Not far from the Tsuchikage Building, Renya stood among the crowd on the street, gazing at the office that was now half in ruins, its walls broken and open to the wind. From a distance, he could faintly see a short figure floating in midair.
Never in a million years would Ōnoki have imagined that the opponent he'd just fought not only managed to evade Dust Release, but also slipped away silently to appear right here on the street.
"Is someone trying to assassinate the Tsuchikage?"
"The Tsuchikage-sama isn't hurt, is he?"
Renya ignored the noisy crowd and moved against the flow of people, leaving the street behind.
He had indeed underestimated Ōnoki's strength earlier. Possessing Dust Release—a formidable kekkei tōta—made it nearly impossible to take him down quickly.
Especially since Renya couldn't activate his Sharingan or use the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Otherwise, Ōnoki would've immediately turned his rage toward Konohagakure, dragging Tobirama-sama into unnecessary trouble.
Without the Sharingan or the Flying Thunder God, Renya simply couldn't defeat Ōnoki in a short time—especially since that old man kept firing off Dust Release inside the narrow office, leaving almost no space to dodge.
If it weren't for Renya's proficiency in the Body Flicker Technique, he'd have been blown into dust already.
This battle made him realize that if he wanted to deal with Ōnoki, it had to be in an open space—only then would there be enough room to dodge and counterattack. Never again in a confined area. In a cramped space, there was simply nowhere to escape.
After this incident, Ōnoki would undoubtedly tighten security around the village, especially the patrols near the Tsuchikage Building. Sneaking in again in the future would never be as easy as tonight.
Taking advantage of the night, Renya slipped out of Iwagakure.
Since revenge hadn't been accomplished, there was no point staying any longer.
He stopped in a desolate area and summoned his summoning beast—the fat cat.
"Kid, did you really defeat the Third Tsuchikage, nya?" Scar asked curiously.
It had just been explaining the situation to Madara-sama in a cave when this kid suddenly summoned it here.
"No, almost," Renya shook his head, clearly not intending to explain.
There was no way he'd tell that fat cat that he'd been completely suppressed by Ōnoki's Dust Release.
If Scar went and told Uchiha Madara about that, how would he ever show his face again?
He'd come here intending to give that short old man a beating, but who could've known the guy wouldn't play fair and immediately pulled out his ultimate technique?
And with reinforcements from Iwagakure continuously arriving, a strategic retreat was the only sensible choice.
That fool Ōnoki better not actually think his Dust Release really vaporized me, right?
Renya's lips curled into a cold smile—he could already picture Ōnoki's smug expression.
Seeing that Renya didn't want to talk about it, Scar wisely dropped the topic.
After all, Madara-sama had only ordered it to keep an eye on Renya—everything else wasn't its concern.
"So, where are we going now, nya?"
"To the biggest bounty exchange in the shinobi world."
"And what are we going there for?"
"I'm broke. Time to ask someone for a little spending money."
The man and the cat left the Land of Earth, heading toward the largest bounty exchange in the shinobi world.
Since there was nothing better to do, Renya figured he might as well go see if he could run into a certain walking ATM.
That guy Kakuzu only knew how to earn money—he never knew how to spend it.
People should understand: money only truly belongs to you the moment you spend it. The money sitting in your savings isn't really yours.
The more money you hoard, the more problems you create for yourself—constantly worrying that someone might steal it. Over time, that kind of stress leads to mental issues...
All Renya had to do was take Kakuzu's money—then not only would he relieve that miser's worries, he'd also breathe new life into his own empty wallet.
Simply put, it was a win-win situation!
...
Konohagakure, Hokage's Office.
Lunchtime had arrived. Senju Tobirama set aside the documents he hadn't finished processing, closed his eyes, and rubbed his slightly aching temples.
In his mind, the image of Renya surfaced...
"If I'd known, I wouldn't have let that kid leave for so long," Tobirama muttered, a trace of regret flickering in his eyes.
Today marked the second week since Renya had left the village. It had already been ten days since Tobirama last tasted Renya's cooking.
The thought that he'd have to endure another half month of this made him lose all motivation for work.
And with no motivation came... thoughts of retirement.
"Seems like I really should start considering retirement," Tobirama murmured softly, sinking into thought.
Renya had absolutely no interest in the Hokage position—otherwise Tobirama would've long since stepped down and passed the title to him.
Now, among his disciples, only Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō were suitable candidates.
Two young faces flashed through his mind. Both had their strengths—and their weaknesses.
Choosing who would become Hokage wasn't just a matter of strength; it was about whether that person could lead the village toward the right future.
Tobirama recalled his time training the two of them...
Sarutobi Hiruzen was a prodigy—versed in multiple chakra nature transformations and mastering numerous high-level jutsu at a young age. More importantly, he was cheerful, good at uniting his comrades, and beloved by his peers.
That kind of warmth and affinity was an essential quality for a Hokage.
However, Hiruzen's flaw lay in his idealism—he often placed too much faith in the goodness of human nature. In the cruel world of shinobi, that kindness could lead to fatal misjudgments.
In contrast, Shimura Danzō was far more pragmatic and decisive. He was exceptionally gifted, particularly in Wind Release and sealing techniques.
Danzō acted swiftly and efficiently, never hesitating when it came to eliminating threats to the village.
But his problem was his extremity and rigidity. He was suspicious—even of allies—and that kind of mindset could never win widespread trust.
Even if he did become Hokage, his harsh leadership might plunge the village into avoidable dangers.
Building a nation is easy; maintaining it is hard—a truth that had held since ancient times.
That's why choosing a worthy successor was so crucial.
At first, Tobirama had believed Hiruzen the better choice.
But Renya had once suggested that Danzō might be more suitable.
That made him hesitate.
If that kid went out of his way to recommend Danzō, perhaps he truly believed the man was more fit for the title.
Tobirama decided to take some time to observe them both and choose the right one to inherit the position.
He still had a while before he truly retired—plenty of time to train them into proper successors.
"That brat really knows how to make more work for me..." Tobirama sighed helplessly.
If only Renya were willing to take the role, none of this would be an issue.
"Hiruzen, Danzō... don't let me down."
Meanwhile, Renya—wandering the shinobi world—had no idea that Tobirama-sama was planning to retire.
And the reason, unbelievably enough... was because he hadn't eaten good food in too long, and lost all motivation to work.