Chapter 76: Shared Secrets and Sudden Violence
"YOSH! Let's go! The great Uzumaki Naruto has arrived in the Land of Waves!"
At Konoha's main gate, Naruto bounced with unrestrained energy, his first journey beyond the village walls unleashing a torrent of pent-up excitement. Years of confinement had made the outside world a mythical realm of freedom, and he was ready to conquer it.
Tazuna, the bridge builder, watched the display with a mixture of pity and deep concern. He leaned toward Kakashi, the scent of cheap liquor wafting from his breath. "Hey. Is that kid's... wiring all connected? Are you sure?"
Kakashi offered a strained, eye-smiling placation. "He's just enthusiastic! Pay him no mind." His gaze, however, drifted to Ren, walking calmly beside them. Same class. Same orphan background. Worlds apart in temperament.
Tazuna took another swig, shaking his head. "It's a miracle he became a ninja. Don't leave him alone with me. I value my safety."
"Understood," Kakashi sighed. "I'll be your primary guard. Consider Naruto... ambient noise."
Naruto, overhearing, bristled, muttering darkly about "stupid old drunks" and future retribution.
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[VIP Highlight: Paternal Despair]
Tobirama Senju (VIP5): Fourth. Even in death, you're being disparaged by a civilian. A new low.
Minato Namikaze (VIP1): That Tazuna's family graves must be leaking geomantic energy. Ren, you should have let Naruto hit him a few times first.
Uchiha Fugaku (VIP1): Minato! Since when are you so bloodthirsty? Weren't you the village's kindly golden boy?
Uchiha Mikoto (VIP2): My image of you as a gentle soul is shattered!
Minato Namikaze: If it was your ancestor being insulted by a drunk, would you be happy?
Uchiha Fugaku: Well... that depends...
Uchiha Madara (VIP1): What was that?
Uchiha Fugaku: Coughs. I mean, anyone who insults my ancestors dies! Instantly!
Uchiha Shisui (VIP2): Clan Head... your adaptability is impressive.
Uchiha Fugaku: Do you think I became clan head through brute force alone? It's political agility!
The Land of Waves lay across the water, nestled where the territories of Fire and Water met. The journey required a boat. Kakashi led them toward the nearest ferry crossing at a civilian's pace—no tree-hopping, which would have left Tazuna in the dust. The slow march through the forest was tedious, a stark contrast to Naruto's hyperactive energy.
Third Raikage (VIP2): Finally, out of that leaf-covered cage.
Yagura Karatachi (VIP2): I wonder when the stream will visit Kiri. I'd like to see my village again.
Ōnoki (Regular Viewer): I, too, wish to see Iwa. My stubborn student must be causing trouble...
As they passed a small clearing, Ren's Meditation technique pinged. Three chakra signatures, muted but present. Two, cold and fluid, hidden within a suspiciously out-of-place puddle on the dry path. One, denser, lurked beneath the earth itself.
Assassins. Zabuza's men. The original ambush had involved two. This was three. The butterfly effect of his presence was already altering events.
He kept his expression neutral, his pace unchanged.
Tobirama Senju: Ambush. Ahead.
Uchiha Izuna (Regular Viewer): Obviously. No rain, but a puddle? Amateurs.
Minato Namikaze: Ren, watch Naruto for me.
Uchiha Fugaku: And Sasuke! He's just recovered! We can't have a relapse!
Uchiha Madara: This is the boy's first real combat. Tell him not to die. I'd miss the entertainment.
Hashirama Senju (Regular Viewer): Madara! Have faith! He's a Konoha genius!
Uchiha Madara: I am not from your Konoha. You swindled me. You promised I'd be Hokage. Instead, it's been Senju, then your students, then their students. My clan got nothing. What was the point?
Hashirama Senju: You ate people's ninja hounds and their sacred insects! You made yourself unpopular!
Uchiha Madara: SILENCE, YOU BACK-STABBING TRAITOR!
A sudden, profound quiet fell over the stream.
Tobirama Senju: ...Back-stabbing? Madara. Elaborate. Now.
Uchiha Izuna: Big brother... I never knew you and Hashirama were... that close.
Yagura Karatachi: My worldview undergoes daily renovations here.
Third Raikage: Legendary shinobi indeed have... legendary complexities.
Hyuga Hizashi (VIP1): I thought their bond was purely spiritual camaraderie...
Yuhi Shinku (Regular Viewer): Spiritual intimacy often progresses to physical expression. Pleasure is not gender-specific.
Uchiha Fugaku: Thank the Sage this wasn't recorded. Our clan's dignity would be ashes.
Uchiha Madara: ...
Hashirama Senju: ...
Before the historical scandal could fully unravel, Kakashi led the group directly past the suspicious puddle. His lone eye flicked toward it almost imperceptibly. He'd noticed. Of course he had. But he said nothing, likely planning to use the ambush as a live-fire lesson for his genin.
Ren decided to accelerate the curriculum.
Fwwip—HISS.
A soft sound, like a fuse lighting.
Kakashi's head snapped around. Ren, who had been walking placidly beside the puddle, had casually flicked a single, activated explosive tag into its center.
His movement was so casual it looked like he was tossing away a piece of trash.
"What are you—?!"
"GET DOWN!"
"OH SHI—"
KABOOOOOM!
The world turned into sound, light, and flying mud. Water and earth erupted in a geyser of violence. Two figures were blasted from the puddle, screaming, their Water Clone technique shattered by the sudden concussive force. A third ninja was vomited from the ground a few meters away, coughing up dirt, his Earth Release hiding spot compromised by the shockwave.
Smoke cleared. Three coughing, disoriented missing-nin in mismatched armor lay in a semicircle around a smoldering crater where the puddle had been.
Silence, save for the ringing in everyone's ears.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura stared, open-mouthed. Tazuna had ducked behind Kakashi, his bottle forgotten. Kakashi himself looked from the crater to Ren, his visible eye wide with a mix of shock and dawning respect.
Ren brushed a fleck of mud from his sleeve. He looked at the three struggling assassins, then at Kakashi.
"Sorry," he said, not sounding sorry at all. "Saw a puddle. Looked like it needed... enlivening."
In the Pure Land, the stream was silent for a full three seconds.
Then Uchiha Madara's voice cut through, rich with genuine, approving laughter.
Uchiha Madara: NOW that's initiative! No warning, no posturing! See a threat, remove it! Efficient! I TAKE BACK MY EARLIER CRITICISM!
Tobirama Senju: Sputtering. That was a gross overuse of force! And you wasted a perfectly good explosive tag!
Minato Namikaze: He... he solved the ambush. In under two seconds.
Uchiha Fugaku: My son didn't even have time to be scared. This is... efficient parenting.
On the ground, the lead missing-nin, a man with a scar across his lip, staggered to his feet, his eyes blazing with fury and humiliation. "You... you little brat! You'll pay for that!"
Ren didn't even look at him. He met Kakashi's gaze and gave a small, polite shrug.
"The lesson can continue now, Kakashi-sensei. The live targets are ready."
The game, it seemed, had just entered a much more explosive phase.