The news of Ren joining the Anbu quickly reached Tsunade's ears, and for reasons she couldn't explain, it made her furious.
Without thinking, she stormed into the Shimura estate like a rampaging boar, tearing through the compound in search of Ren.
After several fruitless minutes of searching, she finally bumped—literally—into Danzo.
"Ah… Lord Danzo. I… I was looking for Little Ren," Tsunade said, bowing stiffly, her face twitching in awkward discomfort.
"Little Ren isn't home," Danzo replied calmly. "He said he was going to the academy to take care of a few things. Judging by your reaction, I assume you've heard the news?"
"Yeah. I didn't expect you would actually approve of him joining the Anbu. The war could break out at any time.
It's reckless, don't you think?" Tsunade said bluntly, with no care for diplomacy. She wasn't the type to dance around pleasantries, especially when someone she cared about was involved.
Since the Aoi Festival, her relationship with Ren had slowly begun to thaw.
Though they still bickered often—Ren's childish antics didn't help—Tsunade no longer threatened to beat him into next week. Instead, her concern for him had grown.
Danzo's single visible eye softened slightly, which was a rare enough event that it could've been a genjutsu.
"I understand your concerns, Tsunade. If I had a choice, I wouldn't want Ren exposed to danger either.
But I know my son. Beneath that grin and all his shameless nonsense, once he makes up his mind, nothing—not even I—can stop him. It's like how he is with you.
Do you really think you'll be rid of him so easily? Mark my words… one day, you'll be the daughter-in-law of the Shimura family."
"LORD DANZO!" Tsunade sputtered, fists clenched and cheeks burning like a tomato about to explode.
She couldn't believe it. This was Danzo Shimura. The same hawk-eyed, militaristic lunatic who treated emotions like weaknesses. And now he was playing matchmaker?
If she weren't a Jonin and he weren't a Kage-level relic, she would've socked him square in the face.
Danzo coughed awkwardly and waved his hand dismissively. "I have a terrible habit of speaking the truth. Let's just pretend I didn't say anything."
"No shit! I heard that!" Tsunade growled, glaring daggers.
A devilish grin suddenly curled her lips. A mischievous glint sparkled in her eyes as she straightened up and gave Danzo a faux-sweet smile.
"Oh, Lord Danzo~," she sang, "what you just said… I could take that as you flirting with me. Maybe I'll go tell Little Ren that his father was trying to put the moves on me while he wasn't home…"
"(⊙_⊙)" Danzo froze like a deer in genjutsu.
"Oi, Tsunade! Don't talk nonsense! I don't want to wake up with a face full of pillow and teeth missing because your little brat decided to go feral—hey! Wait! TSUNADE!"
…
Tsunade marched out of the Shimura estate, heading toward the Ninja Academy. What she didn't know was that Ren had already left the school hours ago.
"Come, come, gather round! To celebrate you all giving me face and skipping class like true degenerates, I'm treating everyone to this feast!"
At the most popular yakiniku joint on Konoha's commercial street, Ren raised his glass and toasted his small gang of companions.
"Friendship this deep demands reckless indulgence. No sips, just gulps! Drink it all or admit you're no friend of mine! I'll go first!" Ren declared proudly.
Gulp gulp gulp…
"Hic—damn that's good stuff!" he shouted with a flushed face, clearly feeling high on the moment.
Mikoto, seated beside him, glanced nervously at his glass. "Um… Ren-san, you're drinking orange juice."
"…"
Ren collapsed back into his seat dramatically, tears threatening to spill. No one spared him a second glance. Across the table, Akimichi Chōza was entranced by the meat platter in front of him as if it held the meaning of life.
Since Ren was set to join the Anbu tomorrow, he'd pulled a few familiar faces from his class for a farewell meal. Among them were Mikoto, the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, Namikaze Minato, and even Inuzuka Tsume—an energetic little first-year with the future of being Kiba's mother.
At just seven, Tsume was still a ball of hyper puppy energy. Despite the two red fang-like markings on her cheeks, she was adorably cute. Ren, fully aware of her eventual fate—a brash woman with wild hair and wilder dogs—had no romantic interest whatsoever. He simply invited her as a fellow Konoha kid.
"Arf arf!" Tsume tiny dog Heimaru yapped from atop her head, sniffing the smoky air as its mouth watered.
Nearby, Nara Shikaku flipped the meat on the grill with chopsticks like a pro, while Chōza placed a bowl right under the sizzling strips to catch every juicy drop.
"The first piece is yours, bro," said Shikaku.
"Thanks, Shikaku—then I won't be polite!" Chōza beamed, already stuffing his mouth.
Ren sat akimbo, face twisted in outrage. "What's the deal with this village not selling alcohol to minors?! What a load of crap! And you, Mikoto—why'd you ruin my cool moment!?"
"I… I thought maybe your brain was damaged and it was some kind of performance," Mikoto replied with an apologetic tilt of her head. She let out a tiny relieved giggle. Her innocent smile made Ren's heart itch.
Unable to resist, he grabbed Mikoto into a side hug and grinned wickedly while pinching her cheeks.
"My Mikoto is just too damn cute. Let big bro squish your face~ hehehe…"
"Ugh! Pervert!" Mikoto squealed, squirming in protest. But her resistance was more playful than serious. After being teased so many times, she was starting to fight back more naturally.
The rest of the group turned a blind eye to the flirting and focused on the food. Yamanaka Inoichi silently pulled out a small bag from his pocket and dumped its contents onto the grill.
"What's that?" asked Chōza.
"Dog food," Inoichi replied stone-faced, popping a piece into his mouth. "Watching those two flirt made me want to eat something equally pathetic."
"Oi, you're seven!" Chōza gasped.
"Yeah, and apparently that's the age for getting dumped by the girl you haven't even confessed to yet," Inoichi muttered. "Don't stop me. The taste isn't bad…"
"Arf! Arf! Arf!"
"Heimaru? You want some too?"
Everyone laughed and chatted, the atmosphere bubbling with warmth. For a moment, it felt like the war looming on the horizon didn't exist. But just as Shikaku picked up another piece of meat, he froze mid-bite.
"Wait. We need a good excuse for skipping class. If we don't come up with one, sensei will tell my mom. You know how she gets… no mercy."
"What excuse?" asked Chōza.
"No clue. But my mom won't hit me."
"My dad will kill me," muttered Minato.
Everyone turned solemn, collectively sharing the terror of parental wrath. Slowly, one by one, all eyes turned to Ren.
"Oi, Ren-niisan," said Shikaku, mouth full. "You invited us all to skip class. You must've thought of a cover story, right?"
"…A cover story?" Ren blinked blankly.
Using the distraction, Mikoto escaped his grasp and scooted to the far end of the table.
"Yeah, about that," Ren scratched his head. "I'm dropping out of the academy tomorrow to join the Anbu. Honestly? I didn't plan to make excuses. I just wanted to hang out one last time."
"EH?!"
Everyone's jaw collectively dropped. Even Heimaru barked in disbelief.