Naruto: Mastered Your Strategy?

Ren watched Shisui's clear and sincere eyes, and for a moment, a heavy feeling settled in his chest.

Do you really think so highly of me…?

His thumb gently traced the rim of the teacup in his hand, trying to mask the emotions stirring within him.

For a while, Shisui looked at Ren, the hope in his eyes gradually fading. Just as the disappointment was beginning to show, he heard a calm voice from the boy across the table.

"I suppose so."

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[Affection Level reached 90, Bond can now be formed]

[Bond successfully established, current relationship: Life-and-Death Comrade]

[Reward received: Kotoamatsukami]

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The next morning.

Ren finished preparing his gear and arrived at Konoha's main gate right on time.

Two figures, a man and a woman, were already waiting for him. Both were in their twenties, noticeably older than him.

The male ninja seemed unremarkable, wearing dark sunglasses and a light blue headscarf. The female ninja, however, looked somewhat familiar—she had short, practical purple hair tied into a small ponytail, wearing a tan outer jacket with a mesh shirt underneath. She was calmly eating a stick of dumplings as she stood there.

"Why's it a kid?" the female ninja muttered in dissatisfaction when she saw Ren approaching.

"I thought Hokage-sama would assign Shisui of the Body Flicker to our team."

"Come on, Anko, Hokage-sama must have his reasons for this arrangement. Besides, Uchiha Shisui was this young too when he started," the male ninja replied, clearly feeling awkward about his companion's blunt comment.

Though Ren appeared young, the Chunin uniform identical to their own left no room for doubt regarding his rank.

"My name is Ebisu. I've been temporarily assigned as the leader for this mission," the male ninja said politely, handing a document to Ren.

"Anko Mitarashi," the female ninja said casually, without looking away from her dumplings.

Ren briefly skimmed through the mission scroll. It was an espionage mission with a moderate level of difficulty. The team of three Chunin seemed like a conservative choice for the assignment.

"Ren Kanzuki," Ren introduced himself as he closed the mission scroll. "Specialized in Taijutsu."

At the mention of his name, both Ebisu and Anko froze for a second.

"That name... it sounds familiar," Anko murmured, eyeing Ren up and down as she tried to place him.

Beside her, Ebisu gave Anko a significant glance, as if he wanted to say something but was hesitant.

Ren, however, was unsurprised by their reaction. "If you want to request a new teammate from Hokage-sama, there's still time."

Ebisu hesitated, pushing his glasses up nervously, while Anko stared at Ren for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Switch? Nah, you're fine!"

She threw the remaining dumpling skewer with a flick of her wrist. It flew like a senbon needle, grazing Ren's cheek before embedding itself into a tree behind him.

Ren's expression remained unchanged, and Anko grinned mischievously.

"If there's nothing else to prepare, let's move out," Ren said calmly.

Ebisu still seemed unsure, but Anko slapped him hard on the back, jolting him into motion.

"What's the holdup? Let's go!" she shouted before darting off toward the village gates. Ren followed silently behind her.

"I'm supposed to be the team leader, aren't I?" Ebisu muttered under his breath, casting a cautious glance at Ren's back, his expression growing darker.

If this guy is really like the rumors say…

But there was nothing he could do about it now. He had no choice but to follow the team quickly.

The mission required crossing borders, so it would take some time to reach their destination. The three took a short break around noon.

While Ren ate a ration pill and closed his eyes to restore his strength, Ebisu discreetly pulled Anko aside. Ren paid no attention to their behavior.

"What is it?" Anko asked, annoyed as Ebisu interrupted her while she was eating her rice ball.

"Do you really not know about Ren Kanzuki?" Ebisu asked in a low voice.

"What do you mean?" Anko replied, vaguely recognizing Ren's name but unable to place it.

"He's the guy who abandoned his comrades during the war and ran off on his own!"

Anko blinked in surprise, then frowned as the memory clicked into place.

"So it's him…" She glanced over at Ren, her gaze now laced with curiosity.

The incident had been widely discussed in the village back then. Ren Kanzuki had once been a promising young ninja, often compared to Uchiha Shisui since they were from the same cohort. But one day, word spread that during a reconnaissance mission, Ren abandoned his teammates and fled for his life. Worse yet, the intelligence he returned with had been fake.

Naturally, everyone assumed he had forged the intel to cover up his cowardice.

Since then, the only standout from their generation had been Shisui.

"I was going to warn you," Ebisu sighed.

"You're afraid he'll abandon us if things get dangerous, right?" Anko asked.

Ebisu didn't reply, but his silence was answer enough.

Anko finished her rice ball, tossed the wrapper aside, and walked straight over to Ren.

"Hey, kid," she said bluntly.

"Ren Kanzuki," Ren corrected her as he opened his eyes.

"Are the rumors about you true?" Anko asked.

Ebisu's heart skipped a beat when he heard her question.

"Think what you like," Ren replied indifferently.

"So, that's a no?" Anko raised an eyebrow.

"Would you abandon us during the mission?" she pressed further.

Ren gave her a sidelong glance. "If you're beyond saving, yes."

This kid…

Anko couldn't help but feel intrigued.

Her accusations hadn't provoked any guilt or anger. Ren didn't have the arrogance of someone who looked down on others either. Instead, there was a profound sense of detachment in his calmness—like nothing she or anyone else thought really mattered to him.

Were the rumors true?

There might be more to the story, but it certainly wasn't all baseless gossip.

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[Name]: Anko Mitarashi

[Gender]: Female

[Age]: 21

[Affection Level]: 55

[Relationship]: Fellow Villager

[Difficulty to Pursue]: B

[First Kiss Reward]: Orochimaru's Techniques

[Full Intimacy Reward]: Sage Power

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"Let's move if we're done resting," Ren said.

Anko, still deep in thought, gave him a nod. "Got it."

Land of Woods

True to its name, this small nation was a land of dense forests, with over ninety percent of its territory covered in woods. The climate was similar to the Land of Fire, though slightly warmer.

By the time the team reached their destination, night had already fallen. The forest was eerily quiet, the air heavy with silence.

"So, this is the village of the Banraku Clan?" Anko muttered as she observed the small settlement nestled within a large clearing in the forest, situated beside a river.

"It's pretty tiny," she scoffed from her hidden vantage point.

The Banraku Clan was the largest ninja group in the Land of Woods, known for their strength in the region. Though not officially a hidden village, they represented the nation's military power.

"Are we going to infiltrate?" Ebisu asked cautiously.

"Of course, how else are we supposed to gather intel?" Anko cracked her knuckles, eager for action.

"What if we alert the enemy?" Ebisu asked nervously.

"Then we fight, or we run," Anko said bluntly.

Ren shot the woman a sideways glance. She noticed and raised an eyebrow at him in return.

"That's too reckless," Ebisu said, shaking his head. "This is their stronghold. Starting a fight here could be a death sentence."

"Got a better idea?" Anko asked.

"…Let's wait until midnight and move then," Ebisu finally decided.

"We'll plan out the details now."

Seeing that the team leader had settled on a plan, Ren added, "We should split up."

Both Ebisu and Anko turned to look at him, their expressions unreadable.

"What, you planning to hide somewhere and run when things get dicey?" Anko laughed, voicing the very suspicion Ebisu had been holding.

"Three people together is too large a target. We'd risk being spotted. Splitting up will make things more efficient," Ren said calmly.

Anko sighed at his unflappable attitude. "You're no fun."

"If you two prefer, you can stay together," Ren added.

"Fine," Ebisu agreed with a nod.

As night deepened, Ren silently infiltrated the village.

At this hour, everyone was asleep. The only sounds were the distant flow of the river and the occasional chirp of birds from the forest.

Ren moved without a sound, entering the largest house in the village.

It was easy for him to break in without making a noise, and he kept the creak of the door almost silent.

Inside the study, he quickly confirmed that this house belonged to the leader of the Banraku Clan.

Among the documents and scrolls, Ren found records of the clan's mercenary work and correspondence between the Banraku Clan and Konoha. The letters showed that the Land of Woods had long sought an alliance with the Land of Fire.

But alongside these records, he also found documents detailing secret dealings with Iwagakure.

"Who's there?"

Suddenly, the bedroom light flicked on, and a raspy voice called out.

Ren had already tucked two useful scrolls into his tool pouch.

"Who are you?!" The study door swung open, revealing an old man in a nightgown, holding a blade. His expression darkened as he laid eyes on Ren.

"A Konoha ninja?!"

Ren glanced at him before disappearing in a blur, reappearing outside the study in the living room.

Thud!

The old man collapsed, his blade clattering to the wooden floor.

Blood poured from a deep slash across his neck, his eyes wide in shock.

Using the pretense of an alliance with the Land of Fire to steal information, while secretly collaborating with Iwagakure…

A man like that deserved to die.

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