"Planning something, huh? I'm a little curious now."
Renji casually flipped through Icha Icha Paradise, though his peripheral vision tracked Naruto and the others moving quickly through the forest.
After repeated frontal clashes, they had realized the overwhelming gap in strength and abandoned direct assault.
Good judgment.
Their thinking already surpassed many Genin in Konaha.
It must be the Uchiha brat planning something.
After all, Naruto… is very stupid.
As for Sakura—
She was clever, but she lacked the confidence to command Sasuke.
Renji smirked. "Work hard, Stinky Brats. I've given you plenty of openings."
He had deliberately exposed flaws the entire time.
Especially while eating just now.
If Team 7 had rushed him together, even kicking up dust, he would have pretended to protect his bento and taken one step back instinctively.
They would've passed.
He would've collected the master-disciple system reward.
But Sasuke was too clever.
A Kage-level Expert calmly eating while under threat?
Obviously bait.
"Strange. You're actually taking this seriously."
A pleasant voice sounded nearby.
Kurenai appeared, leaning against a tree trunk. Her red eyes shimmered with curiosity as she studied Renji.
"You're seriously teaching Genin? That's unexpected."
"Seriously? I suppose," Renji replied casually. "I value promises. If I agree to something, I do it properly."
Kurenai snorted. "You say that after being late on the first day?"
Renji shrugged. "I'm a responsible adult. I have many things to be busy with at night."
"Heh. Busy chasing women?"
"Are you a resentful wife whose husband cheats outside and still greets him with a smile?" Renji shot back.
"You're the resentful one!" Kurenai snapped. "Keep talking nonsense and I'll get angry!"
She composed herself, then asked more seriously, "Why are you really teaching Team 7? Even if Kakashi asked, you'd normally ignore him."
In her eyes, Renji was absurdly strong.
Years ago, when she took the Chunin promotion exam, Renji had been her examiner—despite being younger than her.
He had simply looked at her and said, "You're still too weak," and failed her on the spot.
She had cried from frustration.
Since then, she had never forgotten him.
Renji sucked on a lollipop and said lightly, "Life rarely goes as planned. Do you think I enjoy teaching these troublesome brats?"
He held the lollipop toward her. "Want some?"
Kurenai smiled dangerously. "If you dare hand it over, I dare cut you up."
Renji laughed. "Can you? It's very hard, you know."
"Hooligan!" she snapped, cheeks faintly flushed.
Renji's tone shifted slightly. "Anyway, I'm entrusting Hinata to you. She's hardworking."
"I don't need you to tell me that," Kurenai replied. "And don't take advantage of her."
Renji clicked his tongue. "What kind of brother would do that? Unless the sister is too alluring."
"..."
"Relax. I'm joking."
He tilted his head. "So? You didn't come just to reminisce."
Kurenai grew serious and handed him a scroll. "Kakashi is on a mission. He asked me to give you this."
Her brows tightened. "Naruto once accidentally drew out the Nine-Tails' chakra. This seal suppresses it."
She hated the Nine-Tails.
But she knew the difference.
Naruto was Naruto.
The Nine-Tails was the Nine-Tails.
Renji's lips curved. "Nine-Tails berserk? Sounds interesting."
"Sōgetsu… don't tell me you're thinking—"
"I have restraint," Renji interrupted calmly. "If there's an opportunity in the future, I might test it."
He activated his Tenseigan and glanced toward a distant, seemingly empty hill.
Several Root ANBU were hiding there.
Danzo's people.
"So that's what Danzo's worried about," Renji muttered. "The Nine-Tails brat losing control."
He raised his hand lazily.
"I hate being watched."
Black chakra gathered in his palm.
Dense.
Oppressive.
Destructive.
It condensed into a pitch-black sphere, swirling with terrifying power.
Kurenai's pupils shrank.
"This is—?!"
The dark sphere hovered above Renji's palm.
Truth-Seeking Orb.
...
Author's Update 18+ 📢
The fanfic Naruto: Raised by Kushina, Took His Brother's Wife – Part 1 is now officially fully completed!
It is now available on Patreon for all tiers, including the lowest Tier 1.
The complete Part 1 has been uploaded on Patreon.
📚 Category: Naruto 18+
🔗 patreon.com/Shadow_demon_007
Thank you all for your continuous love, support, and patience for this story 💙