บท 292: 291- Deny, Deny, Deny!
"Does your… condition make you immune to genjutsu?" Jiraiya asked again.
His tone was neutral, almost offhanded, but the intent behind the question was clear. Renjiro blinked, his dark eyes meeting the older shinobi's probing gaze.
'He already figured it out?' He had only given Jiraiya and the others a vague explanation of his chakra seinou, a detail he had hoped would go unnoticed. Yet, somehow, the Sannin had connected the dots.
The silence stretched between them, and Renjiro could feel the weight of Jiraiya's curiosity pressing down on him.
'How should I play this?'
Caught between truth and deception, Renjiro allowed himself a moment to gather his thoughts before tilting his head slightly and feigning ignorance.
"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice calm but laced with a hint of curiosity, as though he genuinely didn't understand what Jiraiya was suggesting.
Jiraiya smiled faintly, scratching the back of his head. "Think about it," he began, his voice as casual as ever.
"Genjutsu works by manipulating your chakra flow, right? If your chakra can naturally purge foreign chakra… well, doesn't it stand to reason that genjutsu would have a harder time sticking to you?"
Renjiro furrowed his brow, pretending to mull over the idea. "I… hadn't thought about that," he said slowly, his voice laced with just the right amount of uncertainty.
"I always figured that it was easier for me to see through genjutsu because of my Sharingan."
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued but not entirely convinced.
"Sure, the Sharingan can help you see through genjutsu," he said, leaning forward slightly, "but if what I'm thinking is right, your chakra could be doing a lot of the heavy lifting. You might be resistant to genjutsu even without relying on your eyes."
Renjiro's face shifted into an expression of realization, as though the idea had just clicked. "Huh… I guess that makes sense," he said, scratching the back of his head.
"But it's not something I've ever tested."
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed slightly, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "You're saying you've never noticed genjutsu not affecting you?"
Renjiro shrugged, careful to maintain his nonchalant demeanour. "I've always been able to see through genjutsu easily, but I thought that was just because of my eyes." He hesitated, emphasizing on the matter, then added,
"Do you think I should test it out?"
The Sannin chuckled, his laughter rich and unrestrained. "You should. Who knows? You might be sitting on an untapped gold mine."
Renjiro forced a smile, nodding as if Jiraiya's suggestion was a revelation. Inside, his thoughts were a whirlwind of relief and anxiety.
'Deny, deny, deny,' he reminded himself.
Telling Jiraiya the truth wouldn't gain him anything, and the lie was simple enough to maintain., at least he thought so.
Jiraiya clapped him on the shoulder, his grin widening. "Well, if you ever want to test it, let me know. I know a few tricks that might come in handy."
Renjiro chuckled nervously, stepping back to create some distance. "Thanks, Jiraiya-sama. I'll keep that in mind."
As Renjiro turned to leave, Jiraiya watched him with a bemused expression. Once the boy was out of sight, the Sannin's smile faded into a thoughtful frown.
"His acting needs work," Jiraiya muttered, shaking his head. "But if it's true, I can't blame him for keeping it quiet."
The walk back to his house was uneventful, but Renjiro's mind was far from calm. Jiraiya's probing had left him unsettled, though he was confident he had handled it well enough. But perspective was deceiving in most cases.
Closing the door behind him, he leaned against it and let out a long, heavy sigh. The quiet of his home wrapped around him like a comforting blanket, but it did little to ease the tension in his chest.
He crossed the room and sank into a chair, his head falling back as he stared at the ceiling.
He wasn't physically tired—his body could endure much more than this—but the mental strain of the past few days was beginning to wear him down.
Sneaking into Kumogakure, battling enemy shinobi, moreso a future Kage, and nearly dying in the process had pushed him to his limits.
And then, there was Yano.
The memory of his comrade's death was a weight Renjiro couldn't shake. Yano Shimura had been a hard man to understand, at least to Renjiro, but he had been a skilled shinobi and a dependable ally on the battlefield.
But despite their differences, Renjiro couldn't deny the bond they had forged in the crucible of battle. They had fought side by side on countless missions, both of Anbu and the ones they took together with Minato, facing death together and surviving against impossible odds.
It was hard to go through something like that with someone and not feel their loss regardless of how Renjiro strongly felt about him
"Damn it," Renjiro muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. He closed his eyes, images of Yano's last moments flashing in his mind.
Renjiro shook his head as if trying to dislodge the thoughts. Dwelling on the past wouldn't bring Yano back.
The clock on the wall ticked steadily, its rhythmic sound a stark reminder of the passing time.
"It's almost noon," he muttered to himself. "Too early to sleep, too late to relax."
He glanced at the sunlight streaming through the window. He knew he couldn't afford to waste the day. Sleeping wasn't an option, and there was still work to be done.
His thoughts drifted to the information Takata had tried to pass on before his death. Renjiro had overheard Iha sharing the details with Jiraiya, and he knew it was the kind of intel that would pique the Uchiha clan's interest.
"Guess I need to talk to Daichi," Renjiro said aloud, sighing heavily. The thought of reporting to the Uchiha clan head wasn't appealing, but it was necessary.
As much as he disliked informing the clan in ANBU matters, this information would buy him some breathing room. 'This should feed them for a while,' he thought. 'Maybe they'll finally get off my back.'
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, a tense silence filled the room. Jiraiya stood before Hiruzen Sarutobi, his arms crossed as he watched the Hokage process the information being transferred to him.
Iha Yamanaka stood behind Hiruzen, her hands resting lightly on his shoulders. Her face was calm but focused, her chakra intertwining with his as she used her clan's technique to relay Takata's intel.
The room was dimly lit, the only sound was the faint hum of chakra and the rustle of papers on the Hokage's desk. Hiruzen's face was lined with concentration, his eyes closed as he absorbed the flood of information.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, and he inhaled sharply. His hands gripped the armrests of his chair, his knuckles white.
"This…" he began, his voice low and urgent. He turned to Jiraiya, his expression grim. "How sure are we that this is credible?"
Jiraiya met the Hokage's gaze, his own face serious. "It lines up with other intel we've gathered," he said. "But we'll need to confirm it. If Takata was willing to risk everything to get this to us, it's worth investigating."
Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled as he considered the implications. "If even half of this is true…" He trailed off, his voice heavy with the weight of the situation.
Iha stepped back, her face pale from the strain of her technique. She glanced between the two men, her expression reflecting the gravity of the moment.
"We'll need to move quickly," Hiruzen said finally, his tone decisive. "Jiraiya, I want you to start verifying this intel immediately. We can't afford to wait."
Jiraiya nodded, already formulating a plan. "Understood, Lord Hokage. I'll keep you updated."
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