Ren didn't really want to show off his abilities, but as Hikari leaned in closer, a faint, refreshing fragrance wafted from her, making him feel incredibly comfortable.
"Fine, fine. I'll only show you once."
As he spoke, Ren reached out and took Hikari's small hand. Under her curious gaze, his pupils shifted, transforming into an eerie, blood-red pattern. In that instant, Hikari felt the world around her slow down until, eventually, everything entered a state of complete stillness.
"This!" Hikari's mouth hung open slightly, her large eyes filled with disbelief. "Is this your ocular power? It's... a time-type ability?"
Ren nodded, speaking calmly to the frozen world alongside her. "I've told you my most important secret. You better not breathe a word of this!"
"I know, I know! Can't you trust me?" Hikari smiled brilliantly. "This ability is terrifyingly broken! Against the power of time, who could possibly stand against you?"
Deactivating the ability, Ren said with a smirk, "Exactly. So, keep it a secret! Even if my Sharingan is exposed later, we'll just tell people it's a technique that increases my personal speed!"
"Mhm!" Hikari nodded sweetly. "And what about your other eye's ability?"
The moment she finished speaking, Hikari suddenly felt a strange sensation on her backside—as if someone had just given it a light squeeze.
She looked at the grinning Ren in front of her, and for a moment, she even forgot to be embarrassed. She covered her mouth in shock. "No... way?"
Ren nodded. "Exactly. It's exactly what you're thinking. Keep it under wraps!"
Hikari nodded, then feigned anger. "Where did you just touch me?!"
Ren held up his right hand, squeezing his fingers twice in the empty air as if savoring the memory. Hikari's face turned scarlet instantly, and she raised her small fists as if to strike. Ren turned and bolted, and the two began a playful chase throughout the large villa.
That evening, Hikari and Ren lay snuggled together on the large sofa. After the day's revelations, their bond had grown even closer. If they weren't still so young, they might not have been wearing clothes at all.
Hikari traced circles on Ren's chest with her finger. "I still feel like you're hiding things from me, but I'm a generous lady, so I won't press you. However, don't go bringing too many people back here. This house only has so many rooms. If we run out of space, I'll be truly angry!"
"Yes, yes! Thank you for your immense generosity, Lady Hikari!"
"By the way, when is Konan-chan coming over?"
"Probably a few years? She doesn't plan on moving here yet."
"Well, you have the Flying Raijin now, so you can go over whenever..." Hikari suddenly poked Ren's chest with a bit of force, her tone turning pensive. "Speaking of which, you've been disappearing for stretches of time lately. You went to see Konan, didn't you? You always come back with a strange scent. I didn't think much of it before, but it just hit me—that scent is very suspicious!"
Ren's face turned red. He cleared his throat twice. "Well... about that... you see..."
After stammering for a while, Ren decided the best defense was a good offense and pinned Hikari to the sofa.
"Kyaa! What are you doing?!"
Looking at Hikari's playful smile, Ren didn't want to hold back for another second! If he couldn't "finish the meal" yet, surely he could at least have some appetizers?
That night, in the living room, the kitchen, the bathtub, the hallway, and the bedroom, two figures flickered constantly, as if someone had pressed the fast-forward button on life.
Following that day, Ren became even busier. If it weren't for his Shadow Clones handling the lab research, he would have had to put his scientific identity on hold entirely.
"Actually, with a version of me in the Zombie Brother world, I don't really need to be this obsessed with research myself..."
Once the thought of slacking off appeared, it was impossible to stop. For the next few days, Ren immersed himself in a "gentle village" of domestic bliss.
One afternoon, Mikoto and Kushina came over to drag Hikari out for a shopping spree. Under Ren's lingering, longing gaze, Hikari hurriedly ran out with her friends.
Once they were clear of the house, Hikari let out a sigh of relief. Seeing the odd looks from her two friends, her face flushed. she crossed her arms and said huffily, "Don't get the wrong idea! He's just been so clingy lately that it was getting annoying. I just wanted some fresh air!"
Kushina and Mikoto shared a look, wondering why Hikari was acting so tsundere all of a sudden.
After the trio left, Ren slowly sat up and stretched luxuriously. Looking at the distant sky, he murmured, "This domestic life is too comfortable. But I'm not invincible yet. It's not time to rest."
He sighed, intending to pull himself together and get back to work, when Minato suddenly appeared in his courtyard. He had been gone for a week.
Seeing Ren, Minato spoke with a dead-serious expression. "Ren! I've discovered something absolutely horrific!"
"What is it?" Ren asked calmly, waiting for the details.
"It's hard to explain. Quick, come with me!"
Minato placed a hand on Ren's shoulder. The next moment, the scenery shifted, and the pungent stench of blood slammed into Ren's senses!
Ren instinctively raised a hand to cover his nose. Looking at the mass grave in front of him, he frowned. "Minato, why did you bring me here?"
"To investigate the truth, of course!" Minato pointed at the pit of corpses with a grave face. "These people were all drained of their blood. I suspect an evil ninja is behind this! If they're killing innocents here today, they'll kill elsewhere tomorrow. If we let this go, who knows how many more will suffer?"
Ren was well-acquainted with Minato's personality—he was a man who neared perfection. Faced with such a heinous crime, Minato could never just look the other way.
"Fine, fine... I'll help you investigate..." Ren sighed helplessly. He was already here, after all. Besides, his life had been a bit too peaceful lately; he felt a spark of curiosity about this new "fun."
The two jumped into the pit to examine the bodies.
Minato, who had already done a preliminary check, spoke up. "Every one of them was drained dry. They've only been dead for a few days."
Ren picked up the thread. "So, you're saying if we wait here, we can catch the person dumping the bodies?"
"Exactly!"
"Then why did you call me?" Ren asked, confused.
Minato laughed sheepishly. "I was worried I might not be able to handle it alone. With you here, our success is guaranteed!"
Ren was speechless, but since he was already committed, they found a hidden spot to hunker down and wait for the culprit.
While crouching, Ren carefully observed one of the mummified corpses. Most of them were frozen in expressions of terror, likely having suffered immense torture before death. But as he looked through them, he noticed one corpse with a faint smile on its face. It wasn't a smile of pleasure—it looked like... relief.
"A bit like... liberation?"