{Hokage's Office, Administrative building, Konohagakure}
{5:33 PM, 6th July 13 Yrs ANB}
{3rd Person POV}
...
'''Are you heading towards the safe house?
...Already in the Land of Rain. Under house arrest. Can't talk for a while. Will dispel a new shadow when I get a chance.'''
...
Hiruzen stared at the scroll and frowned, the situation changed too quickly for him to do anything. According to Ren's clone, Ren's target was just the sword and quite possibly the bounty.
'Why in hell would he go into the Land of Rain?' Hiruzen thought, but he quickly realized that Ren was made chunin just before he was given this mission. So he wasn't aware of the standard shit that most chunin realize over their career.
'The first task that almost all chunin get is border patrol, it makes them subconsciously realize how much manpower a shinobi village has and that sneaking into another is not a good idea.' Hiruzen thought as he passed the scroll over to Jiraiya.
'Ren mentioned that he was under house arrest which means he passed the initial interrogation. I'm not sure how he managed to do that but it is a good thing as it gives me some room to maneuver.' Hiruzen thought.
"Aoi still has the sword of the thunder god in his possession correct?" Hiruzen asked.
"I mean yeah, I didn't personally see him use it but it was there in a sheath," Ren replied.
"Alright, Shikaku call Bear... and also inform Ibiki to come by the office," Hiruzen spoke after a bit.
He turned to Ren and spoke, "To make sure that Rain does not suspect that you are a spy the first thing we need to do is provide enough reason for the world to believe that you really did betray Konoha. The easiest way to do that is to reveal that you stole Kubikiribōchō. Money is the most powerful motivator after all..."
"Understood Hokage-sama," Ren nodded.
"You need to understand that although Kiri is weak right now, they would still send a couple of hunters nin your way to reclaim the sword. So you need to bunker down in the Land of Rain." Hiruzen spoke getting another nod from Ren's clone.
"Ok, Jiraiya any ideas?" Hiruzen asked.
"I could spread the info through my contacts though it would take some time. You would need to reveal that you stole the sword from Hanzo before that happens though. He is an experienced shinobi and very difficult to fool so be careful." Jiraiya warned.
"Yes," Ren nodded, "Technically sensei dealt the last blow to Zabuza. So I really did steal the sword so I'm not lying."
"Right good," Hiruzen's eyes brightened, "We need to get Hayate involved, he could get drunk in a bar and 'reveal' this intel. That could be the starting point of the rumors and would make everyone believe that you have even less emotional ties to Konoha."
The plan was quickly forming in Hiruzen's eyes but he realized that he had missed one variable. The Yamanaka heiress was the one who had made the most fuss, and if the rumors of Ren and her emotional connection spread then it would make everything a mess.
"You need to talk to Ino," Hiruzen spoke. This time his tone wasn't an order but a suggestion. He couldn't possibly order Ren to cut ties with her, but at least Ren must understand that both of them needed to reach a consensus about their relationship.
The road looks rocky at the moment, with war on the horizon even Hiruzen could not guarantee that the newest generation would remain safe. Not to mention Ren who would be acting somewhat undercover in a hostile territory.
Hiruzen didn't elaborate on his statement so Ren simply nodded.
"Is there anything else?" Ren's clone asked.
"No, go talk to Ino and then come back, I will have a plan ready by then. If Ren dispels a clone come back to me so that we can have an accurate idea of what is happening over there... and here take this, this would allow you to move freely." Hirzuen said as he threw a scroll towards Ren.
Ren nodded as he walked over to the window, he leaped out and landed on the roof. He opened the scroll and found an ANBU Mask and body armor inside. His current mask was a simple plastic cutout with a kitsune etched on it, and while the mask had a similar figure etched on it, it had a few more seals that should help keep his identity secret.
...
The Yamanaka clan is not that far away from the administrative building. The Nara, Ackimichi and Yamanaka clan compounds are adjacent to each other, and although he hadn't actually ever been in the Yamanaka clan compound. He recognized a couple of chakra signatures that let him know which house he needed to go to.
Ren hopped on a couple of roofs and he could sense that a few people were looking at him, especially when he landed in front of the house. But no one made a move since he was wearing a standard ANBU mask and vest.
~Knock~ ~Knock~
"Coming!" A feminine voice responded from behind a door. The door opened and Ren came face to face with Ino's mom. She had brown hair and a pair of brown pupilless eyes. She was wearing a white apron on her green dress.
"Yes?" She questioned with a smile on her face.
"Hello Karui-san, is Ino here?" Ren asked politely, he could have used the voice modification feature of his mask but he used his actual voice.
"Ren-" Karui stopped as she looked around, her face hiding her shock as she spoke, "Come in."
She stepped aside allowing Ren to step through the door. Ren removed his sandals and walked over to the living room. There were some small cushions arranged in the living room in front of a table so he sat down politely and waited for Ino's mom to wrap her head around the situation.
"Inoichi!" Karui called, even though she didn't need to. Inoichi was a sensor and he had already sensed Ren's chakra signature when he walked into the house.
"You have stirred some trouble Ren-kun," Inoichi relied as he walked into the living room, he had already sent a shadow clone to locate Ino and bring her back home.
"I'm sorry for the trouble," Ren's clone bowed slightly causing the frown on Karui's face to ease a little bit. She had met Ren just once when Ino had arranged a dinner after the graduation exams. She liked the boy, even though he had a bit more muted personality than she would have liked.
"Are you a shadow clone?" Inoichi asked, he could sense that Ren's chakra was in a state of flux as a weird seal was attached to him.
"Yes," Ren nodded. He was a clone but he was surprisingly nervous under the gaze of Ino's mom and dad.
"Where's the real you?" Karui asked with a frown on her face. Her daughter deserved to talk to his real body and not a clone. She wasn't aware of the specifics that were going down but she believed Ino when she said that Ren wouldn't desert Konoha without a reason.
"My real body is stuck in Ame for the foreseeable future," Ren replied. Inoichi froze. Amegakure was a no-contact zone. Ren shouldn't be anywhere near there under any scenario.
Whatever he was about to say was interrupted by his clone dispelling as a frazzled Ino came barreling into the room.
...
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AN- Chapter length increased to 1.25-1.3k words per chapter