Naruto: Mastered Your Strategy?

Morning.

Asuma left his house early, jogging to his usual breakfast stall in the street.

"Hey, Asuma, you're up early today," the stall owner greeted him warmly.

"Yeah, it's the weekend," Asuma replied with a smile. "Woke up a bit early today."

Taking the breakfast the owner handed him, Asuma sat down and ate slowly, his eyes constantly scanning the street, as if waiting for someone.

"Waiting for someone?" the stall owner asked, grinning.

Asuma just gave a sheepish laugh, not responding. About half an hour later, Asuma finally saw a familiar figure walking down the street toward him.

"Ren," he instinctively called out.

Ren, seeing Asuma waiting, glanced at him but didn't respond, walking calmly toward the stall.

"Grilled bread and miso soup," Ren ordered.

"Hey, good morning, Ren," Asuma greeted him with a smile.

"Mm," Ren responded, his tone flat.

Unfazed, Asuma continued, "After returning, I found out that your position is quite special, so I didn't want to disturb you. Since it's the weekend, how about joining me for lunch? I haven't properly thanked you for saving me."

The stall owner handed Ren his breakfast and glanced at both men, smiling. "It's been a while since you've come by, huh?"

Asuma, remembering the incident with Anko and Genma, added, "I hope I'm not being too forward, but do you remember Anko and Genma? They were part of that misunderstanding earlier. They're good friends of mine. I was thinking, maybe we could all get together and clear things up. How about turning a misunderstanding into a friendly conversation?"

Asuma's idea was genuine. Ren had saved his life, and if they were going to cross paths in the future, it would be awkward if the tension with Anko lingered. It would be best to resolve things in a casual setting.

Still no response. Feeling the awkwardness, Asuma laughed nervously and said, "If you're uncomfortable with it, we don't have to invite them. I just thought it would be nice if we could all get along, since we're from the same village."

Ren quietly ate his bread, seemingly ignoring everything Asuma had said.

"Ren?"

"I already told you—I saved you because the Hokage ordered me to," Ren finally responded, his tone calm.

Asuma chuckled. "But you did save me, that's undeniable. Not everyone could've done it."

"Ren—"

"Fine. When?"

Ren cut him off.

Asuma was surprised but quickly smiled. "Noon today! The barbecue place on West Street. Don't be late!"

Asuma left, the stall owner watching his retreating figure with a grin. He turned to Ren and said, "He said you saved his life? That's the Hokage's son, you know. You're moving in some big circles, Ren."

Ren lifted his cup and downed the miso soup.

"Yeah, I know."

It took me quite some effort to get close to him.

Ren thought to himself, setting the cup down on the table.

"Thanks for the meal."

On the rooftop of the Hokage's office.

"The situation with the Mist village—thanks for your hard work," the Third Hokage said, looking at Shisui, who knelt before him.

"It was my duty."

"I read through the intel you brought back. It seems the Mist village still harbors ill intentions toward us. We can't afford to let our guard down," the Hokage said. "It seems the Third Great Ninja War didn't put them to rest."

"If another large conflict breaks out, we could be looking at another war."

The Hokage sighed deeply.

Shisui's eyes darkened as he spoke. "I won't allow the Mist to invade."

The Hokage smiled. Shisui, much like Kakashi in his youth, had become a beacon of excellence for the young generation of ninja.

But he was also a member of the Uchiha clan.

"You've been on long-term missions for a while. Take some time off and rest," the Hokage offered.

"Lord Hokage, I have a request," Shisui began.

"I am deeply troubled by the lack of trust between the Uchiha clan and the village."

The Hokage paused, turning to look out over the village from the rooftop.

"I share your feelings," he said quietly.

"I wish to rebuild the trust between the Uchiha and the village. Could you assign that task to me?"

There was a long silence.

Shisui waited before hearing the Hokage's voice again.

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"If the Uchiha do intend to act against the village, I will stop them with all my power," Shisui began, but his mind drifted to the words Ren had spoken to him:

Revealing your cards too soon will only make you a disposable pawn.

But someone had to step forward. If a sacrifice had to be made, he was willing to be that person.

The Hokage, seeing Shisui hesitate, turned and looked at him.

Shisui took a deep breath and continued, "My eyes... have the ability to control others without them realizing it, making them believe they're acting of their own free will."

The Hokage's robes fluttered in the wind as he stood silently for a moment.

"That's an impressive ability. I'll leave the Uchiha matter to you."

"Thank you."

"I'll give you a certain level of authority. If something unexpected happens, you can act in my name."

The Hokage walked closer, smiling warmly. "You remind me of an old friend of mine—Uchiha Kagami."

"You flatter me," Shisui replied.

Noon.

Kakashi arrived at the restaurant as invited, stepping into the private room where several familiar faces greeted him.

"Hey, Kakashi!"

"Long time no see!"

"Didn't expect you to show up."

Asuma, Might Guy, Genma, Aoba, Raido, Ebisu, Hayate, and Yugao were all there. Besides Yugao, everyone else was part of Kakashi's graduating class.

"Asuma, it's hard to get you to sit down for a meal, huh?" Kakashi said, looking a bit drained.

"Yeah, I know. It wasn't easy to get you here even during your time off," Asuma teased, as Kakashi sat beside Guy, noting the three empty seats still at the table.

"Are we still waiting for someone?"

"Yeah, Anko and Kurenai haven't arrived yet. Plus, there's one more guest I personally invited," Asuma explained. "They're the guest of honor for today."

"So, we're all just here for show?" someone teased.

"Harsh, Asuma!"

"I thought you invited us for the meal!"

"Not cool, man."

Laughter and playful complaints filled the room, and Asuma could only chuckle as he replied, "Come on, you're all important, too."

"Just remember to give me some face when the guest arrives," Asuma added with a grin.

"That sounds suspicious," Genma joked with a smirk.

"Why should we give special face?" Kakashi glanced curiously at Asuma.

"Let's wait and see who shows up," Guy suggested.

Just as he finished speaking, the curtain to the private room was pulled open, revealing a black-haired young man standing at the door.

The lively chatter instantly ceased, and all eyes locked on the newcomer.

Asuma quickly waved his hand, gesturing to the seat beside him.

The young man glanced briefly at everyone, his expression calm, without saying a word. He walked in and sat down between Kakashi and Asuma.

Kakashi was visibly surprised. He hadn't expected Asuma to invite this particular person and was even more surprised that they knew each other.

And... why is everyone reacting this way? Is it because of what happened in the past?

"Kakashi, who is this guy? It seems like everyone knows him," Guy leaned in and whispered.

"Him? That's Ren," Kakashi replied.

Asuma cleared his throat, trying to break the silence. "Ahem, this is my guest. I think most of you already know him, so no need for lengthy introductions."

"You should've warned us first so we could be prepared," Genma said, though he was still smiling, not showing any discomfort.

"It's quite a surprise," Aoba chimed in after Genma spoke.

"More like a shock, cough cough," added Hayate.

Raido stayed silent, while Ebisu's expression seemed slightly awkward.

"So you're Ren, huh? I heard you're pretty good at taijutsu. I'm Might Guy. It would be great to spar with you someday," Guy said enthusiastically, reaching across Kakashi to offer a handshake.

His enthusiasm brought another lull to the room as all eyes turned toward Ren, awaiting his reaction.

Kakashi, glancing at Ren's indifferent expression, slapped Guy's arm. "Hey, Guy, you're crowding me."

Guy, slightly embarrassed, pulled back his hand and scratched his head, laughing, "Oops, sorry, sorry."

"I can't beat you in taijutsu," Ren said suddenly, his calm tone catching everyone off guard.

"Uh... well, we haven't sparred yet, so you never know," Guy chuckled.

"Come on, Guy. I bet you wouldn't last a single round against him," Genma teased.

"Huh? Don't make me sound so weak!" Guy shouted indignantly.

"I'd say you'd be down in one move," Aoba added.

Asuma breathed a sigh of relief as the mood lightened.

"His expertise in genjutsu makes it pretty easy to take you down," Kakashi commented.

"You give me too much credit, Senpai," Ren said quietly.

Silence settled again as everyone's attention returned to Ren.

"Kakashi, you know Ren?" Asuma asked.

"Yeah, we've been on missions together," Kakashi replied, still looking half-asleep. "The kid's strong."

"Not as strong as you, Senpai," Ren replied.

The rest of the group exchanged curious glances, eyes darting between Ren and Kakashi.

"We're already well aware of how strong he is," Genma remarked with a smile.

"Yeah, cough cough," Hayate added.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Sounds like you all had an encounter."

"Let's just say it's not something we like to remember," Genma said with a sigh.

"The past is the past," Asuma interjected with a laugh. "It was just a misunderstanding, and now we're all here together, right? It's fate."

At that moment, the curtain was pulled back once more, revealing Kurenai and Anko standing at the door.

"You're here!" Asuma waved with a grin. "Just in time, the meat's ready."

The room fell silent again as Anko's gaze swept across the group. She was mildly surprised to see Kakashi, but when her eyes landed on the person sitting next to him, her expression instantly shifted to one of shock.

She suddenly felt her wrist being gripped tightly—too tightly.

Turning her head, she saw Kurenai, her head lowered, face unreadable.

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