Chapter 180: Ghosts in the Mist (Part-2) [Kaizoku ou ni, ore wa naru!]

Chapter 180 - Ghosts in the Mist (Part-2) [Kaizoku ou ni, ore wa naru!] Yugao POV "Why the hell are you so tall?" Not just me but everyone paused at that question because of how random it was. But Ren just kept going, completely unfazed. "We were almost the same height when we became Chunin so why is it that in less than a year you've grown almost a head taller than me?" He even used his hand to measure the gap between our heads, and only then did I actually realize how much taller I'd gotten. He looked so genuinely offended it almost made me laugh. He looked like he wanted to complain more, but Sensei flickered behind him and gave him a quick bonk on the head. "Stop wasting time with your nonsense. We have a mission to complete." Ren crouched down, rubbing the spot where Sensei hit him, glaring up at me as if I was the one who'd hit him. "We have to wait for a while," he muttered. He glanced at Sensei, then nodded at Number Four, who was leading Hitoshi's squad. The two of them seemed to understand something without needing to speak, so no one questioned it. Then Ren straightened up and then it was like flipping a switch. He dropped the playful act and spoke in that sharp, matter-of-fact tone that always caught people off guard. "We might encounter fights on the way to our location, so take some rest. There's no need for surveillance for now so the sensory squad can rest too. All of you, recover your chakra. I'll inform you when we're ready to move." Woah. He looked so cute giving orders like that. He was still wearing those ugly sunglasses too which made it even funnier but I guess not everyone found it so comedic. I could see the members of Sensei's squad stiffen a little, and even the other two in Hitoshi's squad looked the same way. He'd clearly singled out the unfamiliar people who might have dared to object. Ren continued briskly, "Sensory squad and medical squad, set up the tents. Combat unit, Hitoshi, and the leaders with me." The extras in the squads moved to follow his orders while Senpai, Itachi-kun, Tenzo-san, Number Four, and Hitoshi all gathered around him. And just like that flip! his switch went back to cheerful Ren. "Hey~ Kakashi-kun! Itachi! How have you guys been? It's been such a long time!" Kakashi-senpai visibly flinched and that's when I remembered why he always looked so wary when it came to Ren. We did, after all, try to sell him to Orochimaru that one time. Yeah, that would leave an impression. Ren must have picked up on it too because his grin widened into that devilish smirk. "Oh my, Kakashi-kun, no need to be so nervous there won't be any selling you to the predator this time. Though, I can't really guarantee it. If I get a really good offer, I might have to consider it." Some things never change and Ren was the exact same. When he saw Senpai freeze up and go completely still as he kept ignoring his teasing Ren got bored and immediately changed targets. His eyes flicked to Tenzo-san. "Hmm. You're a new face. Who are you?" Tenzo-san answered calmly, "My codename's Tenzo. I belong to Dog's unit." Ren narrowed his eyes slightly, studying him. "You remind me of those Root ninjas." The next second, Tenzo-san's hand snapped out, transforming into a wooden spear that shot straight for Ren's head but before it could even reach him, Number Four was behind Tenzo with a kunai pressed to his neck. The entire squad went still. Ren didn't even flinch as he just bent closer to inspect the wood spear like it was an interesting toy. "Eh, no need to be so aggressive. I don't really care if you were, are, or would be in Root. Because..." Uh-oh. That smile. That smile always meant he was about to say something that would make the other person lose their mind. "You're weak." The air went dead silent at that. Tenzo-san's fingers twitched, but before he could react, Ren continued, poking at the wood spear with his finger. "Hmm. You're not a true Wood Style user. From what I know, the First's Wood Release was inexplicably linked to his monstrous vitality but your wood looks like it's seconds away from dying. That means the level of yang nutrition in the wood chakra mix your body produces is very low. Looks like-" Before he could finish, Sensei cut him off sharply. "That's enough for now. If you have more analysis about Wood Release, give it to him once we're back in the village." Ren glanced at Sensei, then at Tenzo-san and just shrugged like nothing happened. It was weird how Ren wasn't even surprised when Tenzo-san used his Wood Release. The first time I'd seen it, I was so shocked that if Senpai hadn't saved me, I might've taken a branch to the face but Ren took it like it was nothing, like it was just another fact to file away. Number Four sheathed his kunai and gave Tenzo-san a cold warning. "You might be from the Foundation and under Hokage-sama's supervision, but if you try to harm a fellow shinobi, especially one who's your superior, you'll rot in prison for life." Senpai stepped in before Tenzo-san could argue. "I'll handle it. I apologize for my subordinate's mistake." He looked at both Ren and Number Four. Ren just waved him off, like he couldn't be bothered. Then he turned his attention to Itachi-kun and immediately switched back to his usual annoying self. "Hey hey, Itachi! Take off your mask, I wanna see your face. It's been so long!" It was such a weird request but it was typical Ren. Itachi was familiar with Ren too so he took his mask off and smiled at Ren, "Hello, Ren-San." Ren gave him a once-over and clicked his tongue. "Dude. Your face looks like it's seen more wars than Sensei." He wasn't wrong. Itachi-kun always looked way older than he actually was, stress marks, tired eyes, dark circles, the kind of heavy look that said he didn't sleep properly for days on end. Everyone knew it, but no one dared say it out loud since he was always top notch in his performance. But of course, Ren had no filter. He circled Itachi-kun, practically inspecting him like livestock. "Your body shows signs of constant high stress. Tension building up in your joints, your sleep is crap, your shoulders are locked tight. It's fine for now, but once your body gives out, you'll-" "Ren. Stop." Sensei's voice cut sharp for the first time but Ren just pressed on. "No, Sensei. I know it's not ethical to analyze someone's body without permission but if I don't, this idiot won't stop until he drops dead. We've already got plenty of people in the Leaf with hero complexes and two of them are standing right here. One of them isn't even doing a good job." Ren's eyes flicked to Kakashi-senpai and the air got heavy. "Kakashi Hatake," Ren said, voice calm but sharp enough to slice steel, "when Tsunade-san told you to get rid of the Sharingan, I didn't get it. But now? One glance, and it's obvious. That Sharingan's draining you dry, not just chakra, but everything else. It takes a huge toll on your body to constantly produce more chakra than normal just to feed that eye. You're always running on empty. Every time you use it, you're one bad encounter away from dropping dead because your body has nothing left to support you. Isn't that right?" I could see it too, how Senpai always avoided using the Sharingan unless absolutely necessary. Even then, we sometimes had to carry him back to the village. I never realized it was this bad. Sensei spoke again, voice low but not really stopping him more like guiding him. "That's enough, Ren. He's your senior and he's a shinobi who doesn't like people prying into his matters. Like most of us. So drop it." Weird, Sensei didn't really sound like he wanted to stop him, did he not want to stop this? Ren just tilted his head, sunglasses catching the light. He didn't sound angry, he just sounded done. "Then he's welcome to leave." The temperature in the air dropped like a blade of ice. "He's one of the highest combat strengths we have for this mission and if he's only good for a single fight, then he's a liability. He'll be useful once, then deadweight the rest of the way. That puts the whole unit at risk and me. If he dies under my command, I'm the one who'll have to answer to the old men back in the village. I'm not about to get lectured because some fool with a hero complex wants to cling to the legacy of a dead comrade he can't even carry properly." No one spoke. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath. I didn't know the full story behind Senpai's Sharingan but even I understood Ren was right. If something happened to Kakashi-senpai because he ignored Ren's warning, it would be Ren's fault. The mission would fail and Ren would pay for it. Ren didn't let up for a second. His tone was calm, but each word felt like a cold slap. "Kakashi Hatake," he said, "I'm giving you two choices. Either you let me temporarily seal your Sharingan or you return to the village right now. And when you get there, you can report that you didn't want to burden your mission leader by becoming deadweight. Also inform them that from now on, they should only assign you missions where you're not a liability or where you're not responsible for anyone else's life. Because I don't trust you with my friends' lives. And if others knew your true condition, they'd feel the same." His words made sense, painfully so. But I couldn't help glancing at Sensei. His expression had gone back to that calm, almost approving look. It surprised me. Did Sensei want this confrontation to happen? Why? Wouldn't this just put a wedge between Ren and Senpai? Though I don't understand much aren't they're both key pillars for the future of the village, if they clash, it could cause real problems later. The silence was suffocating until Senpai finally spoke, voice low but steady. "What if I won't be a burden on this mission?" Ren didn't even hide the disdain on his face. He just scoffed, already turning away. "Guy would be a better candidate for this mission than you." That must have stung for Senpai as after a second of pause he shouted, "Wait!" Ren stopped and turned back. Kakashi-senpai had already removed his mask. For once, I saw his eyes clearly and they had this weary resolve there. He held Ren's stare without flinching. "The only reason I'm accepting this," Senpai said firmly, "is because it's a direct order from the mission leader and only for this mission." Ren scoffed again at that obvious attempt to hold on to some pride but he didn't argue. He stepped forward and lifted a hand to Kakashi-senpai's face. I could see the muscles in Senpai's jaw twitch, but he didn't move as Ren's palm pressed gently over his left eye. "There's no way to just 'lock' the Sharingan and still let you see normally," Ren explained, voice clinical now. "If it were your own eye, we could cut off the chakra supply, a simple easy fix. But since it's transplanted and stays active, you only have two options, Sharingan eye or no left vision at all. And honestly, no left vision is better than an uncontrollable Sharingan. So that's what you'll have to work with for this mission." I watched Ren's fingers move tiny threads of chakra flowing around Senpai's eye socket. Sensei stepped closer, peering in with that same calm look. "Hm," Sensei said thoughtfully. "You progressed with Direct Seal Application much faster than I expected. What kind of seal is this?" Ren didn't look up as he explained. "It's a hybrid storage and redistribution seal. Instead of just blocking the chakra flow to the Sharingan, it stores that excess and redistributes it evenly whenever he uses jutsu or burns chakra. It turns one constant drain into an extra reservoir." Sensei hummed, impressed and that was rare praise coming from him. "So in a way, he'll have two chakra sources?" "Yeah." Ren's tone turned matter-of-fact. "His body's gotten so used to feeding that eye that if I just blocked it, the backed-up chakra would eventually break the seal. This way, the extra supply is stored for a bit, then used alongside his normal chakra. Both reserves stay balanced. It's not perfect, but it's better than him bleeding chakra every time he blinks." Sensei's eyes narrowed slightly, then he gave a small nod. "Excellent work." The two of them drifted straight into a discussion about sealing theory, complicated formulas, anchor points, redistribution networks. I'd seen this happen before, whenever Fuinjutsu came up, they'd lose track of everything else. Senpai, to his credit, didn't flinch away he even asked a few quiet questions, as if he were just another puzzle for them to tinker with. That made me sigh a little. Only Ren could make the legendary Kakashi of the Sharingan feel like an experimental subject and get away with it. I glanced at Hitoshi beside me. He shrugged under his mask, and I nodded. Those three could spend hours swapping sealing formulas. Better to leave them to it and maybe steal a few moments with Hitoshi while they forgot the rest of the world existed. I took his hand and tugged him away from the circle of seals and tension. Ren could fight with Senpai's pride all he wanted and I'd take a small moment of peace with my Hitoshi over their drama any day. ~~~ It took a few hours before Ren finally called us all back together. During that time, I noticed Senpai and Itachi-kun constantly sparring over and over again, with barely any breaks. That was definitely Ren's doing; it was his way of making sure Kakashi-senpai stayed sharp and proving he wouldn't be a liability with his Sharingan sealed. When we were all assembled, Ren stood in front of us in his full gear for the first time. He'd put on a new uniform, his black cloak lined with subtle red streaks, and a blank white mask like Number 4's except his had five small stars etched above the left eye. It looked strangely fitting on him, like he'd always been meant to stand out like that. He didn't waste any time. His voice, muffled slightly by the mask, still carried clearly across the small beach. "From the moment the Commander gave me the mission," he began, "I've been gathering intel on the mist's movements. Ever since the last security breach, they've doubled down on scouting every waterway. Any shinobi or ship trying to cross gets turned back or eliminated. That means even getting close to the Land of Water is a risk." He paused to make sure everyone was listening, even Senpai and Itachi-kun, who still looked like they'd just finished round twenty of their spar. "So," Ren continued, "I've been digging for the route with the least surveillance and I finally have a lead. If we want to extract our agents and confirm the civil war, this is our best shot. So no more time wasted, we move now." I blinked, half-expecting him to toss out another snarky comment, but he was all business. Or so I thought. The next thing was a complete blur. We moved through the thick trees, climbed down a hidden cove, and by the time my brain caught up, I was standing on the deck of a fully decorated, brigantine type ship. Bright flags, ropes coiled just right, sails crisp and ready to catch the wind. The prow was shaped like some weird lion with an exaggerated grin its mane painted gold and eyes wide open. And right on top of that ridiculous lion's head sat Ren, wearing a straw hat, of all things. He'd crossed one leg over the other, back straight, grinning so wide behind the mask that you could feel it. Then he thrust his arm dramatically forward, pointing at the endless sea ahead and shouted, voice echoing across the cove. "Kaizoku ou ni, ore wa naru!" ~~~~~ {This would be the last Chapter in Yugao's POV since I can't write the complete mission like that, so if you want some other character's POV do inform me.} {Also, comment what reward do you think he might get for Kakashi-kun.} {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!!!!}