An hour later, the smile on Uchiha Nobuhiko's face had long vanished, replaced by a rather stiff expression.
In just that one hour, he felt as if his youngest son had completely wrung him dry of all his insights on chakra refinement—and even a portion of his knowledge on chakra nature transformation and shape manipulation.
His pace of answering Ren's questions grew slower and slower.
Eventually, he wasn't sure he could even answer at all.
"What the hell? Since when was this kid's comprehension this terrifying? Is this really my son?"
"Was he hiding his talent all this time? Or did he just suddenly… awaken?"
Nobuhiko was practically screaming in his mind.
But now wasn't the time for that. If he didn't find a way to stop Ren from drilling him with question after question, he was going to embarrass himself.
And that was something he, as a father, absolutely could not allow.
So after fielding yet another detailed chakra-related question, Nobuhiko quickly glanced sideways and gave his wife a meaningful look before Ren could speak again.
After years of marriage, Uchiha Kokomi instantly understood what that look meant—and the predicament her husband was in.
She couldn't help but flash him a teasing smile.
Then she spoke up, smoothly:
"Darling, didn't you say earlier you had urgent business at the Police Force? You really can't afford to delay any longer."
Without waiting for a reply, she turned to Ren and added warmly:
"Ren-chan, you shouldn't monopolize your father for too long—he's got responsibilities to take care of."
"Actually, we have quite a few scrolls at home on chakra refinement and chakra transformation. Why don't you study those first? Once you've gathered new questions, then you can consult your father again."
"Exactly!" Nobuhiko quickly jumped in, nodding rapidly.
"My study and the books in our private archive—all the scrolls related to chakra refinement and chakra transformation—are open to you."
"And if that's still not enough, I can borrow relevant volumes from the clan's library on your behalf, or even write you a pass for access."
He paused briefly, then looked directly at Ren with a serious expression:
"I can tell—you've awakened. Your comprehension has improved a lot. That's a great thing."
"But you must not become arrogant."
"You're still far from turning that talent into real strength."
"So today, let me teach you your first lesson on becoming strong: when you run into problems, you must first try to solve them on your own."
"Only when you've exhausted your options should you come to me or other clan elders for help. You can't rely on others to think for you."
"That's not the mindset of a true shinobi. Understood?"
Of course, deep down, Nobuhiko was just rattled by how fast Ren was learning. He was afraid of getting intellectually outpaced—and losing his authority as a father.
Still, his advice wasn't wrong.
Ren, who saw right through his father's motivations, didn't call him out.
After all, his goal had already been achieved—access to the family and clan scrolls.
With that knowledge, he could quickly absorb everything he needed and minimize the cost of future wishes.
So he simply nodded sincerely.
"Understood, Father. I'll do my best to study and solve things on my own."
"Good! Haha!" Nobuhiko's expression finally relaxed, and he let out a hearty laugh of relief.
Then, as if remembering something important, he added:
"I've given you access to the texts—but at this stage, I don't want you reading any jutsu training scrolls. That's off-limits for now."
"Your current focus should be on building your chakra reserves and mastering chakra refinement."
"Also, keep up your taijutsu training and daily medicinal baths."
"Remember, to become strong, your body is just as important as your chakra."
"In a few months, once I feel your chakra pool has grown enough, I'll personally start your jutsu training. Got it?"
Given Ren's current chakra level, he couldn't even cast a basic Fireball Technique—so learning ninjutsu now would be pointless.
Even if Ren had enough chakra, Nobuhiko wouldn't want him juggling too many jutsu at once.
At this stage, it was far better to master one or two techniques thoroughly than to half-learn ten.
Scattered learning was inefficient and a waste of talent.
"Got it," Ren replied without hesitation.
He knew his father meant well—and frankly, the reasoning made sense.
With his current comprehension, a slight delay in ninjutsu training meant nothing.
It was far more important to first expand his chakra pool and fully awaken the potential of his new body.
Besides, he would be spending a lot of time studying chakra theory anyway. He wouldn't have much time to train jutsu just yet.
"Excellent! Then let's do it this way."
"Start with the family scrolls. Once you've gone through them, let me know, and I'll arrange a pass for the clan library."
"Ask your mother if you need help locating anything. I've got to head out."
With that, Nobuhiko stood up and made a brisk exit from the house.
His retreating figure had a distinct air of "get-me-out-of-here"—Ren couldn't help but smirk slightly.
From her vantage point, Uchiha Kokomi caught the whole exchange and realized that, yes—their son had seen right through their little performance.
But she didn't mind.
Losing face in front of her own child wasn't a big deal.
"Ren-chan, you really feel different today!" Kokomi said with a soft laugh. "It's like something just clicked inside you. You're learning so quickly now!"
"Hehe…" Ren rubbed the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.
He hadn't intended to completely hide his transformation from his parents.
So he answered honestly:
"It's true! After I succeeded in refining my chakra, I felt my mental strength skyrocket. My head's so much clearer now—it's like everything just… makes sense. I might've really had a breakthrough, though I'm not totally sure."
"Oh?" Kokomi's eyes lit up.
"Let Mama take a look."
She activated her three-tomoe Sharingan and gently placed a hand on Ren's head.
Carefully, she probed his body using both chakra and ocular power.
Moments later, her eyes widened slightly.
His spiritual energy had indeed increased exponentially—but that wasn't the most shocking part.
His physical changes were even more dramatic.
Cell vitality and latent potential… meridian strength and width… his life force… all of it had grown by more than tenfold.
"Ssshh..."
Withdrawing her chakra and deactivating the Sharingan, Kokomi stared at him in disbelief.
"You… are you really my son?"
"Who else would I be?" Ren rolled his eyes. "What kind of question is that?"
If he were a soul-possessing imposter, he might've been nervous.
But he wasn't.
He was the real deal—a reincarnated soul born anew.
And Uchiha Kokomi was unquestionably his mother in this life.