Renya glanced at Senju Tobirama's probing eyes and shot him an annoyed look.
Poisoning? Seriously?!
What the hell is this old man thinking…
If he really had that kind of ability, the war would've ended the moment he stepped onto the battlefield.
There wouldn't have been so many delays, nor would he have nearly gotten killed several times.
Senju Tobirama noticed Renya's reaction and realized he had misunderstood.
He turned his head to look at the terrified Kumogakure shinobi in the distance, wondering what exactly they were so afraid of.
Since when did this kid's reputation in Kumogakure become like this…?
Those fearful, wary, and hateful eyes were definitely not faked.
Clearly, Renya must have done something truly unforgivable to cause such a reaction.
Tobirama, however, was quite satisfied with Kumogakure's response and gave Renya an approving look.
To deal with enemies, you had to make them know fear.
Only by having overwhelming deterrence could you make others hesitate before targeting your village.
Back when his elder brother, Senju Hashirama, was still alive, it was the same.
There wasn't a single nation in the shinobi world that dared provoke Konoha.
Otherwise, they would face the wrath of the God of Shinobi himself!
That peace lasted for decades, only broken after Hashirama's death.
But during the years Hashirama was alive, there were no wars in the shinobi world.
As long as he was around, nobody dared covet Konoha.
That was the power of deterrence.
And in the eyes of Kumogakure's shinobi, Renya was exactly that kind of deterrent.
He didn't know why, but the effect was undeniable.
As long as Renya remained, Kumogakure would have to think twice before starting a war… carefully weighing the price they would pay.
Shimura Danzō, watching the fear on Kumogakure's faces, felt a trace of envy flash in his eyes.
Renya… this guy could actually make enemy shinobi tremble like this.
If only he could command that kind of fear himself.
Not just Danzō—Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others also had envious expressions.
Renya looked at those terrified faces, unsure what to say.
It wasn't like he'd done anything unforgivable on the battlefield, right?
He'd only killed a few Jōnin, taken down a couple of Kage-level opponents, and… used a few prisoners as experimental test subjects.
…That's all.
...
The Konoha delegation proceeded toward the tallest building in Kumogakure—the Raikage's Tower.
The Second Raikage was still there, waiting for them.
But when the crowd saw Renya walking toward them alongside the delegation, chaos erupted.
Panic spread like wildfire, and the terrified Kumogakure civilians scattered in every direction.
In the midst of the fleeing crowd, a little girl became separated from her parents and was accidentally knocked to the ground.
Renya frowned slightly when he noticed her, worried she might get trampled in the chaos.
He broke from the delegation and walked over to help the girl up.
Senju Tobirama instinctively paused when he saw Renya's movement, turning his gaze toward him.
The little girl was lying on the ground, hands pressing down as she tried to push herself up, when suddenly a pair of feet appeared before her.
A gentle voice followed.
"Are you okay?"
Before she could react, she felt herself being lifted off the ground.
She sniffled, smiled brightly, and said, "I'm fine, thank you—"
But when she looked up and saw who was holding her, her smile instantly froze.
W-wait… isn't this the person Mom said was the Shinigami himself?!
"Where are your parents?" Renya tilted his head, showing an innocent, harmless smile.
But in the little girl's eyes, that smile was the deranged grin of a killer about to murder a child.
And asking where her parents were? Obviously, he was planning to wipe out her entire family!
Her body trembled violently, and terror flooded her eyes.
"What's wrong?" Renya noticed the strange reaction and asked gently, concerned.
"Mamaaa! Help meee!"
The girl burst into tears in Renya's arms but didn't dare struggle, terrified that resisting might anger the "Shinigami."
Through sobs, she looked up pitifully and choked out, "… c-can you please not kill me…?"
Renya: "…?"
...
"My child! My child!"
A middle-aged woman in the crowd screamed hysterically, trying to rush over, but several people held her back.
"Don't! Stay calm, lady!"
"That guy's the Shinigami! He kills without blinking!"
"Don't throw your life away!"
"Someone's already gone to notify Raikage-sama, he'll be here soon!"
"P-please, Shinigami-sama, don't hurt my child…!"
Renya looked down at the trembling little girl in his arms, then glanced at the weeping woman being restrained in the distance.
Since when the hell did he become some baby-killing demon?
Sure, he was ruthless against enemies, but he never harmed children or defenseless civilians!
Who the hell started this ridiculous rumor?!
"Don't cry, I'll let you go back to your mom."
Renya set the little girl down gently and patted her on the head.
She glanced at him timidly, then bolted on her tiny legs, sprinting into her mother's arms.
Renya watched the mother and daughter embrace, crying tears of relief, his expression turning complicated.
His reputation in Kumogakure… was completely ruined.
No—worse than ruined.
He'd become their collective nightmare.
...
Senju Tobirama and the others who witnessed everything looked at Renya with complex expressions.
"Renya-kun… you're really famous here in Kumogakure, huh," Uchiha Kagami murmured softly.
"Famous? He's practically infamous!" Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed. "Everyone here knows you… and fears you."
Exactly how many people had Renya killed to create this level of fear? It was terrifying.
Senju Tobirama's mouth twitched slightly. Renya's deterrence was even greater than he'd imagined.
What exactly had this brat done to make Kumogakure shinobi react like this?
Even Uchiha Madara's intimidation wasn't this extreme!
With Renya around, Kumogakure probably wouldn't dare target Konoha for a long, long time.
Still… Tobirama made a mental note to have a little "chat" with him when they returned to the village.
Shimura Danzō and Koharu Utatane exchanged glances, silently wondering if Renya had secretly done something unspeakable behind their backs.
Otherwise, there was no way Kumogakure would react so strongly.
Renya, noticing his companions' stares, opened his mouth to explain—but the words wouldn't come out.
Everything had been fine on the battlefield, so why did stepping off it suddenly turn into this nightmare?
Thousands of thoughts swirled in his mind… but all he could manage was a helpless sigh.
Slander. Absolute slander!
"I'm not like that…" Renya muttered softly.
"I know," Senju Tobirama said firmly, patting his shoulder with a serious expression.
Then, after a pause, he narrowed his eyes and asked,
"By the way… just how many people have you actually killed?"
The question hung in the air.
Hiruzen and the others turned their heads, staring intently, clearly wanting to know the answer too.
Renya: "…"
...
I recommend checking out my new fanfic about the Dying System (Getting Killed Makes You Stronger)!