Another month soon passed as Ren continued to hunt down the rogue ninja, but this month was far more fast-paced than the previous one. During this month, Ren had begun to actively use butterflies to locate rogue camps. Though this could cause others to speculate about his summoning contract, he felt it was worth the risk. With the help of the butterflies, he could easily identify the locations of rogue camps and rogue shinobi alike. Thanks to this, he was able to destroy one rogue camp per day and sometimes even two.
During this single month alone, he cleared out a total of 34 rogue camps and more than 15 individual rogue shinobi. From all this, he earned four jonin-level points, all of which he invested into strength, raising it to 75.
However, the greater benefit came not from the stat growth but from his Hyperfocus. This month, whenever he engaged with rogue camps, he deliberately chose to fight the entire camp at once rather than taking them down one by one. He also never used his full power. Limiting himself to basic Taijutsu and a kunai, he trained under immense pressure, pushing his mind and body to adapt.
Thanks to this, he honed Hyperfocus to a terrifying degree. He had even eliminated the dangerous side effect of blood leaking from his orifices.
This intense Hyperfocus training also raised his Intelligence stat by 2 points, bringing it to 75.
Just two months away from the village had brought about such explosive growth. But he knew that this pace would soon slow down, especially once Yoru started sending squads to him. At that point, his freedom would be limited. He wouldn't be able to recklessly throw himself into danger anymore, not while leading others.
Unfortunately, he hadn't encountered another Root assassination attempt either. He would've definitely welcomed it.
Rogue camps, no matter how many, couldn't match the coordination and precision of Root ninja. Testing his refined Hyperfocus in that context was something he quietly looked forward to.
Right now, he and Kimura were walking out of yet another bounty center. Since he had destroyed so many camps, he had to frequently exchange the bounties. He never allowed the body count to pile up beyond 10 camps because he wasn't sure whether a single bounty center could handle too many transactions at once. Plus, repeated exchanges helped keep the logistics smooth and maintain his mobility.
This repeated exchange cycle also began to spread his reputation. Since bounty centers frequently did business with rogue ninja, they inevitably leaked information. Word got around that a blue-haired kid from Konoha was slaughtering rogue ninja left and right.
Some dismissed the rumors as nonsense. Others were enraged that even a kid from the Leaf dared to hunt them. However, most became wary. If the bounty centers themselves were spreading the news, it had to be legitimate. That would mean Konoha had produced another terrifying genius, one being polished through the blood of the criminal underworld.
To capitalize on this momentum, Ren had several clones disguise themselves as rogue ninja and place an evolving bounty on his own head.
This was the type of bounty where many small-time rogue shinobi and mercenaries pooled money together to place a shared bounty on a common target. The goal was to build up the reward so high that it would attract higher-level rogues to take action.
This was undeniably dangerous but Ren did it on purpose as he wanted to test his strength. With the Eight Gates, he was confident that he could contend with even an S-rank ninja, but he still wanted the proof.
So, the clones placed the bounty and it was Kimura, of all people, who spread the news. Strangely, he turned out to be extremely good at underground communication.
As they exited the bounty center, Ren casually glanced at the board and saw that the bounty had climbed to 39 million ryo. That was higher than the combined bounty of 35 million placed on him by the Cloud and Stone villages.
It might not have been huge on the global scale, but Ren had frontloaded it with a significant amount of his own funds. At this point, money wasn't an issue. He had over 200 million ryo in cash. Spending a bit to achieve his goals was a trivial matter.
He smiled slightly and looked over to Kimura, asking cheerfully, "Hey Kimura, do you think any S-Rankers would come after me?"
Kimura sighed deeply.
Over the past month, he had gained a solid understanding of Ren, or at least, as much as anyone could. If he had to summarize the boy, he would say this, the boy had several screws that were definitely loose.
After all, what kind of sane person jumped into the center of a rogue camp with just a kunai, one hand tied behind his back, and a chakra suppression seal on his body, and most of all still win?
And that wasn't the worst of it.
Sometimes Ren got badly injured, so badly that Kimura's heart nearly gave out. But after finishing the fight, Ren would casually heal himself and laugh through the blood on his face, saying, "That was damn good practice. If only another assassination attempt came my way, I could perfect it."
Kimura didn't know what Ren wanted to perfect, but he was absolutely certain he didn't want to find out.
A menace. That's the only way to describe him.
He finally responded, "With a total bounty of 74 million ryo, there's a high chance that the S-Rankers will start moving soon."
His voice held a trace of fear.
After all, he was just a normal jonin. Though Ren's training had helped him improve, he doubted he could even survive a second in a true S-rank fight.
Ren noticed his discomfort and waved it off casually. "You don't have to be afraid. If I can't fight them, I'll just escape. My strength might not match theirs, but I can run very fast."
He sounded completely confident, but Kimura's face twisted in frustration. "Yes, YOU can escape. I'm not as fast as you. My chances of death are higher with you than with either of those two."
That was his honest thought. Danzo and Yoru might kill him depending on their moods or goals, but with Ren? Death was inevitable, just due to exposure.
Ren laughed brightly and waved him off. "Don't worry. I'll make sure to escape with you too."
Then he perked up and looked around. "Now let's go! We finally reached Tanzaku Gai! I heard there are tons of gambling dens here and I wanna see the Tanzaku Castle!"
He pulled up his backpack with boyish excitement and dashed off toward the entrance of the famed city.
Kimura looked at Ren's back and muttered inwardly, "Who would guess this overexcited tourist is actually a merciless killer."
With another sigh, he hurried after Ren, struggling to keep up now that the kid had started using chakra to speed up.
~~~
As Ren crossed through the gates into the bustling town of Tanzaku Gai, he took his time looking around, his eyes scanning the streets with interest. After all, this very place would one day host the iconic battle between the three Sannin.
That futuristic historical significance was part of the reason he chose to visit, but the primary reason was simpler, he needed rest. A real bed, an actual roof, a door with a lock. Sure, he had a bed and every possible piece of furniture sealed away in his belt, but nothing compared to the comfort of a proper room in a proper building.
Without wasting time, Ren made his way straight to the most luxurious inn in the town and confidently booked the most expensive room available. Then he placed the seals and without even bothering to unpack, he collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep, uninterrupted sleep.
It was the first time in over two months that he slept without that lingering edge of alertness. While sleeping outdoors or in enemy territory, he'd practically trained himself to keep one eye open, body tensed, ready to spring into action at the slightest hint of danger.
Sure, he had Hyperfocus and exceptional reflexes, but he wasn't arrogant enough to let his guard down in the wild. Even here, inside a secure room in a luxury inn, he had placed multiple layers of seals before allowing himself to rest.
And rest he did, longer than even he had expected. By the time he finally woke up, more than two days had passed. Stretching out on the plush bed, his joints popped in satisfaction as he muttered, "That was really needed. Once this last month passes, I'll return to the village and take an even deeper rest. Somewhere with hot springs, maybe."
After a bit more stretching to loosen the stiffness from his muscles, Ren finally stepped out of his room to explore the town. As he descended the staircase of the inn, he was greeted by a familiar sight of Kimura, waiting patiently with his arms crossed and a slightly exasperated expression.
Kimura sighed in relief upon seeing Ren after two days. "Are you sure you've rested enough this time?" he asked, "If not, it's better to take another day or two. You've been travelling non-stop for two months, and if you keep operating under even the slightest pressure, it'll catch up with you."
Ren paused for a moment, his eyes examining Kimura thoughtfully. With his mask off, Kimura's face was clearly visible and Ren had to admit, the man looked like that aura-farming protagonist straight out of that Hunter themed Manhwa.
Handsome, cold-faced, with sharp features, black hair, and striking purple eyes. The kind of guy that made people wonder why the heavens hadn't handed him a golden halo at birth.
Clicking his tongue, Ren muttered with mock seriousness, "Damn, Kimura, you're ridiculously handsome. Maybe that's why those two psychos didn't kill you." He then added with surety evident in his tone, "Your face saved you."
Kimura's face remained impassive, but a faint twitch betrayed that he was used to Ren's antics by now.
Snickering, Ren continued down the stairs. "And don't worry, I got enough rest. It wasn't physical, it was my mind that needed the break more. But now I'm fully recharged. Still, you're right. We can't have the great me getting bogged down by exhaustion."
He adjusted his sunglasses dramatically and flashed a smug grin. "So we'll spend a few more days in this town. A short break before I go back to making a name for myself."
Kimura, having long accepted Ren's flair for theatrics, simply fell into step beside him. "Do you want to eat something? There isn't much this town is known for besides gambling and sake neither of which are ideal for you right now."
Ren gave him a side glance, lips quirking. He didn't comment on his actual gambling experience and said instead, "Well, that's unfortunate. But fine, let's eat at the inn. They're the best in town, right? Their food can't be that bad."
With that, both of them made their way to speak with the innkeeper, heading for a well-earned meal.
~~~
In another part of the bustling town, an area infamously dubbed The Gambler's Haven within the Land of Fire, business was about to begin in earnest. Here, people didn't sell food or weapons or clothes. No, the currency they traded in was luck or more accurately, the illusion of it.
The storekeepers, casino runners, and dice masters of this area had a single goal: to drain every last ryo from the pockets of their enthusiastic, and often naive, customers. And while their methods might not be the most ethical, none of them cared. After all, money had no eyes, and if people were willing to part with their fortunes in exchange for some momentary thrills, who were they to refuse?
One such man was diligently sweeping the road in front of his establishment. He wasn't just any worker, he was the kind who took pride in his role, because to him, this dusty street was sacred. This was their battlefield, their arena, and appearance mattered. The cleaner the street, the more respectable the house of ruin looked.
He continued to sweep with practiced movements until something caught his eye. A glint, a flare, sunlight reflecting sharply off something ahead. He paused, one hand shielding his eyes as he squinted toward the source of the light.
There, at the far end of the road, stood two figures with the bright sun positioned perfectly behind them, casting long, dramatic shadows that stretched toward him like the prelude of destiny.
The street cleaner leaned forward, squinting harder as his eyes tried to adjust.
BOING. BOING. BOING.
The unmistakable bounce. Recognition slammed into the man like a jackpot.
His broom fell from his hand as his face lit up like fireworks on festival night.
"Aniki! Come out!" he shouted toward the shop behind him, voice filled with urgency and barely restrained joy.
A moment later, the door burst open and several other men appeared, clearly confused but curious. The worker excitedly pointed down the street.
"Look, look! It's her!"
The small crowd turned to see what he meant, and then they saw it too. That trademark saunter. That aura of impending financial sacrifice. That deadly combo of bright hair, confident stride, and the bounce.
BOING. BOING. BOING.
They didn't need another word. Joy flushed their faces. Smiles bloomed all around. The air was filled with excitement and ryo signs.
"The legendary sucker is BACK!"
~~~~~
{I don't think I need to add Kimura's appearance do I?}
{BOING. BOING. BOING.}
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{You know what else}
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