The entire Shinobi World was brewing with tension, which put immense pressure on Hayato Ren.
However, there was good news: during this period, Charmander had successfully evolved into Charmeleon, instantly gaining strength equivalent to a Jonin.
Moreover, Hayato Ren had drawn another Pokémon Egg. Though he didn't know which Pokémon it contained, it still added another future asset to his arsenal.
On a certain sunny afternoon, Hayato Ren was repeatedly "torturing" a carp.
To put it simply, he would injure the carp, heal it with Medical Ninjutsu, then injure it again—repeating the cycle to improve his proficiency in Medical Ninjutsu.
Although the situation in the Shinobi World was tense, the major villages hadn't yet fully engaged in conflict.
As a result, there weren't many patients at the Konoha Hospital, so Hayato Ren had no choice but to inconvenience that evening's "dinner."
Just then, Charmeleon suddenly appeared before him.
Seeing Charmeleon's hurried expression, Hayato Ren quickly asked what had happened.
After a series of gestures from Charmeleon, Hayato Ren finally understood: the Pokémon Egg he had left in the Summoning World was about to hatch.
That was why Charmeleon had rushed to Hayato Ren's side in such a hurry.
So, Hayato Ren casually released the carp back into the stream.
While gaining +1 karma point, he also hoped to accumulate some good luck—just in case the egg hatched into a Rattata or Weedle, which would be disastrous.
The Summoning World where Charmeleon resided was a place disconnected from any other location, much like a pocket dimension in fantasy novels.
So far, only Hayato Ren and Charmeleon could enter.
It contained forests, sandy areas, ocean surfaces, lakes, and even a volcanic crater—essentially every type of terrain.
Under the nervous gazes of Hayato Ren and Charmeleon, the Pokémon Egg began to tremble continuously.
Suddenly, a green horn emerged from the eggshell.
Soon after, the Pokémon completely broke free from the egg.
It was the juvenile form of the pseudo-legendary Tyranitar, known as the Desert Tyrant—Larvitar.
If Charmeleon was a future master of Fire Release, then Larvitar would be a future master of Earth Release.
Hayato Ren wondered if he would eventually obtain Pokémon with water, wind, and lightning attributes in the future.
Looking at the cool-eyed Larvitar, Hayato Ren crouched down, extended his right hand, and spoke softly.
"Larvitar, I'm Hayato Ren. This is our partner, Charmeleon. Let's take good care of each other from now on."
Larvitar glanced at the smiling Hayato Ren, then at Charmeleon beside him.
Then, it gently placed its small claw in Hayato Ren's palm.
After greeting Charmeleon as well, Larvitar burrowed into the ground and headed toward a nearby mineral mountain.
Looking at Charmeleon's puzzled expression, Hayato Ren couldn't help but explain.
"Larvitar needs to eat a massive amount of soil to accumulate enough energy for its evolution—roughly the equivalent of an entire mountain's worth."
After hearing Hayato Ren's words, Charmeleon gazed at the large hole left by Larvitar and couldn't help but show a look of deep respect.
To think it needed to consume that much soil to evolve—it must become incredibly powerful after evolution.
I need to train even harder, Charmeleon thought, I can't let this newcomer surpass me.
Watching Charmeleon suddenly become fired up for no apparent reason, Hayato Ren had no idea what was going on.
Still, seeing Charmeleon training seriously was ultimately a good thing. If Charmeleon could evolve into Charizard before the Second Shinobi World War, Hayato Ren's chances of survival would skyrocket.
However, with Kushina now being the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki, Konoha would never assign her any dangerous missions.
If anything were to happen to the Nine-Tails, the losses would far outweigh the gains. From this perspective, even if the Second Shinobi World War broke out, Hayato Ren's team would remain relatively safe.
Time passed bit by bit. During this period, Hayato Ren's team successfully completed numerous missions, including several B-rank missions involving shinobi.
However, both Tsunade and Kushina had become noticeably quieter lately.
Concerned about this situation, Mikoto privately approached Hayato Ren to ask about it. But Hayato Ren could only admit there was nothing he could do.
After all, the loss of a loved one isn't like a sudden downpour—it's a lingering dampness that lasts a lifetime. Only time can heal such wounds.
One day, when Hayato Ren came to Tsunade's house as usual to practice ninjutsu, he unexpectedly found Nawaki and Tsunade seemingly arguing about something.
"I have to go! Both Kojiro and Nami are going, so why can't I?"
"I said no, and that's final, because I'm your sister. I'll talk to Orochimaru about it—you're staying home during this period."
"I don't care! You old hag! I've grown up—you can't control me anymore!"
After saying this, a red-faced Nawaki glared at Tsunade before running out of the house.
Left alone, Tsunade rubbed her temples with a helpless expression.
It was only then that Hayato Ren cautiously approached and softly asked, "Sensei, should I go practice ninjutsu now?"
Tsunade glanced at Hayato Ren. "Aren't you going to ask why Nawaki and I were arguing?"
"Even the wisest judge can't settle family disputes. Besides, it's obvious Nawaki was in the wrong. How could my brilliant and mighty sensei possibly be at fault?"
Hearing this response, Tsunade rolled her eyes at Hayato Ren. "That's as good as saying nothing. Nawaki's team received a mission in the Land of Rain, but I don't want him to go. Understand?"
The Land of Rain was particularly dangerous now, with continuous small-scale clashes between Rain shinobi and Sand shinobi.
However, with Orochimaru leading the team, there shouldn't be any major issues—Orochimaru's capabilities were undeniable.
Moreover, if Hayato Ren remembered correctly, Nawaki should have been killed by an Exploding Tag during one of the battles in the Second Shinobi World War.
Therefore, this trip to the Land of Rain shouldn't pose any problems.
However, Hayato Ren didn't dare say too much. What if, due to his butterfly effect, something were to happen to Nawaki in the Land of Rain?
And if he happened to speak up for Nawaki at that moment, the situation would truly escalate out of control.