One week later.
"Ren, open the door, Ren!"
Under the strange gazes of passersby, Might Guy, dressed in a green jumpsuit, cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone and shouted at Ren's house.
"Coming, coming."
Soon, the door opened, and Ren, with a toothbrush in his mouth, looked at the quieted Might Guy with a face full of black lines.
"I say, Might Guy, can you keep it down? I have neighbors on both sides!"
"Uh…"
Might Guy rubbed his head, chuckling sheepishly.
"Hehe, you told me to come early."
"…"
Looking at the sky, which had only recently brightened, Ren twitched his lips, then stepped aside.
"Come in and wait a bit, I'll be ready soon."
Ren went back to continue his morning routine. When he finished and walked out of the bathroom, he saw Might Guy sitting at the table, looking curiously at the Scroll of Summoning Ninja Blades spread out on it.
Hearing the movement behind him, Might Guy turned his head, then pointed at the scroll on the table, asking curiously, "Ren, is this that… summoning scroll?"
"Scroll of Summoning Ninja Blades."
Ren walked closer and put it away. Looking at the standing Might Guy, he smiled, "I'm studying the runes on it. What, Might Guy, are you interested in Sealing Jutsu?"
"No, Ren, let's go quickly. Kakashi and the others should be waiting for us already."
Might Guy quickly shook his head, then looked at Ren, urging him.
"What's the rush? We still have half an hour."
Ren originally wanted to grab a quick bite since there was still time, but seeing Might Guy's anxious expression, he reluctantly put down his spatula, changed his shoes, and left the house with him.
"Alright!"
As soon as Ren locked the door, Might Guy beside him suddenly shouted, causing Ren, who was unprepared, to jolt his hand, almost dropping his keys.
"What do you want to do now, Might Guy?"
Ren turned his head, looking at Might Guy, who was crouching down, and gritted his teeth.
"Ren, on such an important day, how about a youthful battle!"
Might Guy finished speaking with a grin, revealing a mouthful of gleaming white teeth that sparkled in the sun. Faintly, Ren seemed to hear a "ding."
"Alright."
Ren didn't refuse. After speaking, he leaned forward slightly, a mischievous smile on his face.
"One, two… goodbye!"
Seeing Ren suddenly dash out, Might Guy was first stunned, then a look of urgency appeared on his face. As he chased after him, he shouted, "Hey, wait for me, Ren!"
Hearing Might Guy's voice, Ren's speed on his feet involuntarily increased. He weaved through the crowd, and Might Guy's speed was also not slow, sticking tightly to Ren. Thus, in a chase, their speed continuously increased.
After bursting out of the crowd, their speed accelerated to the extreme, leaving a trail of rolling dust and dirt in their wake.
At such a speed, a journey that would normally take twenty minutes was shortened to six minutes.
When they arrived at their destination, the Fifth Training Ground, only an empty gate greeted them.
"Ren… you cheated!"
Might Guy looked at Ren, indignant and unconvinced.
"Just kidding, don't mind it, you won."
Ren casually waved his hand. Looking at the deserted training ground, he walked directly to the steps in front of the gate and sat down, saying somewhat boredly, "What did I tell you? It's just us…"
"Ren!"
Before he could finish, a familiar voice sounded from a distance. Ren instinctively stopped speaking and looked up, seeing Kurenai and Rin slowly walking towards them.
Ren stood up and raised his hand in greeting.
"You're finally here, Kurenai, Rin."
"Long time no see, Ren."
Rin twitched her lips, forcing a small smile at Ren.
Compared to their last meeting, she had lost some of her usual cheerfulness and gained a touch of sadness.
Obito's death was nothing short of a bolt from the blue for his comrades like Kakashi, Rin, and Minato.
Compared to Kakashi and Minato, Rin, being a girl, was undoubtedly more emotional. After returning to the Village from the front lines, people around her noticed that she had become much quieter.
Fortunately, Kushina and Kurenai had been constantly checking in on Rin during this time, which prevented her from sinking further into depression.
Just then, Might Guy turned his head, pointed into the distance, and shouted excitedly, "Kakashi, my eternal rival, you're finally here!"
"…"
Kakashi, walking alone from a distance, saw the strange gazes cast his way, and the corner of his mouth under his mask twitched involuntarily.
At this moment, three other figures approached from another direction. Noticing them, Ren immediately stood up, raised his hand, and smiled, "Ryufeng, Shisui, Itachi!"
"Brother Ren! X2"
Ryufeng nodded at Ren, while Shisui and Itachi beside him spoke in unison.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Ren patted the dust off his clothes and smiled, "Everyone's here. Let's go."
Today, Konoha was several times livelier than usual. Looking down a street, one could see a surging tide of people.
Given this situation, the group decided to solve the problem the Ninja way—by running across rooftops.
Under the envious gazes of the people on the streets, Ren and the others swiftly moved across power line poles, rooftops, and other elevated places, encountering no obstacles. They quickly arrived at their destination—the Hokage Building.
The streets here were already so crowded that traffic was blocked. Countless people stood on the ground, all looking up with anticipation at the top of the Hokage Building.
"Looks like we made it."
The group stood on a rooftop, looking at the distant building top, and collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
Under their gaze, on the rooftop, Hiruzen Sarutobi was taking off the Hokage hat and handing it to Minato. His mouth moved, but because of the distance, the group couldn't hear what he was saying.
This was unavoidable. Anbu were lurking on the rooftops near the Hokage Building to prevent anyone from causing trouble. The crowd below was already so packed that there was no room to even set foot, and the good viewing spots around had long been occupied by others, so they could only stand here and watch.
They didn't have to wait long. Minato turned and stood at the railing on the rooftop.
As Minato's figure appeared, the silent crowd below instantly erupted into a clamor. A huge cheer echoed through the sky, spreading continuously through the surrounding streets.
"Minato Sensei…"
Looking at her teacher in the distance, Rin gripped the railing lightly, a faint sadness in her eyes.
If Obito knew that Minato Sensei had become Hokage, he would surely be very happy.
What she didn't know was that on a rooftop dozens of meters away, a humanoid creature emerged halfway from the ground, staring intently at Rin nearby…