CHAPTER 214 - YOU THOUGHT IT WAS A POLITICAL THRILLER BUT IT WAS A COOKING SHOW ALL ALONG

{Current Stones: 485}

{Needed: 765}

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Since everyone in the room already understood the state Ren was in, no one really expected him to contribute much to tonight's gathering, even though he was technically the one who planned it.

Yugao looked around at the group and asked, "Alright, he wants barbecue. What about the rest of you? Or should we just order a full set and everyone can pick what they like?"

No one voiced any objections. Kakashi gave a lazy nod without looking up from his book. Itachi gave a slight hum of agreement. Tenzo and Hitoshi didn't even need to say anything. Even Utakata just leaned back and waved a hand casually. That was the answer.

"Great," Yugao muttered, then tapped the table twice, sharp and quick.

A few seconds later, the sliding door opened again and the same waiter from earlier poked his head in, a polite smile on his face. "Are you ready to place your order?"

Yugao nodded. "Yeah. Please set up a large barbecue grill with every type of meat available. We'll sort out the preferences ourselves."

She glanced around one last time to confirm. Again, everyone nodded. No complaints.

She added, "And bring all the usual side dishes that go with it."

The waiter nodded, professional as ever. "Of course. Would you like to include alcohol?"

That word alone was enough to jolt some life back into the half-dead shinobi on the floor.

Ren's ears perked up. His head lifted just enough from the table as he echoed with hope in his voice, "Alcohol?"

But before he could even sit up, Utakata cut him off flatly.

"No alcohol."

Ren immediately slumped back down onto the table, an audible "Aww..." leaving his lips. He didn't argue though. Just pouted quietly into the wood grain.

The waiter took the hint, bowed, and left to place the order.

With the room to themselves again, the rest of the group slowly began to relax. It wasn't hard. Despite the chaos and bloodshed of the past few days, or maybe because of it, the simple act of sitting together, breathing the same air, and knowing they were still alive... it helped as it felt normal.

Noi, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke.

"Leader," he said softly, eyes fixed on Ren, "I heard what you did. I wanted to thank you. If you hadn't acted when you did, I probably wouldn't have made it out of there."

Ren didn't even look up. He just gave a lazy wave of dismissal like he was brushing a fly away.

"No big deal."

Yugao smiled faintly at that, then said, "Still... you might not be out there explaining things, but word's already spreading. The entire village is buzzing with what happened."

She crossed her arms and leaned forward slightly, continuing, "By now, everyone knows Danzo Shimura's been accused of treason. But details are scarce. Some say he sabotaged the mission. Others are saying he tried to assassinate Leaf geniuses who wouldn't join him. There's a lot of noise but there's still a fog over the truth."

Utakata picked up the thread from there, his voice as calm and matter-of-fact as always.

"There was a jonin meeting this morning. The Third himself led it. He announced publicly that Danzo Shimura, former Hokage Advisor has been officially accused of treason by Ren Senju and Fugaku Uchiha but since there's not enough hard evidence yet, he has just been detained in his house and temporarily stripped of status."

He looked at Ren as he spoke, knowing full well this part mattered most to him.

"But for treason... even one valid incident is enough for a conviction. And Danzo's facing several. So, for now, the burden is on him to prove his innocence. He has to explain away every charge, one by one."

Hitoshi leaned back, folding his arms. "Which he'll try to do."

Utakata nodded. "Yeah. It'll take time. He'll delay, stall, drag it out as long as he can. But the thing is, it's not just him who can use that time. We can, too."

Ren finally lifted his head, resting his chin on his hand as he spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. "Danzo's not going anywhere. Not yet. Doesn't matter how much evidence we throw at the council, or how loud we scream treason. Unless the Third decides Danzo's done for, he'll still be here tomorrow."

His voice wasn't bitter, he was just stating reality.

Yugao frowned a little at that. "But why? Why would the Third go so far to protect a criminal?"

Kakashi, still reading but clearly listening, chimed in without looking up. "Part of it is emotion. They've been friends since the Warring States days. That kind of bond doesn't break easy."

He flipped a page, then added, "But the bigger part is that the village probably isn't ready for what comes after Danzo."

Utakata nodded slowly, picking up the thread. "Killing a high-profile figure like Danzo isn't just about justice. If it's not managed carefully, it creates instability, ripples in the village, doubt in the chain of command. If the wrong clans or factions interpret it the wrong way... it could turn into something worse."

Yugao narrowed her eyes. "You're saying he's threatening war?"

Ren turned to her, a bit surprised. He tilted his head as if examining her, then nodded. "You've gotten smart," he said, half-impressed, half-teasing.

Yugao gave him a dry look, ignored the jab, and looked to Utakata again.

"It's not as direct as that," Utakata explained. "Danzo isn't waving flags or making speeches. That'd get him labeled a traitor instantly. No, he's much more subtle. But anyone in a high enough position knows exactly how many levers Danzo still controls. The moment he falls, a dozen things might break loose, ANBU cells, hidden networks, off-the-book projects... we don't even know how deep it goes. That's why we need this delay. It's the only time we have to prepare."

The room fell into a brief silence. Just as the weight of Utakata's words was settling, a knock came at the door.

The waiter entered again, this time with a team of staff. They began setting up the barbecue table in the center of the room with practiced speed. A small grill, trays of meat, pork, beef, chicken, even some exotic cuts, vegetables, side dishes, dipping sauces, everything.

The waiter turned to the group after the setup was complete and asked, "Shall I begin the grill for you?"

Before anyone could respond, a small burst of smoke and heat filled the air. The savory scent of cooking pork drifted in and all eyes turned.

Ren, who'd been half-dead a moment ago, was now very much alive, crouched beside the grill, spewing a small, controlled stream of fire from his mouth. His hoodie was still on, his expression focused with a near-religious intensity as he stared down at the sizzling strips of pork.

The waiter's smile faltered. "Dear guest, please refrain from using ninjutsu in the restaurant," he said quickly. "If this continues, I may have to ask your party to leave."

Ren, however, didn't seem to hear him. His eyes didn't leave the meat for even a second, the small flame still perfectly directed. It was like he'd entered some kind of food trance. The laziness from before had completely vanished.

Yugao leaned in and whispered, "When did he start liking meat this much? I thought he was more of a sweets person."

Utakata observed Ren's sudden burst of energy, thoughtful as he spoke simply. "He probably hasn't eaten all day. Shinobi metabolism is strange, if you go too long without food 'without' doing any physical work, your energy tanks hard. But the second you see food, your body goes into recovery mode. Right now, his instincts are dragging the rest of him along."

Hitoshi muttered, "So, he was just hungry?"

"Precisely," Utakata nodded.

Meanwhile, the poor waiter, seeing no one was going to step in and stop the flame-grilling shinobi, quietly excused himself and rushed out of the room. A few seconds later, he found exactly who he needed.

"Boss," he said breathlessly, approaching a large man seated at the back of the restaurant. "There's a group in the private booth using ninjutsu to grill meat."

Choza Akimichi turned his head, chewing slowly on a skewer. "Then kick them out," he said calmly.

"That's the thing, boss," the waiter said quickly, "The group has big names. Kakashi Hatake, Itachi Uchiha, Utakata Ito..."

Choza paused mid-bite. He let out a low rumble of thought, then stood up and made his way toward the private booth himself.

When the door opened, the people inside looked up. They all recognized him.

Utakata greeted him first, "Didn't know you were here, Choza."

Choza gave a hearty laugh. "Just came to see something."

His eyes wandered to Ren, who was still crouched near the grill, now carefully flipping the meat with chopsticks like a craftsman. Choza's gaze lingered on the boy's hoodie, then shifted to Yugao and Hitoshi beside him.

He didn't ask questions. Just laughed again.

"Omi!" he called over his shoulder to the waiter. "Bring more meat to this room. We're having a party!"

The waiter stood stunned for a beat, then nodded quickly and rushed off to the Akimichi clan's private food storage, something kept on hand specifically for cases just like this.

Utakata blinked, a little confused. "Not that we're complaining, but... what's the occasion?"

Choza chuckled, arms crossed over his chest. "My son smiled today. That's enough reason."

Nobody pressed for more details. With the Akimichi clan, even a good bowl of stew could turn into a celebration. Ren, still laser-focused on the grill, didn't say anything either. He was too busy adjusting the flame intensity to get the char just right.

Soon after, the door opened again and an avalanche of fresh meats, buns, broths, sauces, and rare delicacies filled the room.

The party had officially begun.

~

The party had stretched well into the night. Plates had been cleaned out, sauces emptied, and even the staff had started yawning, but somehow, Ren seemed to be operating on a completely different clock. While everyone else looked about ready to collapse from overeating and exhaustion, Ren was practically glowing with energy.

Made sense, though. He'd had fun with Danzo yesterday, slept an entire day after that, then stuffed himself with every kind of meat known to man. To top it off, he'd started a karaoke session halfway through the meal and hadn't stopped since.

Now, as they were finally walking out of the restaurant and heading home through the quiet Konoha streets, Ren was still singing, loudly. It wasn't even a real song as far as anyone could tell. The melody was off, the lyrics made no sense, and at one point he was even beatboxing.

No one stopped him, but their silence spoke volumes.

That is, until Utakata's patience gave out.

He stepped forward, placed a firm hand on Ren's shoulder, and leaned in with a calm but deadly voice.

"Shut. Up."

Ren blinked, stared at him, and for once wisely shut his mouth. He glanced around and saw the rest of the group glaring at him with various shades of mild contempt. Yugao even had that tired older-sister look.

Still, he shrugged and started humming instead. If he couldn't sing out loud, humming was fair game, right?

The group walked in silence for a few minutes, their footsteps soft against the stone road. The night wind had picked up slightly, rustling trees and clothes.

Then a voice cut through the stillness.

"Uta-chan, you said you'd be back before midnight."

They all turned and saw a striking orange-haired woman waiting under a lantern, shielding her flowing hair from the wind with one hand.

Ren's eyes lit up with curiosity. He quickly scooted beside Yugao and whispered with childlike excitement, "That's his fiancee."

Yugao's eyes widened. "Really?" she whispered back.

But before she could ask a single question, Utakata was already gone, he'd appeared in front of the woman in a blur, picked her up like a groom on a honeymoon, and flickered away without giving anyone a chance to react.

Yugao exhaled sharply, deflating with disappointment. "Damn it, I had questions."

Ren smirked but didn't press her. Before any banter could begin, another voice called out behind them.

"Itachi."

They turned again. This time, it was a familiar presence, elegant and composed.

One of the strongest kunoichi of her generation, the wife of the Uchiha Clan Leader, the mother of Itachi Uchiha, Mikoto Uchiha.

She stood a few feet away, her dark eyes soft and tired from the late hour. Even though she wore no headband or armor, her presence alone was enough to make every shinobi instinct straighten up.

The group all gave a small bow as they greeted her. "Good evening, ma'am."

She nodded gently, then turned her focus to her son.

"Itachi, Sasuke's still awake. He refuses to sleep without you."

Itachi said nothing. He simply flickered away, leaving only the faint sound of "I'll be there, Mother," drifting behind him.

Mikoto smiled, slightly embarrassed by the sudden vanishing act, and gave a polite nod to the others before turning and walking away into the night.

A few more seconds of silence passed before Hitoshi cleared his throat. He looked at Yugao, then held out his hand.

"I'll walk you home."

Yugao accepted it with a small smile. The two turned to the rest of the group, gave a simple "Goodnight," and walked off together, their footsteps fading into the distance.

That left only three people now, Ren, Kakashi, and Tenzo as Noi was long gone.

Tenzo yawned and turned to his former captain. "Captain... can I crash at your place tonight?"

Kakashi didn't even look at him, just gave a lazy nod. "Mm."

Then he turned to Ren, his tone slightly more serious. "I'll come find you once I've finished the task you gave me."

Ren nodded silently, and the two disappeared, flickering away into the night.

Now, only Ren remained.

Still wide awake, still buzzing with energy.

He looked around at the empty street, stretched his arms with a loud yawn, then cracked his neck side to side. It was too early to sleep again, and too late to bother anyone else. But he remembered something.

The rewards.

All the events of the past few days meant his system must have a few pending rewards by now.

His eyes lit up slightly, and without wasting another moment, he flickered away in the opposite direction.

And just like that, Konoha fell silent once again.

~~~~~

{Two slice of life, kind of filler Chapter so that the tension from the last few Chapters could be eased, but the next Chapter would be the rewards and then we'll jump in politics once again}

{Also, I might have forgotten Noi a few times, but he's just a character for this arc and won't appear again, so you can chill.}

{If you want, you can support me on pat-reon}

{ h t t p s : / / w w w . p a t r e o n . c o m / Z e e n o n }

{You know what else}

{280 Stones = Extra Chapter}

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