Ten days later.
That afternoon, Ren Takashi brought Kushina, Mikoto, Minato, and the Ino-Shika-Chō trio to a secluded clearing near the Minami-Kaga River for their usual training session.
Suddenly, Ren's expression shifted.
His sensory array, woven discreetly one kilometer beyond their training zone, had just been triggered.
"Hmm? Someone tripped the perimeter? Could be an animal—or someone passing through?"
Without hesitation, he expanded his spiritual perception. Within moments, he locked onto eight rapidly approaching figures—none of them Konoha-nin.
And judging by their chakra patterns, appearances, and movement coordination, they were unmistakably from the Land of Lightning.
"Cloud Shinobi?"
His brow furrowed. Among the eight were two elite Jonin and six elite Chūnin—two full strike squads.
"And they're heading straight for us…"
His eyes narrowed.
"Could this be their preemptive strike to abduct Kushina?"
Ren wasted no time.
He shot up to the center of the training grounds and called out, "Everyone, on alert! Two Cloud Shinobi strike teams incoming—eight in total!"
The urgency in his voice jolted the others.
"Cloud Shinobi?! Inside the village barrier?!" Shikaku exclaimed.
"How could they get in without triggering a full alarm?"
"Not the time for questions!" Ren snapped. "They're almost here. I'll handle the two Jonin. You six split the Chūnin—treat it like a real kill trial. You ready?"
The others nodded, tense but confident.
Ren, meanwhile, cast his senses farther out—and his suspicions deepened.
Two Root squads… lurking eight hundred meters north-northwest, just inside village bounds. Hidden and watching.
His expression darkened. "Danzo... it has to be you."
Danzo hadn't made any overt moves in months.
That silence now screamed conspiracy.
Had he leaked flaws in the barrier to Cloud Shinobi operatives? That would explain their perfect infiltration route. And now his Root operatives were waiting, no doubt to seize an opportunity to act—kill, cover up, and blame everything on the enemy.
Just as he was piecing it together, chakra signatures surged.
"They're here!"
"Kill!!" came a cry as two figures burst from the treeline—elite Jonin. One surged toward Ren, the other toward Kushina. Behind them, six Chūnin split to engage the rest.
They moved with lethal speed—hoping for a swift grab-and-go.
Ren snorted coldly. "Me and Kushina, huh? You really thought this through."
He vanished.
An instant later, he reappeared behind the Jonin lunging for Kushina. A Wind-imbued Rasengan already spun in his palm.
"Wind Style: Rasengan!"
He slammed it into the back of the Cloud Jonin's head.
"GAH—!"
The man let out a strangled cry before his skull hit the earth with a wet thud.
Dead before he could react.
Ren was already gone again—teleporting to the second Jonin.
This one sensed something wrong—twisting his head, he caught the shimmer of lightning chakra crackling behind him.
He tried to react.
Too slow.
"Raikiri."
Ren's left hand pierced through the man's Lightning Armor like paper. His heart was vaporized, body twitching violently before collapsing in silence.
Two seconds. Two kills.
The rest of the Cloud team shouted in disbelief—rushing to support.
That hesitation was their last mistake.
"Shadow Binding!" Shikaku shouted.
"Partial Expansion Jutsu!" Chōji roared.
"Sharingan: Genjutsu. Fire Style: Flaming Dragon!" Mikoto followed up.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains—bind!" Kushina added.
Minato finished with a spinning Rasengan.
In less than five seconds, the entire enemy team was wiped out—no mercy, no prisoners.
Ren exhaled and nodded. "Not bad! You're all growing quickly."
He turned to Kushina and the rest. "At this pace, by graduation, you'll all be Jonin or higher."
Kushina grinned smugly. "Of course! You think we'd disappoint?"
Shikaku smiled wryly. "It's all thanks to your training. Without your constant sparring and feedback… we'd never have improved this fast."
They all felt it—real strength. Just a year ago, taking down even one elite Chūnin would've been a stretch.
Now they'd handled six as if it were a drill.
Ren piled the eight corpses and sealed them into a scroll for now.
"By the way," Shikaku said seriously, "those two Jonin were clearly after you and Kushina, right? This wasn't random."
Kushina blinked. "Me? Why me?"
"They want your body," Ren said bluntly.
"Eh?!"
Ren shrugged. "You're Uzumaki. You've got massive chakra reserves, vitality, sealing talent—and Mito-sama's student. You're the perfect Jinchūriki candidate."
"As for me—Cloud Shinobi want my pill formulas, my chakra training system, and my connections. I'm a walking treasure vault to them."
He paused.
"And there's more. I sensed those Root ninja nearby. Watching. Waiting. Just like I thought… Danzo is involved."
Kushina turned solemn.
"Can you verify that?"
"I can. But let's confirm. Kushina, use Kagura's Mind Eye. Scan outward—especially near the barrier's weak point, in the northwest."
She nodded and activated her sensory ability.
Within moments, her expression darkened.
"There… nearly a dozen chakra signatures. Waiting. Hidden."
"Gotcha."
Ren's gaze sharpened.
"That bastard Danzo is trying to play both sides. Leak info to Cloud. Let them attack us. Then have Root swoop in to 'rescue' the day, blame everything on Cloud Shinobi, and earn points with the Hokage—or eliminate us under the pretense of a failed mission."
"Too ambitious," he muttered coldly. "He needs to be reminded how painful failure is."
"I'm going to handle those Root rats. But first—I'll send you all back home."
"No way!" Shikaku objected. "We move together!"
Ren waved a hand. "Not this time. You're not ready to face Root. These guys are cleaner, colder, and trained for assassination. I'll take my father with me instead."
He opened his palm.
"Hands out. I'm teleporting you now."
They hesitated but complied.
Flash.
The group vanished—reappearing moments later in Ren Takashi's compound.
"Wait here. I'll be back shortly," he said.
Then he vanished again—his eyes already blazing with intent.