Chapter 157: Back from Rogue Hunting & Ready to Bait the Boss

Chapter 157 - Back from Rogue Hunting & Ready to Bait the Boss The rest of the month passed by in a fast-paced blur. During this time, Ren barely had a moment to spare for clearing out rogue groups, but thanks to Yoru's continuous stream of missions, he was still able to complete numerous A-rank assignments. Over the course of the month, he successfully led and completed 13 A-rank missions with various squads, not only from ANBU, but even from the regular shinobi forces. Not all the squads were as cooperative as the first one. The biggest issue came from the older clan shinobi in regular jōnin squads. They were prideful, stubborn, and clearly unhappy being led by someone younger. The rest of the shinobi were easier to manage, some simple words and a slight display of strength usually got the point across. But with the clan veterans, Ren had to listen to their complaints, ignore them entirely, and then suppress them so thoroughly in combat that they were left with no choice but to follow him willingly. Aside from these squad missions, he also managed to clear out 2 rogue camps and eliminate 24 individual rogues. Since rogue camps required considerable time and effort to dismantle, Ren had shifted his focus more toward individual targets. Even those, however, were becoming scarce. The area he operated in was frequently patrolled by Leaf shinobi, which meant rogues had long since learned to avoid it. Still, he made the best of what was available. In total, his achievements this month yielded 3 jōnin-level points. He invested one of them into Strength, raising it to 76, and kept the other two in reserve for Intelligence. Now, it was time to return to the village. His clones were reaching the end of their three-month time limit, so they needed to be replaced soon. He had also decided to use the +20 Intelligence boost while in the safety of his basement. If his Intelligence stat accidentally broke past 80 points while out on a mission and it caused him to miss the opportunity of using that boost it would be unacceptable. While technically, he could use the boost outside, he didn't want to risk an unexpected situation or distraction. Safety first. He also had another objective and that was finally securing his jōnin promotion. Ren had already far surpassed the qualification threshold, so unless politics got in the way, he should have no trouble attaining the rank. Not that he cared either way, if nasty business was required to get that promotion, he'd do it. The system would likely reward him for the advancement, and since he was still technically within the jōnin power band, now was the perfect time. Whether the Intelligence boost came first or the promotion did, it didn't matter. As long as both got done. With that decision made, Ren shifted his weight forward and began sprinting in the direction of the Leaf Village, trees and hills whipping past in a blur as he ran. ~~~ With his full-speed run, it didn't take Ren more than a day to return to the village. By the time he arrived, the rising sun was already casting its golden light over the Hidden Leaf Village. Before entering, he paused just outside the gates to wait for Kimura, who was still struggling to keep up. When Kimura finally arrived, exhausted and barely standing, Ren healed him with a touch of his hand. As he worked, he gave clear instructions, "I'm going to the Commander first. You return to my house and hide." He spoke in a calm but firm tone. "Though Yoru's seal isn't dangerous to you, it still wouldn't be wise to take any risks. So just stay hidden there." Kimura nodded silently, offering no protest. He flickered away the next second, disappearing toward the residential districts. Once he was gone, Ren turned and took one of the ANBU entry routes into the village, bypassing the main gates entirelyand made his way directly to Yoru's office. It was time to report in and, perhaps, have a little fun messing with his boss. ~ The soft creak of the hidden ANBU corridor echoed beneath Ren's feet as he walked with his usual lazy swagger. He rolled his shoulders once, popping a joint back into place with a satisfying click. Three months of missions, three months of blood and bandages, of endless travel and awkward field meals. But right now? Right now, he was back. And that meant one thing. Time to annoy the hell out of Yoru. He reached the familiar steel-plated door, paused, and ran a hand through his hair. Gotta look fresh for the commander. Then, with all the subtlety of a marching band, Ren raised his fist and knocked three times, once hard, twice light. The voice from inside came with its usual flatness. "Enter." Sliding the door open with dramatic slowness, Ren peeked his head in like a mischievous academy student. "Did you miss me, boss?" Yoru didn't even glance up from the scroll in his hand. "I missed the silence." Ren stepped in, both masks clipped to his belt, posture loose, expression smug. "That's a very roundabout way of saying you cried when I left." Yoru dipped his brush into the ink calmly. "No. That was relief." "Ouch," Ren clutched his chest like he'd been struck. "Three whole months away and this is the welcome I get? I bet even that grumpy patrol guard at Gate Three would've offered a handshake." "I did consider celebrating." Ren brightened. "You did?" Yoru continued, "Then I remembered I'd probably have to deal with your paperwork backlog when you got back." "That's cold, Boss-man," Ren said, walking in and flopping into the chair across from the desk like he owned the place. "You're lucky I'm emotionally resilient." Yoru raised a brow. "You threw a tantrum the last time someone accidently ruined your butterscotch ice cream." "That was emotional sabotage," Ren said defensively. "You wouldn't understand." Finally, Yoru set his brush down, folded the scroll, and gave Ren a proper look. His eyes flicked once over Ren's form, noting the faint fading bruises along his forearms, the tan from too many hours in the sun, and the fact that he looked... calmer. "Report," Yoru said simply. Ren leaned back in the chair, resting his boots on the desk without permission. "Let's see, you assigned all of the missions, so let's skip the boring stuff. I did do a lot of rouge hunting though, like A LOT." He handed Yoru a scroll who stored it without even looking at it so he complained, "HEY! Your star employee is giving you some juicy details about how many kills he did and you didn't even glance at it." Yoru grunted, "You're not even fifth on my star employee list. You should keep your expectations grounded, that's how you get hurt." Ren asked in all seriousness, "Then who is your star employee, the one you like the most, the one I should finish before he could grow."He added the last part lightly but of course Yoru was meant to hear it. Yoru didn't dignify him with a response, which caused Ren to keep guessing and his guessing game worked as he listed all of the Numbers one by one then he began to name different kind of animals starting from letter A. He kept on going and going when Yoru finally snapped at letter M and shouted, "SHUT UP!" Ren pumped his fist as he exclaimed, "YES! You finally said it." He laughed loudly and even made a clone to pat his back as if he has done something so incredibly great. Yoru heaved a sigh and a second passed and he asked in his usual dry tone, "Any problems?" Ren stared at him for a bit, a little bothered how he was able to recover so quickly, 'Maybe my game dipped in the while I wasn't there to annoy him, or is there someone else?' He gasped loudly, "YOU CHEATER! YOU TWO-TIMING BASTARD! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME?" Yoru just stared at him and didn't deem him qualified for a response. The stare match continued for a while when Ren finally sat down and began once again. "I worked with many different squads," Ren began, ticking off with his fingers. "Some ANBU teams, four jonin-led units, and a few mixed with Chunin and Genin. Most were decent. Some were stubborn." Yoru made a quiet noise of acknowledgment. "Any problems?" Ren shrugged. "Not really. Older clan shinobi kept trying to pull rank, but nothing a little 'physical persuasion' couldn't fix." "Meaning?" Ren gave a nonchalant grin. "I embarrassed them. Politely." Yoru didn't stop writing. "Define 'politely.'" "I only dislocated one shoulder. And I fixed it after. That's polite, right?" Yoru didn't even glance up as he spoke, "You are lucky that they were too embarrased to report it further otherwise a disciplinary committee would've been formed by now for you alone." Ren beamed, "Isn't that good? I'll make sure those guys stay employed for years to come. Maybe they could even start a separate department for me." Yoru agreed surprisingly quickly, "Yes. That might actually happen and I don't think you would have to wait very long, a few more missions and you'd get one allotted to you." Ren gave a laugh as he spoke, "Ah, but I don't want anyone to represent me, I'll do that on my own." Yoru gave yet another response, "I highly doubt someone would even be willing to represent you." Ren gave an exaggerated pout. "Harsh. So very harsh." "Stop fishing," Yoru said, pulling another folder from his drawer. "Three months out. What'd you learn?" Ren sat up a bit, the playfulness giving way to a more thoughtful tone. "Learned that information networks make or break a mission. Used the butterflies a lot more. Clean kills are only half the job; making sure no ripples remain is the real challenge. Also learned that dealing with civilians is worse than any rogue ninja." Yoru nodded slowly. "And your squad leadership?" "It was mostly annoying, but sometimes fun too" Ren said, tone still casual, but more serious now. "Got used to giving orders. I didn't micromanage unless I had to. Only one casualty across all missions, and that was a rogue clone decoy, not an actual shinobi, and get this." He leaned forward, "I actually wanred that idiot three times before that, but he ignored all that and still went ahead." That made Yoru pause for half a second. "Acceptable," he said. Ren raised an eyebrow. "That's it? 'Acceptable'? I managed to avoid a full squad wipe in a rigged camp ambush with a potential liability in the midst." "You're a Kage candidate," Yoru replied. "That's expected." Ren gave a slow clap. "Commander of the year, everyone. Let's give it up." Yoru ignored him and pulled out a different, thin, blood-red folder. He placed it on the desk between them. Ren's brows arched. "Ooh. Fancy." "You're being considered for jonin promotion," Yoru said flatly. "Hokage's discretion. They asked for a recommendation from the ANBU Commander since you are an ANBU." Ren blinked. Then smirked. "Let me guess. You recommended me but added a disclaimer." "I added: 'Strategically valuable. Utterly insufferable.'" Ren beamed. "You really do care." "I also included a warning about potential insubordination." Ren gave him a thumbs-up. "Can't blame you. I'm a free spirit." Yoru stood and moved toward the shelf behind his desk, shifting a few scrolls. "Your free spirit is one bad joke away from being sent to scrub blood out of the interrogation rooms." "Tempting," Ren replied. "Sounds quieter than working with some of those jonin squads." Yoru looked over his shoulder. "You're not getting out of missions just because you're back. You've got 48 hours. Then back to active schedule." Ren leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. "Will you miss me again when I leave?" "No." "Are you sure?" "Yes." Ren tilted his head. "What if I bribed you with Butterscotch Icecream?" Yoru paused for a beat too long. "Ha! Gotcha. I knew you had a weakness." Yoru turned slowly. "I also have replacement missions. Twenty-eight C-rank escort duties. All assigned to you. One wrong word." Ren sat upright instantly. "Nope. I'm good. Totally respectful. Very obedient. You're the best, boss." Yoru stared. Ren saluted. "I'll be back in 48 hours. Maybe with Butterscotch Icecream. Maybe not." Yoru said nothing as Ren stood and stretched. As Ren turned to leave, he paused at the door. "Hey, Commander." Yoru looked up. "I'm glad to be back. Even if you're still an old man with no taste in code names." Yoru narrowed his eyes. "Blue Menace suits you." Ren groaned. "I still think 'Sapphire Storm' had a better ring." "You're not a weather report." Ren grinned. "Yet." With a two-fingered wave, he slipped out the door and vanished down the hallway. Yoru watched the empty doorway for a moment, then returned to his paperwork. "...Insufferable headache." ~~~~~ {It's been a while since I wrote Ren and Yoru's interaction. It was fun.} {We somehow blew up again and now the fic's already in the top 20s in ps ranking.} {Also, WN finally refreshed the tags and genre ranking and now our position is also high. I thought it would be good enough if we're just top 5 in the naruto tag but we're actually top 5 in the Anime&Comics ranking and 2nd in the naruto ranking (passed by one that's not even a true naruto fic so I feel a little annoyed) Anyway, thanks guys, hope you continue to like the fic and soon we'll reach the 1st rank too.} {If you want, you can support me on pat-reon} { h t t p s : / / w w w . p a t r e o n . c o m / Z e e n o n } {You know what else} {280 Stones = Extra Chapter} {STONES!!!!}