At Konoha Hospital, Ren lay silently on the bed, his body wrapped in thick bandages.
This time, the injuries were serious—so much so that even the Head of the Medical Corps had estimated at least two days for full treatment.
Ren didn't particularly care how long it took, as long as no scars remained.
His consciousness drifted into the system space, his gaze fixed on the floating system screen.
Water Style: Water Wave Technique (White) – 1 Ingot
Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique (White) – 5 Ingots
Water Style: Water Curtain Technique (White) – 5 Ingots
Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique (Purple) – 20 Ingots
One C-rank White Ninjutsu, two B-rank White Ninjutsu, and one B-rank Purple Ninjutsu.
Ren stared at the screen, his eyes blank—not from excitement over a rare Purple-tier technique, but confusion.
It was bizarre that four Water Style techniques had dropped… when all four of the enemy ninja had been using Earth Style.
Even more bizarre was the assassination attempt itself.
With Sarutobi Hiruzen's experience and Danzo's paranoia, any Jonin would be able to recognize the signatures of Earth Style combat at a glance. More importantly, Ren was Danzo's biological son.
Assassinating him inside Konoha would trigger immediate retaliation against the Land of Earth.
Logically, the Iwagakure leadership wouldn't dare take such a risk without preparation for all-out war.
Ren discarded all the implausible scenarios until only the impossible remained—which, therefore, must be the truth.
Four enemy shinobi, all using Earth Style, yet dropping Water Style ninjutsu scrolls? That was no coincidence. That was a message.
"The Land of Water… It's a setup."
Ren suddenly understood.
The Land of Water was attempting to ignite tensions between Konoha and Iwagakure by staging an assassination designed to look like an Earth Country operation.
Similar to what had recently happened with the Sand—stoking internal conflicts to destabilize Konoha's alliances and spark war.
Their game was clear now: provoke Iwagakure into fighting Konoha, then have the Water and Wind countries ambush Konoha while its forces were divided.
Once the Land of Earth was locked in battle, the joint forces of Water and Wind would crush Konoha's defenses from behind. Kumogakure, ever the opportunist, would jump in last to claim territory and war spoils.
Ren frowned, realizing how close he'd come to death.
"If I hadn't had the system cheat, I'd be dead. And Danzo? With his psychotic need for revenge, he'd definitely retaliate against the Land of Earth without question.
To stop Danzo, Sarutobi would have to kill him—and there's no way he'd destroy the entire Root organization.
Losing Root would cut Konoha's military strength by half. Sarutobi might choose war over internal instability."
In this timeline, Danzo's right eye was still intact. Ren guessed it was this future conflict—World War II—that would cause Danzo to be injured, perhaps even by Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage.
Losing one eye could be the result of his violent retaliation during that future war.
In the original timeline, there was no Ren. Maybe Danzo's son had died in this very assassination attempt, and that grief is what unhinged him completely.
But now, with the soul of a modern man inhabiting Ren's body, the Water Country's plan had been foiled. He could see through their bullshit instantly.
Ren may have had a casual grin most of the time, protected by his father's infamy, but in truth, he was anything but soft. Even if a dog bit him, he'd rip its damn throat out.
"No point keeping these," Ren muttered. "Water Wave, Water Curtain, Water Dragon Bullet… all White-tier trash. Sell 'em. But the Mist Technique… I'll keep that."
Ren tapped the screen.
Sold 3 Ninjutsu Scrolls – Gained 11 Ingots
He then equipped the Hidden Mist Technique.
Immediately, the hand signs, chakra flow, and combat applications of the jutsu flooded his mind like he'd practiced it for years. Its effectiveness had already reached its theoretical limit.
"The Purple tier is the max for B-rank jutsu. I wonder what Orange and Gold ones are like…"
He opened his skill list. Apart from the Mist Technique, the rest were all C-rank: Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique, Great Fireball Technique, Body Flicker, and a few utility ones. What he needed now was power. Real, lethal power.
Suddenly, voices drifted from outside the ward.
Ren's consciousness snapped back to reality. He kept quiet, eavesdropping.
"Lord Hokage. Lord Danzo."
"How's Little Ren?"
"Severe blood loss and physical trauma, but nothing permanent. He should fully recover in two days with continued treatment."
"Good. You may go."
The door creaked open. Ren slowly opened his eyes.
Danzo stood at the doorway, his face dark and rigid like stone.
"Son. Who did this?"
"Shinobi from an outside village," Ren replied calmly.
Danzo's face twisted into fury. "Hmph! Sarutobi, this is your damn policy again! 'Bring in foreign populations to develop Konoha,' you said. Look where that got us! My son almost died!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen, standing beside him, took a long drag from his pipe and exhaled with practiced serenity.
"The village development plan was created by the four of us, Danzo. You voted for it. And I've watched Little Ren grow up. Don't think for a moment I'm not upset by this."
Danzo didn't care. He turned to Sarutobi and shouted coldly, "Don't you dare act sentimental in my presence!"
"I've already dispatched Anbu to investigate. Once we identify which village the infiltrators came from, we'll retaliate appropriately," Sarutobi offered.
"No! I don't want to hear your damn excuses! And you—" Danzo pointed an angry finger at him, "—you're smoking in a hospital ward! Get out. Now!"
Sarutobi's face stiffened. He glanced at Ren, offering a weak smile, then turned and walked out with his dignity barely intact.
"Hmph."
Danzo snorted again and approached Ren's bedside. His voice softened.
"Ren… are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Ren smiled weakly. "You always said suffering makes a shinobi stronger."
Danzo's lip trembled slightly. "It's my fault. I should've had Root Operative No.1 stay close to you. From today on, both No.1 and No.2 are yours to command. Use them as you see fit. From now on, training can wait—your life is more important than anything."
Danzo turned away abruptly. He didn't want Ren to see the rare glint of moisture in his eyes. He walked toward the door slowly, regaining his composure before turning back.
"Rest well, Little Ren. I'll deal with those who hurt you. All of them."
(Author's Note: No matter how cruel someone is, everyone has someone they treasure. That's human nature. Even someone like Zabuza cherished Haku in the end.)
Info 1: The person Danzo cherishes… is the protagonist.
Info 2: In the original Naruto canon, Danzo's son was killed in this very assassination. Losing the only person he ever truly loved shattered him—and his descent into extremism became irreversible.