Just as Hayato Ren finished practicing Medical Ninjutsu and was about to head home, Tsunade suddenly called out to him.
"I'm leaving the village on a mission tomorrow and might not return for some time. During this period, you, Kushina, and Mikoto should focus on training safely within the village. Even if you take on missions, do not leave the village, understand?"
Seeing the serious expression on Tsunade's face, Hayato Ren could only nod in agreement.
Then, Tsunade waved her hand, indicating he could leave.
After Tsunade's departure, Hayato Ren's days continued as usual.
Apart from occasionally hanging out with Kushina and Mikoto, he spent time bonding with Charmeleon and Larvitar in the Summoning World.
One night, under a clear sky scattered with stars, Hayato Ren was enjoying the evening breeze outside his house after dinner when an unexpected guest arrived.
A ninja clad entirely in a Night Suit, face concealed, emerged from the shadows nearby.
"Hayato Ren, right? Come with me."
Seeing the hostile demeanor of the figure, Hayato Ren outwardly complied, nodding as he walked toward him.
But as he drew closer, Hayato Ren suddenly threw a punch aimed at the black-clad person's kidney.
The man in black seemed to have anticipated this, swiftly raising his right hand to block the strike.
However, he hadn't expected the force behind Hayato Ren's punch to be so immense—it sent him flying, smashing through several large trees.
Simultaneously, Hayato Ren immediately summoned Charmeleon and shouted, "Charmeleon, use Heat Wave!A scorching blast of air instantly enveloped the black-clad figure, even igniting his Night Suit.
At this, the black-clothed figure urgently cried out, "Hayato Ren!" I'm not an enemy, stop this!"
Hearing this, Hayato Ren curled his lip and retorted disdainfully, "Lunatics always claim they're not insane. Dressed like that in the middle of the night, trying to kidnap me—you say you're not an enemy? Who'd believe that? Save it for the Anbu. Charmeleon, use Aura Fist!Charmeleon instantly appeared behind the black-clothed figure, who was still reeling from the Heat Wave and hadn't noticed Charmeleon's approach.
After a loud "boom," Hayato Ren stared at the distant pile that could now be described as mush, falling into deep thought.
"Charmeleon, your punch might have been a bit too strong."
Charmeleon just scratched the back of its head, looking as if to say, "You told me to use Aura Fist; the rest isn't my problem."With matters standing thus, Hayato Ren scanned the surroundings and, finding no witnesses, had Charmeleon use Flame Jet to erase any remaining traces of the black-clothed from this world."
After completing this, Hayato Ren patted Charmeleon's head and returned to the house to sleep.
After all, the black-clad figure had clearly harbored ill intentions; eliminating him was simply self-defense—no one could argue otherwise.
Late at night, in a hidden base within Konoha.
Shimura Danzo stared grimly at the kneeling ninja before him.
"Has F2 still not returned?"
"Lord Danzo, we've completely lost track of F2. There's a high probability he has already met with misfortune."
Danzo waved his hand, dismissing the ninja before him.
Afterward, he stood motionless like a statue, only speaking to himself after a long while.
"Hiruzen, was it you? Just wait, I will definitely become Hokage..."
Unbeknownst to Hayato Ren in his sleep, because of Kushina, he had already attracted the attention of a certain humanoid creature.
As the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki, the security around Kushina was extremely tight.
Therefore, even Danzo couldn't send Root to approach her.
However, Hayato Ren was different.
So far, his two most valuable identities were being Kushina's boyfriend and Tsunade's disciple.
So right after Tsunade left the village, Danzo couldn't wait to send Root ninja to make contact with Hayato Ren.
What Danzo never expected was that his F2, who had the strength of a special jonin, would be eliminated so easily.
Just as Hayato Ren had predicted, after disposing of the black-clad man's body, no one came looking for him at all.
Time passed uneventfully. Since Tsunade had instructed them not to take missions outside the village,
Hayato Ren and the others stopped taking missions altogether. After all, the only missions remaining in Konoha were D-rank missions - low-paying and tedious, not worth completing.
One day, while Hayato Ren was wandering around the village, he suddenly noticed many ninjas moving about in haste, and the atmosphere had suddenly turned strange.
To verify his suspicions, Hayato Ren first went to check the grain store.
Sure enough, the previously stable grain prices had suddenly multiplied several times.
All these signs indicated that war was coming, or rather, that war had already begun.
In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath from his pipe, exhaling a cloud of smoke only after a long while.
"Send someone to Iwagakure to demand an explanation for why they sent ninja to invade the border of the Land of Fire."
With a loud "bang," Danzo slammed his palm on the table in front of Hiruzen.
"What is there to ask? Those damned Stone Ninja are trying to start a war. We absolutely cannot show weakness. Send ninja immediately to eliminate those Stone Ninja."
Mitokado Homura chimed in from the side.
"Ever since Lady Mito passed away, the surrounding ninja villages have become increasingly restless. The Stone Ninja's actions might be testing Konoha's strength. We must respond firmly this time."
Finally, Hiruzen made his decision.
"In that case, send White Fang to lead a team to eliminate those Stone Ninja."
At this moment, Danzo suddenly interjected.
"Should we send Hayato Ren along too?"
Hiruzen looked at Danzo in surprise.
"Hayato Ren? He's just a genin. What use would sending him serve? What if something happens to him and the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki goes berserk?"
Danzo, however, appeared completely confident.
"Hehe, you don't know this, Hiruzen. Although Hayato Ren is just a genin, according to my Root ninja's assessment, he already possesses jonin-level strength. Moreover, with Tsunade currently absent, this mission presents the perfect opportunity to promote Hayato Ren to Chunin and have him continue leading the team."