"Renya, after so many years, we're working together again."
Chief Commander Nara Mikage looked at Renya with a broad smile.
The scenes from back then were still vivid in his mind. In the blink of an eye, almost twenty years had passed.
"Yeah, war has broken out again." Renya sighed a little.
Back then he thought that after the Second Great War, he'd finally get to retire and leave everything to the younger generation. Yet now he was being sent to the battlefield again.
Forget it—thirty-three was still the prime of life.
If it was war, then so be it.
As long as the Third and Fourth Wars didn't require him personally, he didn't mind.
He really didn't want to end up like Ōnoki, fighting battles at that age.
"Renya, when this war ends, I'm planning to retire."
Commander Nara Mikage brought up retirement simply because he had nothing else to do at the moment.
"Commander Nara, you're only in your fifties. Why are you thinking about retiring early?"
"Once you retire, you'll end up like me—lying around in a huge courtyard of hundreds of square meters, sunbathing every day with not a care in the world, eating and sleeping and nothing else."
"Are you really willing to degenerate like that?"
Renya spoke with a heartbroken expression.
Nara Mikage: "…"
He suddenly began to doubt—was retirement really that terrifying?
No, wait… this guy in front of him started living a retirement lifestyle when he was barely over ten!
He secretly enjoys life but won't let him enjoy it?
This guy… is too infuriating!
"Hehe, You make a fair point." Nara Mikage nodded in agreement.
Of course, it was only on the surface.
Those words were no different from hot air.
"Renya, stop misleading the commander."
Hiruzen stepped in, unable to watch anymore.
When it came to the topic of willingly degenerating, the first person who came to his mind was Renya.
He worked himself to death every day handling documents in the office.
The key point—despite working diligently for years, he was still just an assistant.
He was constantly suppressed by Danzō using Hokage authority.
Renya, on the other hand, enjoyed life every single day.
Compared like this, Hiruzen felt his future turning pitch-black.
As long as Danzō didn't step down, he was stuck forever as the Hokage's assistant!
And Danzō never seemed to have the slightest intention of retiring.
He felt his dream of becoming Hokage was distant beyond imagination.
Luckily, Danzō once promised he would only serve as Hokage for thirty years before retiring.
A third of that time had already passed.
When Danzō retired, Hiruzen would be in his early fifties—just the right age to become Hokage.
"Renya-kun, are you really not planning to get married?" Koharu suddenly asked.
Among their old comrades, excluding Renya and Danzō, everyone else had long since married and had children.
Renya and Danzō remained single.
She couldn't help letting her imagination run wild.
These two definitely had something going on!
Koharu had felt something was off about their friendship decades ago.
But she never dared say it aloud.
Now that neither of them ever married, it finally confirmed her old suspicions.
Her gaze toward Renya even began shining.
Girls loved this kind of gossip the most.
Hearing her words, everyone's eyes naturally fell on Renya.
A man in his thirties, still single.
Could there be something unknown?
And that Danzō guy was suspicious too!
"Hey, what kind of look is that?"
Being stared at made Renya extremely uncomfortable, so he finally explained.
"I'm not interested in women—or more accurately, I simply haven't met a woman I'm interested in."
"Oh~" Koharu suddenly understood, then teased, "Then have you met a man who interests you?"
Renya: "…"
These people—did they really think something was wrong with his orientation?!
Clearly, yes.
That was what everyone thought…
"Get those disgusting ideas out of your heads. A true strong man has no interest in romance and such things."
Unfortunately, his explanation seemed weak and unconvincing in their eyes.
Renya felt utterly helpless.
Once people decide on something like this, it was nearly impossible to change their minds.
Fine. Pretend he doesn't know.
Anyway, his orientation was perfectly normal.
They would reach the battlefield in two or three days.
Renya saw the opportunity to meet Lord Madara.
He found some random excuse to leave midway.
Then he rushed at full speed to Madara's hiding place.
But in Koharu and the others' eyes, someone felt his secret was exposed.
Unable to face his old comrades, he escaped in this manner.
"Didn't expect Renya truly had problems with his orientation!"
"I think he and Danzō have something going on."
"Agreed, I've felt something was off between them for a long time!"
"Tsk tsk, they're really playing wild!"
"This kind of thing is fine to talk about privately, but absolutely don't spread it."
"Understood!"
At that moment, Renya, still on the road, had no idea someone was gossiping behind his back.
If he knew, what would he think?
A clean reputation all his life, and in the end he was slandered.
Dozens of meters underground.
"Lord Madara, Uchiha Renya has left his team and is heading here."
A White Zetsu poked out its head and reported respectfully.
Countless Zetsu had infiltrated the world long ago, providing Madara with real-time information.
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Madara's calm eyes stirred.
"That kid… finally came."
He knew perfectly well why Renya hadn't come immediately.
Senju Tobirama had been monitoring Renya nonstop.
He wanted to extract Madara's whereabouts from him—fortunately, that kid kept his mouth shut and never leaked a single word.
Madara was very satisfied with Renya.
Truly worthy of being the only junior he acknowledged.
Through Zetsu, he learned many things happening in Konoha.
Including the situation of the Uchiha clan.
He said nothing in response.
When he left the village alone all those years ago, he already foresaw the Uchiha's fate.
Those people were no longer worthy of being his clan.
"Lord Madara, I've come to see you!"
As time passed, an excited voice echoed through the silent underground hall.
Renya entered, looking thrilled.
"Kid, you finally came." Uchiha Madara spoke calmly.
Renya noticed Madara's Rinnegan and the grotesque Demonic Statue of the Outer Path behind him.
"Lord Madara, your eyes?"
He forcefully suppressed his excitement and put on a confused expression.
A veteran actor was indeed a veteran actor—he could enter a role in less than a second.
"This is the key to realizing the 'Moon's Eye' Plan—the Rinnegan."
Uchiha Madara placed a hand on his eye socket, speaking in a low voice.
After decades of hiding, he could finally realize peace for the shinobi world.
Unfortunately, in his current state he could not carry out the Moon's Eye Plan personally.
His body had severely deteriorated; he relied on the Demonic Statue merely to delay aging. He had nearly become a useless husk like Hashirama.
He believed awakening the Rinnegan had consumed too much of his vitality, accelerating his decline.
"Kid, we can begin the plan."
Uchiha Madara stared intently at Renya, his voice trembling with excitement.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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