The moment Ren saw Obito wearing that white spiral-patterned mask, his heart nearly stopped.
For one terrifying second, he almost thought he had transmigrated again. White mask. Spiral pattern. Obito. Those three things combined were enough to make any person familiar with the future feel their scalp go numb.
Fortunately, after staring for another second, Ren forced himself to calm down. The person in front of him was still the same loud, foolish, overly energetic Obito Uchiha. There was no cold pressure, no twisted aura, and no terrifying darkness hidden behind the eyehole. Just a boy holding a mask and waiting for praise from the girl he liked.
Ren's expression turned flat. "Not cool. Very ugly."
Rin Nohara looked at Obito carefully, then nodded with rare seriousness. "Yes, Obito. It feels strange when you wear that mask. A little creepy, actually. It doesn't suit you. You should try another one."
"Eh? Really?" Obito's shoulders drooped in disappointment. "I thought this one looked pretty good…"
He could ignore Ren's words, but Rin's opinion was different. After hesitating for a moment, he obediently put the white spiral mask back and picked up a wolf-faced mask with sharp teeth instead. He placed it over his face, bent his fingers like claws, and growled dramatically.
"How about this one? A werewolf! Woof, woof! Doesn't it look fierce?"
Rin's eyes curved into a smile. "Mm! This one feels much better."
The approval struck Obito like a heavenly blessing. His entire face lit up behind the mask, and he immediately turned toward the stall owner. "Boss, I'll buy this one!"
Obito abandoned the white spiral mask and bought the wolf mask instead. Ren quietly watched him pay, then released a breath he had not realized he was holding. It was only a small thing. A cheap roadside mask. But for some reason, seeing Obito put that white mask back on the stall made Ren feel as if an invisible thread of fate had been nudged slightly off course.
After that, Ren stopped in front of a small shop selling stone carvings. According to the owner, these carvings were a specialty of the Ryūgetsu Outpost region. The stone came from nearby mountains, polished until it had a warm, faintly translucent glow, then carved by experienced craftsmen into animals, trees, clouds, and protective charms.
The owner praised them so enthusiastically that even the Daimyo of the Land of Fire was dragged into the sales pitch. Apparently, the daimyo had once seen them and said they were "not bad," which the owner had clearly turned into a lifelong marketing slogan.
Ren picked through the carvings with genuine interest. He planned to buy a few souvenirs for his parents, Tsunade, Might Duy, and several familiar people after returning to the village. It was not because he was hoping to trigger rewards. Absolutely not. This was simply normal human courtesy, maintaining relationships, and improving favorability between people.
Of course, if someone happened to be moved and gave him a reward in return, Ren would not refuse.
Thinking of home, Ren suddenly remembered that they had been away from Konoha for quite some time. He wondered how his father's progress was going with the Konoha Raw Cola plan. If the plan succeeded, perhaps his future as a poor civilian-born shinobi would finally brighten. If it failed, then he would continue living the frugal life of looting enemy corpses and counting exploding tags like loose change.
Ren eventually selected several small, delicate carvings. Then he asked the shop owner to customize a stone Pixiu for Tsunade. In legend, the Pixiu attracted wealth and treasure without letting it escape, which should have suited Tsunade perfectly.
Unfortunately, considering Tsunade's gambling luck, giving her a wealth-attracting charm was probably no different from winking at a blind person.
Rin watched Ren choosing gifts and seemed to be inspired. After a moment of thought, she also bought a few small items. She added some local snacks as well, planning to share them with Minato, Kakashi, and the others after they returned.
War missions were different from ordinary commissions in the village. These were mandatory assignments from Konoha, but the village still regularly issued stipends to frontline shinobi. Because of that, Ren and the others had enough money for small purchases, as long as they did not buy anything too expensive.
On the way back, the three passed a small newsstand. Obito suddenly slowed down, as if remembering something important. He looked left and right, confirmed that no one suspicious was nearby, then leaned in between Ren and Rin with a mysterious expression.
"Hey, Ren, Rin. Let me tell you something. It's about Kakashi."
Rin blinked. "Kakashi?"
Obito lowered his voice. "Do you remember that book Lord Jiraiya gave him? I think it was called Make-Out Tenten or something…"
"It's Icha Icha Paradise," Ren corrected him calmly.
He could tolerate many things, but calling it Make-Out Tenten was too dangerous. Anyone who heard that might think it was some strange adult story involving a future Konoha kunoichi.
"Right, right, that one!" Obito whispered, his face turning strangely serious. "Yesterday, when Kakashi wasn't around, I secretly peeked at it. I only saw a few lines, but I feel like that book isn't decent at all. It actually wrote about… you know… that kind of thing."
Rin tilted her head in confusion. "That kind of thing?"
Obito's face turned red. His voice became even smaller. "It's… adult-only stuff. Between men and women."
"Ah?!" Rin covered her mouth, two red clouds instantly rising on her cheeks. "No way. Lord Jiraiya is one of the world-famous Sannin. How could he write that kind of book? Obito, did you misunderstand? Maybe it was only one small section?"
"I definitely didn't misunderstand!" Obito said with great confidence. "I use eye drops every day. My vision is excellent! But I really only saw a little, so I don't know what the rest is like. Still, those few lines were really… ahem. The wording and tone were too embarrassing to repeat."
After saying that, Obito looked at Ren with the expression of a man preparing a great criminal operation. "Ren, how about we cooperate? You lure Kakashi away, and I'll take the chance to grab the book and investigate properly."
"No need." Ren smiled faintly. "Let's not make such a big deal out of it. Kakashi has reached the age where boys start having adolescent troubles. Besides, if you really want to read Icha Icha Paradise, just buy a copy from a bookstore later."
"Adolescent troubles?" Obito froze, clearly not understanding at first.
Rin understood a little faster. Her face flushed deeper, and she glared at Ren with embarrassment. "Ren! What nonsense are you and Obito talking about?"
Ren laughed and did not continue teasing her. Still, the topic made him thoughtful. Speaking of which, he had never truly read Icha Icha Paradise either. He had only seen some references from the original story. After this mission period ended, perhaps he could buy a copy and see what kind of legendary masterpiece Jiraiya had created.
By evening, the three returned to the base carrying bags of souvenirs and snacks. Kakashi was still sitting beneath a tree in the same posture, silently reading. However, the moment Ren and the others entered, Kakashi naturally closed the orange-covered book in his hand and slipped it deep into his ninja tool pouch.
Then he raised his dead-fish eyes as if nothing had happened. "You're back?"
"Yeah," Ren replied casually. "It was pretty lively outside."
His gaze lingered on Kakashi's ninja pouch for half a second, and the corner of his mouth curved slightly. Kakashi noticed the look, but his expression did not change. Only his fingers pressed faintly tighter against the pouch.
That day's dinner was delivered by Tsume Inuzuka's squad. It was not luxurious, but compared to dry military rations, it was already a blessing. After eating, everyone began their own training.
Kakashi continued researching Lightning Release, preparing to make the final improvements to his new technique, Chidori. He had originally wanted to test it during the watchtower raid, but Ren had taken too many kills too quickly, leaving him no proper opportunity. For now, Kakashi could only keep refining it and wait for the next battle.
Obito and Rin practiced Shadow Clones together. Obito's clone collapsed repeatedly with ridiculous expressions, making Rin laugh despite herself. Every time she smiled, Obito regained energy as if he had eaten ten ration pills.
Ren, meanwhile, prepared to test Needle Jizo.
It had been several days since he received the scroll from Minato. According to normal learning progress, after reading and practicing for that long, it would not be strange if he could barely use it now. Ren recalled the contents of the scroll, adjusted his Transformation Technique into the Needle Jizo state, and began guiding chakra through the meridians in his body.
The chakra moved carefully upward, gathering near the roots of his hair.
At first, nothing happened.
Then his scalp suddenly tingled.
Ren's hair shifted slightly, as if stirred by invisible wind. A few strands hardened and lifted, becoming sharp like needles. The sensation was strange, like thousands of tiny weapons growing from his head.
Ren focused harder, pushing more chakra into the technique.
The next instant—
His hair exploded outward.
Sharp white strands shot in every direction like a frightened porcupine.
Obito, who had been nearby, yelped and threw himself backward. "Whoa! Ren, are you trying to assassinate me with your hair?!"
Rin also stepped back in surprise, though her eyes quickly brightened with curiosity. "That was Needle Jizo? Amazing. It really hardened your hair."
Kakashi glanced over from beneath the tree, his visible eye narrowing slightly. Even Minato, who had been checking reports nearby, looked up with interest.
Ren stood silently in the center of everyone's gaze, his hair still bristling in all directions. The defensive power was not bad, but the shape was far from stable. Instead of looking like Jiraiya's powerful guardian technique, he currently looked more like a white-haired hedgehog that had been struck by lightning.
Obito stared for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed. "Pfft—Ren, you look so weird!"
Ren turned his head slowly.
A single hardened strand of hair pointed toward Obito like a blade.
Obito's laughter stopped instantly.
Rin tried to hold back her smile, but failed. Even Kakashi's shoulders seemed to shake once, though he hid it by lowering his head toward his book.
Ren sighed.
The technique had succeeded, but only barely. Chakra control, coverage, hardness, and shape still needed improvement. Still, the foundation was there. As long as he practiced more, Needle Jizo could become another life-saving defensive technique in close combat.
And for someone who constantly rushed into danger like Ren, one more defensive card was never too many.
Just as he was about to try again, a messenger shinobi hurried into the training area and stopped in front of Minato.
"Minato-sama. Emergency report from the outer patrol."
The relaxed atmosphere instantly vanished.
Minato took the scroll, opened it, and his gentle expression slowly became serious.
Ren noticed the change at once.
Obito also stopped joking.
Rin quietly tightened her grip on her kunai.
A cold wind swept across Ryūgetsu Outpost, carrying the scent of dust and distant danger.
Minato raised his eyes.
"Sunagakure is moving."
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