Naruto: Mastered Your Strategy?

Morning.

The alarm buzzed, disrupting Ren's sleep.

He lazily reached out from under the covers and fumbled to turn it off.

Another day…

Ren lay there for a moment, his wrist draped over his forehead as he squinted at the sunlight streaming in through the window.

Lifting a leg, he deftly kicked the window open, letting the cool breeze and light flood into the room. His sleepy consciousness slowly began to clear.

This was Ren's small, single-room apartment. The space was cluttered with a refrigerator, wardrobe, table, and cooking area, leaving little room for anything else.

A green Chunin vest hung on the wall, and the table was covered with various personal items—a kunai, a forehead protector, and a photo frame.

The picture inside was of a young man and three children. The smiling boy in the center was Ren from a time long ago.

After getting up, Ren dressed, washed up, and skipped breakfast, opting instead to grab a slice of bread and a carton of milk from the fridge before heading out the door.

The streets were quiet, bathed in the soft light of early morning. Some people were out cleaning the roads in front of their houses.

"Yo, up early again, Ren!"

"So diligent!"

"Well, he is a ninja, after all."

"Haha."

Ren didn't bother responding to the teasing neighbors. His destination was the large red building at the end of the road. Looking up, he saw the stone faces of the Hokage carved into the cliffside.

As he walked, a figure suddenly dashed past him.

"Sorry, Ren-nii! I'm going to be late!" the girl called over her shoulder, glancing back at Ren while running.

Ren watched as she disappeared into the distance, wearing her signature pink cheongsam and hair tied into two buns.

That girl… Ren muttered to himself, noticing the number "75" hovering above her head as Tenten vanished from view.

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[Name]: Tenten

[Gender]: Female

[Age]: 8

[Affection Level]: 75

[Relationship]: Neighbor

[Not Pursuable]

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Hokage's Office.

The trees outside swayed gently in the breeze, their leaves casting dancing shadows across the ground.

Ren pulled his gaze away from the window and turned his attention to the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who sat at the desk before him.

"Have you made up your mind?" Sarutobi asked in a calm voice, his tone betraying no emotion.

"Yes."

Sarutobi puffed on his pipe, clouds of smoke rising lazily from his lips.

"You know where you'll be assigned, correct?" Sarutobi asked.

"The Root."

Sarutobi studied Ren carefully, his gaze probing. Ren, however, did not meet his eyes. Instead, he calmly stared at the desk in front of him, maintaining a respectful posture.

"Yesterday, Anko and Ebisu had nothing but praise for you. It seems you performed admirably during the mission," Sarutobi said.

"I was just doing my job."

This child…

Sarutobi, who hadn't thought much of it at first, suddenly felt a sense of uncertainty.

"What do you think of those two?" Sarutobi asked after a pause.

"I've already made a promise to Shisui," Ren replied.

"I see." Sarutobi exhaled another puff of smoke.

"What did Shisui say to you?"

"Shisui said the Root might be a better fit for me. I'd get more valuable experience there," Ren explained.

"Ren." Sarutobi's voice grew quieter, more serious.

"The darkness is like a quagmire. It's easy to step into but hard to escape."

Sarutobi tapped his pipe against the edge of the desk. "Let the past stay in the past."

"I understand."

"Neither Osan nor Haruka would want to see you like this. I remember you used to be a lot more cheerful than you are now."

"…"

So, it's true…

Sarutobi noticed a subtle shift in Ren's expression and sighed internally.

Shinji Osan and Miyako Haruka—Ren's former teammates.

A simple reassignment of a Chunin wasn't something that would typically require much of Sarutobi's attention. But the person who had requested it had piqued his interest.

Moreover, Sarutobi saw Ren as a young ninja with potential, and he felt reluctant to send him to that place.

"Thank you for your concern, Hokage-sama. I understand what I am doing."

Looking at Ren's seemingly indifferent expression, Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't sure if his words had truly sunk in.

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[Name]: Sarutobi Hiruzen

[Gender]: Male

[Age]: 64

[Affection Level]: 61

[Relationship]: Superior

[Bond Path]: Not selected

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Knock, knock, knock.

The sound of someone knocking on the door interrupted them.

"Come in," Sarutobi called.

The door opened, revealing a young man with a delicate appearance. He looked only about three years older than Ren, wearing a sharp gray combat uniform—the standard ANBU armor—and carrying a regulation short sword on his back.

"Tenzō."

"Hokage-sama," the newcomer greeted, offering a polite bow to Sarutobi, barely glancing at Ren without revealing any particular emotion.

"Uchiha Itachi has joined Team Six today."

"Understood," Sarutobi nodded lightly.

Ren took the opportunity to bow and said, "I will take my leave now."

"I told you before that I would respect your decision on this matter. The transfer will be arranged, and the ANBU will notify you when the time comes," Sarutobi added as Ren was about to leave.

Once outside the Hokage's office, Ren let out a long breath.

The Root…

Officially, it was known as the "ANBU Training Division," but in reality, it was an invisible blade controlled by the upper echelons of Konoha.

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In the original timeline, the Root was disbanded by the Third Hokage after the Uchiha Clan Massacre, with its members reabsorbed into the ANBU. Later, it was rebuilt, but by then, it had become nothing more than Danzō's private army.

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Danzō Shimura, the leader of the Root, was one of the few characters in the Naruto world who was dark through and through. In his old age, his obsession with Konoha had turned into a sick, twisted fixation.

"Please wait a moment."

As Ren was about to leave, he heard someone call from behind. Turning around, he saw that it was Tenzō.

"Hello, I'm Tenzō," Tenzō said, approaching Ren with a friendly expression, introducing himself.

"Ren."

"I'm a member of the ANBU, and I heard from Hokage-sama that you're going to be transferred to the Root?"

Ren studied him for a moment. He remembered that Tenzō had once been a member of Danzō's Root. It seemed that by now, he had been brought into the ANBU by Kakashi.

"I used to be a member of the Root as well, but I was transferred out later," Tenzō explained.

"Mm."

"Hokage-sama mentioned something about you, and since I grew up in the Root, I was surprised to hear about someone volunteering to go there," Tenzō said.

Ren remained silent for a moment before replying, "It wasn't exactly voluntary."

"…Just doing a favor for a friend."

Tenzō was a little taken aback by that and couldn't help asking, "Do you know much about the Root?"

Receiving no response, Tenzō looked at Ren, who seemed lost in thought, and sighed inwardly. "He must be a very good friend of yours."

"…I suppose."

"I know it may seem presumptuous, but I'd like to give you a word of caution," Tenzō said, his tone turning serious.

"The Root operates very differently from what you might expect, and…"

"Danzō-sama is not an easy man to deal with."

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Barbecue Restaurant

Anko was examining the menu intently.

"It's rare for you to bring me somewhere like this for a meal," said the person sitting across from Anko.

The speaker was a girl around Anko's age, wearing a white, sash-like dress with a red short-sleeved shirt underneath and a mesh layer. Her long black hair was slightly wavy, giving her an elegant and feminine charm, a stark contrast to Anko's fiery demeanor.

"Actually, I'm here to treat someone else to a meal. I just brought you along," Anko said with a smile.

"You're treating someone to a meal?" Kurenai Yuhi looked surprised.

"Yeah, you probably know him too."

Kurenai's expression turned curious. When Anko had dragged her out for dinner, she'd assumed it would be their usual trip to a sweets shop, but they'd ended up at a barbecue place instead.

"You went on a mission with Ebisu a few days ago, right? Are you treating him?" Kurenai asked.

"Him?" Anko rolled her eyes. "He was totally useless during the mission. Didn't help at all."

"Don't be so harsh. He's a decent Chunin," Kurenai said.

"All he ever does is brag about being an 'elite,' but he's a total deadweight," Anko replied, full of disdain.

"The one I'm treating was on the mission too. He's just a kid."

A kid… so a junior then.

"If you're treating a kid to barbecue, they must be special," Kurenai smiled.

Anko shrugged. "I just said I'd treat him to a meal yesterday, and he specifically told me he doesn't like sweets."

"Still, he's definitely something. His skills are top-tier for someone his age."

"It's not Shisui of the Body Flicker, is it?" Kurenai asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah right, like I could invite someone like that," Anko replied irritably.

"The more you talk, the more curious I get. Who is he?" Kurenai asked, clearly intrigued.

"Ren," Anko finally said.

Kurenai froze for a moment. The name wasn't one she heard often, but it did sound familiar. After thinking about it for a bit, a face came to mind.

"Yep, that Ren," Anko said, watching Kurenai's expression.

"He…" Kurenai hesitated. "He's the one who was on that mission with you?"

"Yeah. If it weren't for him, Ebisu and I would probably be dead," Anko said casually.

After staring at the menu for a while longer, Anko called the server and started ordering a ton of food.

Kurenai, who had never interacted with Ren directly, still knew who he was.

After all, his incident from years ago had stirred up quite the commotion. After the war ended, no one heard much about him. Word was, no one wanted to team up with him, so he always worked alone.

Watching her friend talking to the waiter, Kurenai couldn't help but feel a bit concerned.

Getting involved with someone with a bad reputation like that wasn't exactly a good thing.

Noticing Kurenai's worried look, Anko smiled. "Don't worry. I don't think he's anything like the rumors say."

"Is that so?" Kurenai said, noncommittal.

"You'll see when you meet him. But he does have a nasty personality. Not easy to get along with."

"Here he comes," Anko said, nodding toward the door.

Kurenai turned to see a tall, handsome boy around fifteen or sixteen years old walking in, dressed in the standard Chunin uniform. His sharp, cold face made it clear he wasn't someone who was easy to approach.

But he was undeniably good-looking.

"Over here!" Anko waved.

Ren's gaze swept across the room, lingering on Kurenai for a moment, his eyes showing a hint of surprise, which Kurenai caught.

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[Name]: Kurenai Yuhi

[Gender]: Female

[Age]: 21

[Affection Level]: 51

[Relationship]: Fellow Villager

[Difficulty to Pursue]: A

[First Kiss Reward]: Genjutsu Mastery

[Full Intimacy Reward]: Genjutsu Counter

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Genjutsu… counter?

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