"Zero and Ten!"
Inside the Senju clan's residence, Aoi Ren flipped his cards open with a smile: three plus seven.
It was the worst possible hand in the game of Twenty-Eight Sticks, a combination that almost guaranteed a loss. But when Tsunade revealed her own cards...
Four plus six!
It was the only possible combination that could beat his hand, and Tsunade had drawn it with absolute certainty. Aoi Ren smiled and leaned in to kiss her.
"Aoi-kun, you didn't even let me win on purpose," Tsunade complained playfully as she nestled in his arms. "There are times when I want to be the one taking the lead and having my way too!"
"..." Aoi Ren shook his head with a wry smile. Tsunade really had no idea how her own abilities worked.
Known far and wide as the "Ultimate Loser," she was completely incapable of winning any game of chance. The only way she could ever reverse her luck was by paying a terrible price—sacrificing someone close to her or someone she loved dearly.
The day Tsunade actually won a game would be the very day Aoi Ren would need to start looking for a suitable final resting place for himself...
"Lord Aoi, there is a member of the Uchiha clan outside requesting an audience. Shall I show him in?" the young steward asked respectfully, bowing his head toward Aoi Ren.
Ever since Tobirama Senju had quietly acknowledged Aoi Ren as part of the family, he had effectively become half the master of the Senju household...
"There's no need. I'll go out myself!"
"Uchiha Yuuya... have you finally made up your mind?" Aoi Ren stood up with a smile. He had spent so many days simply enjoying Tsunade's company that it was high time he stretched his legs and took care of other matters!
Stepping out of the Senju compound, he found Uchiha Yuuya standing firm and resolute before him.
Without hesitation, Yuuya dropped to his knees and bowed low to the ground in a formal display of submission.
"Captain Aoi, I have decided to renounce the glory and status of my clan. From this day forward, I recognize you as my master!"
You have made the right choice, Yuuya!
Aoi Ren nodded with a satisfied smile. "I give you my word—you will never regret the decision you have made today!"
Character: Aoi Ren
Title: The Future of Konoha
Followers: Orochimaru (100/100), Hyūga Masutari (80/100), Uchiha Yuuya (60/100)
With his third follower secured, Aoi Ren had taken yet another small step forward in his plan to gather loyal companions and strengthen his influence...
"Curse of the Seal of Heaven!"
Aoi Ren pressed his hand against Uchiha Yuuya's neck, marking him with the distinctive symbol.
Immediately, the terrifying natural energy gathered from the Ryūchi Cave surged violently into his body. For a moment, it seemed certain that Yuuya would not survive the process...
But after being forced to swallow several bottles of potent restorative medicine, he managed to endure the pain and pull through.
The moment the marking was complete, Uchiha Yuuya's loyalty rating jumped straight from sixty to seventy!
Demonstrating overwhelming power was only the first step in gaining true allegiance. The second and far more crucial step was granting those followers the strength to stand beside you...
"Power... immense power surging through my body without end!" Uchiha Yuuya lowered his head deeply, his forehead pressed to the ground in reverence.
"From this day onward, I shall be known simply as Yuuya, and I shall fight only for you, my Captain!"
"Yuuya, Konoha is no longer the right place for you to be," Aoi Ren said with a faint smirk. "Go to Genichi Town in the Land of Water. I have left something special waiting there just for you!"
It was worth remembering that Aoi Ren had already entrusted the eyes of Obito Uchiha to Orochimaru...
Those eyes, while perhaps not powerful enough to dominate every single opponent, were nonetheless an exceptionally rare pair of Mangekyō Sharingan with the ability to manipulate space and time.
Possession of even one such eye was more than enough to make its owner a force to be reckoned with across the entire ninja world.
However, Aoi Ren could not help but wonder if Yuuya's body and mind were strong enough to bear such power...
But such concerns were no longer something Aoi Ren needed to worry himself over...
It had been several days since he had eliminated Uchiha Emiki and Uchiha Moni, and the rewards for that deed had been waiting unclaimed for far too long. Now, the time had finally come to open them.
Bright light flickered into existence, and as expected, a Scroll of Training appeared before him. But alongside it was something else—something Aoi Ren had been longing for ever since he first learned of its existence.
"A Life Potion!"
True to its name, this item was essentially equivalent to granting its user a second chance at life. Something this valuable could never be possessed in excess...
However, holding the Basic Training Scroll in his hands, Aoi Ren found himself hesitating.
Should he save it up and collect more scrolls to combine them into an Intermediate version, or should he use it immediately?
After thinking it over carefully, he decided it would be better to use it right away...
After all, the number of major storylines he had experienced or influenced was still quite limited.
Even if he managed to gather enough scrolls to craft an Intermediate one, the range of possible scenarios he could access would still be very small.
"Activate!"
Aoi Ren tore open the scroll. Before his eyes appeared a vision of countless stars stretching across the sky, endless deserts of golden sand, and a young man with dark circles around his eyes and a massive gourd strapped to his back.
"A storyline related to Gaara?"
When his vision cleared and he opened his eyes, a small spider made of white clay slowly descended and landed right in front of his face.
"This creature... it looks strangely familiar!"
A few seconds later, Aoi Ren's eyes flew wide open in realization. "Are you telling me this is that damned thing he calls art?!"
"Explosions... are art! Katsu!"
Almost instinctively, Aoi Ren slammed his palm against the ground. "Earth Release: Earth Flow Rampart!"
With a hand-seal speed of just 0.3 seconds, Aoi Ren managed to summon a defensive wall in time to block the clay spider's detonation.
However, he was still completely covered in dust and debris from the blast. Even without opening his eyes, Aoi Ren knew exactly which point in the timeline he had been transported to...
The mission to reclaim the Tailed Beast, and the mission to rescue the Kazekage!
If his memory served him correctly, this was the very incident in which Deidara single-handedly challenged an entire village, captured the Kazekage of Sunagakure, and announced the existence of the Akatsuki organization to the entire ninja world!
Brushing the dust from his face and clothes, Aoi Ren looked up and, just as he had expected, saw a large bird crafted from white clay soaring high in the sky.
Floating alongside it was a massive sphere of solid sand. At the same moment, the notification for his mission echoed clearly in his mind...
Storyline Mission: Rescue the Kazekage!
Mission Details: Retrieve Gaara, the Kazekage, from the hands of the Akatsuki organization!
Mission Reward: 5,000 points, and a complete set of Deidara's Art Explosives.
"Now that is a generous reward!"
This particular storyline mission was without a doubt the fastest to activate, the most fast-paced, and offered the best rewards he had encountered so far. However...
Aoi Ren simply shook his head with a smile, choosing to remain hidden and allow Deidara and Gaara to continue exchanging blows and testing each other's strength high above.
For the moment, the time had not yet come for him to step onto the stage...
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