Obito looked crestfallen after Rin turned him down, but he still refused to give up completely. Turning toward Kakashi, he pointed dramatically and declared, "Kakashi! Now that you're back in the village, you're not going on another mission anytime soon, right? Tomorrow I'm challenging you! Stay home and wait for me! Don't run off anywhere!"
Kakashi didn't even bother to answer properly.
He gave a lazy little scoff, shoved both hands into his pockets, and turned to leave as if Obito's challenge wasn't even worth acknowledging.
"Argh! You're seriously the worst, Kakashi!" Obito shouted after him. "You smug bastard!"
Watching the exchange, Kurenai—who had lingered by the roadside instead of leaving with the others—leaned a little closer to Ren and lowered her voice.
"Are those two always like that?"
Ren glanced over at Obito, then at Kakashi's disappearing back. After a beat, he shook his head and pointed farther down the road, where another green-clad figure could still be seen bouncing with endless energy.
"No," Ren said. "It's the three of them who are like that. You'll get used to it."
Kurenai followed his gaze and immediately spotted Might Guy, who was loudly proclaiming something incomprehensible about youth to anyone within earshot.
She was silent for a moment.
"…I see."
Ren almost smiled.
"It's getting late," he said at last, looking around at the few people still left behind. "We should all head home. See you in two days at the graduation ceremony."
One by one, the stragglers finally dispersed.
Kurenai waved and headed off in one direction. Obito was still muttering angrily about Kakashi in another. Rin offered Ren a cheerful goodbye before leaving as well.
Soon, Ren was alone on the street outside Yakiniku Q.
The night air was cold and crisp, the winter wind threading through Konoha's quiet streets. The excitement of the day still lingered in his chest, but his body was beginning to feel the fatigue now that everything had calmed down.
He exhaled softly and turned toward home.
Tomorrow, training would resume.
But for tonight, even he needed rest.
---
That same night, far beneath Konoha, in the hidden darkness below the village…
A vast underground chamber lay buried beneath layers of stone.
Its walls were rough and hollowed out by human hands, but the atmosphere inside felt less like a base and more like a tomb. Candle flames flickered unsteadily in iron holders, casting dim yellow light across the cavern and stretching warped shadows over the walls.
The silence there was oppressive.
At the center of the room sat a man wrapped in bandages.
Bandages around his head.
Bandages around his body.
Only one eye was left exposed, and within that eye burned a cold, wolf-like gleam that made the chamber feel even darker.
Shimura Danzo.
Hokage advisor.
Leader of Root.
Disciple of Tobirama Senju.
And one of the deepest shadows in the shinobi world.
He sat motionless, reading through a report in silence, his expression hard and unreadable.
Then—
A faint rush of wind sounded from outside the chamber.
An instant later, a figure clad in Root uniform appeared in the room and dropped to one knee. An animal mask covered the operative's face, erasing all trace of identity.
"Danzo-sama," the Root shinobi said respectfully, raising a scroll with both hands, "this is the summary of this year's Ninja Academy graduation examination, along with detailed information on the students. Please review it."
Danzo did not immediately take the scroll.
Instead, he asked in a flat voice, "Tell me the important part."
"Yes."
The Root operative lowered his head and began.
"The top-ranked graduate this year is named Ren. Civilian background. Nine years old. Exceptional academic results. In the practical examination, he defeated Hyuga Hizashi, Nara Shikaku, and Asuma Sarutobi by himself."
Danzo's exposed eye shifted slightly.
The operative continued.
"He is proficient in the Three Basic Techniques. He has also demonstrated competence in Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique and Water Release: Water Trumpet, among other academy-level skills."
Danzo finally raised a hand and took the scroll.
"A civilian?" he repeated.
There was the faintest hint of interest in his voice now.
Under ordinary circumstances, Root could not directly reach into the Ninja Academy and take students at will.
That was Hokage territory.
The Academy was where the so-called Will of Fire was planted into young minds. The students produced there formed the backbone of the Hokage's faction. Across generations, many of the Hokage's trusted subordinates, bodyguards, and disciples had come from that very system.
So no, Danzo could not simply interfere openly.
But "not openly" did not mean "not at all."
There was always a method.
There was always a moment.
Years ago, he had even attempted to make contact with Kakashi. The boy had talent and darkness both, but at the time, the darkness in Kakashi's heart had not yet matured into something Root could truly claim.
Danzo slowly unrolled the scroll and read over the details.
"Is his background clean?"
The Root operative answered immediately. "Yes. His father is a chunin, the first known shinobi of the Ren family line, and has been stationed on border defense duty for more than two years. His mother works at the Konoha Library. Preliminary judgment suggests the family history is clean. No suspicious ties. No special affiliations."
He hesitated briefly, then added, "In recent weeks, Ren has also been attending introductory medical training lectures at Konoha Hospital. Yakushi Nono is the instructor. She may know more about him."
Danzo's fingers began tapping lightly against the edge of the table.
"Clean…"
"Talented…"
"Still unshaped…"
His gaze remained on the report, but his thoughts were already moving far ahead.
"Hiruzen is as naive as ever," he said at last, his voice edged with contempt. "He insists on placing good seedlings in the sunlight, waiting for them to grow naturally."
He let out a low, humorless breath.
"Uncut jade can only reveal its true brilliance after being ground in darkness."
The chamber seemed colder after those words.
Danzo looked up.
"Bring Nono here," he ordered. "Tell her I wish to discuss a matter with her."
"As for Ren…"
His visible eye narrowed slightly.
"Assign someone to monitor him. Observe his movements over the next few days. If the opportunity is right, I will speak to Hiruzen personally."
The Root operative bowed deeper.
"Yes, Danzo-sama."
Then, as silently as he had appeared, he retreated into the darkness and vanished.
Only the candlelight remained.
And the quiet.
---
The next morning arrived cold and gray.
A pale winter mist still drifted through Konoha's streets when Ren appeared at the village entrance, dressed in training clothes and breathing in the sharp air.
The sky was only beginning to brighten.
He rolled his shoulders once, stretched lightly, and then started his usual run—ten laps around the village perimeter.
Truthfully, he had considered taking a break for a day or two.
He had just completed the graduation exam, after all. He had spent days pushing himself, both mentally and physically.
A normal person would rest.
A sensible person would rest.
But unfortunately—
He was not dealing with sensible circumstances.
The moment he started running, that familiar system voice appeared again.
[Eight Gates: Oh? Up this early and training right after the exam? So you really do care about what I said! I like someone who keeps his promises! Keep going! You've got spirit! ]
In Ren's mind, the notification practically came with a smug grin, hands on hips, white teeth flashing, flames flickering around her like some overexcited hot-blooded lunatic.
Ren's expression went flat.
"…Heh."
He had absolutely no interest in chatting with a technique that loved talking big but almost never raised favorability.
Still, useless or not, the reminder had accomplished its purpose.
He kept running.
His feet pounded steadily against the road. His breathing remained controlled. Sweat gradually soaked through his training clothes, but his pace didn't slow.
Compared to when he first began training like this, his condition had improved dramatically. With the physique boosts he had accumulated and the relentless effort of the past several weeks, the weak, exhausted body he once dragged around the village was gone.
Now, every breath was deeper.
Every step was firmer.
Every movement felt more grounded.
He was no longer pretending to be strong.
He was becoming strong.
Then, midway through one of his laps—
Two bright green figures suddenly burst out from a side path like a pair of human spring-loaded traps.
"Ohhhhh! Ren! I knew it! I knew you would be here!"
Might Guy came charging forward on his hands.
Not metaphorically.
Literally on his hands.
His body was upside down, arms pumping as his legs kicked through the air, and somehow his handstand sprint was nearly as fast as an ordinary run.
Behind him came Might Duy, also balancing on his hands, also charging forward with frightening enthusiasm.
"Seeing Ren-kun training this hard the morning after the graduation exam…" Duy boomed, his voice loud enough to wake the dead. "It sets my blood and Guy's blood on fire! Ah! This is the resonance of youth!"
Ren felt the corner of his mouth twitch.
"Morning, Duy-san. Morning, Guy."
"Haha! Morning!"
Duy's voice echoed through the street like a temple bell.
Then he asked, "I heard from Guy that yesterday, during the exam, you fought three opponents at once! And those opponents were from the Hyuga Clan, the Nara Clan, and even the Hokage's son! Is that true?"
"Mostly," Ren said. "I got a little lucky."
"Lucky?" Duy laughed so loudly a flock of birds took off from a nearby rooftop. "No! That was not luck! That was the shining proof of youth, sweat, and effort! Your hard work has already begun to bear fruit!"
"Dad's right!" Guy said immediately, still running on his hands with a thumbs-up somehow directed at Ren. "Ren! Yesterday I was too busy fighting Obito to challenge you properly. After our run, let's have a passionate taijutsu duel and use our fists to confirm each other's youth!"
Ren gave him a sideways look.
"Setting the duel aside for a moment…" he said dryly, "what exactly did you just call me?"
"My lifelong rival, of course!" Guy declared with complete sincerity.
Ren blinked.
"And what is Kakashi, then?"
Guy's answer came without hesitation.
"Kakashi is my lifelong enemy! I will definitely defeat him someday!"
He flashed a brilliant grin, his teeth sparkling with so much intensity that Ren briefly wondered if it counted as a genjutsu.
"…Right."
Ren decided not to think too hard about the distinction.
Guy had always operated on some private logic known only to Guy.
Still, Ren didn't reject the challenge.
In fact, he welcomed it.
Compared to his ninjutsu, taijutsu was one of his weaker areas. And if there was anyone in this generation who could serve as an ideal sparring partner in pure close combat, it was Might Guy.
So the three of them—and, more accurately, four counting Duy—continued their morning training together.
The run went longer than usual.
By the time they finally slowed, the sun had climbed higher and the mist had nearly burned away. They came to a stop at the edge of a wooded area near the village outskirts, where the dirt was firm enough for sparring and the trees provided some cover from the road.
Ren sat down on a low rock for only a few moments, wiping sweat from his face and regulating his breathing.
Across from him, Guy bounced back to his feet almost instantly, looking as if he hadn't just spent the past hour moving like a green hurricane.
His stamina was ridiculous.
No—
"Ridiculous" wasn't enough.
It was inhuman.
Guy dropped into a fighting stance, eyes shining with excitement.
"Ren!" he shouted. "Come on!"
Ren stared at him.
"…Your recovery speed is absurd."
Guy only grinned wider.
Ren let out a slow breath and rose to his feet.
He already knew there was no avoiding this.
So he rolled his neck once, planted his feet, and clenched his fists.
Chakra surged through his body.
A faint green outline began to shimmer around him, subtle but unmistakable, like heat distortion over stone.
His muscles tightened.
His senses sharpened.
His pulse accelerated.
Then Ren spoke in a low, steady voice.
"Eight Gates… First Gate: Gate of Opening… Open."
A sharper wave of power burst through him.
Across the clearing, Guy's grin widened into something almost feral.
"Good!" he said. "Now come!"
The forest edge fell silent.
The air tightened.
And in that instant—
Ren stepped forward and met Guy head-on.
--------------------------------
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