"What, you want to take a leave of absence?!"
A surprised shout came from inside the tent. Fortunately, there was a barrier outside, which blocked the sound and prevented the patrol team from being alerted.
Ren lowered his hands, which had been covering his ears, and looked at the three surprised youngsters in front of him, saying helplessly,
"I said, Suzuki, can you not be so loud? Do you want to be confined and fined?"
If he hadn't set up the barrier beforehand, Suzuki's shout would have definitely drawn in the patrol teams from half of the Konoha Camp.
"Sorry, sorry."
Suzuki immediately realized, quickly quieted down, and said with an embarrassed smile.
"Captain, is your body okay?"
Yao, who was beside them, was a bit worried. After all, Ren had just fought a big battle yesterday and had fallen asleep as soon as he returned without saying much. They had originally planned to take him to the Medical Camp today to check for any hidden injuries.
"Yao, I am also a Medical Ninja. I am very clear about my own physical condition, so there's no need to worry."
They were just worried and confused, temporarily forgetting that besides Ren's powerful strength, his attainments in Medical Ninjutsu were also not weak.
Ren had already roughly checked himself yesterday; there were no major problems, and he felt completely refreshed after a good night's sleep.
"How many days?"
Shio, who was holding his long sword, stared at him intently.
"Three or four days, probably. Although the mission isn't very difficult, the mission location is in the Land of Rain, so it might take some time to travel back and forth."
Seeing the three of them looking a bit down, Ren rubbed his nose and continued to comfort them.
"It's fine, I'll only be gone for three or four days; I'll be back soon. Also, I've taken on a Konoha Camp patrol mission for you all, so don't slack off."
In the past two days, the Stone Ninja and Cloud Ninja had become agitated due to the Third Raikage's issue. If they continued with the previous patrol mission, Ren was worried that the probability of something going wrong was quite high, so he simply had Minato transfer the three of them to within the Konoha Camp, which also put his mind at ease.
"Yes!"
Watching the three of them perk up, Ren's eyes showed a hint of relief. He casually picked up his replenished Ninja tool pouch and turned to walk out.
"Alright, I'll leave early and return early. Bye!"
After watching Ren leave, the three youngsters exchanged glances before turning back to their respective beds, picking up their scrolls, and continuing to study diligently.
How powerless they were in the face of tens of thousands of troops, only able to let their captain fall into a difficult situation to help them retreat.
They didn't want to experience that feeling of powerlessness again. Only by working hard to become stronger could they help their captain and become his support.
Meanwhile, Ren did not try to hide as he had before. Instead, he walked out openly, holding the emergency mission slip given by Minato. He would show it to any patrol team he encountered, and finally, he arrived at the Konoha Camp entrance without any obstruction.
"Inspection complete. Please keep it safe."
"Mm."
Ren took the document from the other person's hand and did not linger. Under the gaze of the two people behind him, he slipped into the forest and disappeared.
Under the deep night sky, a figure flew above the forest, holding a map in his hand and examining it.
"Hmm, this is indeed the right direction."
After planning his route, Ren put away the map, and the wings behind him flapped faster, increasing his speed once again.
Soon, he arrived at the small town where he had previously exchanged bounties. After finding the alley, he descended, and in a moment, he rose again, flying off into the distance.
…
"Rumble!"
Thick clouds covered the sky, streaks of lightning flashed through them with loud roars, and dense raindrops fell, making a continuous pattering sound.
Under the hazy rain curtain, a figure walked slowly in the rain, holding an umbrella. When he saw the town appearing ahead, he paused his steps, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly upward.
This person was Ren. After a day of travel, he finally arrived in the Land of Rain on the afternoon of the second day.
At this time, he had already changed into civilian clothes, and his face had been altered to an unfamiliar young man's face.
He walked into the town, took several turns, and finally stopped in front of a dango shop, walking straight inside.
"Welcome!"
A young man noticed the movement at the entrance and immediately came forward, bowing slightly and smiling.
"May I help you?"
Ren looked around and quickly identified his target. As he walked towards it, he spoke,
"A cup of hot tea and five skewers of three-colored dango, please."
"Alright, please wait a moment."
Seeing Ren sit down at the table closest to the strange customer, the young man was a little surprised but didn't pay much attention, turning to continue with his work.
"Hmm?"
Noticing someone had arrived, Kakuzu looked up. What met his eyes was an unfamiliar face. He put down his teacup and said with a hint of killing intent in his tone,
"Get lost, don't bother me."
"Ara, ara, ara, Mr. Kakuzu, have you forgotten me so quickly? That's really disheartening."
The familiar voice made him pause instantly, and the hostility in his eyes immediately vanished. He nodded and said,
"So it's you."
The last time the two of them went to steal the Seven-Tails, Ren had been wearing a mask, so Kakuzu had never seen Ren's face. He only realized who it was after hearing his voice.
"Speak. What is this mission and the reward?"
Kakuzu tapped his fingers on the table, his dark green eyes fixed on the other person, and he said in a deep voice.
"The mission is very simple."
At this point, Ren paused, organized his words, and then continued,
"Assassinate an enemy of mine. I received intelligence that he has come to the Land of Rain recently. I need a helper, and I immediately thought of Mr. Kakuzu, didn't I?"
Hearing this, Kakuzu's eyes showed no fluctuation, he just continued to ask,
"The reward?"
He didn't care what the mission was; he only cared about how much money he could get.
"Fifty million."
"Hmm?!"
Ren's calm voice rang out. Hearing this, Kakuzu's pupils immediately constricted, and his eyes finally showed some fluctuation.
Fifty million. How long had it been since he had seen such a high price? The last time was for assassinating a Daimyo of a small country, and the reward offered by the other party was only forty million.
"Customer, here are your three-colored dango and hot tea!"
Just then, the young man appeared at the table with a tray. After placing the items down, he left.
"How about it, Mr. Kakuzu, what have you decided?"
Watching the other person's eyes show a look of contemplation, Ren didn't rush him. He simply picked up the steaming tea on the table, took a small sip, and a look of satisfaction immediately appeared on his face.
On a rainy day like this, drinking hot tea was the most comfortable thing.
"What is the specific identity of the target?"
Kakuzu remained silent for a long time before speaking again, a hint of caution on his face.
Although the price was tempting, if the assassination target was a Kage of one of the Five Great Villages, he would definitely refuse without hesitation.
He was greedy for money, but not foolish. Some money, even if you could get it, you also needed to be alive to spend it. Not to mention whether he could kill the target, even if he did, the relentless pursuit from the target's backing force would make his future restless.
"The target…"
Ren put down his teacup, thought for a moment, and then said calmly,
"Konoha's high-ranking elder, Danzo Shimura!"