he wore it with an air of nobility.
"Satoshi-san, Ren-kun," Dan greeted them, his voice smooth and welcoming. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."
Satoshi bowed slightly. "Commander."
Ren followed suit, his face impassive.
'Kato Dan,' Ren analyzed. 'User of the Spirit Transformation Technique. A staunch believer in the Will of Fire. Hiruzen sent him to stabilize the front, but also to win hearts and minds. Including mine.'
"We have a situation," Dan began, pointing to the map. "The main forces of Iwa and Suna have retreated, yes. But they have left behind 'thorns'—elite guerilla squads meant to harass our supply lines and bleed us slowly before we can consolidate."
Dan moved a red marker to a jagged canyon region known as the Whispering Gorge.
"Scouts have identified an Iwa Earth Release specialist unit dug in here. They are collapsing tunnels on our convoys. We need them rooted out."
"My squad can handle it," Satoshi stepped forward, his hand resting on his tantō. "The Police Force veterans are suited for flushing out rats."
"I have no doubt," Dan smiled gently, but his eyes remained firm. "However, I have a different assignment for you, Satoshi-san. I need your unit to secure the western perimeter. The Akimichi clan needs support with the heavy barricades."
Satoshi frowned. That was guard duty. A demotion from the vanguard.
"And Ren?" Satoshi asked sharply.
"Ren-kun has a unique skillset," Dan turned his gaze to the fifteen-year-old. "A combat-medic is a rare asset. I am assigning Ren to Team 8 for this mission. They are a tracking and assault unit, but they lack a medical specialist. With Ren, they can operate deeper behind enemy lines."
Ren narrowed his eyes imperceptibly. 'Separation. He's splitting me from my father and the main Uchiha force. He wants to see how I operate when I'm not surrounded by my clan.'
"Who is leading Team 8?" Ren asked.
"I am."
A figure stepped out from the shadows of the tent's corner. He had pale, pupil-less lavender eyes and wore the traditional loose robes of the Hyuga clan under his flak jacket.
"Hyuga Ko," the man introduced himself curtly.
Ren recognized the name. A branch family member, but a highly skilled Jonin loyal to the Main House—and by extension, the village hierarchy.
'A Hyuga to watch my every move with the Byakugan,' Ren realized. 'Hiruzen isn't taking chances.'
"I accept the assignment," Ren said calmly.
Satoshi looked like he wanted to object, but Ren shot him a subtle glance. Don't. It's an order.
"Excellent," Dan beamed, clapping his hands together. "This is what I like to see. Uchiha, Hyuga... when the clans work together, Konoha is invincible. Depart in one hour. Dismissed."
One Hour Later – The Whispering Gorge
The terrain was treacherous. Towering pillars of red stone created a labyrinth of shadows, and the wind howled through the gaps, creating a sound like whispering voices.
Team 8 moved in silence.
Hyuga Ko took the point, his Byakugan veins bulging around his eyes. Flanking him were two Chunin—an Aburame controlling a small cloud of kikaichū beetles, and an Inuzuka with a large wolf-dog.
Ren took the rear guard position.
He felt the weight of the new Healing Tags in his pouch. He had crafted five prototypes before the meeting. This mission was the perfect opportunity to field-test them, provided he could do it without the Hyuga seeing the specific mechanics.
"Halt," Ko whispered, raising a hand.
The team froze.
"Three signatures ahead," Ko reported, his voice low. "Underground. They are molding chakra. Earth Release."
Before anyone could react, the ground beneath the Inuzuka exploded.
"Earth Style: Stone Pistol!"
Spikes of rock shot up from the canyon floor like spearheads.
"Gah!" The Inuzuka yelped, leaping back, but a spike grazed his thigh, ripping through the muscle. His dog barked ferociously, snapping at the dust cloud.
Three Iwa ninjas burst from the ground, their faces covered in stone masks. They didn't speak; they immediately launched a coordinated assault.
"Engage!" Ko shouted, engaging the leader with Gentle Fist strikes. The Aburame sent his bugs swarming toward the second.
The third Iwa ninja, a hulking man with stone gauntlets, lunged straight for the injured Inuzuka.
"Die, Konoha scum!"
The Inuzuka was on one knee, blood pouring from his leg, unable to dodge the massive stone fist coming down to crush his skull.
Swish.
A blur of motion cut through the air.
Ren appeared between the Inuzuka and the Iwa ninja. He didn't draw a kunai. He didn't weave signs for a fireball.
He raised his right arm.
'Let's test the durability.'
[Quincy Compatibility: 69%][Action: Reishi Hardening]
Ren focused. He commanded the spiritual energy in his blood to halt and solidify. It wasn't the full Blut Vene yet—he hadn't reached the 75% threshold—but it was a precursor.
BAM!
The stone gauntlet slammed into Ren's forearm.
The Inuzuka flinched, expecting the sound of snapping bone.
Instead, there was a sound like metal striking iron.
Ren stood firm, his feet sliding back only an inch. His sleeve ripped, revealing skin that had taken on a faint, metallic blue sheen in a vein-like pattern. It hadn't broken.
The Iwa ninja's eyes widened behind his mask. "What?!"
Ren looked at the ninja coldly. "My turn."
He grabbed the man's wrist.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu."
But instead of breathing it from a distance, Ren released the chakra point-blank from his mouth, controlling the explosion into a focused cone directly into the man's face.
The Iwa ninja screamed as he was blasted backward, crashing into a rock pillar, smoke rising from his charred mask.
"Ren!" the Inuzuka gasped, clutching his bleeding leg. "Thanks... but my leg... I can't move."
Ren looked at the Hyuga, who was busy fighting the leader but had definitely turned his Byakugan toward Ren the moment the impact happened.
'He saw the durability,' Ren noted. 'But he'll interpret it as Earth Style hardening or just chakra reinforcement. Now for the real test.'
Ren knelt beside the Inuzuka. He blocked the Hyuga's line of sight with his own body.
"Stay still," Ren whispered.
He pulled a Healing Tag from his pouch.
"What's that? A sealing tag?" the Inuzuka asked through gritted teeth.
"Something better."
Ren slapped the tag onto the gash.
Hummmm.
The green light flared, contained and precise. The Inuzuka's eyes bulged as he felt the cool rush of rapid cell division. In seconds, the pain vanished.
Ren peeled the tag off. The paper crumbled to dust. The leg was whole.
"Stand up," Ren ordered.
The Inuzuka stood, stomping his foot. "It's... it's gone? Instantly? Ren, you're a wizard!"
"It was a stored medical jutsu," Ren said loudly enough for the Hyuga to hear. "I prepared it beforehand."
Ko finished off his opponent with a palm strike to the heart and turned, his white eyes narrowing as he looked at the healed Inuzuka.
'Stored medical jutsu?' Ko thought, analyzing the residual chakra. 'Impossible. Yang chakra can't be stored in paper like that without dispersing. Unless... the seal structure is modifying the nature transformation itself.'
Ko looked at Ren with a newfound wariness. The reports were true. The boy was an anomaly.
Ren stood up, dusting off his hands.
'One enemy down. Healing Tag successful. And my durability held.'
He checked his inner status.
[Quincy Compatibility: 69%]
'Inch by inch,' Ren thought, looking deeper into the canyon. 'I need a stronger opponent. I need to break the shell.'
"Regroup," Ren said calmly to the team, taking charge naturally. "There are more of them ahead."