Chapter 49: God of Shinobi
"No! Granny Tsunade! I'm bringing Sasuke back, no matter what!" Naruto's voice boomed through the Hokage Office, only to be cut short as Tsunade yeeted him out the door for the twenty-third time that week.
He crashed onto the floor outside, arms crossed, face scrunched into a sulky pout. Abandon Sasuke? Not a chance. That stubborn, broody bastard was coming back to Konoha, even if Naruto had to drag him by his spiky hair!
"Naruto?" Renji's voice broke through as he climbed the stairs, spotting the blond sulking like a kicked puppy by the door.
"Renji! Renji!" Naruto sprang up, charging like an overeager calf and latching onto Renji's arm. "You're all healed up? Wait, wait—what happened after I blacked out on that mission? Why's everyone acting like it's some big secret?"
Naruto's temper flared, his whiskers twitching. The retrieval mission had crashed and burned, and when he woke up in the hospital, everyone—everyone—was battered. But ask for details? Kakashi stammered and dodged. Shikamaru switched topics faster than a ninja fleeing a kunai barrage. It was infuriating!
"I'm fine now," Renji said, his tone calm and measured, ticking off Naruto's questions like a checklist. "The mission failed, we all got hurt, so we had to pull back. That's all."
Naruto's pout deepened, his blue eyes narrowing. "Renji, are we seriously just gonna leave that bastard Sasuke out there? Like, for real?"
Renji sighed, his expression softening into that gentle, almost-too-perfect smile. "Naruto, Sasuke chose this path. Even if we haul him back, he'll just bolt again. It's his decision."
The words hit Naruto like a bucket of cold water. He froze, his mind grinding to a halt. Sasuke's choice? He'd never stopped to think about what Sasuke wanted. He'd just assumed dragging him home would fix everything, like tying a leash on a runaway pet. But what if Sasuke didn't want to be leashed?
"But… but…" Naruto stammered, grasping for an argument, his voice trailing off.
The office door swung open with a creak. Tsunade stormed out, yanked Naruto off Renji like he was a pesky burr, and hurled him down the hall with a shotput-worthy toss. She dusted her hands with a satisfied smirk and pulled Renji inside, shutting the door with a thud.
A mountain of documents awaited Renji on the desk. "Help your teacher out a bit," Tsunade said, sliding a pen toward him with a grin that promised pain if he refused.
Renji stared at the stack, his face blank. "…"
He was not in the mood for paperwork.
Tsunade's smile widened, the pen in her hand twisting into a mangled wreck under her grip, as if daring him to say no.
Renji swallowed. "…Fine, I'm willing."
Tsunade nodded, her grin triumphant, and settled into her chair like a queen on her throne.
The documents, pre-sorted by Shizune, were mind-numbingly simple—approvals for D-rank missions like dog-walking or babysitting, perfect for fresh genin. Renji sighed, assigning them to the newbies with the enthusiasm of a slug crawling through salt.
...
Outside, Naruto's tumble nearly flattened Jiraiya, who sidestepped with ninja grace, letting the blond eat dirt. Naruto yanked his head out of the ground, spitting weeds and glaring daggers.
Jiraiya scratched his foot, smirking at the familiar scene. Only Tsunade could yeet someone with that much force. "Didn't I tell you to stop pestering the Hokage?"
Naruto scrambled to his feet, hands on hips, practically steaming. "Are we just gonna ditch Sasuke like that? Seriously?"
Jiraiya sighed, his sharp eyes seeing right through Naruto's stubborn bravado. "You think you can take him? You gonna waltz into Orochimaru's lair and drag Sasuke out? And even if you pull it off, what's stopping him from running again?"
Naruto's blue eyes dimmed, his shoulders slumping. The truth stung. "But we can't just… give up…"
Jiraiya's expression softened, and he ruffled Naruto's spiky hair, the gesture warm but firm. "Not chasing him now doesn't mean giving up forever. Right now, you'd get squashed by Orochimaru. And the real kicker? It's about what Sasuke wants, not just what you want."
Naruto's jaw dropped, the words sinking in. "Relying on Renji…" he mumbled, realization dawning. All this time, he'd leaned on Renji's endless patience, his protective shadow letting Naruto charge into danger without a second thought. Renji had always been there, cleaning up his messes, shielding him from the worst.
"Ero-sennin, what really happened on that mission after I passed out?" Naruto asked, his voice low and serious, eyes burning with the need to know. Everyone's cagey attitude screamed that something massive had gone down.
Jiraiya fell silent, his face darkening. Kakashi had spilled the grim details—his mental state a wreck after facing his father. If Naruto knew, it'd break him. "Naruto, what you need is strength. The Nine-Tails inside you means danger's only gonna get worse. If you want to stop leaning on Renji, you gotta train harder than ever."
Naruto's fists clenched, knuckles whitening. "I will!"
Jiraiya had a plan: take Naruto training while digging into Akatsuki and the puppetmaster behind Sakumo Hatake. Tsunade greenlit it—partly to get the loudmouth out of her hair, partly because Konoha was starving for intel on this shadowy threat.
Naruto assumed training would be in the village, not a years-long odyssey. He balked at the news. "Ero-sennin, let's bring Renji along!" he blurted over ramen, chopsticks waving.
Jiraiya shook his head. "No way." Tsunade would skin him alive.
Naruto's face crumpled, muttering, "Ero-sennin can't even pull that off…"
Jiraiya's veins throbbed. "Bring Renji, and your training turns into a playground!"
Naruto: "…"
...
That night, Naruto clutched a small pillow and knocked on Renji's door, his reluctance practically dripping off him. When Renji opened it, Naruto's eyes shone with a mix of excitement and dread.
"Naruto, what's up?" Renji asked, tilting his head.
Hugging his pillow like a lifeline, Naruto said, "Renji, I'm leaving Konoha with Ero-sennin for training tomorrow morning." His voice was heavy, eyes brimming with unwillingness to go.
Renji's face lit up, his enthusiasm genuine—or so it seemed. "That's awesome, Naruto! You're gonna come back a total powerhouse!"
"…" Naruto's face fell. That wasn't the answer he wanted. He wailed, "Renji, won't you miss me at all?"
Renji blinked, unfazed. If Naruto was this clingy, he could send shadow clones to pester him daily—problem solved. But he leaned in, his voice warm and reassuring, the ninja world's top actor at work. "I'll miss you tons, Naruto. But when I think about the stronger, cooler Naruto I'll see when you get back, that sadness turns into pure anticipation."
It was the perfect line, delivered with Oscar-worthy sincerity. Naruto's eyes sparkled, his reluctance morphing into fiery determination. "Next time you see me, I'll be super awesome!" He barged in, tossed his pillow next to Renji's, and patted the empty spot on the bed. "Come on, Renji, sleepover time!"
Naruto's excitement was infectious, his eyes wide as he looked at Renji expectantly. Renji, caught off guard but unable to resist, lay down stiffly. It was Naruto's first sleepover, and he was buzzing. He leaned closer, sniffing. "Renji, you smell really good…"
Renji's fist met Naruto's head with a thwack. Naruto's eyes rolled back, and he slumped, out cold. Renji exhaled, relieved, and closed his eyes, savoring the quiet.
Morning came. Naruto woke with a throbbing headache, clutching his skull in confusion. When did he fall asleep? Why couldn't he remember? And why did his head feel like it'd been hit by a brick? He glanced at Renji, sleeping soundly, and tiptoed out. One last look back, and his eyes welled up. With wide streams of reluctant tears, he left Konoha with Jiraiya, his heart heavy but determined.
...
Three years later.
In a dense forest, a blue blur shot through the trees. A fist wrapped in black and red lightning struck with terrifying force, like a cannonball ripping through the air.
Boom!
The punch shattered a ninja's defense, blasting a gaping hole through his chest. Blood and flesh sprayed, his eyes dimming as life fled. His body hit the ground with a dull thud.
Mission complete, Renji sealed the corpse in a scroll with practiced ease. His figure leaped onto a branch, speeding toward Konoha, his blue hair trailing like a comet's tail.
...
Konoha. Hokage Office.
Naruto's nonstop chatter assaulted Tsunade's ears, her temples throbbing like war drums. "Granny Tsunade, where's Renji? Off on another mission, huh? You're always working him to death!"
He spun to Sakura, grinning. "Tell me, am I more handsome now or what?"
Sakura smirked, her voice flat. "Same old ugly mug."
"What?! No way!" Naruto flailed. "I'm asking Renji when he gets back!"
"Granny Tsunade, when's Renji coming back? Can you make it quick? He doesn't even know I'm here! He'd totally meet me otherwise. Renji's the best, right, Sakura?" Naruto's enthusiasm was relentless.
Sakura's smirk widened. "Dunno, but for three years, Renji ate BBQ with Shikamaru every single day, rain or shine."
Naruto clutched his head, reeling. "No way! That's impossible!"
Sakura's words looped in his mind like a cruel taunt: "Rain or shine, BBQ with Shikamaru, rain or shine…" His world was crumbling.
Until—
"Lady Hokage." A figure flipped through the window with catlike grace, handing Tsunade a scroll. Long blue hair brushed past Naruto's face. The ANBU wore a fox mask, a flame-like tattoo blazing on his right arm. His tall, lean frame was clad in a sleek black suit, muscles taut and fluid, exuding quiet power.
Tsunade nodded, not bothering to check the scroll. Renji's missions hadn't failed once in three years, earning him a swift promotion from chunin to jōnin. His record was flawless, his presence indispensable.
Sakura glanced at Naruto, who'd gone eerily quiet after his earlier outburst. "What's with you? You were yelling a second ago, and now you're a statue?"
Renji, of course, had clocked Naruto the moment he entered. He turned, peeled off his fox mask, and flashed that signature gentle smile. "Welcome back, Naruto."
Naruto's awkward shyness evaporated. That familiar warmth lit up his eyes like fireworks. He launched himself at Renji, clinging like a koala. "Renji, Renji! Did you miss me? Bet you missed me tons! But, like, I didn't miss you that much, y'know!"
Renji's forehead twitched, black lines forming. What kind of logic is that?
"And you're treating me to BBQ! I'm starving!" Naruto bellowed, already tugging him toward the door.
"No problem," Renji said, unfazed. Three years of high-stakes missions had filled his pockets, and with Shikamaru footing every BBQ bill, his savings were untouched. He could afford to spoil Naruto a bit.
Naruto was halfway out the door when Renji paused, turning to Tsunade with a solemn expression. "Lady Hokage, during my mission, I encountered a ninja who looked strikingly like the First Hokage. He used Wood Release."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed to slits, her knuckles whitening. Naruto's gaze darkened, memories of Jiraiya's grim recounting of that mission flooding back. His fists clenched, nails biting into his palms. Those who dared desecrate Konoha's heroes would pay.
Crack!
The desk split clean in half under Tsunade's fist, her face a storm of rage. The enemy in the shadows had dared to touch her grandfather, the God of Shinobi himself.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +100,000!]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +100,000!]
[Chakra (28,550,000 / 100,000,000)]
Renji's mind churned. Fifty thousand just from hearing the news? Seeing Hashirama in action would likely yield a fortune in Malice Value. Controlling the First Hokage to destroy Konoha? That'd be a jackpot of despair and rage, ripe for the picking.
"Speaking of revived ninja, I've dug up some intel over the last three years," Jiraiya said, his figure appearing at the window with his usual dramatic flair. "There's a mercenary group operating in the black market, all revived ninja, active only since three years ago. Sakumo Hatake was likely their first operative."
He glanced at Tsunade's thunderous expression before continuing. "No solid leads on their leader or numbers, but their latest stunt on the black market involves the God of Shinobi—Senju Hashirama. They seem to be in it purely for the cash."
Tsunade's teeth ground together, her voice a low growl. "Bastards!"
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