Ren looked at the scene before him and instantly felt that he might as well go back to bed and count the Tailed Beasts.
Inside the tent, besides Jiraiya, there was also Nara Choumei. Jiraiya's desk was piled high with various documents and intelligence scrolls, and there were also two Mount Myōboku communication toads that Ren recognised, hopping back and forth on the desk. When Jiraiya himself looked up, it startled Ren even more; two dark circles hung on Jiraiya's face, and he wasn't holding a pen but a novel, with a terrifying, perverted smile on his face. It made Ren's skin crawl.
And this book, Ren seemed to have seen it in the yellow section of the Konoha Village bookstore... Of course, Ren only saw the cover inadvertently when he was passing by to buy materials, and then Ren's extraordinary memory helped him remember it, that's all.
As for Nara Choumei next to him, it was another story. Although his dark circles were much lighter than Jiraiya's, his expression of despair and his posture of lying on the desk like a salted fish made Ren feel that his situation might not be much better than Jiraiya's.
"Choumei Uncle, Lord Jiraiya, I can understand you working overtime late at night, but you two..."
Ren hesitated, and both of them understood his meaning. Jiraiya put down the unhealthy publication in his hand, and Nara Choumei also sat up. Although both of them still looked a bit listless, they were much better than before.
"What's wrong, you brat? Can't we rest while working overtime? Don't you know about balancing work and rest?"
Jiraiya said somewhat irritably. After all, as the Commander, he was busy until the middle of the night every day. Wasn't it normal to occasionally read some books and publications to cultivate his mind and relax?
Meanwhile, Nara Choumei turned his gaze to Ren.
"Shouldn't you be resting in the infirmary at this time? Why are you running out in the middle of the night, you child?"
Although it sounded like a scolding, the concern in his tone could not be hidden at all.
A warm current surged in Ren's heart, but he also knew that wandering around late at night indeed made people worry, so he scratched the back of his head and said somewhat awkwardly.
"Hehehe, wasn't I just coming over to see what you two were busy with? And to see if there's anything I can help with. Besides, with my physique, I'll be pretty much recovered after a good night's sleep."
Jiraiya turned, picked up a chair, and handed it to Ren, saying with a look of disdain.
"What can you help with? Can you translate intelligence, or manage supplies and personnel? Injured people should just honestly go back to bed and lie down. Don't make us worry."
"What do you mean by by 'make you worry'? I'm very strong now, okay? Like, I can solo a Jinchuriki!"
"Oh? I wonder who was carried back during the day, covered in wounds all over. It couldn't have been you, could it?"
Looking at the sarcastic Jiraiya in front of him, Nara Choumei could only smile helplessly. Lord Jiraiya was too mischievous; it seemed he could argue with anyone, and now he was even bickering with a child.
"Hmph!"
Ren ignored Jiraiya and walked directly to Nara Choumei, saying somewhat slyly.
"Choumei Uncle, my forehead feels a bit itchy. Can you take a look for me?"
"Hmm?"
Although Nara Choumei was a bit puzzled, he bent down and pushed aside Ren's bangs, seeing the mark. He instantly froze.
Jiraiya, equally curious, leaned over, and like Nara Choumei, he instantly froze.
"This is?!"
The two exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of surprise in the other's eyes.
"Yin Seal!" x2
"Not bad, not bad. As expected of the Konoha Iwa Ninja Battlefield Commander and Chief of Staff. Good eyes, good eyes."
...
Jiraiya's face darkened, and he raised his hand to slap Ren, making him stumble.
"You brat! You're far from being able to show off in front of me!"
"Hiss, I'm an injured person! I'm going to write to the Third Old Man! I'm going to impeach Lord Jiraiya for bullying the weak and assaulting a meritorious Konoha Ninja!"
Ren, whose wounds were agitated, gasped for a breath of cold air. After recovering, Ren slumped into the chair, his index finger trembling as he pointed at Jiraiya, his expression aggrieved. If one didn't know better, they would really think Ren was being oppressed by his superior.
"Alright, quickly sit up. What would it look like if someone saw you like this?"
Nara Choumei's mouth twitched a few times. He stepped forward and pulled Ren up, telling him to rein it in. After all, this was a military Konoha Camp, and bickering like this was undignified.
"Yes, Choumei Uncle."
Ren also stopped joking, straightened his posture, and sat in front of the desk, looking at the two with a serious expression.
"Tell us, when did you master this Yin Seal, and does your teacher know?"
Jiraiya leaned back in his office chair, his gaze fixed on Ren, who was sitting upright opposite him.
"Well, actually, I succeeded an hour ago. My teacher doesn't know yet."
"...So that's how it is."
The two looked at Ren with surprise, and also a hint of emotion.
The Yin Seal! In the entire Konoha, only two people had successfully mastered it: one was the First Nine-Tails Jinchuriki Uzumaki Mito, and the other was Ren's teacher, the Sannin Tsunade.
And after many years, her disciple also inherited this Ninjutsu. Although it was somewhat unexpected, it was still within reason.
Jiraiya remembered that a year ago, when the three Sannin were drinking, the drunken trio talked about their respective disciples. Orochimaru expressed great satisfaction with his disciple, and he also boasted to the two about his good student Minato. And Tsunade's evaluation of Ren, Jiraiya still remembered vividly to this day.
"This child, whether as a Ninja or in his medical talent, far exceeds my expectations. I believe that in another ten years, his Hokage Rock will definitely be carved onto that rock face!"
His thoughts returned to the present. Jiraiya looked at the mark on Ren's forehead, filled with emotion, and at the same time, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Whether it was Tsunade's entrustment or their own friendship, Jiraiya did not want anything to happen to Ren. Ever since he assigned Ren to the night raid team yesterday, Jiraiya had felt some regret. Such a high-risk mission, even if Minato Namikaze personally led the team, could not guarantee a complete absence of death risk. If anything happened to Ren, how could he face Tsunade?
It wasn't until the group returned safely to the Konoha Camp that Jiraiya's hanging heart finally relaxed. Now, knowing that Ren had gained a blessing in disguise and even mastered the Yin Seal, it was as if Jiraiya had been given a reassurance pill.
After all, Ren mastering the Yin Seal was equivalent to having an extra trump card for survival, and in war, the effect of the Yin Seal was no different from giving Ren an extra life.