Naruto: Mastered Your Strategy?

Many people misunderstood Ren.

The Third Hokage thought Ren was someone who, after a drastic event, had lost his will to fight and had given up on himself.

Danzo believed him to be a tool that had lost its own sense of purpose and had willingly succumbed to the darkness.

Shisui saw him as a man who was punishing himself over past events, lost in his own extremism.

Taciturn, solitary, and indifferent—these were the impressions Ren left on others.

However, Ren, with the experiences of two lives, was far from lost. He lived with remarkable clarity. He understood precisely the situation he was in and was keenly aware of the reasons behind every action he took.

Whatever he resisted came from his own will.

Simply put, if he didn't want to do something, he wouldn't do it.

If he didn't want to speak or explain, he'd remain silent.

Too indifferent to please others, he simply rejected them.

He didn't care about their reasons, their attitudes, or what others thought of him.

To others, Ren might have appeared to be half-submerged in darkness, but in reality, the darkness served as a fence, keeping unwanted distractions away.

Shisui was the only person who had managed to step inside that fence.

For Ren, who saw everything with detachment, human relationships and socializing were pointless. None of that brought him anything of value.

A typical person might reciprocate kindness when faced with someone like Anko, who had initially reached out with good intentions.

But Ren only felt irritated.

You're of no use to me—stay away.

Within the canyon was the designated meeting place.

The walls of the canyon enclosed the area, leaving only two narrow paths for entry and exit.

"Is this the place?" Guy asked, scanning the surroundings with a slight frown.

The terrain looked too much like a trap.

"This is the location that was agreed upon," his teammate confirmed.

"Stay on your guard," Guy warned.

Everyone had realized this and was becoming more cautious.

"Where are the people from the Land of Forests?"

Before long, a group of four figures emerged from the canyon. They were all cloaked in black robes and wore masks resembling evil spirits.

"It's them," Ren whispered from the shadows.

"The Banyozon from the Land of Forests," Kakashi added. "Have you encountered them before?"

With their masks on, it was impossible to tell who they were.

"I killed their leader."

"…"

Kakashi finally understood what Danzo meant earlier by "had dealt with them before."

"He was just an old man," Ren added, noticing Itachi's puzzled look.

"They've been secretly collaborating with Iwa shinobi. This meeting will undoubtedly lead to betrayal."

As they spoke, down below, Guy was exchanging scrolls with the leader of the other group. But as the scroll was handed over, Guy suddenly kicked it high into the air.

Boom!

The scroll exploded violently midair, sending flames and smoke everywhere.

The scroll had been rigged with an explosive seal, but fortunately, Guy had spotted it in time.

"They intended to trade a scroll, right?" Guy sneered.

The Banyozon retreated to the cliffs above. The masked woman leading them spoke loudly, "Konoha has attacked us without provocation, so we have no choice but to retaliate!"

"What arrogance," Guy remarked, unsurprised by the turn of events.

"You're the ones who betrayed us!"

The enemy didn't bother to argue further and immediately launched their attack, forming hand seals for a jutsu.

"Earth Style: Rock Collapse!"

Rumble!

The canyon walls crumbled with the sound of thunder, and boulders mixed with debris began crashing down toward the Konoha team below.

Guy frowned. As a taijutsu specialist, he could likely dodge the falling rocks with his speed, but his teammates weren't as fortunate.

Just as he was considering this, two figures in Anbu uniforms suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Leave this to us. You all retreat," Kakashi said.

"Anbu?" one of Guy's teammates exclaimed in surprise.

"Reinforcements," Guy added, secretly relieved. He recognized his old friend instantly, even with the mask on.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

Boom!

A giant earthen wall rose from the ground, adorned with carvings of four fierce dogs, blocking the falling boulders.

The Banyozon didn't give up and continued using jutsu to shatter the cliff, attempting to bury their enemies under the debris.

Guy remained calm but suddenly burst forth with an overwhelming surge of chakra. His hair stood on end, his veins bulging as he transformed into a blur of green light, charging straight toward the enemy above, unaffected by the crashing rocks.

Itachi, watching from below, was amazed by Guy's display of taijutsu. It was the first time he had witnessed such power.

The dust and smoke obscured the scene, making it difficult to see what was happening below.

Amid the chaos, cries of alarm rang out from the enemy ranks.

"There's an intruder!"

Everyone was shocked to see a figure wearing a flame-patterned mask standing not far from them, sword in hand.

"Attack!"

"Kill him!"

The Banyozon rushed forward, but as they neared Ren, they suddenly froze in place, one by one.

They realized the man standing before them had changed appearance, turning into a gaunt, white-haired old man.

"The leader?"

"Leader, weren't you dead?!"

"It's genjutsu!"

The masked woman leading them shouted, "It's genjutsu! Snap out of it!"

Meanwhile, Guy, Kakashi, and Itachi were already clearing out the remaining enemies on the cliff.

The Banyozon was thrown into disarray. Those who weren't affected by the genjutsu couldn't hold their own against Kakashi and the others.

Sensing the battle turning against them, the masked woman gave a sharp command, "Retreat! Fall back!"

But as she turned to flee, she suddenly felt an invisible force pinning her down, like being crushed by an oppressive weight. She couldn't move.

"Binding Illusion... Another genjutsu..." Despair filled her heart, and her vision was flooded with a burst of lightning.

After dispatching the leader, Kakashi glanced toward Ren.

How did he cast the jutsu from that distance? Kakashi wondered, intrigued.

The Binding Illusion wasn't a high-level technique, but it was difficult to use effectively, requiring either exceptional skill in genjutsu or a significant difference in power between the user and the target.

Itachi moved among the dazed enemies, efficiently eliminating them, following the mission's orders to leave no survivors.

Guy, witnessing the brutality, couldn't help but protest.

"This is our mission," Kakashi said, handing the mission scroll to Guy.

"But you can't just... Stop, Kakashi!" Guy pleaded.

Kakashi frowned. "You shouldn't call an Anbu by name during a mission."

"You…"

"Captain, the enemies have been completely neutralized," Itachi reported, his blood-stained blade in hand.

Guy stood frozen, watching the two masked figures before him. At that moment, he finally understood what the Third Hokage and Danzo had meant when they said he wasn't fit for the Anbu.

Not enough talent or darkness—now it made sense.

Guy clenched his fists tightly.

How can you accept this, Kakashi?

"We'll handle the cleanup. You can go now," Kakashi said.

Guy left to rejoin his team.

Meanwhile, Ren, Kakashi, and Itachi began gathering the bodies, piling them together. Itachi ignited the pile with a small fire-style jutsu, the flames consuming the corpses and filling the air with the stench of burning flesh.

As the three of them stood watching the fire, Kakashi suddenly spoke.

"Your genjutsu is impressive."

"Just a few grunts. You could've taken care of them yourself," Ren replied.

"The mission is complete," Kakashi said, removing his mask. Itachi followed suit, taking off his mask as well.

Ren remained unmoved.

Kakashi, curious, pressed on. "It may be bold of me to ask, but…"

"What's your real name?"

"Does it matter?" Ren responded flatly.

"I'm just curious," Kakashi admitted. "You're different from the other shinobi I've known in the Root."

Even Tenzo, who had left the Root, wouldn't have said something like "darkness is a quagmire."

It wasn't a matter of insight or enlightenment; it was because Root members weren't allowed to be anything more than tools.

But this Katsura... seemed to lack that understanding.

"Those words weren't meant for you," Ren suddenly said.

Itachi, who had been listening quietly, was startled by Ren's final remark.

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