"Phew, finally done."
As soon as Ren lifted the tent flap, he immediately flopped onto the bed, pulled back the covers, and wrapped himself in them, looking utterly content. The three people who entered behind him had dark lines on their faces.
Where was the captain who had been so dominant on the battlefield and spoken so eloquently? Why was he like this as soon as he returned?
"Captain, are you resting so early today?"
Yao came to the bedside and asked, a little puzzled.
Normally, after completing a mission and returning to the tent, Ren would usually sit up in bed and read for half an hour. Today, he just lay down and slept—that wasn't his style.
"No matter what you do, you need to balance work and rest. I'm not a machine."
Ren yawned, then turned over, leaving his back to them.
Today, Ren was truly a bit tired. Although he hadn't fought much, his mind had been constantly tense. Now that he had finally touched the bed, studying could wait.
Ren slept very comfortably. By the time he woke up, it was already afternoon.
"Is it that late?"
Ren sat up and looked around. He was the only one in the tent; Shio and the others had no idea where they had gone.
"Where did those guys run off to again?"
Ren rubbed his forehead with one hand, muttering helplessly.
The Ninja who participated in the night raid yesterday were all given a day off, so Ren's squad had no mission today. With the steady Shio around, Ren wasn't worried about them causing any trouble in the Konoha Camp.
"Is anyone in there?"
Just then, a call came from outside the tent. Ren instinctively looked back and saw the tent flap being lifted. Two Konoha Ninja walked in one after another, each holding a hawk.
"Who are you?"
Ren looked at the two sudden arrivals, bewildered, and asked, a little confused.
"Hello, we found this messenger hawk trying to enter the Konoha Camp during our patrol. Following it led us here. The recipient's name on it is you, Hoshimi Ren, right? Please cooperate with us for registration."
"Alright."
Ren didn't hesitate and readily agreed.
"Here's my identification, please take a look."
Ren pulled out his identification and handed it to the other party. The latter wasted no time, took Ren's identification, completed the registration, and then handed the hawk and the identification back to Ren, instructing him.
"Thank you for your cooperation. This is your letter, please keep it safe. However, it's best not to send letters this way next time; it can easily cause misunderstandings."
Even within the main camp, there was a dedicated postal department that would organize accumulated letters and send them back to the Village periodically, and vice versa from the Village.
"Okay, thank you."
After watching them leave, Ren finally focused on the hawk, immediately noticing the letter tied to its ankle.
"Who sent me a letter?"
As Ren opened the letter, he was a little puzzled. He didn't know many people outside the Village, so a sudden letter felt strange.
After Ren opened it, the first thing he saw was a messy handwriting, but Ren didn't mind. When it came to handwriting, Ninja didn't really care much about it; as long as it was legible, it was fine.
There was only a short line of text, but after reading it, a joyful smile appeared on Ren's face.
The letter read: 'Target has moved. Meet at the rendezvous point tonight to exchange information. Final payment settled.'
There was no signature, but Ren recognized the sender's identity at a glance, his excitement uncontrollable.
Damn it, finally, news! These past few months of waiting have been agonizing.
"Oh? Captain, you're awake."
Just as Ren was excited, the tent flap opened again. Yao, Shio, and Suzuki walked in one after another, carrying several bento boxes, apparently having gone to get food.
"Yes, just woke up."
"Perfect, we brought you lunch."
Yao walked closer, held up the bento box in his hand, shook it at Ren, and then handed it over.
"You've worked hard."
Ren took the food but didn't open it immediately. Instead, he set it aside, took out paper and a pen from the bedside, casually wrote two characters, folded the paper, and then tied it to the hawk's leg again. He carried the hawk to the entrance and lifted the flap.
"Thank you for your trouble."
After watching the hawk fly high into the sky and become a small black dot in the distance, Ren retracted his gaze and turned back into the tent.
"I'm hungry, thanks to you all."
"You're too kind, Captain."
Regarding Ren's actions just now, the others were all sensible enough not to ask, as letters are private items, and it's best not to be nosy.
"I'm full."
Ren put down his chopsticks, tidied up the bento box, and placed it aside, then stood up and walked out.
"I'm going to see the Commander. I'll be back later. Get some rest early; we'll continue the mission tomorrow."
"Yes!"
The three responded, and after seeing Ren leave the tent, they didn't slack off but continued to pick up scrolls and books, diligently studying.
After Ren's previous guidance, their current state was completely different. Every bit of effort they put in now increased their chances of returning to the Village alive.
"Hmm, looks like I don't need to worry."
Ren outside the tent looked up, turned around, and walked towards the Commander's tent, humming an unknown tune.
It seemed his words hadn't been in vain. After this battle, he should be able to relax a lot more in the future. Participating in this operation was worth it.
Before long, Ren arrived at the Commander's tent again. Minato was currently resting with his eyes closed, and most of the documents in front of him had been cleared, suggesting he could get a bit more rest today.
"Minato-bro, requesting leave to go exchange money."
Ren picked up a chair from nearby, brought it to the desk, set it down, and said cheerfully.
"You really are impolite."
Minato opened his eyes and looked at Ren, who was sitting upright in front of him, a little helplessly, and rubbed his forehead.
"Isn't it true that missions resume tomorrow? I'm just taking advantage of the time to go exchange some money. I'll be back before dark. I guarantee it won't take long."
"Sigh, I really don't understand you. Are you really that short on money?"
Minato took out a blank entry/exit permit and began to sign it. If it wasn't for a mission, approval from the Commander was required, even for a Jonin.
"There's no other way. I still need to get a wife. Isn't it reasonable to save more money while I'm young?"
…
Minato's mouth twitched slightly twice. As he handed the permit to Ren, he cautioned him, still worried.
"Remember to be back before curfew, otherwise, it will be very troublesome."
"Yes, yes. Then I won't disturb Lord Minato. You're busy. Goodbye!"
Watching Ren's retreating back, Minato rubbed his temples, then picked up the nearby documents and continued to review them.
If he finished writing early, he could nap a bit more. Otherwise, when the next batch of documents arrived, he wouldn't have time to rest.
Sigh, for the Hokage, let's go!