It was high noon, and the sun of the Land of Fire hung directly overhead.
Not far from the camp, Ren Uchiha leaped off Aoda's head, looking exhausted and disheveled. He slunk back to his own tent through the underground tunnel Orochimaru had created.
The interior of the tent remained exactly as it had been the previous night: scattered scrolls, a crooked desk, an overturned candlestick, blackened blade marks on the ground, and a gaping hole in the center of the floor.
Looking at the mess, Ren had half a mind to clean up. But he was truly out of strength. After a night of dancing with Manda—and then "dancing" with Manda—his legs felt like jelly. All he wanted was to faceplant onto his bed and sleep until the end of time.
However, just as he was about to make that a reality, a cold bark echoed from outside—
"Ren Uchiha, get out here!"
At that moment, Ren truly felt like cursing someone's entire lineage. Propping himself up against the tent frame, he pulled back the flap. Standing outside was a tall, cold-looking young man wearing the standard Uchiha shirt under a Jonin flak jacket, his brow furrowed in distaste.
Ren was slightly taken replace. He had a vague impression of this "bird-man," but he couldn't quite place where they had met.
"Who are you supposed to be?" Ren asked, his voice dripping with irritation.
"Shinichi Uchiha."
The tall man crossed his arms and spared Ren a frigid glance. Hearing the name, Ren finally remembered. Shisui had mentioned him yesterday—he was the one assigned to teach Ren Ninjutsu, and his name had been on the Great Elder's list. He was the captain of the Uchiha squad sent to the Land of Rain, a Jonin.
"And what do you want?" Ren asked weakly.
Shinichi Uchiha looked at the boy with immense displeasure and snorted. "Have you forgotten? When there are no missions, you are to gather in the forest behind the mountain at 9:00 AM every day for special training under me."
Shinichi scanned Ren from head to toe. Seeing the boy's tattered clothes, his open collar, and his deathly pale "exhausted" face, and then peeking through the open tent flap at the overturned candles and the disheveled bed... Shinichi's eyes widened with a mix of shock and envy.
Damn it! This kid... sure knows how to live!
As a bridge between the clan and the village, having been lucky enough to be taken in by a Sannin, this brat wasn't treasuring the opportunity. Instead, he was using his status to attract "wild butterflies" and scatter the Uchiha seeds everywhere.
Hell, this is the front line! Shinichi's mouth practically watered with indignant fury.
"Shisui told me you were the 'Glory of the Clan,'" Shinichi sneered disdainfully. "Looking at you now, you're nothing special. The things Yoshio and the others said about you were true."
"Indulging in vices at such a young age, violating the Three Shinobi Prohibitions... back in the village, I heard you loved frequenting brothels and using clan resources to hoard wealth. Hmph, greedy and lustful."
"I thought you'd restrain yourself after being taken in by Lord Orochimaru. I thought you'd work hard to shoulder your responsibilities. But now... heh."
Shinichi's gaze darted sharply back into the tent, trying to spot any hidden "lingering butterflies" so he could condemn them thoroughly with his Sharingan.
"Wait, hold on a second!"
Ren was dumbfounded. He didn't care much about the criticism—the Uchiha were famous for their sharp tongues, and he did like money, so that wasn't exactly a lie. But what was with that look? That gaze full of envy, jealousy, and hate—it looked like he was one second away from activating his Sharingan just to appreciate the "blurry outlines" of Ren's supposed conquest.
Ren followed Shinichi's judgmental gaze into the tent. He saw the candles knocked over by his fight with Orochimaru, the bed trashed from his sudden awakening, and the massive puddle of drool on the desk from his nap.
He immediately realized this bird-man had catastrophically misunderstood the situation.
"To hell with this, what a rotten morning. If you want to look, then look! I'll open the damn curtain for you!"
Fuming, Ren threw the tent flaps wide, exposing the entire scene. He figured if he were caught in the act, fine—doing that in a military camp is bad form. But he wasn't about to take the fall for something he didn't do!
Seeing Ren open the flaps, Shinichi immediately whirled around, crossing his arms and refusing to look.
"Hmph! You think I'll look just because you tell me to? Ridiculous!"
Ren gritted his teeth. "Look! I'm showing you everything fair and square! What, are you too chicken to face it?"
Shinichi kept his back turned, snorting arrogantly. "Hmph! It's nothing special! You act like I've never seen it before!"
Ren glanced at the man's stiff back, his stubborn tone, and the droplets of blood starting to leak from his nose onto the ground. He realized this bird-man was a total "virgin with a big mouth" who was currently hallucinating God-knows-what in his head.
Jesus, his nose is actually bleeding.
Ren took a deep breath, feeling utterly helpless. "So, Jonin Shinichi, what the hell are you actually here for? Just to pick a fight?!"
Shinichi's shoulders shook with rage. He wiped his nose without turning around and cursed at the sky.
"You brat! Look at what time it is! I waited for you at the back of the mountain for three hours! THREE HOURS! The flowers have already wilted, and you were in the camp doing... this!"
"Clean up this crime scene immediately! Now! This instant! Get your ass to the forest! Complete your training, or I'll report this to the Great Elder!"
With that, Shinichi clutched his nose and marched away without a single backward glance. He left Ren standing before his trashed tent, never having looked once to see the truth.
Ren closed his eyes in agony, mourning his mysteriously vanished reputation. "God damn it, what a mess... look at the room, you bastard!"
Fuming, Ren punched the tent support. Creak—CRASH! The entire tent collapsed.
Feeling physically and mentally spent, Ren sighed. He didn't even bother cleaning up. Dragging his heavy dark circles and exhausted body, he began walking toward the forest behind the Land of Fire's main camp.
Crossing the border line out of the Land of Rain and back into the Land of Fire, the weather turned noticeably clearer. Passing through the main camp, the number of living people increased, and a peaceful atmosphere settled in. It was as if the "Peace in Konoha" theme music was playing in the background.
Pigeons took flight; ninjas sat in small groups playing cards. Busy medical ninjas rushed through with stretchers, shouting "Make way! Make way!"
Ren strolled along, enjoying the long-lost tranquility. He wasn't in a rush; he figured since Shinichi had slandered his character, the man could afford to wait a little longer.
As he was about to exit the camp toward the mountain, a large hand wearing a metal bracer suddenly slapped his shoulder. A hearty, boisterous, yet relaxed middle-aged voice rang out:
"Yo~! Kid, that's a nice hairstyle you've got there!"
"I have a very impressive technique here. Do you want to learn it?"
Ren whirled around. He saw a grinning middle-aged man with spiky white hair, wearing a red haori over a brown tunic and a forehead protector with the character for "Oil" (油) on it. The man gave a thumbs-up, pointing at his own hair.
"This is my personal secret technique. Even my own disciples haven't been allowed to learn this powerful Ninjutsu!"
Ren blinked, feeling like he was seeing a god of perms on the side of the road. Isn't this Jiraiya, one of the Sannin alongside my master, Orochimaru?
Wait, what kind of plot development is this? Why is Jiraiya randomly approaching me on the street to teach me how to perm my hair? Since Ren had never met him before, he simply asked politely:
"And who might you be?"
Jiraiya's grin widened. He leaped up, slammed his wooden sandals against the ground, and landed in an incredibly dramatic pose with his arms spread wide.
He laughed heartily. "Good question! I am the White-Haired Youth of the Sannin, the Toad Spirit Sage of Mount Myoboku! Commonly known as... the Toad Sage, Jiraiya! I have arrived!"