After Hinata delivered Hanabi home, Ren and she continued on their way, and soon enough, they arrived at Konoha’s T&I department. It was buzzing with activity as ninjas came in and out almost every second, flooding the place with prisoners.

Ren chuckled. The clerks seemed to be going crazy from all the work dumped on them.

Unexpectedly, to the side, Ren spotted Hiruzen Sarubobi with a few of his ANBU around him as he was pestered by a bright ball of orange sunshine. The old man looked indulgently content as he listened with a small smile to Naruto’s rambling.

Changing his direction, Ren walked toward them while Hinata quietly followed him. She had probably decided her presence was necessary to prevent him from doing something foolish. Ren inwardly rolled his eyes.

Outwardly, he greeted Naruto with a smirk. “Yo! Naruto. Hokage-sama. How is it hanging?” He nonchalantly asked, deliberately not looking at the empty, hanging sleeve where Hiruzen’s lost hand should have been.

He couldn’t help himself. Sue him. At least, he restrained himself from uttering some variation of the ‘Need a hand?’ joke.

Hiruzen huffed and rolled his eyes at Ren to show him he understood what he had tried to imply.

“Oh, Ren! I am fine!” Naruto turned toward him and grinned, his eyes sparkling while he rubbed his nose in a way that Ren just knew a boastful tirade was incoming.

“Naruto here was just telling me about all his amazing exploits during this little crisis of ours.” Hiruzen smirked and put his remaining hand on Naruto’s head and ruffled his hair, interrupting his incoming tirade, much to the boy’s chagrin.

“Apparently, he was instrumental in helping save the academy students from an attack earlier, and now, hundreds of his clones are going around, helping.” Hiruzen couldn’t really hide how proud he was of the boy, making Naruto quite bashful.

“I see.” Ren gave Naruto a genuine smile. All of these small, hidden lessons in the journals he made for the boy were not for naught.

He was a bit worried that Naruto would not get a big enough role in the invasion since he was dealing with Shukaku. But leaving Shukaku to Naruto would be the absolutely dumbest thing he could have done there. Only an idiot would have done that under the present circumstances.

Let’s not even speak about Ren’s plan to prevent the apocalypse. Shukaku was about to manifest smack-dab in the middle of Konoha. By the time Naruto could deal with him, half of Konoha would have been leveled to the ground.

It was actually a massive fortune that Ren had a plan to relocate Gaara in the first place. If he didn’t… He shook his head, deciding not to go there.

“Good job! I am sure many people will appreciate your efforts.” Ren told the boy, who was trying to hide how his chest puffed out under all that praise.

Through the journals he and Hinata sometimes gave to Naruto or Karin to teach him, Ren had hoped to teach Naruto one very important thing. It was not enough to do something. But he needed to be seen doing that ‘something’, too, if he wanted a good reputation.

Honestly, his actions during the invasion right now were most likely more beneficial for his reputation than actually defeating Shukaku. Many people had seen him actively helping around. They had seen hundreds of his clones doing this and that.

Ren doubted that Naruto would stay reviled by the villagers for much longer. There would still be some idiots who would hate him no matter what, but this was going to help the boy a lot with how the villagers see him.

“Hehe. That’s nothing! Old man Hokage managed to kill Orochimaru and his two most important subordinates while capturing four more!” Naruto exuberantly exclaimed, boasting on behalf of Hiruzen.

Ren raised an eyebrow at the old man, and with a small smirk, he hummed, “Really? Konoha is truly blessed to have such a strong Hokage.”

“Yeah! The old man is the best!” Naruto beamed, not noticing the small undertone of awkwardness in Hiruzen’s body language.

Ren didn’t mind that Hiruzen took the credit. It was the best option for Konoha. Even if it was not true, the rumors were going to give the other villages at least a momentary pause. A reminder that Hiruzen Sarutobi still had it in him to protect his village even against S-rank threats.

“And what about you, Ren? I see that you are bringing some prisoners with you.” Hiruzen tried to change the topic.

“Yup. I dealt with the Ichibi jinchuuriki, who was about to unleash the beast.” Ren indulged him.

“That’s good. On behalf of Konoha, let me express gratitude for your actions. Such a feat deserves a promotion.” Hiruzen’s eyes sparkled while Ren showed a put-out expression, making the old man laugh.

“You know what? Truthfully, I just found him unconscious in a ditch. I don’t deserve such an honor.” Ren protested, but it only added to Hiruzen’s amusement.

“That still shows a dedication to the village. We can’t have a jinchuuriki littering our ditches. You still deserve a promotion. What do you think, Naruto?”

“Yea-!”

Ren abruptly kicked at Naruto, who had to stop talking and jumped back to avoid the kick with an annoyed, “Hey!”

Smiling, Ren spoke, “I am sure Naruto would agree when I say I am too immature for such a monumental step in my career. Jonins are the elite ninjas of our village. How could somebody as young as me deserve the rank? It is a shame, but I know my limitations, Hokage-sama.” Ren donned a regretful look and ignored Hinata’s snort, while Hiruzen’s eye twitched as he realized he wouldn’t be getting what he wanted so easily.

Ren was determined to fight tooth and nail to the bitter end to stay a chunin. Especially now that the village was going to be supremely busy with the aftermath of the invasion. The Jonin were going to be so preoccupied that, for the foreseeable future, the term ‘free time’ was only something they could encounter in their dreams.

Count him out. Ren would gladly dodge that bullet.

An awkward silence spread around them as Ren and Hiruzen stared at each other. Finally, Hiruzen let out a sigh, and Ren knew he had won. For now.

“And what about the girl?” Hiruzen shook his head and aimed his attention at the other prisoner Ren was bringing. “Hmm. If I am not mistaken, that is the Kazekage’s daughter.” His mood surged when he noticed her identity.

Ren nodded, unable to tell if he felt proud or exasperated at her presence. It was a strange mix of both.

Temari was… important.

The political structure of Suna was a bit different than the one in Konoha. Their Kazekage were exclusively chosen from the children or apprentices of the previous Kage. Their entire government structure was based on that.

And Rasa had no apprentices.

Ren reckoned this was why there was no Kazekage for so long in canon. Gaara became one, but that was at least well over a year, maybe even more, after the invasion. Surely, Suna had enough eligible candidates to fill the role. Yet, it stayed empty until Gaara showed he could take over.

Ren had always found that strange. Only after he read some books about their government structure did he understand why that was even possible. Suna was established by the Sabaku clan. And it all revolves around them.

Having Temari as a hostage was akin to having a royal hostage from a foreign nation. One who could inherit the throne in the future. And while that comparison was not exact, it was still a big deal.

Gaara too, but he was also a jinchuuriki, and that triumphed his identity as Rasa’s child.

Suna was most definitely going to want these two back. Unharmed and healthy. And if Konoha were to have any chance of re-establishing the alliance, these two were a necessity that could give Konoha a major advantage to dictate the terms.

“Let me guess. You found her in the same ditch as the boy, didn’t you?” Hiruzen mirthfully asked.

“It was a bountiful ditch.” Ren nonchalantly answered.

Hinata, who was watching their talk from slightly behind Ren, furrowed her eyebrows and looked at the unconscious blonde girl. She remembered the explanation Ren gave her and Ino before the invasion.

He had made a silly drawing with four dots signifying the villages and a circle in the middle, signifying the Land of Rain.

The dot in the upper left corner was Iwa. The lower left corner was Suna. The upper right corner was Kumo. And the lower right corner was Konoha. It wasn’t a precise depiction of where these villages were located, but it made a do for Ren to drive home his point.

The first thing he had done was to draw a diagonal arrow from the Iwa dot to Konoha’s dot, straight through the circle in the middle. He said it portrayed Iwa’s first possible direction of attack. The Land of Rain was historically always the battlefield where the villages fought among themselves.

But because of some recent developments, that would no longer be the case, according to Ren. Any army walking in there will not be walking out.

And even if the villages were not yet aware of this Akatsuki organisation that Ren warned them about, this left only two directions of attack for Iwa.

Hinata remembered that Ren then drew a line from Iwa toward Kumo, curving it downward in front of the Kumo dot, and leading it down toward the Konoha dot.

Hinata inwardly grimaced. Ren informed her that this was why Konoha so fervently desired the alliance with Kumo before the whole Hyuga incident. They wanted Kumo to be their northern shield from Iwa’s attacks.

The problem was, the hostility between Kumo and Suna was nowhere near enough to make Kumo consider taking Konoha as their southern shield from Sunagakure’s offensive. And Mizu was going to attack them through the sea, making Konoha’s position obsolete.

Hence why there was no alliance between the two villages ever since their founding. It simply didn’t bring many benefits to Kumo. Even the most even alliance would be heavily skewed in Konoha’s favor simply because it would make Kumo into Konoha’s vanguard against Iwa during a war.

Kumo was not going to accept that because they knew that Konoha and Iwa were bitter enemies, and they were going to eventually clash, dragging them into their conflicts, while they would have to shield Konoha.

The problem here was that Kumo and Iwa were ready for another war. And they were the only ones. Their forces were replenished and ready to go.

Mizugakure came out of the civil war and focused on its own affairs, ignoring foreign matters.

And now that Suna and Konoha were feuding? Boy, the opportunity for Kumo and Iwa to smack Konoha from its pedestal, something they had always wanted to do, was probably almost irresistible.

This invasion could evolve into a full-blown Fourth Ninja World War if the aftermath was not handled properly. Konoha needed the alliance with Suna way more than Suna needed them. That’s why having the Kazekage’s children as prisoners was big for Konoha.

The power balance among the villages needed to be quickly restored to stave off the potential for the war to break out.

There was not much Konoha could do about the trajectory of the attack from the north. If Iwa and Kumo allied, the northern borders would be the battlefield. Konoha’s higher-ups knew that. And the northern border was properly fortified.

It’s where everybody expected the next major conflict to ensue.

The last line Ren drew was from Iwa toward Suna, curving in again in front of Suna’s dot and leading it toward Konoha, where Ren gave it a tip, making it into an arrow.

And that was what this whole situation was about.

Suna was Konoha’s shield against Iwa’s offensive from that direction. Theoretically, sure, Iwa could go around the southern borders of the Land of Rain and attack from there, avoiding Sunagakure.

But that was simpleton thinking.

War needed supply lines. It required paths and direction where an army could retreat and maneuver. Any strategist with an average IQ could tell you that letting the back of your army exposed to a potentially hostile force was foolish.

Suna hated Iwa with passion. They fought in every single ninja war against each other. The only alliance they had with each other during the Second Ninja war ended up in betrayal and bitter tears for both villages.

Iwa leaders were not going to try a stunt like that, revealing the flank or the back of their armies to Suna forces. Even if Suna was not allied to Konoha, there was a big chance they would decide to attack Iwa forces from the back, the moment they clashed with Konoha forces in this direction.

They would cut off their path of retreat and massacre all the fleeing ninjas as they could. This was why Iwa would never try to sneak past Suna to attack Konoha directly from the west unless they had an ironclad alliance with Suna and a common cause against Konoha.

Something that was very likely to happen as a consequence of this invasion.

It’s why the Land of Rain was the predominant battlefield for any Iwa-Konoha conflict in every war. There was simply no better alternative. Neither village liked it. Hanzo the Salamander was known for a toxic mist that could decimate armies of ninja. Fighting in the Land of Rain was a hazard. But it was the best option both villages had.

Not that it would matter for the next war. Hanzo was dead, and the Akatsuki would most likely be far more ruthless to any army invading their country. Hinata wryly sighed. Ren seemed almost amused when he wondered which village was going to bite the kunai and try to invade the Land of Rain first. He called dibs on Iwa.

Then Ino called dibs on Iwa.

And yeah. Then Hinata too called dibs on Iwa.

Because, well, duh.

Ren then explained that there was also the little unpleasant fact that the Land of Rivers, the one directly between Konoha and Suna, was not a good battlefield for Konoha forces.

The last time the Konoha forces fought there was during the Second War. The Suna ninjas dug in, fortifying it to such a degree that Tsunade managed to get her renown and reputation as the best healer in the world. Reputation so strong that even two decades after she had left Konoha, she is still revered by its ninja and could be considered for the Hokage position.

And the woman is a rogue ninja in all but name.

What people readily miss is that for Tsunade to get such a lofty and unshakable reputation, there must have been a proportionally horrifying death toll and injuries on Konoha’s side to allow it to build up over time as she focused on healing.

No. Konoha really does not want another army threatening their western borders. Iwa allying with Suna would be the absolutely worst-case scenario that simply could not be allowed to happen.

Hence, Konoha needed the alliance with Suna. Desperately.

And they also needed Suna to be strong enough to be somewhat of a threat to Iwa.

Even Ino and Hinata had to begrudgingly admit that it made some amount of sense to spare as many Suna ninja once Ren explained the whole geo-political situation between the villages.

There was still a death toll in the hundreds among the invading Suna forces. Ren reasoned that it would still be a hard blow to them. And that’s not even speaking of the other consequences of betrayal of this magnitude. The economic repercussions were surely going to hurt like a bitch. And with how their economy was already near its breaking point…

His issue was with Ino and Hinata deciding to go on a massacre against Suna forces because he believed his two kunoichi could slaughter the shit out of them. Enough to cripple Sunagakure for the foreseeable future if not forever.

And that was a big no-no if he wanted to avoid the next war erupting. A war where Konoha would be at a decisive disadvantage. The whole situation was a convoluted mess.

Both Hinata and Ino had eventually agreed that it was for the best to follow his plan. But that didn’t mean they had to like it.

With a sigh, Hinata shook the thoughts of the explanation and watched as two ANBU came forward, intending to take the prisoners. Ren handed them over, but as he was passing Gaara to the ANBU, he suddenly had an idea.

“Hey, Naruto.” He said to the orange ninja while giving him a friendly nudge with his shoulder, “You and the crazy redheaded kid have similar mental issues. Why don’t you go and give him your Talk no Jutsu?”

Naruto appeared confused, “Huh? Talk no what?” He didn’t remember having anything like that.

Ren turned toward Hiruzen, whose lips were twitching in annoyance at Ren’s suggestion. But he quickly enough grasped that it was worth a try to foster a friendship between the villages’ jinchuuriki if he wanted to increase the chances of reestablishing the alliance.

Especially since it seemed Gaara had a shot at becoming the Kazakage.

“I will explain it to him.” Hiruzen promised with a sigh, and Ren couldn’t be more pleased.

He intended to visit Gaara and give him his own brand of Talk no Jutsu, but he wasn’t sure if it would have any effect. It was better to send in an expert.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep