Chapter 57: My Dream Is to Blow Up the Moon!
"Hinata, you're next."
After Shino Aburame's terse introduction, Kurenai Yuhi turned her gentle but expectant gaze to the last member of her team. The Hyuga heiress stood frozen for a moment, as if startled to be addressed.
"Huh? M-me already?"
Hinata stepped forward hesitantly, her small hands twisting together. "I... I'm Hyuga Hinata. My specialty is... taijutsu. What I like is... is..."
Her pale eyes flickered toward Ren, then away so quickly it might have been a trick of the light. Her cheeks flushed that familiar, telling pink.
"...What I dislike is..."
"Hey!" Kiba Inuzuka interrupted, unable to contain himself. "You didn't even say what you like! How can you skip to what you hate?"
"Huh? I... I..." Flustered by the interruption, Hinata's words tangled into silence, her confidence crumbling.
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Ren Arakawa: "Hinata is introducing herself. Who gave you permission to speak?"
Thwack.
Ren's hand connected with the back of Kiba's head—not hard, but with enough force to send Akamaru tumbling from his perch with a startled yelp.
"If you interrupt her again," Ren said, his voice deceptively light, "I'll be having dog stew for dinner."
Akamaru: "Whine!"
Kiba scrambled to catch his ninken, clutching the trembling puppy protectively. "I was just trying to help!"
"Help by being quiet. Or I'll start the fire now. I'm feeling peckish."
The look in Ren's eyes wasn't entirely joking. Kiba remembered the chakra pressure from earlier and shut his mouth, holding Akamaru closer.
"R-Ren-kun..." Hinata's voice was a soft, grateful murmur. Seeing him defend her so directly made the flush spread from her cheeks down her neck. She took a steadying breath. "I... my dream is similar to Kurenai-sensei's. I hope to... marry someone I love someday."
The words, once spoken, seemed to give her a strange courage. She didn't stammer further, just gave a small, firm nod and stepped back into line.
Tobirama Senju (VIP5): It appears the Hyuga girl has developed an attachment. Predictable, given Ren's... assertive courtship methods.
Minato Namikaze (VIP1): Girls this age are impressionable. A public confession, a bold gesture... it leaves a mark.
Tobirama Senju: The Fourth speaks from experience, I see.
Minato Namikaze: Puffs chest slightly. Well, one does learn through living!
Uchiha Izuna (Regular Viewer): Don't brag about early romance. You're still the fastest man in our stream, remember?
Minato Namikaze: ...
Tobirama Senju: Sighs. There was a time I was proud to be called the fastest shinobi. Since the Fourth's... exploits, the title has lost its purity.
"By the way, Ren," Kurenai said, her crimson eyes curious. "Since you're here, why not introduce yourself as well? I'd like to know more about our academy's top graduate."
All eyes turned to him—Kiba's resentful, Shino's analytical, Hinata's shyly hopeful.
Ren grinned, that familiar, slightly unsettling charm returning. "Since you ask so sincerely, Kurenai-sensei, I'll grace you with the knowledge."
He struck a dramatic pose. "I am Ren Arakawa. The 'Ren' as in relentless, the 'Arakawa' as in the river that conquers all in its path. As my name suggests, I am a man of vast ambition. You'll witness it in time."
"I have many likes. Too many to list. You wouldn't remember them all."
"I have even more dislikes. Too complex to explain. You wouldn't understand them."
"So, best to leave those mysteries unsolved."
He paused, letting the anticipation build. Then he raised his right hand, index finger pointing dramatically toward the twilight sky where the first pale hint of the moon was becoming visible.
"But my dream... my ultimate ambition..."
He took a deep breath, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper that somehow carried across the entire clearing.
"...is to go to the moon."
A beat of silence.
"And blow it up."
Kiba Inuzuka: Blink. Blink. "('Д')?"
Shino Aburame: Sunglasses tilt slightly. "(⊙﹏⊙)?"
Hinata Hyuga: Eyes wide. "(⊙_⊙)?"
Kurenai Yuhi: Professional composure cracks. "Ren... are you feeling quite alright?"
The silence stretched, broken only by the distant sounds of the village and Akamaru's confused whimper.
Then, from the Pure Land, a chorus of reactions erupted.
Uchiha Madara (VIP1): NOW THAT'S A PROPER AMBITION! DESTROYING CELESTIAL BODIES! FINALLY, SOMEONE WITH SCALE!
Hashirama Senju (Regular Viewer): Madara! That's insane! The moon is... it's the moon! You can't just blow it up!
Tobirama Senju: The gravitational effects alone would devastate the planet's tides. The ecological catastrophe would—
Minato Namikaze: Wait, is he serious? He knows something. He has to know something.
Kushina Uzumaki (VIP1): The moon... that's where the legend says the Rabbit Goddess is sealed...
Uchiha Obito (Regular Viewer, newly joined): His spectral form flickers violently. What did you say?
Ren Arakawa (subvocalizing): Oh, right. Obito's here. And he's very invested in lunar real estate.
In the training ground, Kurenai was studying Ren with entirely new concern. "The moon, Ren? That's... quite a target."
Ren lowered his hand, his expression perfectly serious. "It's a problematic celestial body. Tides, werewolf myths, unreasonable expectations for romance... it's a blight on the night sky. I'm doing the world a service."
Kiba found his voice first. "You're completely nuts! How would you even get to the moon? It's, like, really far away!"
"Details," Ren waved dismissively. "First, become strong enough. Second, develop space-worthy transportation. Third, create a bomb of sufficient yield. Fourth, profit."
Shino adjusted his sunglasses. "The energy required to travel that distance alone exceeds all known chakra reserves. The heat of atmospheric exit would vaporize any known material. The vacuum of space presents additional—"
"Shino," Ren interrupted. "You're thinking like a ninja. Think bigger. Think... scientist."
Tobirama Senju: Immediately interested. Scientific approach? Elaborate.
Ren Arakawa: Later. When you donate some more relevant techniques. Rocket science doesn't come cheap.
Uchiha Madara: Forget science! Use the Gedo Statue! Or the Juubi! Blast it with a tailed beast bomb the size of a continent!
Hashirama Senju: MADARA! NO!
Hinata was still staring at Ren, her expression a mixture of awe and utter confusion. "Ren-kun... you really want to destroy the moon?"
Ren's eyes softened slightly when he looked at her. "Maybe just a little. Enough to make a statement. Don't worry, Hinata. I'll make sure you have a good view."
Kurenai pinched the bridge of her nose. This had gone from a standard team-building exercise to... whatever this was. "Ren, perhaps we should focus on more... terrestrial goals for now. Like your Anbu internship."
"Terrestrial goals are stepping stones," Ren said breezily. "The moon is the ultimate destination. But fine, I'll play along. What's next, sensei? Team trust exercises? Synchronized kata?"
Before Kurenai could answer, a new voice cut through the clearing—cold, familiar, and dripping with barely-contained fury.
"You."
Everyone turned. Uchiha Sasuke stood at the edge of the training ground, his injuries still visible but his posture rigid with purpose. He wasn't looking at Kurenai or his classmates. His dark eyes were locked solely on Ren.
"You said you'd be available for a rematch. I'm available."
Ren's smile didn't falter. "You should be in bed, Sasuke. Broken ribs don't heal that fast."
"I don't care." Sasuke's hand went to his kunai pouch. "Fight me. Now."
Uchiha Fugaku (VIP1): That's my boy! No retreat! No surrender!
Uchiha Mikoto (VIP2): He's still injured! He'll get himself killed!
Minato Namikaze: This is getting crowded. Shouldn't Team 7 be recovering?
Ren Arakawa (to Sasuke): "Fine. But if you break something else, your medical bills are your own problem this time. And no crying to Kakashi."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I don't need anyone's help."
As they moved to face each other, Ren's mind was already elsewhere, calculating. The moon comment had been partly a joke, partly a test. Obito's reaction confirmed he was watching. Madara's enthusiasm was expected. But the real question was...
Who else was listening?
Somewhere in the infinite darkness between dimensions, a woman with rabbit-like eyes and skin pale as the lunar surface stirred in her crystalline prison. Her consciousness, vast and ancient, brushed against a strange signal—a mortal voice speaking of her prison's destruction not with fear, but with casual ambition.
Interesting, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki thought, her first conscious observation in a millennium. This one bears watching.
And on the training ground, unaware that his offhand remark had drawn the attention of a goddess, Ren simply cracked his knuckles and grinned at the last Uchiha.
"Alright, Sasuke. Let's see what you've learned from your bedrest."
The moon, pale and distant, watched impassively from above as another generation of Konoha's children prepared to fight beneath its light.