Arriving in the Naruto world by filling out a form

Once Ren left the meeting hall, he went straight to Yoru's office as he'd been called before. At the ANBU Command, he didn't stop as he headed straight to Yoru's door and knocked.

Knock knock knock.

"Commander."

"Come in."

Knock knock knock.

"Commander."

Silence.

Knock kno- CRACK!

A kunai embedded itself exactly where Ren was about to knock next. He paused, then pushed the door open and stepped in, greeting cheerfully,

"Hey boss man! That was rude, you know. What if someone not as good as me was on the other side? Wouldn't that unfortunate soul just die?"

Yoru's response was dry as ever. "I don't recall anyone ever having as much guts as you so rest assured, you would be the only one to die by my hand for such reasons."

Ren plopped into a chair and waved him off casually. "Boss, you're my representative. And as far as I recall, a representative is technically a subordinate of the person they represent. So."

He leaned forward with a mischievous grin. "Should you really talk to your boss like-"

But the words caught in his throat as he suddenly felt death. That was the only word for it. He laughed it off immediately, sitting back. "Haha! just kidding! You can talk to me however you want. After all, I'm your subordinate, not the other way around. Haha…"

A nervous laugh trailed off as Yoru eyed him but instead of pushing further, Yoru sounded almost surprised. "Hm. Looks like your perfected Hyperfocus is helping you more than I imagined. Good."

His tone turned serious in an instant. "Now, let's talk about the meeting."

Ren nodded, tilting his head. "I asked before as a joke, but I really want to know, what good is having a vote in the council? I mean, it's not like voting would make any difference if they put forward a motion to kill Danzo, would it?"

Yoru started explaining without missing a beat. "If Danzo's death really were put to a vote, it would pass without a second of hesitation from anyone. But that isn't how it works."

He continued, "There are three types of votes in the council meetings, the Hokage's vote, the special vote, and the general vote. The normal clan leaders each have one general vote. The civilian council comprises six people, if more than three of them vote for something, that makes up another general vote. Aside from that, the two elders each hold one general vote as well. These are used for standard decisions, things like how many students should be admitted to the Academy this year, how many can pass for advanced studies, stuff like this, that's all decided by general votes."

He paused to make sure Ren was following, then went on. "Above that is the special vote, held by the Uchiha clan, Hyuga clan, and Danzo. Now that the Senju vote has been reinstated, the Senju clan also has a special vote. These are used for more significant matters, like Chunin promotions and other decisions at that level. The holders of the special votes decide the ultimate outcome if something passes through general votes."

Ren spoke thoughtfully. "So, to suppress the Uchiha, the Hyuga and Danzo have always formed a majority, tilting everything in their favor. But now that the Senju have their vote back, it'll always be two against two. So the matter gets pushed to the Hokage?"

Yoru nodded. "Exactly. When a special matter is tied, the Hokage's vote decides the result. The only way the Hokage's vote doesn't work is if the entire council, minus the elders, is against him which can't happen. So any matter the Hokage votes for is generally the final result. That's why the Hyuga leader had no choice but to accept the reinstatement of the Senju seat."

Ren nodded slowly but pressed again. "But I still don't see the significance. The Hokage would- AH!" He suddenly exclaimed, realization hitting him.

"The Hokage has the ultimate power over the decision which means he can't just support Danzo arbitrarily anymore. If he does, then even his supporters will start to feel dissatisfaction. If he keeps doing it, it'll create turmoil in the village. But then, why would he agree to the Senju vote being re-established?"

Yoru stayed silent for a moment, then answered flatly, "Because of Princess Tsunade."

Ren scoffed at that. "Do you honestly believe that old man is so sentimental? I refuse to believe he'd make such a big decision just because of some emotions."

If this were the Hiruzen from the anime, Ren might have believed it, but this version wasn't that soft. Yoru saw Ren's refusal and let out an audible sigh, leaning back in his seat which actually shocked Ren. It was the first time he'd seen Yoru look so tired.

Without waiting for Ren to speak, Yoru began,"Sarutobi is strong, yes, and ruthless enough to abandon emotions when needed. But he's still human. He's holding a scale right now, on one side, his student and the village; on the other, his best friend. He wants to balance both sides."

He looked Ren square in the eye. "You know everything about your birth?"

Ren nodded, so Yoru continued. "Then you'd know why he would try to appease Princess Tsunade. Reestablishing the vote and giving back the businesses, that's just one way to atone for the things he's done. But since he still has to look out for his friend, he'll definitely make the wrong decisions later on which we can use."

Ren frowned slightly. "I still don't think making an enemy of that old man is a good idea."

Yoru nodded in agreement. "We're not trying to make the old man an enemy. We just have to show that Sarutobi is getting on in age, that he can't make decisions with only the village's best interest in mind anymore. Once that seed takes root, it'll be easier for a new Hokage to take over when everything's finished. Otherwise, if there's a sudden change after a major conflict, the common people will think one thing."

Ren finished the thought for him, "That it was a rebellion from the new Hokage to take the position from the old man."

Yoru hummed in agreement."Exactly. Though the ultimate decision always comes down to strength, we're not living in the Warring States Period anymore. That means, aside from strength, we also need people otherwise the Daimyo system would've been eliminated already. The new Hokage, whoever it shall be, will need the support of the people. Without that, there's a high chance another rebellion would follow. If that happens, it would be better for the Leaf to just give up its status as one of the Five Great Villages lest it be completely eliminated by the others."

Ren stayed quiet for a long moment, then sighed."It doesn't sound easy in words so imagine how difficult it'll really be."

Yoru didn't soften his tone at all. "It won't be easy. There are many things that need to be done before the real action can begin. The most important thing, though, is for you to increase your strength. That's the only way I can start putting my plan into motion."

Ren stared straight at him, then asked bluntly, "Then give me the Flying Thunder God Jutsu. The complete version."

Yoru shook his head without even hesitating. "Nobody has it. It was removed from the Scroll of Seals after Sarutobi took over again after Minato's death. You'll have to work it out on your own. But."

He opened a drawer and tossed a scroll across the desk. Ren caught it reflexively.

Yoru explained, "This scroll contains every single elemental jutsu the village has except for the forbidden ones. It also has all the recorded genjutsu and sensing techniques, plus some unique jutsu that were developed over time."

His tone was so casual it almost sounded like he was handing Ren a grocery list. But Ren's eyes widened, SO MANY JUTSU. If he learned them all, wouldn't his ninjutsu practically hit 99 out of 100?

Seeing Ren's awestruck expression, Yoru spoke, "Don't look so shocked. Most of those were developed by Lord Tobirama himself. If you'd had the complete Senju lineage from the start, you'd have had them much earlier. So go ahead and learn them all. But I want you proficient in every single one. If even one is lacking, I'll hang you by your ankles from the village gates for a month."

Ren just grinned and flashed him a peace sign. "Don't worry, boss-man, I'll make sure to get them all down."

Yoru nodded and said, "Alright, go on, I'll handle the Senju affairs with Princess Tsunade until you return to the village for good."

Ren nodded then, without another word, he bolted for the door not even bothering with his usual banter. Yoru watched him go, a bit surprised, and muttered under his breath,

"Is this the way to tame him?"

~~~

Once Ren got the scroll, he happily hopped along the streets of Konoha, humming a cheerful tune. He was about to head home but changed direction at the last second as he needed to talk about a few things with Utakata.

Utakata's house was a bit far from his own, though unlike Ren's place near the busy market, Utakata had a whole courtyard-style house to himself on the quieter edge of town. Ren didn't come here often as there was no real reason to, but his chakra signature was still registered in the barrier, so he didn't bother with the front gate. He just hopped over the wall, crossed the yard, and pushed the sliding door open, calling out.

"Hey sensei, you ho-"

He didn't get to finish. Standing in the hall was someone who very clearly wasn't Utakata, it was a tall, orange-haired woman he'd never seen before. On reflex, Ren flickered forward, kunai in hand, pressing the cold blade to her neck as he asked casually,

"Who are you, lady?"

The woman's eyes went wide and instead of answering, she screamed so loud the walls practically shook.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Utakata appeared an instant later, dropping into the hallway like he'd teleported. He froze when he saw the scene, his fiancee shrieking at the top of her lungs, and his student trying to calm her down but still holding the kunai way too close.

Utakata closed his eyes and prayed to whatever sage was listening, 'Give me strength.'

"Ren," Utakata sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "this is Nami. My fiancee. And Nami, you already know who Ren is, so why are you shrieking?"

Ren slowly turned his head to look at the woman, she was gorgeous, very tall, with striking orange hair like tangerine, and all of her screamed a certain navigator. Nami pouted at Utakata as if Ren wasn't there at all.

"That's how this is supposed to go, right? A stranger breaks in, pulls a kunai on me, I scream then you appear like a hero to save me."

Utakata stared at her flatly."Yes, that could happen. But this isn't a stranger. This is my student. Shouldn't you adapt to the scenario?"

Nami's eyes brightened like someone had just gifted her a new idea. "You're right! I should've adapted! Thanks, dear."

She leaned in for a kiss but Ren jumped in, horrified.

"You witch! How did you do that?! Sensei never agreed to play with us like this!"

The temperature dropped. Ren felt death for the second time the same day so he jumped straight to the ceiling beam just in time as the floor below cracked from Nami's sudden punch. She turned her head, smiling sweetly up at him. "What did you just call me?"

Ren's sweat dripped onto the floor as he scrambled for his words.

"Ma'am. Ma'am! How did you get Sensei to play with you? He always just stares at us with that blank 'you're all idiots' face."

Nami looked smug as she dusted her knuckles. "Well, I have my ways."

Ren dropped from the ceiling and landed lightly, bowing dramatically. "Hello, my name is Ren Takahashi or Senju, whichever you prefer. But you can call me Ren."

Nami gave him a sly grin and returned the bow with a teasing curtsy. "My name is Nami Nerona. You can call me 'ma'am' or 'sensei's wife' whichever you prefer."

They both flashed the same mischievous grin at each other. Then as if on cue they spoke in perfect sync.

"Do you remember any of Uta-chan's embarrassing incidents you can tell me?"

"Do you have any of Sensei's embarrassing incidents you can discuss?"

 ~~~~~

{Well, they meet.}

{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}

{STONES!!!!}