Compared to the romantic atmosphere between Kisame and the other person, the mood on Ren's side was somewhat somber.
"Achoo!"
Hidan wiped his nose, looking at the warmly dressed Konoha Ninja around him, then at himself, a hint of envy appearing on his face.
Ever since he left the Evil God Cult yesterday, Hidan had been wearing the same tattered clothes.
Although a Ninja's physique is generally stronger than that of an ordinary person, Hidan was still young, and his Chakra reserves were not particularly abundant.
Additionally, he had been hungry for a while at the Evil God Cult, and several hours of travel had already depleted most of his Chakra, so now he could only barely keep up with everyone else's speed.
"Wait."
Noticing Hidan's abnormality, Ren, who was walking beside him, called out, and the rapidly moving group ahead all stopped and turned to look at them.
"What's wrong, Ren?"
A figure passed through the crowd, and after reaching them, he spoke in a deep voice.
He wore Anbu standard iron armor, his face was covered in scars, and he was looking at Ren seriously.
Morino Ibiki, the captain of Konoha's Interrogation Department, was powerful.
Although he wasn't from the same graduating class as Ren and the others, he got along well with everyone, so their relationship was good.
Ren had previously instructed Number One to take Hidan and have him lead the Konoha Ninja to retreat.
After he finished talking with Kisame, he would rendezvous with Morino Ibiki, who was waiting on the periphery, and return to Konoha together.
"You guys go ahead first."
Ren raised his hand, pointed in another direction, and nodded.
"I still have a mission; I need to go to Land of Grass, so I won't be returning with you all."
"Hmm, be careful."
Ibiki didn't ask further, gave a word of caution, then turned and leaped onto a tree branch, leading the others to continue forward.
"Have a safe trip."
After watching them disappear into the forest, Ren turned his gaze to Hidan, who was shivering beside him, and said helplessly while taking something out of his pocket.
"I say, little Hidan, why didn't you say something if you were cold? If this keeps up, I think you'll have to spend a few days in the hospital as soon as you get back to Konoha."
"I'm not cold at all."
Hidan took a deep breath, puffed out his skinny, rib-filled chest, and chattered through his teeth.
"...You're really not straightforward."
Ren rolled his eyes, then opened and unsealed the scroll in his hand; a set of clothes immediately appeared before him.
He then put away the scroll and threw the clothes to Hidan.
"Here, put these on."
Hidan quickly caught them, then shivered again.
He didn't care about anything else and quickly changed his clothes.
"Hmm…"
Looking at Hidan, Ren stroked his chin and mumbled.
"It's a bit big, but it'll be fine after we get back and alter it."
"Phew."
With the clothes on, Hidan finally let out a sigh of relief.
Only then did he have a chance to examine himself.
He was wearing a black uniform, which, apart from the iron vest outside, was exactly like what the previous Konoha Ninja wore.
"This is my uniform; you can borrow it for a couple of days."
As he spoke, Ren pulled out two Soldier Ration Pills from his pocket, threw them over, and then leaped onto a tree branch himself.
"Let's go. If nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to return to Konoha this afternoon."
"Oh."
With the clothes and Soldier Ration Pills, Hidan's condition immediately improved.
He followed Ren, moving quickly until the sun was high in the sky, when the two finally emerged from the forest and reached the main road, where there were more pedestrians.
Not long after, a small town appeared ahead.
As soon as they entered, a loud clamor instantly reached them.
Hidan curiously looked around.
Although Yugakure's tourism was developed, for him, who had never left the country, he always had a slight longing for the outside world.
"Let's eat something first."
Ren looked around for a moment, then walked into a restaurant.
Seeing this, Hidan quickly followed.
After simply ordering two portions of curry rice, the two waited boredly for their food to be served.
"So boring…"
Hidan lay on the table, a sleepy expression on his face.
He hadn't slept for a day and a night.
He had thought he could return to Konoha soon, but he didn't expect Ren to drag him to this place called Land of Grass.
"Just hold on a bit."
Ren put down his water glass and looked at the sleepy Hidan, comforting him.
"The mission is simple; we can go back once it's done, and you won't have to walk on the way back."
"Eh?"
Hidan was stunned, straightened up, and was about to ask a question when their food arrived.
"Gentlemen, please enjoy your meal."
After placing the steaming curry rice down, the man bowed and was about to leave but was called back by Ren.
"Please wait a moment."
The man paused, turned to Ren, and smiled politely.
"Sir, is there anything else?"
"Excuse me, how far is Grass Ninja Village from here?"
"Oh?"
The man was first surprised, then maintained his smile and spoke.
"Sir, are you going to request a mission?"
"Yes."
Ren didn't deny it, nodded, and waited for him to continue.
"After leaving the town, head north, follow that main road for about an hour, and you'll reach Grass Ninja Village."
After listening, Ren pulled out a banknote from his pocket, placed it on the table, and chuckled.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, then I'll be going now.
If you need anything, just call me."
Upon seeing the banknote, the man's eyes lit up.
After discreetly pocketing the money, his smile became even brighter.
After watching him leave, Ren noticed Hidan staring at him from across the table.
He raised his hand and tapped Hidan's forehead, scolding him with a smile.
"What are you looking at? Hurry up and eat."
"Tch."
Hidan raised his hand to swat away the finger, grumbled discontentedly twice, then lowered his head and began to eat.
Not long after, the two left the shop and walked out of town.
After leaving the town, Ren did not follow the man's directions along the main road; instead, he led Hidan into the forest and deeper into it.
"I say…"
A quarter of an hour later, looking at the silent surroundings, Hidan swallowed, speaking somewhat tremblingly.
"This isn't the way to Grass Ninja Village, is it?"
Although he knew Ren wouldn't harm him, such a secluded place was too suitable for assassinations and silencing witnesses, so it wasn't surprising he thought that way.
"Of course not."
Ren turned around, forming hand signs while smiling.
"But this way is faster."
"Uh…"
Hidan was about to speak when he saw a scene that surprised him.
Three pairs of wings suddenly grew from Ren's back, gently flapping in the air, creating gusts of wind.
"Don't just stand there, let's go."
Looking at Hidan, who was frozen in place, Ren instantly floated behind him, grabbed him by the armpits, and soared into the sky.
By the time Hidan reacted, he was already dozens of meters in the air, and his terrified scream instantly echoed across the sky.
"Bastard, fly slower!"
As soon as his voice fell, Ren's lazy voice followed.
"It's fine, we'll be there soon.
You'll get used to it."
"…"