Chapter 74: Unexpected Arrivals

Silence.

The moment the battle ceased, the entire battlefield fell into an immediate hush. Standing in the distance, Sunflower, Seaisland, Moth (whose wound was now treated), Shizune, and the Konoha scout were all utterly stunned by the preceding battle, losing their ability to speak. They stood in a state of dazed sluggishness.

After a full half an hour, Sunflower finally managed a trembling voice. "Seaisland, you... what did you see just now?"

Seaisland sighed. "I saw Captain Ren solve all those enemies, alone."

"You saw it too? That means everything I saw just now is real? I'm not hallucinating or dreaming? The Captain really single-handedly killed everyone on the other side?!" Sunflower's shocked cry filled the air, her face a picture of disbelief.

Moth offered a bitter smile from the side. "We already knew the Captain's strength was considerable. How could someone who defeated Captain Tenzō (Yamato) be weak? It's just... we still didn't expect the Captain's strength to be this terrifying?!"

Seaisland let out a helpless laugh, then scolded, "Bah! I couldn't even imagine it! I don't have that much imagination at all! Such powerful force, something I can't even conjure in my dreams, yet I actually witnessed it just now! Even now, I still feel like I was dreaming!"

"My God! Our Captain is too strong!" Sunflower's tone was brimming with admiration. She had completely transformed into a little fan girl of their Captain Ren.

On the side, Shizune had watched the entire battle unfold. Though she remained silent throughout, a powerful wave churned within her heart. 'When did such a genius ninja appear in Konoha?'

Shizune's eyes fell on Ren's body. Deep in thought, she noticed something very important: the ninja tools this young man had just used—his powerful swordsmanship, the terrifying black hammer, and the very strange boots that boosted his speed! Every single one was absolutely extraordinary! They clearly added a significant amount to his already formidable strength.

Perhaps it was her long association with Lady Tsunade, but when Shizune saw these treasures, she immediately thought of their potential value. These items, if they were to be sold, would be absolutely priceless! What was the origin of this child? He actually possessed so many precious ninja tools? Even the son of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, her ninja academy classmate Asuma Sarutobi, couldn't afford so many precious ninja tools, could he?

She felt more and more intrigued by this Anbu squad leader.

"How is Tsunade now? Can she overcome the hemophobia?" At this moment, Ren walked to Shizune's side and asked her.

"Lady Tsunade is alright," Shizune replied subconsciously. Then she suddenly noticed something was amiss, and her eyes snapped open. "Hey? Wait? How do you know about Lady Tsunade's hemophobia?"

For Tsunade, her hemophobia was one of her biggest secrets. In this world, the people who knew her weakness could be counted on one hand. If some malicious individuals learned of her weakness and exploited it, Lady Tsunade would be in grave danger! Shizune was instantly filled with worry.

"It was so obvious just now, can you hide that kind of thing?" Ren ignored Shizune's worries and vigilance, walked straight to Tsunade's side, and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Mm." Tsunade's mood had basically stabilized.

"Do you still have the ability to fight?" Ren asked.

"Yes, but... I can't look at that... sorry..." Tsunade's voice was a little soft, no longer bearing her usual strong arrogance. She didn't seem to have the demeanor of Tsunade-hime, one of the Konoha Sannin, but rather resembled an ordinary little girl next door.

"What if you close your eyes and don't look?" Ren tentatively suggested this method."If I close my eyes... it's okay, but if blood splashes on me... sorry, I, I'm still scared..." Tsunade wrapped her arms around her knees, looking very vulnerable.

"Trust me, I won't let you touch blood." Ren patted Tsunade's shoulder, took out a white cloth, and covered her eyes. His tone became a little more cautious. "In the next battle, I need your help."

'The next fight?'

Everyone present was stunned. Hadn't they just finished a battle? And he had successfully killed all the enemies, leaving no one alive! What "next fight"? What kind of opponent would make their powerful captain so cautious, implying he might not be able to handle it alone, even asking for Lady Tsunade's help?

"Captain, what are you talking about?" Sunflower, outspoken as ever, was the first to ask Ren. "Didn't you just kill all those enemies? What's the next fight?"

"Even if an enemy truly comes, Seaisland's and my chakra are almost recovered, and we can fight with you!"

"I can too. Although I suffered a little injury, it doesn't affect my control of the destructive bugs." Moth also struggled to stand up from the ground, his voice firm. After Shizune silently used medical ninjutsu to treat his wounds, he was basically fine now.

"No." Ren shook his head at them, directly rejecting their proposal. "The people who came to ambush us just now are just small fry. They are not the true masterminds behind that casino at all."

"The next battle is not something that people of your strength can participate in. My only order to you is to stay away from the battlefield and protect yourselves." Ren narrowed his eyes. If he guessed correctly, he already knew who the true power behind that casino was.

"Captain..." Seaisland, Moth, and Sunflower were all taken aback. What kind of enemy would make such a powerful captain so cautious? The three of them were Anbu ninjas, all possessing Jōnin level strength. What kind of battle was it, that even they, as Jōnin, lacked the strength to participate?

A silver light flashed in Ren's hand, and a silver-white longbow appeared. It was the Tracking Bow, a longbow that automatically locked onto the opponent's position. Using chakra as an arrow, it was capable of significant lethality.

"Time is running out, Tsunade. I don't want to explain too much to you." Ren took Tsunade's hand, pierced her finger with a kunai, and smeared her blood on the Tracking Bow.

"Ding! You have successfully signed a contract with the Tracking Bow and become the master of the Tracking Bow!"

In Tsunade's mind, such a voice suddenly sounded, startling her. "This, this is..."

However, Tsunade was also well-informed and quickly calmed down. She guessed that this might be similar to Summoning Jutsu, but it had simply turned the contracted beast into a weapon. She noticed in her mind that there seemed to be some kind of connection with that bow. She was instantly familiar with the bow, as if it had become a part of her since birth.

Just when Tsunade wanted to ask more, two figures in black robes with red cloud patterns emerged from the distant woods. One of them wore only half a mask, covering the area below his eyes. The other, with a massive scythe on his back, had light gray hair combed back in an adult style.

The two figures appeared abruptly on the battlefield, not far away. They gazed at the corpses of the casino men beneath their feet. There was no heartache or hatred on their faces for their lost companions. Instead, they displayed a mocking expression and scoffed with a grin, "They truly are a bunch of trash. They couldn't even kill the target. It seems people of such strength are only good as cannon fodder to wear down the opponent's stamina and chakra."

Seeing these two, dressed as they were, Ren knew that his earlier guess was correct. The true powers behind this casino, it was indeed the two of them!

Kakuzu and Hidan!