"And that's how it happened. It was entirely thanks to Minato's incredible tracking skills; otherwise, we never would have rescued Kushina," Ren Kurogane explained, standing before Hiruzen Sarutobi as he laid out the night's events.
In truth, aside from taking down two Cloud ninja, Ren hadn't exerted much effort. It was Minato's tracking prowess that had truly shone, leading them straight to Kushina.
If Minato hadn't been so physically drained, Ren wouldn't have bothered speaking at all.
Thinking of this, Ren's gaze inadvertently drifted toward Kushina.
As the victim of the ordeal, she was currently busy fussing over Minato with snacks to settle his nerves, seemingly having no intention of opening her mouth. She was leaving all the talking to him!
After listening to Ren's report, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "Keep this matter quiet for now. I will handle it appropriately."
"Yes, Lord Hokage! In that case, I'll take my leave," Ren said with a nod, turning to depart.
"Ren, wait a moment." Hiruzen called him back. Meeting Ren's confused gaze, the old man smiled. "Your teammate, Aya Okita, has resigned from active duty. Your team is currently short a member. I was troubled over who to pair you and Masakata with, but I've made a decision. I'm disbanding your current unit. From now on, you'll be part of Minato's team. How does that sound?"
Me? On Minato's team?
Ren hadn't expected Hiruzen to make such an arrangement. If he remembered correctly, the other two members of Minato's original squad were Shibi Aburame and Choza Akimichi—future heads of two major noble clans.
By throwing Ren into the mix now, was Hiruzen trying to groom him as part of Minato's core inner circle?
In an instant, a myriad of thoughts flashed through Ren's mind. Ultimately, he nodded. "I will follow your orders, Lord Hokage."
Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction. Once the three youngsters had left, his gaze turned pensive and deep.
Minato is exceptionally gifted; his future achievements will surely surpass my own. With his steadfast Will of Fire, he is the prime candidate for Fifth Hokage. However, Ren's strength has progressed by leaps and bounds over the past year—he is already far stronger than Minato. Fortunately, Ren shows no interest in power, and his bond with Minato is already forged. In the future, he will become the sharpest sword in Minato's hand, expanding Konoha's borders.
As Hokage, Hiruzen could already sense the growing instability across the shinobi world. While things had never truly been peaceful since the death of the First Hokage, the movements of the other nations had become increasingly bold over the last two years.
Hiruzen suspected that the Second Ninja War was merely an appetizer; a cataclysmic conflict was likely waiting for Konoha on the horizon.
As the leader of the village, he had to be responsible for its future. To prepare for the worst, he needed to maximize every bit of available combat potential.
He didn't know if it was possible, but he had to plan for it.
Ren, who had invented the Rasengan and was currently developing an even more powerful technique, would undoubtedly be a powerhouse in the future. Naturally, he was one of Hiruzen's primary subjects of observation. Previously, Ren had seemed indifferent to the Will of Fire, and his friendship with Minato had felt opaque—difficult to truly gauge. Because of that, Hiruzen hadn't focused on grooming him.
But after today, Hiruzen was certain: the bond between Ren and Minato ran deep. Otherwise, Ren wouldn't have risked an unknown danger to save Kushina alongside Minato.
He could have easily returned to the village to summon reinforcements as an excuse not to go, Hiruzen thought with a small smile.
That is a true son of Konoha.
Outside.
Ren had no idea Hiruzen was overthinking things to such an extent. He chose to join Minato's team simply because the teammates were reliable—they were the ones who actually survived the Third Ninja War.
By joining this squad and being careful, he figured his chances of living long enough to see Naruto get married were pretty high.
Still, rather than relying on others, he preferred to place his hopes in himself—or rather, the versions of himself in other worlds.
If a version of him from a high-fantasy world like a Great Dao Immortal ever showed up in the space, he'd basically win by default. In the Naruto world, an immortal would be invincible. Even if the so-called "Otsutsuki God" appeared, he could probably end the fight with a single glance.
The next day, Ren received official notice of the team change. When Cheng Aoyama handed over the paperwork, his face was full of genuine joy. The Jonin knew exactly what kind of elite squad Minato was on. Barring any freak accidents, Ren's future was secured. He was happy for his student.
"By the way, here are the new ninjutsu I promised you. I intended to teach you personally, but it looks like you'll have to self-study now."
"Thank you, Cheng-sensei."
"Hahaha! It's a teacher's duty. Now go! Get along with your new teammates. I'm off to find Masakata."
Ren didn't ask about Masakata's fate. He guessed the boy likely wouldn't end up anywhere nearly as prestigious.
As soon as Cheng Aoyama left, Minato appeared again.
"Let's go! Time to study Sealing Jutsu!"
"Now? Is Kushina okay?" Ren asked.
"Don't worry, Kushina is tough—both in skill and spirit!" Minato laughed. "Besides, when I told her yesterday that I was bringing you along to study, she didn't hesitate for a second before agreeing."
Ren didn't delay any further. He grabbed his things and followed Minato back to the Uzumaki estate.
Compared to the previous night's desolation, the mansion was now guarded every three steps.
Looks like yesterday's incident put the high command on high alert, Ren noted.
Minato was clearly a regular here. He didn't need a servant to guide him, leading Ren straight to the backyard.
Kushina was currently in the courtyard, seemingly practicing her stance. Mito Uzumaki sat on the veranda, writing something on a scroll.
Seeing Minato, Mito smiled warmly. "Little Minato is here. You must have been exhausted last night. Come here, let Grandma have a look at you."
Minato approached Mito with humble grace. He gestured toward Ren behind him and smiled. "Hello, Grandma Mito! This is Ren Kurogane, the one who acted with me last night. He's also the inventor of the Rasengan!"
Mito looked Ren over. In her perception, Ren's chakra felt somewhat "cool" and detached—a stark contrast to Minato's warm presence. She wondered how the two had become such close friends.
After a brief moment of curiosity, she spoke with a smile. "Thank you for your help last night."
Ren bowed quickly. "It's nothing. I just happened to follow along. The main credit goes to Minato."
"Hoho, it was still thanks to your intervention. Otherwise, Minato might not have been a match for them. You might not know, but of the three who kidnapped Kushina, one was a Jonin and two were Chunin. That Jonin was the one Minato knocked unconscious!" Mito revealed.
"What? There was a Jonin?"
Both Minato and Ren were genuinely stunned. To be honest, they hadn't felt like they were fighting a Jonin at all yesterday. The guy had seemed... pretty weak?
Since both of them felt the same way, the problem definitely wasn't on their end!