"Finally… it's over."
Late at night, Ren finished dealing with everything that needed to be handled and finally returned home.
Obito suddenly jumping out like that had genuinely caught him off guard. Worse, that lunatic had deliberately targeted him and set up a trap.
To be honest, without the Flying Thunder God, Ren would probably be losing sleep right now.
Once things were pushed to that point, an ordinary ninja would have been completely unable to clear their name—no matter how many mouths they had.
When Ren first obtained [Doctor of the Ninja World], he'd briefly entertained a reckless idea: What if I could just directly learn Wood Release?
If the theory was right, maybe he could break free from bloodline limits and even the God Tree's constraints.
But after thinking it through, he'd abandoned the idea.
Even if he somehow stole the research materials—burning his bridges with Konoha in the process—and even if he understood it…
If he lacked the underlying condition to actually use it, it would all be pointless.
That was why, after mastering the Flying Thunder God, he'd stuck firmly to one guiding principle:
If I can't win, I'd better be able to run.
"Didn't expect it to pay me back this hard."
Ren exhaled slowly. His mind was still full of Uchiha Obito's face.
And after carefully retracing everything, he could more or less guess why that madman had come after him in the first place.
"…So my earlier guess was right. It really was about Shisui."
Imagine it from Obito's perspective.
A Konoha ANBU assassin attacks an Uchiha—and that assassin is secretly from Root.
No matter how you look at it, that screams distrust toward the Uchiha clan.
Add in the increasingly tense atmosphere within the clan itself…
If Shisui were pushed hard enough, who knew what might happen?
"Someone without awakened eyes might awaken them. Someone who already has them might start thinking about defecting."
Ren pressed his lips together.
And he didn't believe Obito would've been unable to accept Itachi's death.
He just would've preferred it happen in front of Shisui.
After all, that lunatic could always "save" the situation at the critical moment.
"If that's the case…"
Ren's gaze hardened.
"Then don't blame me for burying you alive, Uchiha Obito."
Ren wasn't petty—but he was absolutely not magnanimous either.
If Obito dared to make a move, Ren was going to return the favor, no matter what.
"…Still, my original plans did get disrupted a bit."
He sighed, then quickly steadied himself.
"Let's look at this Wood Release experience first. Maybe I'll get something useful out of it."
Instead of immediately allocating points, Ren activated the system's Wood Release experience.
The moment he did—
A torrent of information surged straight into his mind.
In an instant, his consciousness entered a strange, heightened state.
Overlapping memories flooded through him—sensations, instincts, fragmented understandings—interweaving inside his body.
For that brief moment, it felt as if he had personally gone through the entire process of using Wood Release.
When Ren finally opened his eyes again, his brows were faintly furrowed.
"As expected… it's Obito's Wood Release."
He shook his head.
When he'd called for backup, Tenzō had been present too. Honestly, Ren would've preferred insight drawn from his Wood Release.
Obito's version was closer to a "standard" expression—but the problem was that it relied heavily on instinct.
To put it bluntly, Obito's Wood Release was driven almost entirely by implanted Hashirama cells.
That deeper power—whether it came from Asura's chakra or the God Tree's mutation—was something Ren simply did not possess.
"But it's not all bad news."
Ren's expression shifted slightly.
"At least now I'm certain how critical Yang Release really is…"
Within the experience, he could clearly feel it.
From fusion to manifestation, Yang Release dominated the entire process.
It was Yang Release that bonded Earth and Water chakra into something extraordinary.
It was Yang Release that granted Wood Release its terrifying vitality.
It was Yang Release that made it resistant to flames, that pushed its toughness and flexibility to absurd levels.
In short—
It was that overwhelming Yang Release that gave birth to the Wood Release that shook the shinobi world.
That was why Senju Hashirama became such a unique incarnation of Asura.
Why he could beat Uchiha Madara senseless without relying on tailed beasts or external power.
"That level of Yang Release…"
Ren let out a quiet breath.
"Even if I reached LV10, I probably still wouldn't match him."
Even the cells implanted into Obito had been enough to astonish him.
If it were Hashirama himself?
Ren didn't even want to imagine it.
Still—he wasn't worried.
Because his growth had no ceiling.
[Shihara Ren]
[Overall Physical Condition: LV7]
[Chakra: LV7]
[Abilities: Flying Thunder God LV6, Yin Release LV3, Yang Release LV3]
[Free Points: 14]
Looking at his updated panel, Ren rubbed his chin.
"I should make some preparations in advance."
"After all, I already have the formula."
Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Tōta fusion were, in some ways, like mathematical formulas.
But the premise was clear ratios—and an enormous amount of chakra to sustain the process.
Ren now knew the ratios.
What he lacked was chakra capacity—but that wasn't an unsolvable problem.
The ninja world was full of "good stuff," after all.
[Yang Release upgraded — Current Level: LV6]
[Free Points remaining: 2]
Almost instantly, Ren felt another change ripple through his body.
The latent power hidden deep within him swelled again.
Under its nourishment, even his physical strength subtly increased.
"Amazing feeling."
Ren clenched his fist.
This wasn't imagination—he could control far more of that internal power now.
"Though the cost is brutal."
Glancing at his remaining Free Points, he felt the familiar sting of being broke again.
Still.
All that was left was to push Water Release to LV6, find a sufficient chakra source—
And then he could finally attempt it.
The next morning, Ren stretched hard after washing up.
He'd long since gotten used to waking up early.
Not that he'd had much choice.
Working under Danzō meant morning training was mandatory.
Sleep in, and you'd probably get a "physical reminder."
Over time, he'd adapted.
Today, there was still plenty to deal with.
The personnel and materials he'd requested last night should be arriving soon.
If he was going to screw Obito over—
He was going to do it thoroughly.
No room left for recovery.
"…Hm?"
As Ren opened the door, he noticed someone lurking in the shadows.
Aburame Ryūma.
"You're here?"
"Danzō-sama has issued a new assignment for you."
Ryūma was mildly surprised.
His concealment was top-tier—yet Ren had still noticed him immediately.
Ren's perception was sharper than he'd expected.
Without further comment, Ryūma handed over a scroll.
"At the same time, Danzō-sama has approved a grant for the orphanage, in recognition of your recent accomplishments."
"And he asked me to pass on a message."
Ryūma paused briefly, then continued.
"Perform well. More benefits will follow."
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