On the battlefield, Choza and Minato were like cranes among a flock of chickens. Everywhere they passed, the enemy fell like wheat before a scythe! Their dazzling performance inevitably drew the attention of those with discerning eyes.
On the Konoha side, Tsunade, who was currently occupied with Chiyo, swept her gaze over Minato and thought to herself, As expected of the junior the old man favored. This level of strength is far beyond what we possessed at that age!
She thought back to what they were doing at Minato's age. Their heads were filled with nothing but playing. Even on missions, they had a teacher leading them; as long as they didn't do anything suicidal, their lives were never in real danger. Yet here were Minato and the others, younger than she had been, forced to slaughter enemies on a battlefield.
Is this a sign of the village weakening?
Or is it just a sign of how irresponsible Jiraiya is! Tsunade thought helplessly. She didn't know what the old man, the Third, was thinking—handing these two geniuses over to that irresponsible fool and then sending them to the front lines. Even if they had passed the Chunin Exams, they were still just children! Sending children to war easily breeds darkness in the heart—a darkness that often lingers for a lifetime.
"To daydream while fighting me... Tsunade, you really don't know how to respect your elders!" Chiyo noticed Tsunade's lapse in focus and sneered. "They aren't very old; likely rookies who just graduated this year, right? Shall I send someone to kill those brats? It would be a mercy to release them from this world."
"Heh, focus on what's in front of you, old hag!" Tsunade's gaze turned cold. She loathed Chiyo's provocations. Of all the Sand ninja, she hated this old woman the most. The hag was covered in poisons; one touch could cost you half your life, and even if you survived, your body would be ruined, ending your career as a shinobi.
Worst of all, Tsunade hadn't yet found a way to neutralize her toxins!
In the distance, Ren Kurogane felt several sharp gazes land on him. Glancing around, he noticed a white-haired man watching him briefly.
White hair, short blade... is that the White Fang? Ren thought. I've been staying so low-profile, yet I'm still being watched?
Well, let them watch. Without their attention, he'd have no excuse to build a rapport with them! Besides wanting to save the White Fang in a few years, Ren was also eyeing the man's swordsmanship. Most of his current abilities came from "freeloading" off other versions of himself, so he wanted to contribute something back. If he mastered swordsmanship to a high degree, the Ren in the One Piece world might suddenly become a master swordsman.
Squelch—
Casually killing a Sand ninja who tried to ambush him, Ren suddenly felt the ambient temperature spike!
"Scorch Style!"
With a sharp cry, an orange-red fireball hurtled toward him. Ren leaned to the side, but he still felt the searing heat as it passed. Looking up, he saw a young girl with dark green hair and orange-yellow tips, panting as she glared at him.
She had a refined complexion and a well-proportioned build. She looked about Ren's age, likely a fresh graduate herself—assuming the Sand had an academy of their own.
Scorch Style, that hair color... it's Pakura, no doubt. What a great figure! Ren thought, though he maintained a fierce expression on his face. He flicked his wrist and threw several shuriken at her!
Pakura rolled and dodged the attack with ease.
Strange? His attack style wasn't like that before? Pakura was confused. She had been observing Ren for a while; every time he moved, he killed a Sand ninja effortlessly, never missing. That was why she had risked using her still-unfamiliar Scorch Style to try and cripple him in a surprise attack. She hadn't expected him to dodge so cleanly, without even a singe.
But according to his previous performance, his counter-attack with the shuriken shouldn't have been this... amateur.
Is he testing me? Pakura immediately rationalized. The power of Scorch Style is terrifying. After experiencing it at close range, he isn't sure if I can fire again. He's trying to make me drop my guard so he can find an opening for a one-hit kill!
As Pakura's mind spun a grand drama of tactical intrigue, Ren's thoughts were much simpler.
This girl isn't bad. She'll be a real beauty later. I should save her when Rasa tries to backstab her in the future~ Ren squinted his eyes, wondering how many wives he should eventually have.
Hm? He's squinting! Is he feeling murderous intent? Alarms blared in Pakura's mind. Her muscles tightened, and she felt a chill run down her spine despite the heat. Even though Ren hadn't moved, the strength he'd shown earlier was far beyond a Chunin's level. Combined with her own overthinking, she was terrified he'd suddenly lunge and end her!
In the midst of her tension, Ren suddenly gave her a friendly smile and threw a kunai.
Zip!Sizzle—
"A paper bomb?! You @#$%..."
BOOM!!
The bomb detonated. Just as Pakura thought she was dead, she realized the explosion had hit the mound of earth in front of her, kicking up a massive cloud of dirt that buried her completely.
This wasn't an attack—it was the perfect camouflage!
What happened? Did he miss? How is that possible? He just... whatever, he must have slipped. I need to get out of here!
After observing that there were no other threats nearby and that Ren had already turned away, Pakura seized the opportunity and fled the area immediately!
Ren didn't look back, but his Observation Haki followed her movements. Once he sensed she had reached safety, he let out a mental sigh of relief.
Speaking of which, there really aren't many pretty girls in Konoha at this stage...
Aside from Kushina, there was only Mikoto Uchiha. But she was a high-born Uchiha and three years older than Ren; by the time he graduated, she had already been a Chunin working in the Police Force for years.
Dodging another ambush, Ren slapped a Rasengan into the attacker's chest!
BOOM!!
The Rasengan erupted, sending the man's body spiraling back several meters and carving a deep trench into the ground.
Seeing this, the surrounding Sand ninja panicked, looking at Ren with pure terror.
"What kind of jutsu is that?!" "An A-rank jutsu! It has to be! To think a kid could use that!" "Look at his age, he must be a Konoha prodigy. If we kill him, Konoha will be grieving for a long time!"
Some fled in fear, wanting to stay as far away from the blue sphere as possible. Others, however, looked on with predatory excitement, thinking that killing a genius like Ren would be a massive achievement—the kind that leads to promotions and riches!
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