Time passed quickly.
Just like that, a week went by.
As the former number one clan of Konoha, the Uchiha had possessed enormous influence in every aspect.
The shockwaves from their extermination continued spreading throughout the ninja world.
The Five Great Nations were shaken, and every major ninja village was alarmed.
No one had expected that the once-legendary Uchiha clan would simply disappear like that.
And the one responsible—
was supposedly a thirteen-year-old boy from their own clan.
It sounded almost unbelievable.
Meanwhile in Konoha,
the Third Hokage and the higher-ups naturally dared not relax their vigilance.
Elite ninja squads were dispatched one after another to patrol the borders.
They intercepted and eliminated spies sent by other villages attempting to infiltrate the Land of Fire and test Konoha's strength.
Konoha wanted to send a clear message:
Even without the Uchiha,
the village remained strong.
Border skirmishes became frequent.
The situation across the ninja world grew increasingly tense.
Inside the village,
unease quietly spread.
Both civilians and low-ranking ninja feared that another war might break out—
ending the fragile peace that had only recently been won after the brutal Third Great Ninja War.
But none of this concerned Ren.
Because—
Akira Naixu had finally reached the end of her life.
For a long time, she had already been running on empty.
Her life had been sustained only by the special chakra filled with vitality that Ren continuously transferred into her body.
Three days earlier,
after entrusting her final wishes to Ren,
the old woman passed away peacefully—
with a smile.
In a quiet cemetery,
Ren stood before Akira Naixu's gravestone, dressed in black.
He remained there silently for a long time.
Naixu had passed away without regrets.
Ren himself did not feel overwhelming grief.
After all,
death was a natural part of life.
Even he—
if he could not someday break the limits of life—
might also be unable to escape the cycle of birth, aging, illness, and death.
Still,
he couldn't help feeling a trace of loss and reluctance.
In this world,
there was now one fewer person who truly cared for him.
After a long while,
Ren bowed deeply before the grave.
This was his farewell to his grandmother.
With help from elders such as Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi, the funeral arrangements had already been completed.
Now—
Ren had no more ties holding him here.
Soon,
he would leave Konoha with his teacher Tsunade.
"Ren…"
A figure in black approached.
It was Yūhi Kurenai.
She placed a bouquet of white chrysanthemums in front of the gravestone.
"Big Sister Kurenai…"
Ren looked toward her.
"You're leaving, aren't you?" Kurenai asked softly.
"Yeah."
Ren nodded.
"Tsunade-nee has already waited a long time because of me."
Kurenai had long regarded him as a little brother.
She gently patted his head, her voice filled with reluctance.
"Take good care of yourself."
Being able to follow a master like Tsunade—
learning while traveling the world—
was undoubtedly a good opportunity.
"I'll come back often."
Ren looked at her beautiful face and said quietly,
"Grandma's grave… I'll have to trouble you to look after it during the holidays, Big Sister Kurenai."
"Don't worry."
Kurenai smiled.
"I'll visit Grandma Naixu regularly."
"I'll also keep your house clean."
"You don't need to worry."
Ren nodded gently.
He trusted her.
"Ren!"
"Big Brother Ren—!"
Two voices sounded from afar.
Tenten and Ino ran toward him,
each holding a bouquet of flowers.
"Looks like your two little girlfriends are here."
Kurenai teased with a smile.
She had seen them many times before.
The girls often came to find Ren, and the three of them frequently trained together.
It was obvious what those two girls were thinking.
Not wanting to interrupt,
Kurenai waved goodbye.
"I'll leave you three alone, Ren."
"See you later, Big Sister Kurenai."
Ren watched her leave.
Then he turned to the two girls who had just arrived.
His mood had improved slightly.
"Why did you two come?"
"We came to see Grandma Naixu," Ino said.
Tenten asked,
"Ren, are you going to the hospital today?"
"Tsunade-nee said I don't need to go anymore."
Ren smiled.
"You came just in time. I was planning to say goodbye to you two."
He took out two scrolls from his pocket.
One for each of them.
"These are gifts for you."
The gift for Ino
was something Ren had spent several days compiling.
It contained his insights on chakra control and chakra perception training.
Perfect for helping her better master the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques.
The gift for Tenten
was something else entirely.
Using the leftover materials,
Ren had designed and crafted a flying puppet.
Inside the storage scroll that sealed the puppet,
there was also another scroll.
It recorded his notes and experience with puppet techniques.
Ren had even consulted Tsunade—
who had fought many powerful puppet masters from Sunagakure—
to refine the knowledge.
He also designed a training path for Tenten's future growth.
If she followed the training plan carefully,
she might someday become a truly outstanding puppet master.
"You're leaving already, Big Brother Ren…?"
"So soon…?"
Although the girls weren't completely surprised—
since Ren had mentioned it before—
they still looked at him with reluctant eyes.
"Don't worry."
Ren placed a hand on each of their heads.
He gently rubbed their hair and smiled.
"It's not like I'm never coming back."
"But when I do return…"
"I'll be checking your training."
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