346-Act of War

Renjiro's breath hitched, his heartbeat quickening behind the mask. The Hokage's words echoed in the chamber, heavy and laden with implications that clawed at his composure.

'Kumogakure wants my head?' The realization hit him like a thunderclap. He had barely stepped foot back in Konoha, the grime of his mission still clinging to him, and yet his identity had already been confirmed by Kumo, his actions exposed, and a demand for his life delivered with alarming speed.

His mind churned, piecing together the severity of the situation. This wasn't just about him—it was a political chess move, one with far-reaching consequences for the village.

Jiraiya's voice broke through his spiralling thoughts. "They want his head?" The Sannin turned to face Renjiro, his brows furrowed.

"What did you do?"

Renjiro stiffened as the weight of every gaze in the room fell upon him. Hiruzen's sharp eyes bore into him with a quiet intensity, while Jiraiya's expression was an unsettling mixture of curiosity and concern. Even Shiba Nara, the Hokage's ever-composed advisor, leaned forward slightly, his keen mind already working to unravel the implications.

"I was just about to get to that before Lord Third summoned me," Renjiro replied, his voice measured despite the tension coiling in his chest. He shifted his attention to Hiruzen, the porcelain of his ANBU mask gleaming faintly in the dim light of the office.

"I fought with the Two-Tails' jinchūriki."

Gasp!

It was immediate and collective, a sharp intake of breath that punctuated the air like a dagger. Shiba straightened in his posture, his usually serene expression giving way to open surprise. Even Jiraiya blinked, his easy demeanor faltering for a moment. The room seemed to hold its breath.

Hiruzen's expression darkened slightly as he glanced at the shadowy corners of the room. With a subtle flick of his wrist, the silent ANBU stationed in his office vanished in unison, leaving only the four men within the chamber.

"So you fought Hano Ayame?" Shiba asked after a beat, his voice unusually hesitant. It wasn't clear if he was genuinely inquiring or struggling to accept what he'd just heard.

"No," Renjiro began, his tone calm but deliberate.

"When I arrived, Kumogakure was in the process of transferring the Two-Tails from Hano to another—Tani Sakiko. I recognized her from the databooks."

Databooks were the indispensable resource of every major shinobi village, meticulously chronicling the rising talents of their rivals. Renjiro hadn't heard Tani's name mentioned aloud during the mission, but her face was unmistakable—a prodigious kunoichi, already feared for her power.

Jiraiya leaned forward slightly, his gaze narrowing. "How did you escape?"

The question hung in the air, heavy with unspoken assumptions. Tani's reputation preceded her. An S-rank shinobi at such a young age was rare, but becoming a jinchūriki elevated her to a whole new level of power. Any rational shinobi would have considered escape their only viable option.

"I didn't," Renjiro replied simply.

The words cut through the room like a kunai, leaving a stunned silence in their wake. All three men stared at him, their expressions a mix of disbelief and intrigue.

Seeing their reactions, Renjiro elaborated. "As I was retrieving the scroll containing Kumogakure's tailed beast research, I was confronted by two of their shinobi. I neutralized them, but before I could leave, Tani appeared. The facility was sealed with a barrier that prevented me from escaping, and she was determined to contain me. I had no choice but to fight."

The room fell into another heavy silence, the weight of Renjiro's words pressing down on everyone present.

'He's just a teenager,' Shiba thought, his mind struggling to reconcile the image of the young ANBU operative with the sheer magnitude of what he'd accomplished. 'And he managed to fight a jinchūriki?'

Hiruzen, ever the pragmatist, spoke first. "So you killed her."

The statement landed like a thunderclap, eliciting three simultaneous reactions:

"What?" Shiba exclaimed.

"I didn't!" Renjiro snapped, his tone uncharacteristically sharp.

"Huh?" Jiraiya interjected, his surprise evident.

Hiruzen blinked, his bushy brows lifting in confusion. The usually unflappable Third Hokage rarely betrayed emotion, yet now a faint shadow of doubt crossed his face. "You didn't?" he repeated, his voice tinged with scepticism, probing for clarity.

Renjiro shook his head, the movement controlled yet deliberate, his ANBU mask catching the flickering light of the room. "No, Lord Third," he said firmly. "I only pinned her down long enough to create an opening to escape."

The Hokage leaned back slightly, his sharp gaze unyielding, as though dissecting every word for any hint of deception. His hands, weathered by decades of leadership and battle, rested on the desk. Across from him, Jiraiya remained silent, but the gleam in his eyes suggested the cogs of his sharp mind were already turning.

"So you didn't kill her?" Jiraiya finally asked, his tone low but probing, cutting through the thick tension hanging in the air.

Renjiro exhaled slowly, suppressing a flicker of irritation that threatened to surface. He leaned forward slightly.

"Even if I could—which I most certainly couldn't—why would I do something so reckless? Killing a jinchūriki would've been an act of war, and Kumogakure would've retaliated without hesitation. I'm not suicidal, Jiraiya-sama."

The bluntness of his words earned a raised brow from the older shinobi, but Jiraiya didn't respond. Instead, he regarded Renjiro with a calculating expression, his lips pressing into a thin line.

"Haha.."

A low chuckle broke the silence, startling everyone in the room. Shiba Nara leaned back, a sardonic smirk tugging at his lips as his dark eyes glimmered with amusement. The sound was uncharacteristic for the usually reserved advisor, and it drew immediate attention.

"What's so funny?" Hiruzen asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

Shiba didn't respond immediately. Instead, he turned to Renjiro, his sharp eyes gleaming with an almost predatory intelligence. "How far did the fight go?" he asked.

Renjiro hesitated for a moment, his thoughts racing. 'How much should I reveal?'

"She was more adept at using the tailed beast's chakra than I expected," he began carefully. "She even transformed into Matatabi briefly. But I think my chains gave me an advantage—they disrupted her chakra flow enough for me to pin her down and escape."

It was a lie, but a necessary one.

The truth was far more dangerous to reveal. Renjiro had tapped into his Mangekyō Sharingan during the fight, a power so rare and coveted that its very existence could shift the dynamics of both the village and clan's leadership.

If Hiruzen or the council knew, Renjiro feared he would cease to be a valuable asset and become a pawn—or worse, a target.

'There's a reason Fugaku keeps his Mangekyō hidden,' Renjiro thought grimly.

'If Danzo catches wind of it, he'll come for my eyes. I can't afford to draw his attention away from Shisui.'

Shiba's voice broke through his thoughts, sharp and deliberate. "While it's fortunate that the fight didn't escalate further, you've still given Kumogakure the excuse they've been waiting for."

The room seemed to darken at his words, the gravity of the situation pressing down on them like a storm cloud. Hiruzen's expression hardened, his gaze sharpening as he addressed his advisor. "Explain."

Shiba inclined his head slightly, his tone calm but carrying the weight of his analysis. "For all we know, Kumogakure could have killed Tani themselves and pinned the blame on Renjiro. Their demand for his head is less of a request and more of an ultimatum. If we don't hand him over, they'll declare war on Konoha."

The room seemed to darken as Shiba finished speaking, the gravity of the situation settling over them like a suffocating blanket. Renjiro clenched his fists beneath the table, his nails biting into his palms. He had escaped death in Kumogakure, only to find himself on the precipice of a larger battle—one that threatened not just his life, but the safety of his village.

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