The next day, Ren woke up early and waited at the entrance of the Medical Camp, gazing at a tent in the distance.
He didn't have to wait long before Kurenai walked out of the tent, looked around, and then headed straight towards him.
Ren handed her a Soldier Ration Pill and smiled.
"Are you all ready, Kurenai?"
Kurenai took the Soldier Ration Pill and put it in her mouth, then raised the small first-aid kit in her hand and shook it at Ren, a radiant smile on her face.
"Mm-hmm, there wasn't much to pack anyway."
After all, they were Ninja, and they had rushed to the front lines in a hurry. Due to time constraints, they naturally had to travel light, so they usually only carried Ninja tools and a few other small items.
"Ren, look, this is a gift Lady Tsunade gave me when she left yesterday. Isn't it beautiful?"
"Beautiful, beautiful."
While chewing on the Soldier Ration Pill, Ren casually took Kurenai's water bottle and, under her annoyed gaze, gulped down more than half of it in two big sips.
"Ren, that's mine!"
"Mm-hmm."
Seeing Ren nodding frantically but still holding the water bottle, Kurenai, in her annoyance, reached out and took the water bottle from Ren's waist. She opened it and also took a big drink, but she drank too fast and choked.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Seeing Kurenai covering her mouth and gently coughing, Ren quickly put down the water bottle, extended his hand, controlled his strength, and rhythmically patted her back, saying helplessly,
"Seriously, don't snatch when drinking water."
"Hmph."
Kurenai, having recovered, straightened up and then shoved the water bottle back, lightly snorting,
"Hold this for me."
"Uh..."
Looking at Kurenai in the distance, Ren blinked, then came back to his senses, somewhat helplessly tucking both water bottles into his waist, and then quickly caught up.
Before long, the two arrived at the Konoha Camp entrance. At this time, it was like the past few days, with many Konoha Ninja moving goods, while Orochimaru stood not far away, observing.
Ren didn't go over. Instead, he and Kurenai found a random spot and started helping. A quarter of an hour later, all the supplies to be taken were loaded onto the vehicles, and everyone who had finished working began to board the vehicles one after another.
"Phew!"
Ren sat on a pile of supplies, looking at the familiar large camp not far away, feeling a surge of emotion.
It was around this time last year that he, having just been promoted to Chunin, followed the army here to defend against Sunagakure's attack.
In this year, he could be said to have undergone earth-shattering changes.
Both in strength and in mindset.
"What are you thinking about, Ren?"
Kurenai came and sat beside Ren, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear, and smiled.
"Ah, nothing, just feeling a bit emotional."
Ren came back to his senses, yawned, and mumbled.
"Eh?"
Kurenai tilted her head, blinking her red eyes, looking at Ren with some confusion.
Seeing Kurenai's adorable and naive expression, Ren couldn't resist. He reached out his right hand and pinched her cheek, a look of satisfaction on his face.
As expected, it was very soft.
"Hmm?"
Kurenai was instantly bewildered. Feeling her skin being pulled and the warmth from Ren's palm, she immediately came back to her senses, a blush appearing on her face.
"Ren!"
Noticing the gazes from around them, Kurenai, filled with shame and anger, raised her hand to pinch Ren's waist. Ren, who was already prepared, instantly dodged backward, slipping into a pre-made gap in the pile of supplies behind him, and remained silent.
"You come out!"
Seeing this, Kurenai was instantly furious. She quickly walked to the gap, squatted down, and angrily shouted at Ren inside,
"No, only a fool would come out."
Ren squeezed inside, refusing to come out.
Are you kidding? If he came out now, his waist would suffer. It's so much better staying in here.
"You!"
Kurenai pointed her finger at Ren, wanting to say something but not knowing what to say. She could only turn and sit in front of the pile of supplies, resentfully saying,
"I'll just sit here and see when you come out!"
"..."
After they glared at each other for a while, Ren felt a wave of sleepiness. Then, under Kurenai's gaze, he leaned against the pile of supplies behind him and fell into a deep sleep.
When he woke up again, the convoy was still slowly moving forward.
"Why did I suddenly fall asleep?"
Ren rubbed his eyes, still a bit groggy, then squeezed out of the gap. What met his eyes was the scene of the setting sun casting its afterglow.
"Not there yet?"
Looking at the unchanging forest on both sides and the road ahead, Ren yawned and mumbled.
They had left around eight in the morning. Looking at the current time, it should be around four or five in the afternoon. They still hadn't arrived; the convoy was really slow.
If he were traveling alone, he would have been back by now, but there was nothing he could do. Because of the supplies, the convoy couldn't speed up, and he couldn't just fly back by himself.
"Awake?"
Just as Ren was still in a daze, a familiar voice came from behind him, instantly making him alert. He quickly turned around and smiled sheepishly at her,
"Kurenai."
"Hmph!"
Kurenai snorted coldly, and with lightning speed, extended her right hand and pinched his soft spot, then twisted sharply!
"Hiss!"
Ren instantly gasped. The sudden sharp pain in his waist immediately sobered him up from his dazed state.
"Idiot!"
Seeing Ren like this, much of Kurenai's accumulated day-long anger dissipated. She let go of his hand, took out a Soldier Ration Pill from her person, and handed it over, saying grumpily,
"Take this."
"Oh."
Ren obediently took the Soldier Ration Pill and threw it directly into his mouth. While protecting his waist, he looked at Kurenai. Just as he was about to say something, his expression suddenly froze, and then he turned his head to look into the distance.
Kurenai, bewildered by Ren's actions, also turned her head to look, but saw nothing.
As Kurenai was looking around, Ren turned back, his eyes sparkling, and chuckled softly at her,
"Kurenai."
"Eh?"
Kurenai looked at Ren with some confusion. A smile appeared in his eyes, and he said softly,
"We're back!"
Huh?
Before she could even begin to think, a scene in her peripheral vision suddenly made her turn her head sharply, her red eyes wide with disbelief as she looked ahead.
At this moment, the convoy had already driven out of the forest. What came into view was Konoha's huge entrance and the tall walls on both sides, but these were secondary.
In front of the gate, people were bustling, a dense crowd gathered here, completely blocking the entire gate.
"They're here!"
Upon seeing their convoy appear, someone, it was unclear who started it, caused the previously quiet crowd to instantly become agitated. Cheers rose and fell, continuously reaching everyone's ears.
Kurenai, who was surprised by this scene, suddenly felt her palm being held. She instinctively looked up, and what met her eyes was Ren's brilliant smile.
"We're going home!"