The assault unfolded far more quickly than anyone had anticipated.
As the final scream echoed through the watchtower before abruptly falling silent, the building descended into an eerie stillness. The only sounds that remained were the crackling of dying flames and the faint dripping of blood onto the wooden floor.
Standing in the middle of the carnage, Kakashi's normally lazy, half-lidded eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
For perhaps the first time in a long while, genuine surprise crossed his face.
Too fast.
He knew his own abilities.
If he had faced four or five Sunagakure shinobi alone, he was confident he could have defeated them. But even for him, the battle would have required careful planning, several exchanges, and probably a few injuries before victory was secured.
Yet Ren...
From the instant Ren kicked open the door...
To the devastating Fire Release that illuminated the entire tower...
To the moment he disappeared into the smoke with his blade...
How much time had actually passed?
Twenty seconds?
Thirty at most?
That was all.
The battle was already over.
Even slaughtering four or five pigs would've taken longer.
Kakashi stared at the blood-soaked room in silence.
The corpses scattered around the hall silently testified to the terrifying efficiency of Ren's attacks.
Just then—
Boom!
A violent explosion erupted from the upper floor.
The entire watchtower trembled.
A powerful Wind Release tore through the second story, rattling the walls and shaking dust from the ceiling.
Several heavy impacts followed.
Then...
Slash.
Slash.
The unmistakable sound of steel slicing through flesh echoed overhead.
Moments later...
Silence returned once again.
No screams.
No footsteps.
No resistance.
Only death.
At that very moment, hurried footsteps echoed from the entrance.
"Move! Move!"
Obito burst through the front door first, his face filled with excitement. His hands were already halfway through forming seals as he looked around eagerly.
"Where are they?! Let me burn them with my Great Fireball Technique!"
Behind him, Rin entered cautiously, gripping a kunai tightly in both hands.
Unlike Obito's enthusiasm, her beautiful face was filled with concern as she searched the room.
"Ren?"
Her eyes darted between the corpses.
"Kakashi?"
Seeing Kakashi standing unharmed, she finally relaxed slightly.
"Where's Ren?"
"He went upstairs."
Kakashi answered calmly without taking his eyes off the staircase.
Only then did Obito finally notice the horrifying scene surrounding them.
Bodies.
Blood.
Broken weapons.
The entire first floor looked like a battlefield that had already ended.
His confident expression froze.
"...Wait..."
He pointed at the surrounding corpses.
"Did... did you two do all of this?"
His voice rose several octaves.
"Seriously?"
"If you already killed everyone..."
"...Then what exactly were Rin and I rushing here for?"
Kakashi opened his mouth.
For once...
Even he didn't know how to answer.
Fortunately, someone else answered for him.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Slow footsteps echoed from the staircase.
Ren slowly descended from the second floor.
His blade rested casually in one hand.
Fresh blood slowly dripped from its edge.
Several crimson stains dotted his otherwise handsome face, making him resemble a warrior who had walked straight out of hell itself.
His calm expression remained unchanged despite the massacre behind him.
"It's over."
He spoke as though reporting something utterly ordinary.
From the beginning of the raid...
Until the last enemy fell...
The entire operation had taken less than five minutes.
Among the eight Sunagakure shinobi stationed inside the watchtower—
Ren had personally killed six.
Kakashi eliminated the remaining two.
As for Obito and Rin...
The two of them had spent the entire battle rushing toward the objective.
Their only contributions were drawing a little attention outside and throwing a few kunai before the fighting had already ended.
Rin accepted the result without complaint.
She wasn't interested in military achievements.
As long as everyone returned safely, she was happy.
Obito, however...
Looked like someone had stolen his birthday cake.
He threw both hands into the air dramatically.
"Hey!"
"Ren!"
"Kakashi!"
"You guys are way too fast!"
He stomped the wooden floor in protest.
"According to the Trolley Problem, you should've left six enemies alive so I could choose whether to defeat one or five!"
"You finished everything before Rin and I even got inside!"
"That's completely unfair!"
Ren blinked.
His expression became strangely complicated.
...
Is that really how the Trolley Problem works...?
For a brief second, he wondered whether Obito had somehow learned philosophy from another dimension.
Then he gave up trying to understand the logic.
With a helpless smile, he waved dismissively.
"Alright."
"Next time."
"I'll leave some for you."
Obito's gloomy mood disappeared instantly.
"Now that's what teammates should do!"
He proudly crossed his arms.
Satisfied.
Kakashi silently looked away.
He had already accepted that expecting logic from Obito was a waste of time.
Meanwhile, Ren had already crouched beside the nearest corpse.
Without hesitation, he began searching every body with practiced efficiency.
Kunai.
Shuriken.
Explosive Tags.
Military ration pills.
Wire.
Smoke bombs.
Anything useful disappeared into his ninja pouch.
There was no shame in scavenging.
After all...
His dream of making money from Konoha Raw Cola hadn't become reality yet.
As someone born into an ordinary civilian family, every resource mattered.
War didn't reward wastefulness.
Seeing him working alone, Rin quietly joined him.
While helping collect supplies, she discreetly examined his arms and shoulders.
"...No new injuries?"
She sighed in relief after finding nothing serious.
Ren simply smiled.
"I'm fine."
Outside the tower...
Kakashi discovered a flare launcher on one of the enemy shinobi.
Walking into the open, he pulled the ignition cord.
Whoosh!
A crimson streak shot high into the night sky.
Moments later—
Boom!
A brilliant red firework blossomed overhead.
Its dazzling light illuminated the darkness for miles.
The signal carried two meanings.
First—
Mission accomplished.
Second—
It served as bait.
If Sunagakure dispatched reinforcements from Ryūgetsu Outpost, their defenses there would weaken, creating the perfect opening for Minato and Tsume's assault team.
If reinforcements came...
Ren's squad would ambush them.
If they didn't...
The squad would regroup with the others and attack the outpost directly.
Either outcome benefited Konoha.
After cleaning away obvious traces of their presence, the four quickly withdrew.
Not far from the watchtower stood a rocky hillside overlooking the surrounding roads.
Hidden among the shadows, they settled into an ambush.
Everyone silently recovered their chakra while watching the distant road.
Night grew colder.
A chilly wind swept across the hills.
Without saying anything, Ren reached into his ninja pouch and pulled out a neatly folded blanket.
He handed it toward Rin.
She blinked in surprise.
"...For me?"
"Yes."
Her cheeks flushed faintly.
"But..."
"The enemy could arrive any minute."
Ren shrugged.
"Then we'll deal with them when they arrive."
His tone was so matter-of-fact that Rin couldn't help smiling.
"...Thank you."
She quietly wrapped the blanket around herself.
Not far away...
Obito turned around suspiciously.
"What are you two whispering about?"
Ren answered without looking at him.
"Nothing."
"Go entertain yourself."
"...?"
Obito scratched his head.
"...That sounded kind of insulting."
Neither Ren nor Rin responded.
Several minutes later—
Footsteps.
Fast.
Disciplined.
Four figures rapidly approached from the direction of Ryūgetsu Outpost.
A Sunagakure reinforcement squad.
Unlike the careless guards stationed in the tower, these shinobi advanced cautiously.
Each covered a different direction.
One constantly scanned their surroundings.
Another maintained rear security.
The formation was textbook perfect.
Then—
One of them suddenly stopped.
A sensory ninja.
His head slowly turned toward Ren's hiding place.
"...Someone's there."
His warning immediately alerted the others.
Ren sighed softly.
"So we've been found."
Kakashi casually drew his blade.
"No choice."
"Head-on."
The ambush instantly transformed into open battle.
Unlike earlier, Ren deliberately held back.
Rather than competing for kills, he left the frontline to Kakashi and Obito.
Obito immediately charged forward with renewed excitement.
"Finally!"
"My turn!"
Fireballs exploded across the battlefield as Kakashi darted through the shadows like a ghost.
Meanwhile...
Ren selected a single opponent.
A broad-shouldered Sunagakure swordsman carrying a massive long blade.
Steel collided.
Clang!
The two exchanged several quick strikes.
Ren wasn't trying to end the fight immediately.
Instead...
He wanted to test something.
Deep within his mind...
The familiar voice suddenly appeared.
---
[Monster Strength Technique: Haha! White-haired brat, I knew you couldn't resist! Who can see dice without wanting to roll them? Let me do it this time! I'll show you what a real God of Gamblers looks like!]
[Monster Strength Technique rolled the dice.]
[Result: Empty Spin. No Buff.]
Ren's eyelid twitched.
"..."
Before he could complain—
[Monster Strength Technique: Oops! Misclick! That one doesn't count! Watch me roll again!]
"...Put the dice down."
"I'll roll myself."
[You rolled the dice.]
[Result: Empty Spin. No Buff.]
Silence.
Then—
[Monster Strength Technique: Hahaha! See? It wasn't my fault! Same result! Let me try one more time! I'll definitely get All Kill this time!]
Ren's forehead developed another vein.
"...Shut up."
Taking a slow breath...
He rolled the dice a third time.
---
[Result: Small Win! Physical destructive power increased by 75%!]
---
The moment the notification appeared—
Ren felt overwhelming power surge through every muscle.
His sword suddenly became unimaginably heavy.
Whoosh!
The blade sliced through the air with a deafening whistle.
The Sunagakure swordsman's expression changed drastically.
Too late.
CLANG!
His weapon shattered into two pieces.
The broken blade flew through the air.
His eyes widened in horror.
He hadn't even finished reacting—
Slash!
A crimson line appeared across his neck.
Blood erupted like a fountain.
His body collapsed before he even realized he had died.
The battlefield fell silent for a heartbeat.
Ren casually flicked his sword.
The blood slid cleanly from its edge.
"...Not bad."
He looked thoughtfully at the invisible dice system.
Three rolls.
Only then had he obtained a Small Win.
That alone told him one thing.
It seemed...
He could safely give up any dreams of becoming one of those absurdly lucky protagonists.
For someone like him—
Victory would always come through strength.
Not luck.
And deep in the darkness ahead...
The lights of Ryūgetsu Outpost continued burning.
The real battle...
Had only just begun.
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