"Ren, hurry up!"
At the gates of Konoha.
Shizune, holding Tonton, waved at Ren, who was walking over with a backpack and a fresh set of casual clothes.
Beside him stood Kurenai, Tenten, and Ino.
"So we're finally leaving. The air outside really is fresher."
Tsunade stretched lazily, her beautiful curves fully on display.
A hint of relief appeared on her pretty face.
If not for making sure Ren could leave the village without worries, she would never have stayed in Konoha this long.
Especially after what happened with the Uchiha clan, which only made her even more disgusted and disappointed with the Third Hokage and the village leadership.
"This kid sure has good luck with women."
Glancing at Tenten and Ino—both with teary eyes, reluctant to see Ren leave—Tsunade couldn't help but chuckle.
If she had met someone like Ren back when she was at the Ninja Academy—
handsome and incredibly talented—
she might have been tempted too.
Not to mention these young girls.
"Well then, I'm heading out."
Ren comforted the two girls and said with a smile:
"Remember to train hard. When I come back, I'll be checking."
Then he turned to Kurenai, who had come to see him off.
He stepped forward and hugged her.
Looking up with his handsome young face,
his gaze briefly crossed the impressive curves of her chest before meeting her delicate features.
"Big Sister Kurenai, I'm leaving the house in your care."
"Mm, don't worry."
Feeling Ren's attachment to her, Kurenai smiled warmly.
"Take care of yourself out there."
"And don't throw tantrums. Listen to Lady Tsunade, okay?"
Ren nodded with a grin.
"Got it!"
"Safe travels, Big Brother Ren!"
"Goodbye, Ren! We'll wait for you to come back!"
"Bye!"
With his backpack on,
Ren left the Konoha gates under the watchful eyes of Kurenai, Ino, and Tenten.
Soon he caught up with Tsunade and Shizune.
Two adults and one child—
their three figures gradually disappeared into the distance.
"Finished saying goodbye to your two little girlfriends?"
Tsunade teased.
"Not two—three."
Ren replied confidently without blushing.
"Big Sister Kurenai counts too."
"You brat…"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
Beside them, Shizune looked at him speechlessly.
"Junior brother, boys shouldn't be too flirtatious."
"Bwee~ bwee~!"
Tonton squealed as if agreeing.
"That's because they lack ability."
Ren folded his arms proudly.
"I'm destined to become the man of the Fifth Hokage… no, the King of the Forest!"
Naturally,
Ren believed the more women he had, the better.
As a future "tentacle monster," he didn't need to worry about taking turns or making anyone wait.
Even if dozens showed up at once—
he could handle it.
"Hokage, huh?"
Shizune blinked in surprise before laughing softly.
"Then you'll need to work hard, junior brother."
She knew very well how terrifying Ren's talent was.
It was no worse than that of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
And just like Minato,
he was also a disciple of one of the Three Legendary Sannin.
Becoming the Fifth Hokage might not actually be impossible.
"Hokage…"
Tsunade suddenly froze.
She stopped walking.
Looking at Ren's young yet handsome face,
a memory flashed through her mind.
A boy wearing a Konoha forehead protector once stood proudly and said:
"Big sister! I'll become Hokage like Grandpa and protect everyone!"
Her younger brother… Nawaki.
"You've got a long way to go, brat."
Tsunade snapped back to reality.
She flicked Ren on the forehead.
Although her words were harsh,
she quickly turned her head away,
not wanting anyone to see the faint moisture in her eyes.
Looking back at the distant Konoha gate, which was almost out of sight,
she thought silently:
If it's you… maybe Konoha really could become different.
But what she didn't know—
was that Ren's thoughts were far from pure.
What he meant by becoming "the man of the Fifth Hokage"
was not becoming the Hokage.
He meant becoming the man of the Fifth Hokage.
If Tsunade realized that,
she would probably beat him senseless.
"Little bugs, huh?"
Ren glanced casually toward the depths of the forest.
A faint smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
The right hand resting on his left arm quietly formed a hand seal.
"Heh… just keep walking in circles for a while."
Soon,
the three master and disciples continued chatting as they walked farther away.
Their figures gradually vanished.
Meanwhile,
two Root operatives secretly following them in the shadows
kept moving forward.
But after circling several times,
their expressions suddenly changed.
They realized—
they had been walking in circles the entire time.
The three figures ahead of them,
who had seemed to walk continuously without stopping,
were actually fake.
Cold sweat broke out across their backs.
"Release!"
The scenery around them shifted.
The three figures ahead disappeared instantly.
"Damn it… it was genjutsu!"
One of the Root members looked grim.
"When did we get caught?"
The other was equally confused.
They had no idea when they had fallen under the illusion.
"They noticed us long ago…"
"That kid is terrifying."
According to Root's intelligence,
Akira Ren was not only skilled in medical ninjutsu,
but also extremely proficient in genjutsu.
He had once easily subdued a Root operative sent by Danzō to test him.
"Should we continue?"
"Since we've already been discovered, there's no point."
After a moment's hesitation,
the leader made his decision.
"If that legendary Sannin loses her temper, things could get troublesome."
"Let's report back to Lord Danzō first."
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The two figures disappeared into the forest.
But what they didn't know—
after they left,
a faint face, vaguely resembling Ren's,
quietly appeared on the tree trunk right beside them.
It watched them leave in silence.
---------------------------------◇ Bonus Chapter Rewards ◇--------------------------------------
◇ Every 10 Reviews = 1 Bonus Chapter
◇ Every 100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◇ You can read 60 chapters ahead on Patreon if you're interested:
patreon.com/Luna023
Your support helps the story grow and motivates faster updates.