32 Chapter 32- Grief and a new mission

Shisui Uchiha POV

"We've given you a check up. And aside from some minor strain in your eyes and general fatigue, there are no issues with your health." The nurse announced.

"So, does that mean I can leave?" She asked softly.

"Yes, you are free to leave whenever you want. However, I recommend taking a month off from active duty, considering everything that has transpired."

The scenes of her teammates being slaughtered by the Kumo shinobi played in her mind, but she shook her head and banished those grim memories.

"Alright then. Oh, one more thing. What about the hospital bill?" She asked.

"It's already been paid by your clansman, Ren Uchiha." The nurse said. She nodded, determined to repay him upon her return.

With that, she left the hospital and went outside to the streets of Konoha, taking in the peaceful atmosphere within the village.

People walked around without any concern. Children engaged in the "Shinobi" game along the streets, seemingly oblivious to the ongoing war within their borders.

It was as if they remained entirely unaware that loyal shinobi were sacrificing their lives daily to preserve peace in the village. As if her teammates hadn't just laid down their lives for these very people.

On one hand, this was a good thing, as it showed that they were succeeding in their goal to give a peaceful life to the children in the village.

On the other hand, it pissed her off that she was the only one grieving for her teammates. Why was no one aside from her grieving for their deaths? Why was everyone acting as if nothing had happened?

She felt a familiar prick in her eyes and realised that she had unintentionally activated her recently awakened Mangekyo Sharingan. Whe quickly deactivated it.

She was not Ren Uchiha, who could go around with his Sharingan active without facing any repercussions. Usually, people weren't allowed to use their dojutsu in public space without a very good reason.

Once her eyes returned to their ordinary black hue, she linegered in that place for a while longer, silently observing the people pass by.

She wondered how these people would react if she told them that her teammates died protecting them. Would they grieve with her? Or they just not care. Saying stupid stuff like 'Isn't it a shinobi's duty to give their lives for the village?'

She felt that she was being rather uncharitable with her thoughts today. But having recently lost a significant part of her life, she found it difficult to overlook the apparent indifference of everyone around her.

At least in the hospital, the nurses were sympathetic toward her, even if their fake sympathy sometimes grated on her as well.

But no matter how she feels, nothing would change the truth. Her friends were dead. And in exchange for their lives, she now possessed a pair of eyes endowed with formidable power.

Eyes, that she would gladly give up if it would return them to life.

She wondered if her clansmen already knew. If the elders were already making plans on how to make the best use of her for the glory of the Uchiha clan.

It was all too much. And she just wanted to curl up in a place and cry. But she needed to reach her home before she could do that. Even though a part of her didn't even want to return to the clan compound.

Regardless, she gathered her courage and started walking toward the clan compound, one step after another, till she stood outside their front gate.

To her great surprise, the guards allowed her to go in without a second look.

Were they unaware of her newly awakened eyes? She was sure that they would've treated her differently if they knew about her eye's evolution.

So… did Ren hid it from the clan members? Or did he not realise the changes? Well, given how perceptive Ren was, it was unlikely that he didn't notice. Which means that he must've hidden it from the clan for one reason or another.

She didn't know his reasons but she felt like she owed him another one for that.

Not wanting to deal with any other of her clansmen, she use Shunshin and quickly arrived in front of her home. She paused when she saw someone sitting on her porch.

"Ren." She said, noticing that he was currently practicing Water Chakra affinity Training. A large human sized water sphere floating in front of him. Taking different shapes before returning back to its original spherical form.

"Hi." Ren said as he sent all of that water into the nearby koi pond. "Bye." He said and then dispersed into a puff of smoke.

'A Shadow Clone then.' She thought, wondering what that was about. But before she could take another step toward her home, the real Ren Hiraishined in front of her.

Despite her fondness for Ren, she really wanted to be alone right now. Grieving for her dead friends/teammates in quiet solitude.

"Ren." She said softly, noticing that there was something… different about him. His presence seemed heavier, somehow. "What are you doing here?"

"I was worried about you. So I sent a Shadow Clone to wait for you and notify me upon your return." Ren explained, a furrow of worry marking his face as he approached, gently clasping her hands in his. "I won't ask how you're feeling right now. But, understand that I'm here for you if you need anything."

"Thank you." She said softly. "Though I just want to be alone right now."

Ren furrowed his brow at her words, scrutinizing her with narrowed eyes. He then turned his gaze towards her dilapidated house.

In her defence, the house had been built by her grandfather and she hadn't put in the effort to maintain it after her parents passed away.

"No." Ren said, firmly and she raised her eyebrow.

"What?"

"No. I'm not letting you live all by yourself in this house. That's not healthy no matter how you may look at it."

"That's not up to you Ren." She told him.

"It is. As your friend, it is up to me to take care of your ass when you can't do that yourself. Plus, I saved your life. Kinda. So you owe me." Ren said. "And I'm calling in that favour. Pack your bags. You're moving in to my house."

Despite her grief, she smirked at him. "Planning to add me to your harem of powerful kunoichis?"

Ren rolled his eyes at her words. "First. You're not powerful. You may become so in the future. But for now, you're barely Elite Jounin even with your Mangekyo Sharingan.

Second." Ren raised his hand, causing her to flinched in shock and embarrassment as he rested his palm on her budding breast, giving it a few squeezes. "Too small."

Her eye twitched and she lashed out a kick at Ren's face. Only for him to expertly dodge her kick and manoeuver behind her before groping her ass.

"Too firm. No give at all." He announced his verdict, prompting her to launch another barrage of kicks and punches. Yet, he effortlessly dodged all her attacks without breaking a sweat.

"Let me hit you once, you little bastard." She grunted.

"Hey. I'll let you know that I'm not little. I'm actually tall for my age." He said as he dodged out of her range, causing her to cease her attacks.

"So says you. I bet that you'll be the shortest Uchiha when you grow up."

"And I bet that you'd still look like a flat board." He said before he paused and smiled at her. A genuine smile. "Well, looks like I completed my task of getting a smile out of you."

She paused and then realised that she was actually smiling. Just a few days since her friends died and she was here, smiling and playing around. Her expression crumbled in an instant and Ren reached out for her once again, pulling her into a comforting hug.

"Shh… I know that you're grieving Shisui but you cannot let that define every aspect of your life. Your friends wouldn't want to see you cry. They would want to you smile and laugh."

"Doesn't matter what they want. They're gone now." She said with a sniff, feeling like a loser for taking comfort from a boy who was so young himself, no matter how mature he usually acted.

"I don't believe that at all. As long as they're in your memories, they're alive within us." Ren said, "Besides, who's to say they aren't watching you from the Pure Land right now? Do you really want to mope around right now? Think of what they would say if they saw you like this."

She did and… they would definitely tease her in order to make her happy once again. Just like how Ren was doing right now.

A lone tear slid down her cheek and she pulled Ren deeper into the hug. "Thank you." She said, burying her face into his shoulder. "Thank you Ren. For being there for me."

"Well… you're my friend so this is the least I could do for you." Ren said somewhat awkwardly and she smiled before she turned and looked at her dilapidated house.

The same house where she'd grieved for her parents. The same house where she'd spent years living alone.

She didn't want to be alone anymore.

"Ren."

"Hmm."

"Were you serious about offering me a place in your house?"

"Of course. Have you seen how big that house is? I need all the maids I can get to keep it in order."

She sighed fondly at his antics. "Give me a moment. I'll pack my belongings."

Ten minutes later. She'd packed up all her important luggage, and with a negligent flare of his chakra, Ren brought them back to his home.

The sound of metal clashing against metal reached her ears and she turned around to see Ringo Ameyuri sparring with… some other young woman that she didn't know about. But judging by how that woman was able to hold her own against Ringo, she must've been S-class Kunoichi as well. Only…

"Ren. Why are those two wearing those strange outfits?" She asked, staring at the strange black and white dress the two older Kunoichi were wearing. Dress that were completely impractical for a spar and only served to emphasise their… assets.

She was feeling a bit self conscious now.

"Oh, the maids outfit. Well, they challenged me to a bet recently, claiming I couldn't take down a Veteran Jinchuriki on my own and would need their assistance. Heh. Scrubs. See how that ended for them."

She paused in the middle of giving him a reply and played that sentence in her mind once again.

"Ren." She said, slowly turning to face him. "What do you mean when you say that you defeated a Veteran Jinchuriki on your own?"

"Just what it sounds like." Ren said with a shrug. "I recently fought and defeated the 6 tails Jinchuriki. It was a nice fight. Though I still wasn't able to go all out, which was a bit disappointing."

She felt the world spin for a moment before she managed to regain her composure. "Ren. Isn't the 6 tails Jinchuriki with Kiri. Have they declared war on us as well?"

Ren paused from blatantly leering at those two kunoichi and turned to blink at her. "Oh, you don't know? No, hold on. You were in the hospital for the past few weeks, and we haven't announced this to the public, so of course you wouldn't know."

"Know about what, Ren?"

"Ah… you see, the Hokage recently led a mission to Kiri. Our main goal was to assassinate all their Mizukage candidates. As well as kill and destroy anyone and anything of significance. And the mission was a complete success." Ren said with a proud grin before he paused. "Oh wait, I think that was a S-class secret. On second thought though. Meh! Who cares."

She would've chastised Ren about leaking S-class secrets so easily if her mind wasn't in so much turmoil right now.

"So… you fought the Six Tails Jinchuriki during that battle?"

"Nah. I found him later on. In that battle, I fought and killed Suikazan Fuguki, the wielder of Samehada. Then I captured Mei over there, who was one of their S-class kunoichi." Then he paused as if he remembered something. "Oh, and I also destroyed all their ships, their main port, their Mizukage tower, their T&I Department and their R&D Department.Although, doing that was too easy, and I don't really consider it much of an accomplishment."

She gazed at the 6-year-old with a sense of disbelief, uncertain whether he had truly accomplished all the things he claimed or if he was simply teasing her.

While she had always recognised Ren as a formidable shinobi, the list of achievements he presented surpassed her expectations by a considerable margin.

But then again, Ren was not the kind of person to lie about his achievements either so he most likely did these things.

"I see." She finally uttered, as she couldn't think of anything else to say in response.

"Hmm…" Ren said, casting one last glance at the two Kunoichi before tugging her along. "Come. I'll show you to your new room."

She nodded. Her eyes also glued to the sparring of the two S-class Kunoichis… and the way their assets jiggled with each move. She quickly shook her head and looked away, grateful that Ren hadn't caught her staring.

The teasing would never end otherwise.

Ren eventually took her to the second floor of his mansion and opened a room besides his own.

The room was bright and had a warm and cozy ambiance to it. It was far better than her own home. And while it wasn't the traditional home she was use to living in, she doubted that she would have a problem settling in here.

"This looks… amazing. Thank you Ren."

"Don't mention it." Ren said with a shrug before he paused and thought of something. "Though… if you really want to thank me then I have a spare maid outfit in my-"

She slammed the door in his face, a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks as the vivid image of the two Kunoichis sparring replayed in her mind.

"I'll take that as a no then." Ren said from outside, his voice filled with mirth. "Lunch will be in an hour. I'll send a clone to fetch you.Take your time to settle in until then."

She nodded and relaxed as she heard his footsteps leaving the corridor.

Once she was sure he was gone, she threw her luggage aside and slumped down on the bed, the grief returning back to her, thought it wasn't as all-encompassing as it once was.

Things were still far from ideal, and it would take some more time to fully recover from the loss. Nevertheless, she acknowledged that she was in a better place now.

—————

Pakura POV

She stared at the giant rocky walls that surrounded her former home and felt a myriad of emotions swirling within her heart.

Grief, for their abandonment. Rage at their treachery. Guilt for what she was about to do.

A man landed in front of them and then went on his knees. "Lord Sasori, I've completed my task. Your passage to the village and your exit are secure."

She glared at the shinobi in front of her, hating him for betraying the village like that. But then again, what right did she had to hate other people for doing the exact same thing that she did.

'I had good reasons for what I did.' She thought but knew well enough that the other shinobi might have his own reason for this betrayal as well.

For all that she'd called Suna her home for a good part of her early life, she hadn't been unaware of its treacherous nature even then.

She just… hadn't ever suspected that she would fall prey to that treachery as well.

And while she'd thought that she had moved past that incident a long time ago. Returning to this village reopened the wounds that she'd thought long closed.

"Well done." Sasori said, maneuvering his Hiruko puppet through the hidden passage. "Come along Pakura, we have a Jinchuriki to capture."

'A one-year-old child.' She thought bitterly.

Over the years, she had carried out numerous tasks for the Akatsuki, many of them unpleasant. However, being assigned a task that would lead to the death of a baby marked a new low, even for her.

'But... what other choice do I have? I'm too far gone at this point. I've made too many enemies,' she thought bitterly.

Not to mention that even if she wanted to leave, their leader wouldn't let her. And as strong as she had become over the years, she was well aware that she was still no match for him.

So with a heavy heart she nodded to herself and followed Sasori. "Lead the way."

—————

Ren Uchiha POV

"Is this the place?" Ringo asked him as they hid behind a thick set of foliage and gazed at the giant mining operation in the distance.

He used Observe to confirm it and then nodded. "Yes. The largest Gold mine in Lightning Country indeed."

The 40 Chunin and 8 Jounin, and 1 Elite Jouning he could sense guarding the mine were also as an indication that this was the real thing and not just a decoy.

"Do you want to infiltrate it and get a look or what?" Ringo asked.

"No. That'll not be necessary. I don't want to alert Kumo to our plans. Let's move on to the next site." He said and left a Hiraishin seal and the tree before moving on the the next location that his Shadow Clones had already scouted for him.

The next location was pretty easy to identify as it was a bustling Port City. The largest and wealthiest in all of Lightning Country. And if his information was correct, then 14% of their trade flowed through this place.

"I've been here before." Ringo told him as he left a Hiraishin seal on a nearby tree.

"Really. When?"

"About half a decade ago. The lord of this place hired me to guard his life against his enemies who might send assassins after him." Ringo said and then shook her head. "It was a ruse. The fat bastard just wanted to seduce me so that he could get a few powerful shinobi kids out of me."

"Huh… and how did that turn out for him?"

"I left the very day he made the proposal," Ringo said with a shrug. "But I must admit, his offer was tempting. Tempting enough that quite a few Chunin and Jounin Rogue Kunoichi chose to accept it over the years. Last I heard, he had around a dozen rogue kunoichis as his mistresses and a horde of kids with decent potential. Rumor has it that one of his concubines even possesses a powerful bloodline."

"Hmm... it's clever of that guy to form his own group of shinobi loyal only to him. Is this sort of thing common among nobles?"

"No, not really. Most of the time, they tend to look down on shinobi. Those who do associate with them are often isolated and sabotaged by other nobles. However, this particular lord is significant and powerful enough to get away with such actions," Ringo explained. "Still, I wouldn't be surprised if Kumo or the Lightning Daimyo himself sent assassins after him. He's playing a very dangerous game here."

He hummed at her words. "So… anything we need to worry about when attacking this port city?"

"No, not unless he's somehow managed to seduce an S-class kunoichi, which I highly doubt. Kunoichi of my caliber are exceptionally rare. Not to mention, proud." Ringo remarked. "However, wealthy nobles like him typically have extensive protection—samurai guards, private armies, hired rogue shinobi, and the like."

"I see. Let's move on to the next location."

Following that, they visited half a dozen other crucial economic locations within Lightning Country, conducting reconnaissance before finally concluding their day and using Hiraishin to return home.

Upon arrival, he was greeted with the sound of metal clashing against metal and saw Shisui sparring with Mei in the distance.

Shisui was not winning and it was clear to him that Mei wasn't going all out in the spar. But Shisui was still doing pretty good thanks to her newly awakened eye.

"I'm going to join as well. Are you coming?" Ringo asked as she watched the spar in anticipation.

"Nah. I need to go and meet someone else. You go on ahead without me." He said, sensing a familiar chakra in the middle of the Uchiha compound.

Ringo nodded and Shunshined to that training ground, announcing her entrance with a hard kick to Mei's stomach.

He smiled at that. Having such powerful Kunoichi in his group meant that he didn't have to inspire them to train. They did it all on their own without him even needing to tell them anything.

This made him optimistic about the future. And he wondered just how strong they'll become once he unlocks his Party System and is able to share his Gamer System with them.

Though even without the Party System, he could definitely find or create other ways to empower them until they have reached the power level of a Super Kage. It'll take time though.

For now, he took a deep breath and moved toward that familiar chakra signature.

He found Itachi sitting on the veranda with little Satsuki on her lap and joined her.

"Ren." Itachi greeted him and then gasped in surprise as he pulled her into a tight hug. He maintained the embrace until Satsuki began to squirm between them, prompting him to release her.

Being almost one year old now, Satsuki had grown quite a bit in the past year and was now able to toddle around in the house on her short, chubby legs. However, Itachi preferred to carry her little sister in her arms, a habit he found particularly endearing.

Disregarding the exasperated glance Itachi cast his way, he offered her a cheerful smile. "Back from another mission?"

"Yeah. Just returned an hour ago." Itachi said.

"Alone or with a team?"

"With Rin Nohara and Anko." Itachi said with a huff. "I wasn't allowed to take missions on my own after that ambush."

"That's good to hear. What was the mission about?"

"You know I cannot tell you such things Ren. Just because you don't care about mission security doesn't mean that other shinobi don't either." She said with a deadpanned expression and he chuckled.

"Mah. You're such a stickler for rules."

"And you don't follow them at all." She said, giving him a disapproving look.

He shrugged. "People who are strong make the rules."

Itachi shook her head, disagreeing with him but not saying anything on the topic.

"So… how the situation in the borders? Can you tell me that much at least."

Itachi thought on it for a moment before she spoke up. "The situation is stable for now. Both the Kumo and Iwa armies have backed off for some reason. I personally think that they're gathering reinforcements and that the next time they attack, the war will become even more intense."

'Hmm… Iwa and Kumo must have finally learned about Kiri's destruction.' He thought.

"Hey Itachi." He said after a moment of silence.

"Hmm?"

"How would you like to become a Jinchuriki?"

Itachi turned to look at him. "Where did that come from?"

"Just thinking. The likelihood that you'll also unlock your own set of Mangekyo Sharingan eyes is not high. So I thought that making you a Jinchuriki would be the next best option.This way, you'll eventually become an S-class kunoichi, and I won't have to worry as much about you."

Plus, once she's old enough and he Captures her by seducing her, he'll also gain a Tier 7 Familiar as an added bonus.

"And where will you get a free Tailed Beast?" Itachi asked with an amused smiled. "Last I heard, they don't tend to grow on trees."

"I'll just go to Iwa and take one of theirs." He said with a shrug.

"Yes. Because going to the enemy territory and defeating a Jinchuriki is so easy. No, I don't want you to take that risk on my behalf, Ren." Itachi said and then paused. "Wait. You said 'also' when talking about Mangekyo Sharingan eyes. Did someone from our clan unlock those eyes?"

He nodded and then leaned in to whisper in her ears. "Don't tell this to anyone. Not even your parents. Or I'll kick your ass."

"I would rather that you not tell me such secrets in the first place. But okay. Who was it?"

"Shisui."

"Shisui?" Itachi frowned. "Isn't she only 4 years older than us?"

"Yes, when you think about it, it is quite remarkable. Aside from me, she's probably the most talented person in our clan." he remarked. "She's now living with us since her house is somewhat lonely. You should come to visit her sometime, maybe have a few spars as well. Bring freeloader Anko and Thick-senpai along as well if you want."

Itachi sighed in exasperation. "Do you plan to have Shisui join your harem as well?"

"I don't see what's the harm in asking." He said. "She does have the potential to become an S-class kunoichi. Just like you."

Itachi looked away from him, a faint dusting of pink in her cheeks.

'Oi oi oi… aren't you too young to blush like this.' He thought but then remembered how Sakura and Ino broke their friendship because they both developed a crush on Sasuke. And they were both about 6 years old when that happened.

He should probably stop comparing the girls of this world with the girls from back home, as the ones over here tend to mature at a far faster pace.

"You think I can become an S-class kunoichi?" Itachi asked softly.

"Yes, if you survive long enough, then even if you don't unlock your Mangekyo Sharingan eyes or become a Jinchuriki, I believe you would still reach that level of strength." He said and then remembered something. "Oh wait, I brought something for you."

Then he took out a Dango from within his Inventory and handed it to her.

"This doesn't look like the dango made in any of the shops I know." Itachi said as she tasted it and hummed in contentment. "It tastes better as well. Where did you get it from?"

"I made it. Well, one of my shadow clones did. I've been working on honing mundane day-to-day life skills like these recently," he explained. "I'm glad you liked it. Here's two more."

Itachi took them with a happy smile. "Thank you."

"Don't mind it."

They sat in silence after that, simply enjoying each other's presence before he suddenly sensed a chakra signature rushing in their direction.

He remembered this chakra. It was one of Minato's guard.

He got up and waited for this guy to reach him.

"Ren-san. The 4th has asked for you to come to the Hokage office. Asap."

"Why? What happened?"

"I do not know the full details. But Suna has sent a distress message. Please come quickly."

He nodded and leaned down to plant a kiss on Itachi's forehead, followed by one on Satsuki's chubby cheeks, before he vanished with Hiraishin and appeared in front of Minato's desk.

"You called for me?" He asked, ignoring the sudden tenseness of the anbu in the room before they recognised him and relaxed.

"Yes. Suna was attacked by two of their S-class missing nins. They've asked for help and I plan to send the two of you there to deal with this matter." Minato said, gesturing toward Kushina who was standing to his side.

"Huh… are we really helping Suna? When they didn't even lift a single finger to help us in our war?" He asked.

"Yes. Any other questions?"

Seeing that Minato was serious about this he just shrugged. "Nah. I'm good. I take it that Kushina-Sensei will do most of the talking?"

"Yes, and I would appreciate it if you hide your identity when meeting Suna's shinobi," Minato requested. "Despite rumors about you having already spread, we don't want to provide them with any concrete information about your abilities."

"Easily done," he replied, utilizing Tsunade's Permanent Transformation to assume the Crow-masked Anbu appearance he had during their attack on Kiri.

"In that case. Gather your supplies and go to Suna as soon as possible."

"As soon as possible?" He asked, showing his Hiraishin tagged kunai.

"Yes."

"Very well, come, Sensei. Let's get there already. I already have all my supplies prepared, and I suppose you have yours as well?"

Kushina displayed one of her Storage scrolls and nodded.

"We'll return when the mission is finished," he told Minato before taking Kushina's hand and Hiraishining to a city in the Land of Wind closest to Suna.

—————

AN: Shushi gets roped into living with Ren, Ringo and Mei. Pakura and Sasori attack Suna. Ren scouts the Land of Lightning, meets Itachi and then gets sent to a mission to Suna.

That's it for this chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed reading it.

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