"Have these peaceful days… slipped by again?"
Early morning. Inside the ANBU headquarters, Ren yawned as he walked in.
This rest period had lasted longer than he'd expected, and he had thoroughly enjoyed slacking off.
Sometimes, he couldn't help sighing—if he'd received this kind of treatment back in Root, how wonderful would that have been?
"At least I wouldn't be thinking about how to kill Danzō every single day."
After casually greeting a few people around him, Ren's thoughts drifted back to the boss who had given him such a 'memorable childhood', and his mood instantly soured.
Especially since that old bastard had the nerve—right in the middle of Ren's revenge-level slacking—to make him write a report.
That alone was painful enough.
What made it worse was the report's content: a detailed account of the entire mission, including everything that happened before and after, and especially his interactions with Shisui Uchiha.
"In other words… he just wants to know about Shisui and Naruto."
And it wasn't just the report.
Ren knew that the old fox had probably already sent people to investigate what happened that day.
He had likely even talked it through with Hiruzen Sarutobi—after all, there was no way the Third would allow Naruto to develop any connection with Danzō.
"The result's definitely clean. Heck, the old man probably even volunteered to take the blame."
Ren couldn't help grinning darkly.
His background was spotless—he wasn't afraid of any investigation.
More importantly, he understood exactly what his boss's dream was.
And because of that, he already knew how to deal with him.
Danzō wanted to become Hokage?
Then he needed fame.
Ren decided that one day, Lord Danzō's name would echo throughout the entire shinobi world.
As for whether that fame would be glorious or universally hated—
That was none of his concern.
After all, his system's creed was simple:
As long as the task is completed, everything else is irrelevant.
How it was completed didn't matter.
"So I don't need to care either."
As Ren walked deeper into the ANBU base, he soon spotted Yugao and Shisui, already waiting for him.
They'd clearly arrived much earlier.
"You're a bit late."
"Good morning, Ren."
Yugao still carried that cool exterior with hidden warmth, while Shisui looked… slightly awkward.
Their first meeting hadn't gone well.
Ren's blunt line—"Are you questioning the Hokage's decision?"—had practically scared Shisui out of his soul.
On his honor, Shisui would never dare question the Hokage.
He wanted nothing more than to prove himself so the Uchiha clan could fully reintegrate into Konoha.
Yet after hearing Ren and Yugao's explanation, a single terrifying thought surfaced in his mind:
Did I… actually question the Hokage?
No matter how vicious the rumors were, that kid had remained in Konoha all this time.
Wasn't that, in itself, the Hokage's decision?
I really deserve to die for that one…
"I think my timing is perfect," Ren said cheerfully after glancing at the time.
"The Hokage probably hasn't even started work yet."
He then turned his attention to Shisui.
"Morning, Shisui-senpai."
Ren could clearly see Shisui's embarrassment—but far from being bothered, he was in an excellent mood.
Because Shisui had dropped loot for him.
Danzō's demand for a report had been converted by the system into a concrete task.
And tasks meant rewards.
For the sake of those rewards, Ren had forced himself—while still slacking like a man possessed—to seriously sit down and write a proper report.
And once it was submitted, the rewards he received were… unexpected.
[Mission Complete: Write Report]
[Mission Rank: A]
[Reward Obtained: Yin Release]
[Free Points Gained: 1]
Getting a Free Point just for writing a report already made Ren ecstatic.
But Yin Release?
That genuinely caught him off guard.
Yin Release and Yang Release were things everyone possessed at birth.
In simple terms, they could be understood as spiritual power and physical vitality.
But to materialize and directly manipulate these forces?
That was extraordinarily difficult.
The Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka clans weren't bloodline-limit clans, yet they stood as major powers in the shinobi world.
Why?
Because their secret techniques allowed them to manipulate Yin and Yang Release.
Ren's Overall Physical Attributes meant that his Yin and Yang foundations were already strong.
But until now, he had no way to express them externally.
And yet—
While writing a report that involved Shisui—
He'd actually unlocked Yin Release.
"So does that mean… if future missions involve people like the Akimichi clan, my old colleague Yamato, or even Tsunade… there's a chance I could unlock Yang Release too?"
The shinobi world suddenly looked like an endless field of ripe crops.
As long as a task was related, he had a chance.
His motivation skyrocketed.
"Still… this Yin Release feels more like Madara's usage—pure stat amplification."
Whether Madara Uchiha's Yin techniques caused hallucinations, Ren didn't know.
But their power was undeniable—and fundamentally, it was still a numerical increase.
Fortunately, for a stat monster like Ren, numerical upgrades were never just raw boosts.
Whenever he upgraded taijutsu, the system implanted principles, theory, and knowledge directly into him.
That meant his understanding of chakra deepened alongside his strength.
And if that understanding ever reached total clarity—
"Fusion."
The Naruto world, at its core, was about bloodlines.
About ties to the Ōtsutsuki.
Ren had no such blessing.
So he'd walk another path.
"All right, stop staring at him."
Yugao had no idea what was going through Ren's head. Seeing him smiling endlessly at Shisui, she tugged his arm.
"The whole village is like this. Shisui-senpai just reacted instinctively."
"Yugao-senpai," Ren said indignantly, "do I really look that petty?"
He had always considered himself a broad-minded man.
Sure, he constantly remembered Lord Danzō's kindness and thought about stabbing his boss in the back—
But wasn't that just proof he kept his boss in his heart?
"I-it's my fault," Shisui quickly interjected, trying to smooth things over.
"My awareness wasn't deep enough. Being criticized was justified."
Seeing Ren raise an eyebrow, Shisui immediately realized he might've just confirmed Yugao's accusation.
He hurriedly changed the subject.
"We should prepare. We're going to meet the Hokage. I hear this next mission won't be simple."
"Not simple?"
Ren's eyes lit up instantly.
A difficult mission meant better rewards.
Sure, he valued his life—but with Shisui at his side, the safety rating had skyrocketed.
Which meant—
This mission suddenly became very interesting.
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