After finishing dinner at Obito's house and listening to a few survival tips his "dear Sensei Minato" had shared, Ren took his leave.
Ren had befriended Obito primarily because the boy's grandmother lived next door and visited frequently. Unlike other iconic characters in this world, Ren felt he could maintain a relationship with Obito without any stress.
After all, everyone knew Obito's track record. No matter how deep your bond with him was, it wouldn't stop the guy from stabbing you once he fell into darkness.
Leaving Obito's house, Ren strolled onto the streets of Konoha, his wallet tucked safely in his pocket. To the civilians, the village still seemed like a peaceful paradise, but the shadows of war were already creeping in.
Ren pushed aside a curtain and stepped into a familiar ninja tool shop.
"Yo, Ren-kun! Back for more explosive tags?" The shopkeeper, a man with a thick, bushy beard, greeted him with a wide grin.
"Not this time. I'm here for shuriken."
"Ah, bad timing. Shuriken and kunai prices just jumped by twenty percent. Specialized steel wire is up by thirty. Honestly, I'd suggest stocking up now. According to Granny Cat, prices for these essentials are only going to climb."
"Fine. Give me six sets of shuriken with wire-holes, two large spools of wire, and a sealing scroll." Ren patted his wallet and grinned, showing no sign of hesitation. "I've got about 200,000 yen left. Exchange the rest for explosive tags."
A typical D-rank mission paid anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 yen. Having spent a full year grinding these missions solo without sharing the loot, Ren had managed to amass a seven-figure savings account.
And he had saved every penny for this exact moment.
"Whoa, big spender!" The shopkeeper's eyes widened. Ren's purchasing power was rivaling that of an Elite Tokubetsu Jonin.
Ren just smiled. He didn't have a family to support; he only had his own life to "blow up." He wasn't like those stingy ninjas saving for retirement.
In this world, a single explosive tag cost 2,000 yen. A high-quality set of combat gear could easily run 200,000. Chakra-metal weapons? Those were off the charts, priced in units of "Asuma's head."
Why was Ren buying so much gear? The logic was simple:
Ren wanted to die, but he couldn't intentionally commit suicide. The Will of Heaven would flag that as insurance fraud, and he'd lose the payout and his life.
But, if a passionate ninja bet his entire fortune, utilized every skill he had ever trained, and fought for a "noble cause" only to fall in battle... who could say that wasn't a meaningful death?
I'm burning my life force until there's not a drop left! How can you NOT hand over my insurance payout after that?
The shopkeeper emerged from the back carrying a mountain of gear. The weight of the six weapon sets made him break into a sweat. He slammed them onto the counter and fanned out the explosive tags for Ren to count.
"Ren-kun... buying this much gear... are you heading into a high-risk mission?" The shopkeeper realized this wasn't for practice.
Ren looked up, his brow furrowing.
"Don't blame me for prying. I know the secrecy protocols," the man said, his tone turning serious. "But I do business under Granny Cat, and I dabble in information. The only dangerous clan missions right now are the Land of Rain and the Valley of Hell."
He didn't mince words. "Neither of those is a place for someone of your rank." He looked at Ren with a conflicted expression. "Since you've been such a loyal customer to the Ninja Cat clan, I'll give you a little something extra."
He pulled out a piece of parchment. "This is a one-time contract with the Ninja Cats. Sign it, and you can summon a Cat Shinobi."
The Ninja Cats were elite mercenaries, often active in chaotic zones. Unlike traditional summons, they were fiercely independent and couldn't be enslaved. They collaborated with the Uchiha primarily because of the clan's mastery over ninja tools.
Ren knew that Granny Cat, the matriarch, had a soft spot for children—especially Uchiha children. The shopkeeper offering this contract was a clear warning: according to his intel, Ren's chances of survival were slim.
The man wasn't just helping; he was trying to convince Ren to back out.
"You understand what I'm saying, don't you?" The shopkeeper's eyes momentarily shifted into vertical slits, and his voice became heavy.
Ren smiled and took the contract. To him, this was just a piece of paper. The cats provided supplies in exchange for money—and Ren was about to spend his last cent. It wouldn't hinder his "unavoidable" death.
He turned toward the exit, leaving behind a final sentence:
"Thanks, old man. But there's something I must do. Even if I face death itself, I will not waver."
"That is my Nindo—my Ninja Way!"
After delivering those heroic lines, Ren stepped out of the shop and squeezed his wallet. Feeling the very last of his coins, he turned into Konoha's red-light district.
Facing the prospect of death tomorrow, Ren felt a mix of excitement and a lingering trace of fear. He decided to eliminate one final regret tonight.
Three minutes later—