Obito was a good man.
For Ren, that wasn't sarcasm—it was simply true.
Sure, that bastard had tried to screw him over hard… but the benefits Obito had delivered were so outrageous that Ren genuinely couldn't stay mad.
Forget the Wood Release experience insight—just the pile of free points alone had made Ren rich overnight.
And it happened at the exact moment he needed free points the most.
How could he not be happy?
"I'm upgrading Water Release."
No hesitation. Ren made the request silently.
[Upgrade Complete]
[Shihara Ren]
[Overall Physical Conditioning: LV7]
[Chakra: LV7]
[Abilities: Flying Thunder God LV6, Water Release LV6, Earth Release LV6, Yang Release LV6]
[Free Points: 0]
Looking at the key stats, the corner of Ren's mouth lifted.
Three LV6 pillars.
That wasn't easy to achieve.
He still had plenty of other skills—some at LV5—but these three reaching LV6 meant he could finally begin real experimentation.
"Wood Release…"
Wood Release was essential for his next stage—his future "showmanship."
Honestly, giant wooden "mecha" brawls were kind of outdated as a combat concept.
But in the current meta?
That "mecha" was still unmatched.
"Later, I'll start fusing Kekkei Genkai into a full Kekkei Net. That'll be a long process. If I can reliably 'pilot the mecha' along the way, it's still worth it."
Ren had his "career path" mapped out with unsettling clarity. He knew what he wanted, and how he planned to get it.
As an ordinary person, the only way to climb further was to walk the road of Kekkei Net fusion.
He didn't have a choice.
Fortunately, with Wood Release as the first target, he could see the path—faintly, but undeniably.
Now the only thing left was a massive chakra supply.
"We're here."
At Ren's side, Yugao spoke softly.
The meeting was over, and they'd dispersed—because Ren's efficiency was borderline absurd. For the moment, they had nothing else to do.
No one was going to send them into the Land of Water with zero preparation.
That wasn't an investigation. That was suicide.
After they split up, Ren waited for Shisui and Tenzō to leave, then unceremoniously grabbed Yugao and insisted on escorting her home.
She'd tried to protest—briefly.
But Ren's enthusiasm was… oppressive.
Now that they'd arrived, she felt she should say something.
"And next time, you don't need to walk me back. I'm your senpai, you know. I'm not as fragile as you think."
"But if Obito shows up again, even senpai might have trouble dealing with him."
Ren blinked innocently.
That one sentence instantly left Yugao at a loss.
She wanted to say: Why would Obito ever come after me?
But after thinking about it… she decided it was better not to invite that kind of bad luck.
Ren hadn't "provoked" Obito either—yet he'd still been attacked and nearly framed successfully.
Sure, Ren had connections to the Uchiha: he was Shisui's teammate, and he'd been Itachi's examiner.
But Yugao was also Shisui's teammate.
With that logic, nothing was clear anymore.
"…Fine. I understand. I'll head in now."
She pressed her lips together, finally giving in.
But Ren didn't move. Instead, he looked at her with open curiosity.
"You're not inviting me up for tea?"
"..."
Yugao nearly snapped on the spot.
Thankfully, Ren didn't push further. He quickly pulled a kunai from his pouch and handed it to her.
"Senpai. Take this. If anything happens, inject chakra and activate it immediately. The moment I sense it, I'll be there."
"…Mm."
Yugao hesitated, then accepted it.
She understood right away—this was a Flying Thunder God-marked kunai. Having it could prevent a lot of trouble.
"Thanks. Then I'm going."
She dashed upstairs without looking back, leaving Ren no chance to say anything else.
Ren watched her go, half amused, half helpless.
I'm still young, you know. Even if I did go up for tea… it would've just been tea.
He shook his head, then turned into a side street. Moments later, he stopped in an empty alley.
"You've been following me for a while. Still not coming out?"
"That's because I didn't want to interrupt you, Ren."
From the shadows, Yakushi Kabuto stepped forward. His glasses gave off a faint gleam.
"I didn't expect you to change this much after leaving Root. You really like her?"
"My tolerance has always been high."
Ren didn't deny it—though inwardly he added: Only for pretty women.
"Anyway. Why are you looking for me? Did Danzō assign another task?"
"He did."
Kabuto nodded, a bit weary.
"He said Obito's case has no immediate follow-up. So while there's time, we're to resolve the Sunagakure matter."
Ren almost rolled his eyes.
That old bastard really treated people like livestock.
Obito's mess had just ended, and already another task was shoved onto him—no breathing room at all.
If Ren could keep his Konoha status and kill Danzō cleanly, he would've Flying Thunder God'ed over and assassinated him tonight.
"Fine. I get it. Are you coming with me this time?"
Ren nodded, then asked out of curiosity.
"Yes. He ordered me to accompany you."
Kabuto's mouth twitched.
"But after we complete the mission… I'm not returning to Konoha."
"What?"
Ren's brow furrowed. A sudden guess formed in his mind.
"Don't tell me… your next assignment—"
"Yeah. You guessed it."
Kabuto's face tightened with bitterness, and a trace of anger flickered in his eyes.
"I did what you suggested. I said I wanted to leave Root and meet with the headmistress."
"He refused."
"And then he gave me another mission."
Kabuto's voice dropped.
"The destination is… Iwagakure."
—
"Obito… for now, there's no way to remove it."
Land of Water. Kirigakure. The Mizukage's tower.
Black Zetsu shook his head with a regretful calm.
"This formula is extremely difficult to erase through ordinary methods. Very difficult. I may need time to research further… or you could try using a White Zetsu body."
Using a White Zetsu body meant carving away the flesh where the mark lingered—then replacing it with White Zetsu tissue.
The pain alone would break most shinobi.
And even if Obito endured it, he'd still need time to readjust.
It wouldn't be as bad as the first time, but it would still be inconvenient.
"Forget it. If I can't remove it, I can't remove it."
Obito's voice was flat, but his irritation simmered.
"I was hoping to 'talk' with that brat properly."
This humiliation couldn't stand.
It had been a long time since anyone had cornered him so thoroughly.
And Shihara Ren had identified him through sheer analysis alone.
That wasn't just annoying.
It was… intriguing.
Minato hadn't recognized him.
But this stranger had.
"I still advise you to lie low," Black Zetsu sighed internally.
He couldn't understand Obito's brain at all. Leaving such a weakness intact—what was the point?
But he couldn't talk Obito out of it.
And fortunately, Obito was hard to kill.
"Hmph. I know."
Obito nodded.
But before he could say more, a white head popped out of the ground.
"If Obito wants to lie low…"
White Zetsu grinned.
"That might be hard now."
"???"
Obito and Black Zetsu stared at him, baffled.
White Zetsu smiled wider.
"Because… Obito's wanted poster has already spread everywhere!"
"..."
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