"Ren, you bastard!"
"I can't believe you're keeping someone on the side behind my back!"
"Get that shameless alley cat out of here! Kick her out as far as possible and never see her again, or don't even think about stepping foot in my bed!"
Bang!
Amidst Yoruichi's sudden explosion of rage, Ren was shoved out of the room by his wife's monstrous strength. The door slammed shut so violently that the entire frame rattled.
Ren stared at the tightly closed door. He touched his cheek and opened his hand to see two streaks of crimson blood on his palm.
He couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh.
The butler on duty outside, hearing the commotion in the courtyard, rushed over only to find Ren descending the front steps with a look of pure dejection.
"Lord Ren, has something happened?"
"It's nothing."
Ren shook his head at the young butler and began walking toward the exit.
The butler was tall and lean, dressed in a black suit. His face was slender, and he wore a monocle that caught his sharp gaze. His jet-black hair was tied in a simple wolf-tail style behind his head, exuding an air of peak professionalism.
This was Walter, whom Ren had brought back previously.
After bringing Walter back to the Soul Society, Ren had administered a youth-restoration serum to him and kept him at the Shihoin manor as a butler to handle household affairs.
Occasionally, he also assisted with matters regarding the Stealth Force.
Walter studied Ren's face carefully and said softly, "How can you say it's nothing? Your face has been scratched open, My Lord. It's still bleeding."
"Walter, you're talking too much," Ren said in a low voice.
"Yes, my apologies. I overstepped my bounds."
Walter followed behind Ren, stealing another glance at his profile—specifically those three closely spaced scratches on his face.
They didn't look like they were made by human hands; human fingernails aren't that thin. Instead, they looked more like the marks left by a pet, like a cat or a dog.
Having served in the Shihoin household for some years now, he understood the situation perfectly and immediately reached a conclusion.
"My Lord, it would be best to disinfect those wounds properly."
Ren nodded and headed toward the Shihoin family infirmary.
Walter brought out some povidone-iodine and began treating Ren's injuries.
As he worked, he recalled the roar of the mistress he'd heard from outside the courtyard, and a flicker of curiosity ignited within him.
"My Lord, regarding you and Lady Yoruichi..." Walter asked tentatively, the flames of gossip burning brightly in his heart.
Ren massaged his temples. Recalling Yoruichi's earlier attitude, he looked at Walter helplessly.
"You probably heard it earlier. It's just that I..."
"But I've been hiding it so well lately. There's no way Yoruichi could have found out."
"Could someone have secretly snitched on me?"
Suspicion clouded Ren's mind.
Walter shook his head. "My Lord, I don't believe anyone leaked the secret."
"Why are you so certain?"
"Forgive my forwardness, My Lord."
Walter leaned in closer, his nose twitching as he caught the scent clinging to Ren.
A look of 'just as I thought' appeared on his face.
"My Lord, there's a scent of roses on you."
"Lady Yoruichi likely caught a whiff of it and realized your little secret."
"Impossible!" Ren immediately denied it.
"I sprayed that scent myself. I know Yoruichi has a sharp nose, so every time I come back, I use perfume to mask everything."
As Ren spoke, Walter's gaze sharpened.
He reached out and plucked a single strand of hair from Ren's shoulder, holding it up in his palm for Ren to see.
"My Lord, you exposed yourself."
Ren looked down.
Against Walter's dark glove, the strand of hair shimmered with a soft, translucent luster, clearly showing it had been meticulously cared for.
A wave of complicated emotions washed over Ren.
He never expected that he would be the one to slip up and tip Yoruichi off.
'Do I really have to send her away?'
If he really sent her away, she would lose his protection. With a beauty that rivaled Yoruichi's but no power of her own, Ren was truly worried that something might happen to her.
Moreover, Ren was genuinely reluctant to let her go.
He looked at Walter and said, "Walter, how about I place her with you for now..."
Before Ren could finish, Walter shook his head vigorously.
"You must be joking, My Lord. I live within the Shihoin estate as well; Lady Yoruichi would find out sooner or later."
"If that happens, Her Ladyship will be even less inclined to forgive you."
What a joke. He was happy to listen to gossip, but he had no intention of getting tangled up in his master's messy personal affairs.
While it was a butler's duty to solve his master's problems, this sort of scandalous matter was clearly outside his job description.
He was just a humble butler; he couldn't handle that kind of heat.
Ren sighed inwardly.
Walter was right; keeping her in the manor was out of the question.
He would have to entrust her to someone he trusted implicitly, someone who would also make it convenient for him to visit whenever he wanted.
With his wounds treated, Ren didn't linger. He turned and headed out.
"By the way, Walter, keep this a secret."
"Understood, My Lord."
With a flash of speed, Ren vanished from the spot.
Walter looked at the hair in his hand and suddenly paused, his brow furrowing.
He held it up to the sunlight for a closer look, a strange expression crossing his face.
'So this whole fight between the two of you... was just over this?'
He simply couldn't understand it.
After leaving the Shihoin manor, Ren went straight to the Stealth Force headquarters.
Sitting in his office, Ren weighed his options before finally summoning Shisui.
Shisui entered the room carrying a stack of documents. He immediately noticed the bandage on Ren's face, which was large enough to cover nearly half of it.
"My Lord, what happened to your face..."
"It's a minor matter. We'll talk about it later."
Ren waved him off and got down to business.
"Fugaku requested to be stationed in the Ninja World a few years ago. Has any intelligence come in from his side recently?"
Shisui's expression turned solemn as he hurried to hand over the documents.
"Yes, I was just about to report on that, My Lord."
"The Akatsuki organization you've been monitoring is finally making its move."
Ren took the file and opened it, reviewing the progress Fugaku had made recently.
After a thorough read, Ren's brow relaxed slightly.
"So they've started."
"Fugaku's report states that the Akatsuki has already captured the One-Tail."
"It seems the Ninja World is about to be plunged into chaos."
Ren closed the file and handed it back to Shisui.
"Archive this."
"Next, it's time for us to prepare our counter-measures."
Shisui nodded. "By your command."
With the most important business out of the way...
Ren thought back to Yoruichi's words. A hint of lingering melancholy appeared on his usually composed face as he paced back and forth in the room.
Seeing Shisui still standing, he gestured toward the sofa in the corner.
"Have a seat."
"Yes, sir."
Shisui sat upright on the sofa, his eyes following Ren's movements.
Seeing this, Shisui asked softly, "My Lord... I don't know what weighs so heavily on your mind, but is there anything I can do to assist you?"
"Sigh... Fine."
Ren stopped in front of Shisui, looking down at him.
"I've decided. It'll be you, Shisui."
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]