Chapter 3: The Marker
Ronin had already begun to grasp the mechanics of his power the moment he deactivated his Sharingan.
When his eyes returned to normal, the energy that had been converted for use by the Sharingan didn't disappear. Instead, it seeped out of his cells and naturally wrapped around his body, preventing it from leaking away.
Ronin recognized this immediately. It was the most fundamental technique of Nen: Ten (Envelop).
It was the technique of containing the aura within the body to strengthen it, rather than letting it dissipate naturally.
With this understanding, Ronin realized exactly what he needed to do.
He had to activate the Sharingan, enter his "Ninja Mode," and convert that contained Nen (Life Energy) into Chakra (Spiritual and Physical Energy). Only then could he cast Ninjutsu.
Activating the eyes was simple: it required intense emotion.
Anger, excitement, fear—any surge of adrenaline would suffice.
Thinking of Uvogin, who could be closing in at any second, Ronin's emotions spiked. His eyes shifted instantly. The change was stark, especially in the dark of night.
His vision sharpened, the darkness receding into clarity. A surge of power flooded his limbs, and his running speed increased noticeably.
Knowing he was now in the "Scarlet Eyes" state, Ronin didn't waste a second. Every moment these eyes were active, they drained his stamina.
He performed the hand signs again: Ram － Snake － Tiger.
This time, the sensation was completely different.
He felt a chunk of the energy inside him vanish instantly. In response, a puff of smoke appeared, and running right beside him was another version of himself.
Clone Jutsu: Success!
Is it really that simple?
Ronin skidded to a halt, staring at the boy in front of him who wore the exact same face and possessed the same single-tomoe Sharingan. He couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement.
However, as he examined the clone, a theory formed in his mind. The ease of this "Ninja" ability was likely tied to his transmigration. Even for a Specialist Nen ability, casting a supernatural technique on the first try shouldn't be this fluid.
But now wasn't the time to research the metaphysics of his rebirth. Ronin focused his mind and began attempting other Jutsu.
Gradually, he discovered limitations. He couldn't just cast any Jutsu he could remember.
When he formed the seals, he could feel his "Chakra" responding.
Every Jutsu had a price tag. If he could afford the Chakra cost, the technique would activate. If his reserves were insufficient, no amount of hand signs would produce a result.
The rules for him, in this Sharingan state, were twofold:
Sufficient Chakra.
Correct Hand Signs.
Currently, Ronin's repertoire of hand signs was limited. In the manga and anime, the complex sequences were often simplified or skipped entirely.
He vividly remembered the early days of the series, where Kakashi and Zabuza wove a ridiculous 44 hand signs just to execute the Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu.
Yet later in the series, powerful ninjas would fire off nukes with just a few signs, or sometimes just a single generic seal.
With this in mind, Ronin experimented with simplifying the process. To his surprise, it worked.
He raised his hand and formed a single, arbitrary seal, focusing his intent. The Clone Jutsu, which previously required three signs, activated instantly.
This led to a new hypothesis:
Hand signs are a condition/restriction to help mold the energy, but they are not immutable laws.
Then there was the issue of Chakra capacity.
Judging by his current reserves, Ronin estimated he was roughly at the level of a Genin—perhaps slightly above a fresh Academy graduate, but not by much.
This made sense. His "Ninja" power source was his "Nen."
Since Chakra was being converted from his Aura, the only way to increase his Chakra reserves was to increase his total Nen capacity.
More Aura equals more Chakra. More Chakra equals stronger Jutsu.
Because of this bottleneck, the library of techniques available to him was restricted to D-Rank or lower.
He tried to cast C-Rank techniques he knew the signs for, like the Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu or Phoenix Flower Jutsu, but they failed. His Chakra reserves simply dried up before the technique could manifest.
It was frustrating, but he had to work with what he had.
Having analyzed his toolkit, Ronin looked up at the pouring rain. A specific strategy formed in his mind—a Jutsu perfectly suited for this weather.
But before he executed the plan, he needed to test one last thing.
He had to combine these new powers with the combat experience inherited from his predecessor. That was the only way he could carve out a sliver of a chance for survival.
Deep in the forest, Uvogin was tracking his prey.
He wasn't a specialist hunter or tracker, but the boy fleeing through the woods was an amateur. The trail was messy and obvious.
However, as Uvogin ventured deeper, his expression grew serious.
The traces were disappearing. The clumsy footprints and broken twigs were becoming scarce. Uvogin eventually stopped, scanning the shadows of the forest. The trail had gone cold.
Smart kid.
But Uvogin wasn't worried. He knew the geography. The boy had limited options: head toward Nancha City, a hundred kilometers away, or flee deeper into the mountains.
Regardless of the boy's choice, Uvogin had a simpler way to find him.
Lightning flashed, illuminating Uvogin's figure. With the severed head dangling from his waist, he looked like a demon crawling out of hell.
He pulled out a cellphone and dialed a number. It rang a few times before connecting.
"One of them got away," Uvogin said, his voice flat. "I need a direction."
Back when the Phantom Troupe was raiding the village, Kortopi had placed special markers on all the captured villagers.
This served two purposes: preventing escapes and keeping a headcount.
Kortopi's ability, Gallery Fake (Divine Left Hand, Demonic Right Hand), allowed him to create exact replicas of objects. By keeping the original or a copy, he could track the location of the corresponding item.
Before Uvogin had left the group to chase Ronin and his father, he had asked Kortopi to place a marker on him as a failsafe. As long as Ronin hadn't realized he was tagged, Uvogin could pinpoint his exact location within a 24-hour window.
A confused voice crackled through the phone speaker.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Kortopi asked. " according to the signal... aren't you two together?"