Thunk.
The moment Hiruzen heard that, he turned around and tried to walk away without even thinking.
Four years ago, when he first ran into Ren, he could still smile warmly, joke a little, and try to pass down the Will of Fire.
Two years ago, seeing Ren's little face only gave him a headache.
Now?
He didn't want to chat with this kid—who'd grown into a "teen"—even for a second.
The Will of Fire never got passed on.
Instead, the last time he chatted with Ren, he almost ended up questioning his entire life.
So he tried to leave.
But he was still too slow.
The instant he turned, footsteps slapped behind him—papapapa—like someone's bare feet were flinging themselves forward at top speed.
"…Sigh." Hiruzen let out a weary breath, turned back, and forced a kindly smile onto his wrinkled face.
"Ah, it's little Ren. What is it this time?"
"Third Hokage-sama," Ren said with a shy grin, stabbing straight into the ribcage, "I heard you have a second son?"
The crow nearby nearly dispersed into feathers.
What kind of "good son" goes off to become the daimyo's guardian and then turns around and tries to assassinate his own father?
But Asuma was exactly that.
Then the crow fell silent again.
Something about this script felt… familiar.
The black eyes of the crow flickered.
And Itachi's previously steady resolve wavered—just a little.
On the street, Ren casually glanced at the crow's disappearing shape and didn't care.
He simply continued.
"Never met the second young master, but… what about your eldest son, Third Hokage-sama?"
Hiruzen: "..."
Of course.
A naturally evil Uchiha brat.
This mouth really was "sweet as honey."
He drew a deep breath and tried to restore his kindly smile.
He failed.
Second son turned assassin.
Eldest son… absent for "certain reasons."
Two sentences, two direct hits—right to the heart of a white-haired old man.
In the distance, two ANBU saw the scene and made zero move to help.
Instead, they patted their chests and vanished into smoke.
Great—someone else is tanking the blame.
Three minutes later—
[Target: Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen.]
[Analyzing copyable tags…]
[Reaper Death Seal (Black), Will of Fire (Gold), Three-Way Seal (Purple), Monkey King: Enma (Blue), Fire Release Mastery (Blue), Earth Release Mastery (Blue), Water Release Mastery (Blue)…]
Tag after tag flooded Ren's vision.
Especially the Five Natures—there were so many he couldn't even finish reading them all.
"…No wonder they call him the Professor," Ren muttered, shaking his head, and kept talking.
He didn't get many chances to "chat" with the Third Hokage, and the few times he did, he'd failed to copy anything.
So this time, right before the coming massacre, he decided he'd squeeze out one last harvest.
Ten minutes.
[Ten-minute conversation complete. Attempting to copy a tag…]
[Success. Congratulations: acquired "Monkey King: Enma" (Blue).]
Ren: "???"
He looked at Hiruzen—who somehow looked even more exhausted now, his under-eye bags larger than his actual eyes.
So yeah.
This was basically "stealing the old man's monkey."
"Third Hokage-sama…" Ren said solemnly, then recited with heartfelt sincerity, "Where the leaves dance, the fire shall continue to burn!"
He stood on tiptoe, stretched his arm, and patted Hiruzen's shoulder like a little adult, shaking his head with deep "wisdom."
Then he turned and walked away—leaving Hiruzen frozen, the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat.
After a long time, the Third Hokage finally forced a sentence out through clenched teeth:
"…Is something wrong with that kid?"
To him, hearing that slogan from a child's mouth had never sounded so—grating.
Leaving the Hokage Tower, Ren's mood was unusually good.
Not because Enma was "so strong," but because—
that pure joy of finally farming a rare drop.
Like a millionaire in a past life, successfully getting 50 yuan from a Pinduoduo "cut one knife" event.
Still riding that high, he wandered along the street.
Tap.
Someone patted his shoulder.
The strength was light… almost soft.
And a small, hesitant voice trembled beside his ear:
" Ren… c-classmate… y-you… you… hello…"
Hm?
That voice—
Ren turned. Behind him stood a girl with pale eyes and dark-blue hair. Her delicate features looked almost luminous in the sunlight.
The moment Ren faced her, she dropped her head, fingers nervously twisting together, cheeks blooming red.
"…Crown Prince—uh, Hinata?" Ren blinked. "Why are you here?"
At this time of day, wasn't Hinata supposed to be in the Academy?
When did she start skipping class like the "bad kids"?
Damn it—Itachi's evil influence! Always skipping class, now he's corrupting the sheltered heiress too!
Hinata's index fingers spun even faster.
She looked like she was fighting a war inside her own head.
Finally, she bit her lip and forced the words out:
"Um… um… Ren… my father… wants to invite you to our home."
"The Hyūga clan head… inviting me?"
Ren actually froze for a heartbeat.
He hadn't interacted with Hinata much.
After he'd copied the Byakugan once, she'd basically been "raised inside the clan" and rarely came out.
He'd had no real chance to approach her again.
So why would Hiashi suddenly do this now?
Still, Ren smiled and nodded easily.
"Sure. Let's go."
A gift-wrapped tag delivery—why refuse?
And at the same time, staring at Hinata's burning red face, he couldn't help finding it amusing.
So, with absolutely no warning, he reached out and took her hand, pulling her along.
He even gave her fingers a little squeeze.
Soft. Warm. Practically boneless.
Hinata's face went even redder—so red it looked like it might drip.
But… she didn't pull away.
She only hurriedly lifted her other hand and made a small gesture behind her.
To the rear-right, one branch-family guard's face darkened.
"Insolence! Grabbing the young lady's hand—I'll tear that brat apart!"
Another guard quickly grabbed his arm and pointed at Hinata's gesture.
"Shh. Look—she's signaling us not to act."
"…Huh? The young lady is allowing a stranger to hold her hand?"
Confused, the two quietly followed.
Step. Step. Step.
As they walked, the Hyūga compound gradually came into view.
Creak.
As the great gate opened, Ren finally saw what the number one clan in Konoha looked like.
Ancient elegance. Courtyards and pavilions. A true aristocratic estate.
Compared to this, Ren could only reach one conclusion:
"Fugaku needs to come see this."
"Same 'great clan,' but why is the gap this huge?"
Even among nobles, there were levels.
Before the Nine-Tails incident, the Uchiha wouldn't have been that far behind.
But now…
Standing here, Ren honestly felt like a country bumpkin walking into a palace.
Creak—
The door to a lavish reception room opened.
Hyūga Hiashi, long-haired and imposing, was there.
He turned, gave Ren a cool, assessing Byakugan stare, and smiled toward the tea table.
"So we finally meet Uchiha Ren."
"Or should I call you… my daughter's savior?"
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