“Cat ears?”
“A maid?”
The instant those two words reached Obito’s ears, his entire demeanor shifted.
The bitterness.
The resentment.
The crushing emotional damage of watching Rin pay more attention to Ren than to him.
All of it weakened in an instant.
Because at the end of the day, Obito was still a perfectly ordinary boy.
And those words were devastatingly effective.
Stay calm.
His instincts immediately sounded the alarm.
This is a trap.
Obito narrowed his eyes.
Ren is definitely plotting something.
He wants me to embarrass myself.
Then Rin will hate me.
Naturally, Obito ignored the fact that Rin barely paid attention to him in the first place.
That wasn’t important.
In his mind, Ren had already become the final boss standing between him and happiness.
Ren casually leaned closer.
“There are black stockings too.”
Obito froze.
“And white stockings.”
His soul trembled.
“Slender legs.”
His expression stiffened.
“Cute waists.”
Ren’s voice had taken on the unmistakable tone of a devil tempting a mortal.
Obito clenched his fists.
“What exactly are you trying to do?”
“Nothing.”
Ren smiled with perfect innocence.
“I’m just giving you a reward.”
“A reward?”
“You helped me earlier.”
Ren nodded approvingly.
“A loyal comrade deserves benefits.”
His expression practically radiated sincerity.
As if to say:
What kind of friend forgets to share the good stuff?
Obito wavered.
Dangerously.
“Tonight.”
Ren lowered his voice.
“Seven o’clock.”
Obito unconsciously leaned in.
“Three kilometers west of my house.”
His curiosity was fully engaged now.
“There’ll be a group of adorable girls.”
Obito’s breathing quickened.
“Wearing maid outfits.”
His heart skipped a beat.
“With cat ears.”
For a moment, his brain stopped functioning altogether.
“They’ll just be out for a walk.”
Obito swallowed hard.
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Ren gave him a knowing smile.
The kind shared by men across every world and every era.
The smile that said:
Trust me.
I know exactly what I’m talking about.
“If you hadn’t helped me, I never would’ve told you about this place.”
The last of Obito’s defenses collapsed.
Surely…
Surely no one would lie about something this important.
Right?
A hopeful grin slowly spread across his face.
The sort of grin Jiraiya would wear after hearing rumors about a newly discovered hot spring.
“Maybe I’ll go take a look.”
“Good.”
Ren patted him on the shoulder.
“Life may disappoint you.”
He paused dramatically.
“But Big Brother Ren never will.”
“Really?”
“I didn’t even tell Asuma.”
That was the finishing blow.
Obito’s eyes lit up.
“I’m going!”
“Excellent.”
“Thanks, Ren!”
“No problem.”
Ren’s smile grew warmer.
“It’s the least I could do.”
That evening.
Seven o’clock.
Three kilometers west of Ren’s house.
Obito stood in silence.
Staring.
Processing.
Trying to understand what he was looking at.
Because technically…
Ren hadn’t lied.
There were cat ears.
There were maid outfits.
There were black stockings.
There were white stockings.
The legs were slender.
The waists were tiny.
Every single detail had been accurate.
The only problem was—
The maid outfits were being worn by actual cats.
A procession of perfectly ordinary felines wandered across the field.
Some wore black fabric.
Others wore white.
Tiny maid uniforms had somehow been fitted onto each of them.
Cat ears.
Maid outfits.
Black stockings.
White stockings.
Slender legs.
Cute waists.
Everything matched.
Obito stared at the feline parade.
The feline parade stared back.
One minute passed.
Then another.
A gentle breeze swept across the field.
The cats continued their leisurely march.
Finally, something inside Obito snapped.
“REN AKIHARA!”
His roar echoed across half of Konoha.
“YOU LIED TO ME!”
At the same time.
Inside the Hokage Office.
Kakashi Hatake and Shisui Uchiha stood before the Third Hokage.
Neither looked particularly impressive.
Bruises covered their faces.
Cuts lined their arms.
Swelling remained visible despite basic treatment.
The evidence spoke for itself.
At first, Hiruzen listened to their report calmly.
Most of it sounded normal enough.
Asuma got beaten up.
Attempted an ambush.
Got beaten up even worse.
Nothing particularly surprising there.
Then the report continued.
Hiruzen blinked.
“Wait.”
He removed the pipe from his mouth.
His gaze shifted between the two prodigies.
“You lost…”
A brief pause followed.
“To an Academy student?”
Silence.
Kakashi lowered his head.
The bruises on their faces answered the question more clearly than words ever could.
They weren’t joking.
Hiruzen suddenly felt a headache coming on.
“…Remarkable.”
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
Most people underestimated Kakashi and Shisui because of their rank.
That was a mistake.
Both remained Chunin largely because of their age and the village’s promotion procedures.
Not because of a lack of ability.
Kakashi already possessed combat strength approaching that of a Jonin.
Shisui was arguably even more exceptional.
Yet both had been defeated.
By a child who had not even graduated.
For a brief moment, Hiruzen was reminded of another genius.
A man whose talent had once shaken battlefields.
The White Fang of Konoha.
Sakumo Hatake.
A shadow passed through the old Hokage’s eyes.
The loss of the White Fang had wounded the village deeply.
Not merely emotionally.
Strategically.
Konoha had lost one of its greatest military assets.
And the world was growing unstable once again.
The Second Shinobi World War had ended years ago.
The great villages had recovered.
Old wounds had healed.
And with recovery came ambition.
Sunagakure was becoming increasingly aggressive.
Kumogakure continued probing Konoha’s borders.
Even Kirigakure’s recent movements were cause for concern.
Every village was watching.
Waiting.
Searching for weakness.
The death of the White Fang had convinced many that Konoha was no longer untouchable.
Hiruzen slowly exhaled.
“Perhaps…”
An idea began to form.
Every great nation showcased its most talented shinobi.
That was one of the Chunin Exams’ hidden purposes.
Officially, they were promotion exams.
Unofficially, they were demonstrations of military strength.
A form of strategic deterrence.
The problem was that every village sent talented participants.
Exceptional performances happened every year.
Few truly shocked anyone.
But Ren Akihara was different.
A boy capable of defeating both Kakashi and Shisui before even graduating…
That kind of talent was impossible to ignore.
If Ren appeared in the Chunin Exams, what impact would he have?
Would rival villages see him as proof of Konoha’s future strength?
Or would he create an entirely new set of problems?
Hiruzen frowned.
Because there was one issue he couldn’t overlook.
Ren did not think like a shinobi.
Not even slightly.
The infiltration exercise alone was enough to give any instructor nightmares.
Most shinobi infiltrated quietly.
Ren walked through the front gate.
Knocked every guard unconscious.
Then declared the mission complete.
What kind of ninja operated like that?
Before making any decisions, Hiruzen needed another opinion.
Someone powerful.
Someone intelligent.
Someone capable of evaluating Ren properly.
The answer came to him immediately.
“The graduation exams are approaching.”
He tapped his pipe against the desk.
Then made his decision.
“Assign Orochimaru as an observer.”
Kakashi and Shisui exchanged a glance.
Neither spoke.
But both felt an odd surge of sympathy.
Not for Ren.
For Orochimaru.