It was the first day of the ninja academy, and parents were nervously advising their kids, telling them to be careful and avoid any danger.
These were mostly civilian families. Most parents who were ninjas especially those from the Konoha clans like the Uchiha, Senju, Hyuga, and Nara were perfectly calm about sending their children away. To them, this wasn't something new; it was simply continuing their legacy.
Among these parents were Mino and Miro Uzumaki, happily smiling at their son. They knew he would do well he was a genius, having used chakra at age three with no prior knowledge and even invented his own sensory method.
"Good luck," Miro said, his voice rough and calm. "You're my little champion, you know that."
Ren nodded, joy lighting up his face at the praise. Then he turned to Mino, who wore a knowing smirk.
"Alright, fine we'll start seal training tonight," Mino said with a smile. "You better be careful, though. You're your father's son, and he was never good at seals."
"HEY! You're trying to make me look uncool in front of my son!" Miro replied with a slight chuckle.
"Now we have to go. Stay safe, my baby," Mino said before she and Miro Shunshined away.
Ren smiled slightly finally free from his parents.
It wasn't like they were bad parents or that Ren found them annoying. In reality, they were very good parents and decent people. But that didn't matter to Ren. The only thing he truly and absolutely cared about was escaping death.
His fear of death went beyond the basic desire to live. For Ren, it was an all-consuming thought that ate away at his emotions, morality, and empathy.
To put it simply: if it couldn't keep him alive, Ren didn't care about it in the slightest.
Even in his last life, when Ren was a billionaire and one of the three richest people on the planet, he pursued wealth solely because it provided the opportunity to extend his life with better healthcare and security than a poor or average person could ever experience.
And it didn't stop there. In his previous life, thanks to his vast wealth, he created research facilities to study lengthening lifespans or even outright eliminating death.
As for how this research was conducted it was rather simple. There wasn't a country in the world that didn't have poor people and orphans. Who would have really cared if a few hundred, or even a thousand, disappeared each year?
This was what Ren's fear of death truly represented an utter lack of care and no mercy. Nothing mattered to him more than not dying.
If it meant delaying death for even a second longer, Ren would happily cut off all his limbs and let someone tear off his skin so long as he never died.
After standing around for a while, Ren decided to head for class.
…
As expected, most of Ren's classmates didn't really impress him.
It was only natural for these kinds of background characters but it was even worse than Ren had imagined after he checked their chakra.
Except for those from the Uchiha, Uzumaki, Senju, Hyuga, and other ninja clans, his classmates either had no chakra or very little control over it.
Of course, there were exceptions. Aside from the obvious two, there was Might Duy, father of Might Guy, and Sakumo Hatake, father of Kakashi.
None of them noticed him sensing them. So Ren did the natural thing and gathered around the place where most of the Uzumaki and Senju clan members were.
"Ren," one of them greeted, pulling a chair for him.
He couldn't exactly be called a leader, but thanks to his 'talent' in chakra usage, many saw him as a ninja with a great future. Most parents told their kids to stick around him or be kind to him.
Ren didn't mind, especially since he knew he was nowhere near strong enough to not need other people. Plus, wars were coming. Who knew when he'd need a human shield?
Most people found it easier to sacrifice themselves if they believed it was for their family, country, or future. And who wouldn't want to sacrifice themselves for someone seen as the hope of their clan?
Another reason Ren allowed these kids to latch onto him was that he was desperate to visit the Uzumaki village and learn from the #1 Fuinjutsu experts in the world.
Behaving like this was his way of gaining the trust of those in the Uzumaki clan village. If others praised him and constantly spoke of how his peers gathered around him, they were more likely to see him as an insider—rather than a talented outsider uninterested in clan affairs.
No one would ever teach their secrets to someone actively trying to be an outsider, even if they were gifted.
He greeted them all, made some ideal conversation with a few of the Senju as well but the Senju he was really interested in hadn't arrived yet.
Of course, he was talking about Konoha's Slug Princess, Tsunade Senju the woman who would become the strongest kunoichi in the world and one of the greatest medical ninja in history.
Sadly, she hadn't arrived. Judging from what he knew about her younger personality, she was either throwing a tantrum or gambling.
So he turned his attention instead to the other Sannin he wanted to meet.
Orochimaru was seated in the middle of the classroom, leaning against the wall. He frowned every time the white-haired kid tried to charm one of the girls.
He had finally gotten the opportunity to become a ninja to learn the secrets known as 'Jutsu.' It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The village only selected a few kids from the civilian community, and he'd worked for years to earn this chance.
He thought most kids his age especially fellow civilians would treat it with seriousness.
"Hello," a red-haired kid said, tapping Orochimaru on the shoulder.
He instantly recognized the red hair as an Uzumaki trait, though the boy's red eyes weren't a trait he'd heard about.
"I'm Ren Uzumaki," the kid said in a friendly tone.
Orochimaru wanted to brush him off like he did all the other kids but this was a ninja from one of the clans. He couldn't be sure how he'd react to being rejected.
He'd heard stories of civilian kids angering kids from ninja families and it never ended well. Often, those kids would 'accidentally' get injured during physical activities and end up crippled… or worse, dead.
These cases would often go unresolved, or the child's family would be given light compensation to keep quiet.
Orochimaru understood this was only natural. Better to lose a civilian ninja than a ninja from one of the clans.
Naturally, he planned to steer clear of the children from clans, focusing purely on his Jutsu. But fate, it seemed, had other plans…
"I'm Orochimaru," he replied to Ren, extending his hand and keeping his voice neutral.
"That's a nice name," Ren replied, still smiling. "What kind of Jutsu are you most excited to learn? My mom said she'd teach me Fuinjutsu I'm so excited."
Orochimaru's interest piqued slightly at the mention of Fuinjutsu the art of seals.
He knew ninja clans were secretive about their techniques. Learning a clan's main Jutsu was nearly impossible. Even if it wasn't a Kekkei Genkai, ninja clans still tended to guard their forms of Jutsu.
Yet this kid was talking about his family's Fuinjutsu the Uzumaki specialization so openly and casually, right in front of him.
Either he was an idiot, a loudmouth, seeking praise… or just lonely. But Orochimaru was more than happy to entertain Ren's behavior and learn the secrets of the Uzumaki.
"Really?" he asked as casually as possible. "I heard Fuinjutsu isn't that impressive," he said, taking a slight gamble.
The boy's face suddenly twisted into an angry expression.
"No way! It's the coolest. Just wait I'll show you once I learn," Ren replied, clearly mad at the insult.
Orochimaru smiled. This kid was a goldmine of knowledge. All he had to do was rile him up, then be friendly and he'd spill all the Uzumaki secrets.
"Alright then we'll see," Orochimaru said, pointing his finger at Ren.
"Yeah, De—"
Before Ren could make the pinky promise, a loud scream echoed from outside the classroom.
"NO!!!" a little girl screeched. "I DON'T WANT TO GO TO THE STUPID CLASS LET ME GO!!" she practically hissed.
Orochimaru didn't notice the slight curve of Ren's lips.
He recognized that voice instantly.
Tsunade.