"Indeed!" Minato, standing to the side, nodded in agreement. "I don't have nearly that much chakra! What an enviable physique!"
This reminded him of his girlfriend, Uzumaki Kushina.
If it weren't for Renzo's clearly awakened Sharingan and his hair not being red, Minato would have seriously suspected that he was a lost member of the Uzumaki clan.
His chakra reserves were simply off the charts. Most Uchiha didn't have this much chakra.
Asuma was also puzzled. He remembered that Renzo never stood out for his chakra reserves before.
"Could awakening the Sharingan actually increase chakra reserves?" Asuma muttered.
"That might actually be true! I've heard some of the clan members mention it before! But definitely not to the extent of this guy, Renzo!" Obito chimed in from the side.
At the same time, his gaze toward Renzo became even more complicated.
Before, when Renzo was stronger than him, Obito could at least tell himself it was because he hadn't awakened his Sharingan yet.
But now, Renzo hadn't even used his Sharingan!
"If I awaken my Sharingan in the future, will I really be able to compare to this monster?" Obito started doubting himself.
"Renzo! You've really grown! Even far beyond our expectations! You're amazing!" Kurenai's father, Yūhi Shinku, smiled and gave Renzo a thumbs-up.
Perhaps this near-death experience had given him clarity—entrusting his daughter, Kurenai, to Renzo might not be a bad choice.
Such an outstanding young man would definitely take good care of his precious daughter.
Thinking this, he glanced at Renzo, then at Kurenai, his expression becoming rather meaningful.
Kurenai was completely confused by her father's strange gaze.
But she didn't bother to think about it too much. She quickly ran over and sat beside Renzo, showing concern.
"Are you hurt? How do you feel?"
"I'm fine! Just used up a lot of chakra, and controlling Heaven's Judgment Lightning drained a lot of mental energy. I just need to rest for a bit!" Renzo shook his head with a smile.
At that moment, a few humanoid white figures emerged from the trees several hundred meters away from them.
One of them was half-black and half-white.
"Kukuku! That was quite the earth-shattering battle!" White Zetsu chuckled.
"Uchiha Renzo's strength far exceeded our expectations! What should we do next, Black Zetsu?"
"Let's report this to Madara first! He'll decide the next course of action! Let's move!" Black Zetsu ordered.
With that, they sank back into the tree trunks and disappeared from the area.
As they moved underground, Black Zetsu mused, "Something about that Uchiha brat feels off… It's as if getting too close to him would be dangerous. I hope it's just my imagination."
Uchiha Renzo was the only person Black Zetsu couldn't fully understand.
Meanwhile, back in the clearing, Renzo and Kurenai briefly paused in their conversation.
"They're gone?" Renzo thought to himself.
"What's wrong?" Kurenai noticed and asked immediately.
"Nothing!" Renzo shook his head slightly, then continued chatting with her.
Minato and the others, meanwhile, started cleaning up the battlefield.
Once reinforcements arrived, they would have to take over, and they couldn't leave things in complete disarray.
"Looks like Zetsu and Madara are watching even more closely now! I need to find a way to drag Madara out into the sunlight. Staying cooped up underground all the time can't be good for his skin!"
"And I need to cut off his life support if possible. Send him off to the Pure Land to reunite with the First Hokage!" Renzo mused to himself.
Being watched by these shadowy enemies was getting on his nerves.
"Come to think of it, my performance this time might have been too much. The Third Hokage and Danzo will probably be restless again!"
Just thinking about it gave Renzo a headache.
He didn't intend to show off this much! But if he hadn't stepped in, Kurenai and the others might not have survived.
"I really don't get why the Third Hokage would send Asuma on what seemed like a suicide mission. Did he trust Minato's ability to save them?"
Renzo couldn't figure it out.
Thankfully, with his current strength, he didn't have to fear the Third Hokage or Danzo anymore.
They'd just have to wait and see who would come out on top.
The western border of the Land of Fire - Somewhere underground
Black and White Zetsu returned and reported everything about Uchiha Renzo, Namikaze Minato, and the others to the elderly and frail-looking Uchiha Madara.
After hearing about Renzo's performance, Madara was slightly surprised. "A Uchiha prodigy like that still exists? That's unexpected!"
"Reaching such a level without even using the Sharingan… Even in my era, he would have been considered a genius."
"Do you think he can be controlled?"
Black and White Zetsu exchanged glances.
White Zetsu shook his head. "I wouldn't recommend trying. That kid doesn't seem easy to fool!"
"Agreed! He's too rational! Too smart! He looks dangerous!" another White Zetsu added.
Black Zetsu also nodded. "I wouldn't recommend it either! That kid gives off a dangerous feeling! Plus, he doesn't seem to have any weaknesses we can exploit!"
"He has good relationships with his teammates and teacher, but he's nothing like Obito, who's blindly loyal and willing to sacrifice everything."
"This kid is calculating!"
As for the dangerous feeling Renzo gave him, Black Zetsu didn't mention it to Madara.
After all, he was still playing the role of Madara's will incarnate, and there were some things he simply couldn't reveal.
Madara nodded, fell silent for a moment, then decided, "Then let's arrange a chance for me to personally eliminate him as soon as possible. I don't want him to become a problem in the future."
"But before that, I'll use Uchiha Obito for my next phase. He'll be easier to manipulate—sentimental, impulsive, and easier to control."
His time was running out.
Even with the Gedo Statue keeping him alive, he wouldn't last much longer. And he, the great Uchiha Madara, refused to spend the rest of his days hiding in a dark cave like a cowardly schemer.
Dominating the battlefield was his true nature!
"Understood!" Black and White Zetsu acknowledged his orders and started putting various plans into motion.
"Hashirama, we'll be seeing each other soon…"
Deep in the underground chamber, Madara reminisced about the times he spent with his old rival, Senju Hashirama.
Konoha - Hokage's Office
"What?! The reports say Minato single-handedly wiped out dozens of Iwa Jounin?! And Uchiha Renzo unleashed such powerful jutsu that it nearly wiped out half of Iwa's remaining forces?!"
The Third Hokage slammed his desk in shock.
"Yes, Lord Hokage!" the Anbu operative confirmed. "We have verified this information multiple times with the front-line Anbu operatives. The reports are consistent!"
The Third Hokage fell silent.
"Alright, you're dismissed."
After the Anbu left, Danzo stepped out of the shadows, his face serious.
"Hiruzen, we can't let Uchiha Renzo continue growing stronger and gaining more merit."
Hiruzen frowned. "What do you propose? He's already grown too strong to deal with easily."
He had underestimated Renzo.
Who could have predicted that in just one year, this young Uchiha would rise to such a level?
His power was already on par with the Kage level—and not just any Kage.
He had been hiding his true strength all along!