"Hokage-sama, did you summon me because there's another mission?"
Inside the Hokage's office, Might Guy asked eagerly, his spirits high.
The Third Hokage didn't answer right away.
After a few brief pleasantries, he suddenly asked,
"Guy, I hear you and Renka have become close—and that you even taught him the Eight Gates?"
"Hahaha!" Guy clenched his fist, eyes blazing with passion.
"Renka is a shinobi who loves youth just like I do! He couldn't train ninjutsu before—how could I, as his closest friend, stand by and watch him give up on himself? Striving with all one's might is the proper way of youth!"
The Third Hokage clearly didn't quite understand Guy's wavelength. He coughed lightly and continued,
"Then what do you think of Renka?"
Guy answered without hesitation:
"I heard he's always running to the hospital. While I was out on missions, he was training every single day, pouring out his youth!"
"Ah—I really fall short compared to him!"
"But Hokage-sama, don't worry!" Guy declared fervently.
"From today onward, I'll burn with passion every single day—youth without limits!"
Hearing this, the Third Hokage felt a familiar wave of exhaustion. With a hint of helplessness, he asked,
"Does Renka know Naruto? Did you arrange training together today?"
Guy answered instantly,
"Probably not. He even asked me who Naruto was."
"We agreed yesterday to spar in taijutsu today—celebrating youth. We just happened to run into Naruto on the way back."
Hmm?
The Third Hokage's eyes brightened slightly.
"Renka sparred with you in taijutsu? How strong is he?"
"Among genin, he's definitely in the upper tier," Guy replied seriously.
"He's already close to touching the threshold of the Gate of Opening."
"Hokage-sama, Lord Danzō has arrived."
At that moment, an ANBU shinobi appeared and reported respectfully.
Seeing that the Hokage had important matters to handle, Guy withdrew tactfully.
"I'll take my leave then, Hokage-sama."
The Third Hokage waved his hand.
"Keep an eye on Renka for me when you have time. Don't let him stir up trouble again—running to the hospital every other day isn't a good look."
Guy grinned and accepted the request, then left the office. As he passed Danzō Shimura and the others, he greeted them cheerfully before heading off.
Danzō glanced at Guy thoughtfully.
Behind him followed Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. The three of them had come with ill intent.
—
"Why are you here?"
The Third Hokage frowned slightly as he sat behind his desk.
He didn't need them to speak to know this wouldn't be pleasant.
Sigh… this is probably about that boy again.
"Hiruzen, you never should have allowed those two to meet," Danzō said bluntly, getting straight to the point.
Koharu's aged face was filled with displeasure.
"Naruto is the child of heroes. Not just anyone should be allowed near him."
The Third Hokage looked at the three of them.
"The people of this village are one family. There is no hierarchy of worth."
"So you came because of Renka?"
Homura spoke next.
"Hiruzen, you know how important Naruto is. Uzumaki Renka may also be from the Uzumaki clan, but he once fell into Orochimaru's hands. Who can guarantee he isn't approaching Naruto with ulterior motives?"
Koharu added sharply,
"And let's not forget—Orochimaru was your student. Things reaching this point are the result of your hesitation."
Danzō followed up coldly,
"Renka must join Root. At present, that is the most beneficial option for the village."
The Third Hokage stared at them.
"So… you've come to force my hand?"
"Hiruzen! You are the Hokage!" Koharu snapped.
The Third Hokage slammed his hand on the desk.
"You still remember that I'm the Hokage?!"
"What do you think you're doing—pressuring me into submission?"
"I'll say this clearly: Naruto is not your concern."
"As for Renka, I already have my own plans."
"I am the Hokage of this village. Its safety is my responsibility."
"That's all for today. Leave."
"Hiruzen—even as Hokage, you can't disregard the village's safety!" Homura said angrily.
"This village isn't your personal domain!"
Koharu was equally furious. Only Danzō remained silent, his expression darkening as the three were driven out of the office.
On the way out, Koharu and Homura continued to seethe. As village elders, they had never been reprimanded so harshly before.
Danzō was no better. His face was grim.
"Hiruzen has grown old—and muddled."
"Letting those two brats mingle together will eventually lead to disaster."
"When that happens," Koharu said bitterly,
"Let's see how he still puts on the airs of Hokage."
---
Evening — Training Grounds Outside the Village
Shadow Clone Jutsu!
Puff!
A shadow clone appeared beside Uzumaki Renka.
"Same rules as always," Renka said casually.
"Handle tonight's arrangements for me."
As he spoke, he formed hand seals. His real body transformed into an unremarkable stone and quietly "fell asleep" in the bushes.
The shadow clone nodded and, guided by muscle memory, headed back toward the village.
For the past six months, Renka had followed this routine every single day.
By day, he trained taijutsu in the forest.
By night, he ventured deep into the woods to practice ninjutsu.
His shadow clone returned to the village to handle meals and daily logistics, avoiding unnecessary attention.
Thanks to this method, his strength skyrocketed.
Every technique recorded in the Ninjutsu Codex had been learned and mastered.
Though the raw power wasn't overwhelming, his combat options were diverse. Even alone in the wild, survival was no concern.
As for ANBU surveillance—it had been withdrawn two months ago by the Third Hokage.
Only Danzō refused to let go, still assigning people to monitor Renka in secret.
But wary of alerting the Third Hokage, they kept their distance, only loosely tracking his location.
Watching "Renka" return to the village, the watchers habitually inspected the training area. Finding nothing unusual, they left.
"Still not giving up?" Renka thought coldly.
"Hah. Once I have enough strength to protect myself, I'll apply for missions outside the village and push my growth to the limit."
Fifteen minutes after they left, Renka reverted to his true form.
He stared toward the village, a faint sneer on his lips—then vanished swiftly into the forest.
...
This spot will do.
Near a river, Renka formed hand seals smoothly—Snake → Ram → Monkey → Boar → Horse → Tiger.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
He exhaled violently.
A massive fireball burst forth, rolling across the moonlit river. White steam billowed as water evaporated, waves of heat rising into the night air.
Fireball Jutsu mastery: maxed.
Next—Hiding in Ash Jutsu.
He cut off chakra flow and opened the Ninjutsu Codex in his mind.
A scroll unfurled, displaying every recorded technique—each accompanied by a percentage-based mastery gauge.
All C-rank techniques across the five elements were at 100%.
B-rank techniques were all above 60%.
Aside from the Eight Gates, the Three Basic Techniques and Shadow Clone Jutsu were also fully mastered.
Thinking about the Codex's rules—ten consecutive executions of equal strength per 1% mastery; one thousand uses for full mastery—Renka sighed.
"Ninjutsu still isn't enough."
"At best, I'm chūnin-level right now. Without opening the Eight Gates, I'm nowhere near jōnin."
"Training in isolation won't cut it anymore. I need real combat."
He wasn't a genius.
Just mastering C-rank techniques had taken half a year. None of the B-rank techniques were even close to full mastery.
That was only possible because he was an Uzumaki—born with immense chakra reserves. Otherwise, with this training style, he'd gain maybe 1% mastery per day.
What Renka didn't realize was that very few shinobi ever mastered a technique to 100%.
Take Fireball Jutsu—most shinobi plateaued at around 70%.
Outside of the Hokage, only the Uchiha clan routinely brought it to perfection.
Meaning that Renka's Fire Style proficiency already rivaled theirs.
"In the end, it's still a matter of talent," Renka murmured, watching the river flow.
"If talent isn't enough… then I'll make up for it with sweat."
"As for advanced ninjutsu—those are mostly in the Hokage's hands. To learn them, I'll need his recognition."
"That means lots of missions… and 'truly' becoming an inheritor of the Will of Fire."
"The latter can wait. The former suits me just fine."
He closed the Codex, excitement flashing across his face.
"Using real combat to test my limits… that sounds promising."
"It's about time I graduated from the Academy."
With his resolve set, he didn't rest.
Hand seals flew at blinding speed.
Fire Style: Hiding in Ash Jutsu.
Water Style: Water Wall.
Wind Style: Vacuum Blast.
Earth Style: Mud Wall.
Four B-rank techniques chained seamlessly.
Under the moonlight, fire, water, wind, lightning, and earth bloomed in dazzling harmony—while mastery percentages in the Ninjutsu Codex climbed at an astonishing rate.
---
Seven Days Later — Ninja Academy Graduation Exam
"Next—Uzumaki Renka."
Three Academy instructors served as examiners, studying the oldest and most rumor-laden student among the graduates.
"You may begin."
"First—the Three Basic Techniques."
Renka formed seals.
Clone Technique.
Transformation Jutsu.
Substitution Jutsu.
Flawless.
The instructors scored him as they watched.
Next—shuriken target practice.
Renka had trained specifically for this. Three shuriken struck the bullseye in perfect succession.
A full score.
"Uzumaki Renka—passed. Congratulations on your graduation."
"This is your ninja forehead protector."
Taking the Leaf headband, Renka smiled.
"Thank you, sensei."
His fingers brushed over the engraved Leaf symbol.
A surge of pride welled up in his chest.
From this moment on—I am a genin.