Chapter 72: Warming Relations and a Sudden Mission Shift
ROAR!
The moment the crimson behemoth materialized around Might Dai, the very air in the Soul Arena screamed. An oppressive, tangible pressure slammed down, locking Tobirama Senju in place. He couldn't breathe—a sensation he hadn't felt since dying.
Simultaneously, the space around his body began to warp, visible ripples distorting the light like heat haze over a desert.
"What?! He's distorting local spacetime?!" Tobirama's eyes widened, his usual analytical composure shattering into genuine alarm.
[System Notification: Live Stream Active]
[Viewers: 169 Pure Land Residents]
[Current Donation Pool: 467 viewer points]
[VIP Highlight: Collective Awe and Dread]
Uchiha Madara (VIP1): Space distortion from pure taijutsu... Now that's intriguing.
Hashirama Senju (Regular Viewer): I never thought the Eight Gates could be mastered to this degree. The cost must be...
Minato Namikaze (VIP1): Sealing space... That neutralizes both Body Flicker and Flying Thunder God. He's trapped. This is a disaster.
Uchiha Izuna (Regular Viewer): Damn! The stream is full of sleepers! A genin with this level of destructive power?!
Third Raikage (VIP2): The chakra density... My Lightning Release Armor might not withstand a direct hit.
Yagura Karatachi (VIP2): No wonder the Land of Fire held off three great nations. Konoha's shadows are deep.
Karura (Regular Viewer): So the Konoha ninja named Might Guy is... big and strong. A potent combination.
Yashamaru (Regular Viewer): Is this the "big and strong" from those daytime dramas you watched while pregnant?
Karura: ...Maybe I should have watched more educational programming.
Uchiha Madara: I have a... premonition. I may one day be kicked to death by this technique.
Uchiha Izuna: Brother, you're already dead.
Uchiha Madara: Future deaths count, Izuna. Don't be literal.
The sheer, apocalyptic power on display had stunned the entire audience of legends.
BOOOOOOM!
In the arena, the crimson beast moved. It didn't travel; it erased the distance. A ravine, deep and smoking, was carved across the grassy plain as if a god had drawn a line with a red-hot blade. The shockwave that followed was silent in the vacuum it created.
Then, the scene reset. Might Dai and Tobirama Senju reappeared in the stream's neutral space. Dai looked apologetic, bowing repeatedly. Tobirama looked... pale.
Tobirama Senju (VIP5): That... doesn't count. I was unprepared. Green-suited one! Again!
Might Dai (Regular Viewer): ...
Uchiha Madara: Tobirama, you used the same excuse after I beat you. Some things never change.
Ren Arakawa (subvocalizing): Pay up, Lord Second. In front of all these witnesses. The Second Hokage wouldn't welch, would he?
Tobirama Senju: Do I look like a man who reneges? He sent the promised scroll: [Water Release: Water Severing Wave - A-rank].
Ren Arakawa: A man of his word. I respect that.
Tobirama Senju: ...
Hashirama Senju: Phew! Good thing I hedged! Ren, my task is simple. Find Tsuna. Tell her she must have many children. Restore the Senju lineage. The future of the clan rests on her shoulders!
Ren Arakawa: First Hokage, while I'm personally invested in the idea of having children with Tsunade-hime, there's a correction. Might Dai didn't win.
Hashirama Senju: Huh? But Tobirama lost! The big... energetic fellow won!
Ren Arakawa: Check the arena log.
A moment of silence.
Tobirama Senju: Clears throat. Brother. The match is recorded as a draw.
Hashirama Senju: A DRAW? How?!
Ren Arakawa: The Eighth Gate grants power dozens of times beyond a kage's, but it's a one-time ticket. The user dies. Instantly. Dai-sensei's spectral form expended its stability for that attack. In a real fight, they'd both be gone. Hence, a draw.
Hashirama Senju: You... you manipulative little...! You threatened his son to make him go all-out, knowing it was mutual destruction!
Ren Arakawa: Strategic incentives. Now, about that Wood Release: Hotei no Jutsu...
Hashirama Senju: A long, defeated sigh. Fine. Take it. Outmaneuvered by a child. The shame.
[Donation Received: Wood Release: Hotei Technique]
Might Dai: Anchor Ren! Don't forget your promise about my son!
Ren Arakawa: Your son, the future "Konoha's Blue Beast," "Guy-sensei," "The Taijutsu Master"... I'll make sure he knows his father's legacy. We'll have a meal. My treat.
Might Guy (in the stream): "Konoha's Blue Beast"? When did Guy get such a cool title?
Ren Arakawa: You'll have to ask Lord Madara about that one.
Uchiha Madara: Don't drag me into this! I have nothing to do with naming conventions!
Ren Arakawa: Future context. Don't worry about it.
The day ended. Night in Konoha was peaceful. As had become their routine, Ren accompanied Uzuki Yugao to their usual barbecue stand. Both orphans, they'd fallen into a comfortable rhythm. Over shared meals and silent watches, a genuine bond had formed.
To Yugao, Ren was becoming the little brother she'd never had—brash, annoying, clever, and unexpectedly loyal. He filled a familial void left by loss. She'd begun to relax around him, her professional guard lowering into something softer, protective.
To Ren, of course, the calculus was different. A man's mind in a boy's body, he recognized her affection for what it was, and carefully, patiently, nurtured it. "Siblings" was a convenient label, a stepping stone. In his experience, any "sibling-like" bond between unattached men and women was just courtship with plausible deniability.
He played the part perfectly—the respectful, occasionally mischievous junior. He made her laugh. He listened. He was there.
And he waited.
Early the next morning, before dawn had properly broken the horizon, a sharp knock rattled his apartment door.
"Ren! Mission change! Report to the Hokage immediately!"
The voice was Uzuki Yugao's, but it held a tension he hadn't heard in days. The easy rhythm of D-ranks and stakeouts was over.
Ren was out of bed and dressing before the echo faded. He didn't need his enhanced senses to know: the comfortable interlude had ended. The story was moving again.
As he fastened his arm guards and checked his kunai pouch, a notification flashed in his mind.
[New Mission: Escort Duty - Land of Waves]
[Rank: C (Potential Escalation Likely)]
[Primary Objective: Protect bridge builder Tazuna]
[Secondary Objective: Ensure survival of Team 7 (Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura)]
[Tertiary Objective: Observe and report on foreign ninja activity]
[Note: This mission falls within Jinchūriki containment radius. Anbu oversight authorized.]
[Reward: 500 Viewer Points, Mission Completion Bonus]
A slow smile spread across Ren's face as he slipped his fox mask over his features.
Land of Waves. Zabuza. Haku. The first real blood.
The tutorial was over. The game was on.
And he had a front-row seat, a backstage pass, and a live stream full of coaches.
Let's see what this new act has in store.