The victory on the Land of Wind front was absolute. The Hidden Sand Village had surrendered completely, which left the Kazekage seething with rage!
He had intended to use Chiyo's death as leverage for a favorable peace treaty, perhaps even extorting some resources from Konoha. But because of Kiruga's reckless insubordination, the Sand had ended up as the defeated party with a massive number of prisoners in Konoha's hands. Now, they were the ones who would have to pay up!
On the Main Road
"Going home~!"
Ren Kurogane and his group were in high spirits. With the war over, they could finally return to the village and pursue their own interests. For Ren, the biggest haul from this trip was the usage rights to Tsunade's laboratory. Since Tsunade herself rarely used it, it was effectively his private playground now!
I'll find a chance to draw blood from the Uchiha, Senju, Uzumaki, and Hyuga... and kickstart my "Artificial Otsutsuki Project"! Ren thought gleefully.
Behind him, Nawaki was moping. He hadn't contributed anything meaningful to the battlefield, which was a far cry from the "legendary hero" fantasy he had in his head. However, no one was paying much attention to his teenage angst; they were all just looking forward to a few days of peace.
"I heard the fighting on the Hidden Stone front is also winding down. That's good news," Tsunade said with a bright smile. She looked at her moping brother and nudged him. "Stop looking so gloomy. Cheer up!"
"Heh... I'm trying..." Nawaki replied half-heartedly.
"Hm?" Tsunade tightened her fist slightly, a dangerous hum vibrating in her throat.
Nawaki instantly snapped to attention, flashing a giant, fake grin. "I'm just so excited to see Grandma Mito! I can't contain my joy!"
Tsunade nodded, satisfied, before shifting her gaze to Ren, who was leading the group. "Ren, what are your plans now?"
"Me?" Ren turned back, his eyes meeting Tsunade's. He smiled. "Continuing my training, of course. And maybe a few small experiments!"
At the mention of experiments, everyone's interest piqued. They were all curious about what Ren was cooking up.
"Ren, what kind of experiments? More stuff like the penicillin?" Minato asked.
"Of course not! What I'm researching is..." Ren paused purposefully, relishing their curious gazes. "Not telling you!"
"You brat!" "May the heavens strike you for leaving us hanging!"
The group groaned in protest, but Ren held his tongue. Tsunade didn't press further; as long as it wasn't a matter of ethics, she didn't mind. Her grand-uncle had been a mad scientist too, after all. As long as he didn't experiment on Konoha villagers, he was fine.
After handing over the Sand prisoners to the Anbu midway, the group reported to the Third Hokage. Hiruzen looked at Ren with a warm smile. "Ren, that jutsu of yours... it's an advanced version of the Rasengan, right? Are there any side effects?"
Hiruzen had known about the Rasengan for a while—Ren hadn't hidden it and had even taught it to Minato. But the training difficulty was immense; the extreme form transformation was beyond most shinobi. If it weren't so hard, Hiruzen would have made it a mandatory skill for the whole village.
"Side effects? I haven't noticed any," Ren said. He didn't mention the technical drawbacks he knew from "future knowledge" because, with his current God-level physique, the jutsu didn't actually harm him.
Minato spoke up: "Lord Hokage! I have some insights regarding the side effects of the Rasenshuriken."
Hiruzen turned to him. Minato explained, "Because it adds Wind Nature transformation to extreme Form transformation, it places an incredible strain on the user. Based on my recent attempts, if the user's physical durability isn't high enough, the technique's backlash could cause severe, permanent injury."
Hiruzen frowned. "High physical durability?" He looked at Ren. "Ren, do you practice specialized Taijutsu?"
"I don't," Ren said without hesitation. "But I've discovered a new cultivation method that significantly boosts my physical stats. That's why I'm a bit sturdier than Minato and the others. However, it seems I'm the only one who can pull it off; the others haven't had any luck."
Curious, Hiruzen asked for a demonstration. Ren didn't hold back, sitting down and immediately beginning to absorb natural energy.
After watching for a few seconds, Hiruzen let out a dry laugh. "That's Senjutsu (Sage Art). No wonder they can't mimic it."
"Senjutsu?" Minato and the others looked at the Hokage in surprise. They hadn't expected him to recognize it instantly.
"Indeed. Tsunade knows about it too; you can ask her for details later," Hiruzen smiled. He then looked at Ren. "You must have a very specific sensory talent that allows you to capture natural energy directly to enter your own 'Sage Mode.' It is truly a cultivation unique to you."
Ren nodded, feigning a look of sudden realization. "So that's why they couldn't do it! I thought if I could do it, surely Minato could too. Turns out it's just my exclusive perk~"
The others, who had been feeling a bit disappointed, were now just speechless. Minato gave a wry smile; he felt like Ren was overestimating him, considering he was always one step behind his friend anyway.
After determining that the Rasenshuriken was a high-risk technique, Hiruzen officially classified it as a Forbidden Jutsu, with Ren being the only one authorized to use it freely. He then handed Ren a hefty sum of money as a reward and dismissed them.
"With this much cash, my living expenses for the next ten years are covered! WOO-HOO!" Ren cheered, his face full of joy.
The others looked on in envy. Their rewards were generous—standard for returning war heroes—but compared to the chest Ren was carrying, it looked like pocket change. Plus, Tsunade mentioned that Ren would receive monthly royalties for the penicillin.
Ren had officially escaped poverty and reached the peak of financial freedom! Even if he retired as a ninja today, he'd never want for money again.
"I'm in a great mood today! Barbecue is on me!"
"OH!! Long live Master!"
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