"Looks like school life is treating you well," Ren said with a light chuckle, his arms crossed, as he looked at the stunned Itachi.
"Uh…" Itachi scratched his head awkwardly, then stood up and said softly, "Did you come to the school to find me for something, Brother Ren?"
"Of course," Ren replied, turning and walking away, his voice echoing, "Follow me."
"Yes!" Itachi quickly covered his lunch box, stood up, and hurried after him, leaving the people in the classroom looking at each other in bewilderment.
"That…" After a moment of silence in the classroom, a hesitant voice finally spoke, "It looks like an Anbu uniform…"
Ren hadn't changed out of his clothes after work, and since these students were not unfamiliar with Anbu, they recognized it at a glance.
Seeing the person come to find Itachi, everyone was both frightened and a little curious, but intimidated by the Anbu's authority, they didn't dare to follow, only whispering guesses and discussions with their classmates.
Meanwhile, Itachi had already followed Ren all the way to the rooftop.
"Brother Ren, is there something you needed today?" Itachi closed the door behind him and quickly caught up to Ren, asking as he walked.
"Nothing major," Ren walked to the edge and stopped, then pulled a Scroll from his person and handed it over, nodding with a smile. "Do you remember yesterday when you told me you could skillfully use Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu?"
"Mm." Itachi, though a little confused, nodded lightly and reached out to take the Scroll.
"This is your next training goal. Work hard," Ren said.
"Huh?" Hearing Ren say this, Itachi immediately lowered his head to look at the Scroll in his hand and unrolled it. The first characters that caught his eye made him unconsciously murmur, "Bringer-of-Darkness Technique."
Looking at these words, a puzzled expression appeared on Itachi's face. He had never heard of this Ninjutsu's name.
"Right," Ren yawned and mumbled, "Practice it well. This is a good thing, don't waste it."
Besides the Sharingan, the Uchiha Clan is also renowned for its matching Shurikenjutsu and Genjutsu.
But in Ren's opinion, the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique was definitely no worse than, and perhaps even superior to, the Uchiha's high-level Genjutsu.
"Huh?" Itachi looked at the Scroll, then at Ren, a hesitant expression on his face. "Wouldn't that be bad, Brother Ren?"
"What's bad about it?" Ren raised his hand and patted his shoulder, smiling. "Ninjutsu is created to be learned, isn't it? One person learns it, two people learn it. Oh, right."
At this point, Ren seemed to remember something. After a pause, he looked at Itachi and continued, "After school today, go find Shisui. Tell him I said this: he should also practice this Ninjutsu well. I'll check on it when I return in a couple of days."
"Hm?" Itachi's gaze shifted slightly. Being meticulous, he quickly noticed some details in Ren's words.
"After you return, are you leaving the village, Brother Ren?"
"Yes," Ren nodded, acknowledging, "I took a mission and need to go out for a trip. I'll be back in a couple of days."
As he spoke, Ren pulled another Scroll from his person, handing it over while continuously reminding him, "Give this to Shisui. There's a Sealing Jutsu on the Scroll. This is the Jutsu to release it. Keep it safe, don't lose it."
"Yes!" Seeing Itachi carefully put away both items, Ren withdrew his hand and smiled. "Alright, go back and eat. Get some more rest during your lunch break. Don't be late for your afternoon classes."
"Okay, I'll be going then, Brother Ren." Itachi nodded and turned to leave. Just as he was about to turn the corner to go downstairs, Ren's voice came from behind him again.
"Oh, right. You and Shisui just need to know about this. Don't tell Uncle Fugaku and Mikoto."
"Mm." Itachi didn't ask further, nodded in response, and continued downstairs to leave, leaving Ren alone on the rooftop.
"Hoo." After watching Itachi leave, Ren didn't depart immediately. Instead, he turned his head to look at a shadowed area behind him, grinning. "Sensei, aren't you coming out yet?"
Not long after, a low voice emerged from the shadows. "Truly worthy of a Jonin."
As the voice sounded, a figure slowly walked out of the shadows and stood beside Ren. His ordinary face bore a long, thin scar, which inexplicably added a touch of solemnity to him.
"You came back so suddenly without a word." The man turned to look at Ren, his serious expression softening, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, and a smile in his eyes.
"Hahaha, but you already found out, didn't you?" Ren turned sideways, bowing slightly as he chuckled, "Yamanaka Sensei, it's been a long time."
The person was indeed Yamanaka Ryo, Ren's teacher from his Ninja Academy days. Thinking back, their last meeting was a year ago, before the war had even begun.
No one expected the war to arrive so suddenly. In the urgent situation at the time, Ren, who had just been promoted to Chunin, was dispatched to the front lines and had no time to say goodbye to his acquaintances.
After returning from the war, he spent most of his time in Anbu. Besides delivering the Scroll to Itachi, Ren also came today to see his former teacher.
"Ah, it certainly has been a long time." Looking at the Anbu uniform on Ren, Yamanaka Ryo's face was filled with emotion.
The last time they met, Ren was still a Genin. Who could have imagined that in the short span of a year, his strength would rapidly advance, and his name would begin to resonate and spread across various battlefields?
Even though his mission at the time was to remain in the village, he often heard Ren's name in the casual conversations of those around him.
He broke through Chiyo's new type of poison with Lady Tsunade;
He joined forces with Lord Jiraiya to stop the Tailed Beast's rampage and cover the army's retreat;
He infiltrated Hidden Mist Village alone to acquire the Tailed Beast and the Scroll of Summoning Ninja Blades.
Every time Yamanaka Ryo heard these stories, while worried, he also felt immense pride and honor. His student's success truly brought him great prestige.
"Yamanaka Sensei, you've finally been promoted," Ren said, blinking and looking at the other party with a teasing expression, observing the clothes on him that were clearly different from those of a typical teacher.
"Ah, speaking of which, I have you all to thank," Yamanaka Ryo said, raising his hand to touch his clothes with a smile.
As the teacher of the elite class back then, all his students had shone brightly on the battlefield.
Not only Ren, but also Kakashi, Asuma, Yuhi, Might Guy, and others had all displayed their talents and achieved great merits during the war.
With extensive teaching experience and a group of ambitious students, Yamanaka Ryo was promoted to Head of Teaching by the newly appointed Minato shortly after the war ended, and his future was indeed bright.