The first report came quietly.
A courier hawk landed on a watchtower in Tanzaku Gai. Another message was intercepted near the Fire–Earth border. A coded dispatch reached the underground intelligence network of the smaller nations.
It didn't look dramatic at first, it was just a directive.
Stone Village: Flee on sight order issued for Ren Senju of Konohagakure.
For a few seconds, people thought it was either misinformation or a clerical exaggeration. Flee on sight directives were not handed out casually, they weren't emotional reactions, they were strategic admissions.
It meant one thing.
If you see him, you run.
Within hours, the directive was confirmed. The Tsuchikage had signed it personally and that alone was enough to shake people.
But the shock didn't stop there, not even half a day later, another message began circulating, this one louder, harder to ignore.
Cloud Village issues similar flee on sight order for Ren Senju.
Now people stopped dismissing it as rumor.
Two Great Villages, two Kage-level military powers. Both formally instructing their forces to avoid a twelve-year-old boy at all costs.
The reaction across the ninja world was strange. It was not panic or outrage but something closer to disbelief.
Then, as if the universe wasn't done humiliating logic yet, a third piece of news dropped like a boulder into still water.
Reports confirmed that shortly before issuing the flee directives, Stone and Cloud forces had launched a coordinated strike against Ren Senju.
No official details were released, no casualty numbers, no names, no breakdown of rank.
Only one thing was confirmed, they had lost and that was it.
The statement was clean and dry, a joint attack had been carried out, the target survived, the attackers failed.
When people put the pieces together, the failed joint assault, followed by the flee directive, the conclusion was obvious.
Whatever happened in that encounter had not gone well.
There was no way two villages would issue retreat orders immediately after an engagement unless something had gone catastrophically wrong and since there were no war drums, no mobilization announcements, no emergency drafts…
It meant they couldn't afford escalation.
Which meant the losses must have been heavy.
Whispers spread faster than facts.
"Did he defeat an S-ranker?"
"How many did he fight?"
"Was the Eight-Tails involved?"
"No way it was just regular jonin…"
Speculation ran wild.
The smaller nations reacted first.
Mercenary groups updated their risk lists overnight.
Missing-nin intelligence circles began marking his name with red ink.
Somewhere in a backroom tavern in the Land of Rivers, an information broker muttered, "Add him to the untouchable category."
Ren Senju's name stopped being just the "future Hokage."
It became something else.
A variable, a walking disaster zone.
At present, very few shinobi in the world carried flee on sight directives.
They were reserved for monsters.
In the Leaf alone, there were only three active names under that classification.
Jiraiya.
Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Tsunade Senju.
Before them, legends like Minato Namikaze and Sakumo Hatake had carried that weight.
Those were names spoken carefully, names that shifted battle formations, names that made commanders reconsider entire strategies.
Minato had once been the youngest shinobi to ever receive a flee on sight order. A prodigy whose mere appearance on a battlefield could reverse outcomes. For years, people believed that record would never be broken. It had been a product of war, of chaos, of a once-in-a-generation genius.
Now the record was shattered.
By a twelve-year-old and not from one village but from two, simultaneously.
The nickname resurfaced almost immediately, the Blue Menace.
Some said it mockingly at first, others said it with awe.
Soon, it was joined by the other titles.
The Azure Dragon of the Leaf.
The Future Fifth.
The Boy Who Made Two Kage Hesitate.
Stories exaggerated quickly, as they always did.
Some claimed he had fought alone against a hundred.
Some claimed he had outmaneuvered entire elite squads without breaking a sweat.
Some insisted he had laughed while doing it.
The truth didn't matter anymore, perception did and perception had shifted permanently.
In the Land of Lightning, young shinobi were warned quietly during training briefings.
"If you ever encounter Ren Senju, you disengage immediately."
In the Land of Earth, commanders adjusted patrol routes near Fire territory.
"Do not provoke the Future Fifth."
Even villages that had no direct involvement began reassessing.
The Mist's intelligence division requested updated files.
The Sand took note.
The smaller nations recalculated alliances.
All because of one name.
~~~
By the time the delegation caravan crossed the outer checkpoints of Konoha, the news had already outrun them.
Rumors had entered through merchants, messenger hawks, and traveling shinobi who never quite admitted how they knew things before official announcements did. Word had spread that two great villages had issued flee-on-sight orders. Word had spread that a joint strike had failed. Word had spread that Ren Senju had walked away untouched.
And now, the village waited.
The main street leading from the gates toward the Hokage Tower was packed. Civilians stood shoulder to shoulder. Shopkeepers had abandoned their counters. Academy students had climbed onto fences and rooftops. Even off-duty shinobi lingered in visible clusters, pretending they just happened to be nearby.
The caravan appeared at last.
Dust kicked up behind the procession, Jonin walked in steady formation, negotiation elders kept dignified expressions, ANBU shadows flickered across rooftops.
And in the center of it all, Ren walked casually, sunglasses in place like nothing in the world had changed.
For a brief second, there was silence.
Then someone shouted his name.
"Ren-sama!"
Another voice joined in.
Then another.
And then it became something else entirely.
"Ren! Ren! Ren! Ren!"
The chant synchronized almost unnaturally, echoing through the streets, bouncing off buildings, rising toward the Hokage Monument itself.
It wasn't forced or organized, it was instinctive.
For the other villages, Ren was a threat, for Konoha, he was reassurance.
He was proof that the next generation wasn't weaker. He was proof that the Leaf didn't have to bow or apologize anymore.
Even those who had been hesitant about naming him the Fifth Hokage, the older merchants, the conservative clan elders, the cautious bureaucrats, now stood among the cheering crowd. Flee-on-sight directives weren't handed out to ordinary shinobi. They were given to legends.
And legends made people feel safe.
The caravan continued forward slowly, almost swallowed by the noise. Some shinobi tried to maintain composure, but even they couldn't fully suppress faint smiles.
Ren, meanwhile, lifted one hand lazily in acknowledgment but it only made the chanting grow louder.
It didn't stop when the caravan passed.
It followed them.
The sound chased them all the way up the steps to the Hokage Tower.
Only once the heavy doors closed behind the delegation did the roar of the village finally dim into a distant hum.
Inside, things were quieter and formal.
Homura adjusted his robes slightly as they moved toward Hiruzen's office. Itachi walked calmly beside Ren, face composed, though his eyes had flickered once at the intensity of the reception.
When they entered the Hokage's office, Hiruzen was already waiting.
He had heard the noise outside and he didn't need a report to know what had happened.
Still, he listened carefully as Homura summarized the final agreements, the material transfers, the public statements, and the reactions from Stone and Cloud.
When the details of the flee-on-sight directives were mentioned, Hiruzen's eyes sharpened briefly and when he heard about the rap battle, he actually laughed.
A full, pleased, booming laugh that filled the room.
"You did good," he said, looking at Ren.
Ren blinked.
"Doing that rap battle was clever," Hiruzen continued, folding his hands. "After such heavy negotiations, hostility could have lingered. That kind of tension breeds future conflict but your actions shifted the atmosphere."
Ren stared at him.
Hiruzen nodded thoughtfully. "It showed strength, yes. But it also showed magnanimity. It showed that the Leaf is not pursuing escalation. We enforced consequences and then stepped back."
Ren's brain took a second to catch up.
'When did I do that?' he thought blankly.
He had just wanted to have fun.
He had seen B, felt the tension, and thought, Why not?
'How had that turned into diplomatic strategy?'
He mentally shrugged.
'Oh well. All's well that ends well.'
Itachi glanced at him sideways, the faintest hint of knowing amusement in his eyes, but Ren ignored it and rolled his shoulders slightly.
"It was no big deal," Ren said casually. "But if everything's done, I wanna rest. It's been a while since I slept properly."
Hiruzen smiled, softening slightly.
"Of course. You've done enough for now. Go and take your time. When you're ready, come to my office again. We'll begin your training properly."
Ren nodded once.
"Got it."
The next second, he flickered away without ceremony and the room felt marginally emptier after he left.
Hiruzen turned his gaze toward Itachi.
"Itachi-Kun," he said calmly. "Young Ren may have plans for you in the future. I don't know what role he sees for you yet. But if you intend to be his shadow, you will need leadership experience."
Itachi straightened slightly.
"You should also start coming here," Hiruzen continued. "Observe and learn. Leadership is not just strength. It's understanding weight."
Itachi nodded respectfully.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
He turned and left as well, the door closing quietly behind him.
Finally, only Hiruzen and Homura remained.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Hiruzen looked at him with a small, knowing smile.
"So," he asked lightly, "how were they?"
Homura exhaled slowly as he adjusted his glasses.
"Perfect," he said at last.
Hiruzen's laughter returned, deep and satisfied. He stood and walked toward the window, hands clasped behind his back, looking out over the village.
The streets were still buzzing.
Children were still shouting Ren's name somewhere in the distance.
Shopkeepers were already exaggerating stories.
The sun dipped slightly lower, casting warm light over the rooftops.
Hiruzen's smile lingered, but there was something else in his eyes too, relief and anticipation.
'Just a few more years,' he thought.
A few more years until he could finally step down without fear of leaving the village unguarded. A few more years until the next sun truly rose over Konoha.
Behind him, Homura quietly took his leave and Hiruzen returned to his desk and picked up the next stack of reports.
~~~
~Takahashi Residence~
Ren didn't head to the Senju Compound immediately after leaving the Hokage Tower. Instead, almost out of habit, he flickered toward his old house.
The Takahashi residence stood quiet at the edge of the district, light spilling across the wooden porch. For a moment he just stood there, hands in his pockets, staring at the sliding door like he expected it to open on its own.
He pushed it aside and stepped in.
Silence.
The air inside felt different. The whole house was clean and hollow. The shelves were cleared. The table where they used to eat had been removed. Even the kitchen drawers were empty.
He opened one of them just to check and Not even a single chopstick remained.
He didn't linger and the next second, space rippled faintly and he vanished.
He reappeared in front of Juichi inside the Senju Compound courtyard.
"Gah!"
Juichi stumbled back half a step, nearly dropping the small stack of papers in his hand before catching himself. He glared at Ren with a mixture of irritation and faint panic.
"Don't do that!" Juichi snapped. "I've stopped being used to it since Minato died."
Ren grinned lazily, hands still in his pockets.
"Well, you should get used to it again. I'll be doing this a lot more in the future."
Juichi stepped forward and bonked him sharply on the head.
"Just try doing it again, you brat."
Ren laughed, rubbing his head exaggeratedly.
"Violence, in my own home, I'm oppressed."
Juichi snorted. "Oppressed my foot."
Ren glanced around the courtyard.
"So… we're moving to the Senju Compound permanently?"
Juichi nodded, his tone calmer now.
"You were already staying here most of the time. Figured it didn't make sense to keep the old house. Better to consolidate."
Ren shook his head slightly.
"I was staying here because you weren't back home. Now that you've returned, I was planning on going back there anyway."
Juichi's expression softened.
"Don't worry, brat. This is your home too."
He looked around the compound briefly, his voice lowering just a little.
"It's one of the last places that still carries Sayaka's presence. Living here… feels right."
He paused, then added quietly, "It'll be good for her spirit in the Pure Land too."
Ren didn't show much reaction outwardly, he just nodded once.
"Yeah." Then, as if changing topics deliberately, he added casually, "By the way, Naruto will live here in the future."
Juichi froze for half a second, then he sighed. "I should've done that a long time ago." His jaw tightened faintly. "That kid suffered more than he should have."
Ren shrugged lightly. "No point brooding over it now. Just do your best to take care of him moving forward."
Juichi nodded firmly. "Yeah. Don't worry. I'll look after him."
Ren smiled faintly at that. "Good." He stretched his arms above his head, joints popping lightly.
"Alright. I'm going to take a long nap. Please don't disturb me unless the Leaf is on the brink of destruction."
Juichi bonked him again, this time harder. "Don't talk about ominous nonsense. You never know what might happen."
Ren rubbed his head again dramatically.
"Abuse, I'm reporting you."
"Go rest," Juichi said, waving him off.
Ren didn't argue further.
He walked down the familiar hallway toward his room in the compound, once inside he dropped onto the bed without ceremony.
For a moment he just lay there, staring at the ceiling.
His body felt heavier than he had admitted earlier. The negotiations, the political pressure, the fights, the tension, it all lingered in subtle ways.
He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. Then, after a few seconds, his eyes snapped open again as he sat up abruptly.
'Phew… it's been a while.'
A grin slowly spread across his face as he cracked his knuckles once.
"Let's check the rewards."
~~
{Itachi's EMS, I'll upload it so don't start spamming.}
~~~~~
{Finally, it's time for the rewards, there are too many, so either it will be a super long chapter or multiple chapters, I'll only know when I begin to write.
Also, this time, I will make a complete status, explaining every single system skill he has, and I'll also post it in an aux chapter, however, I'll hide the Senju from his name in the aux, otherwise it would ruin the most important point of the fic, if there is anything else I should hide then, let me know.}
{No chapter tomorrow, happy holi guys, for those who don't know what this is, it's a festival of colors, very fun.}