"Feel it… then control it."
In the end, Orochimaru didn't teach Amano Ren anything specific—he simply left him with that one brief sentence.
How to feel it? How to control it? Ren had no clue about the steps involved. But that didn't stop him from trying.
He didn't sleep the entire night.
Like a fool, he tried every possible method to sense chakra. Maybe it was perseverance, or maybe it was fate, but just as the sun began to rise, he finally sensed something—a faint stream flowing inside his body, starting from his abdomen and slowly spreading throughout. It was delicate, like a tiny brook.
"This is... chakra?"
The first ray of morning sunlight fell on his small face, evaporating the thin layer of moisture on his cheeks. It also seemed to wash away the fatigue that weighed on him.
Lowering his head, he clenched his fists tightly. A quiet smile rose to his face, one tinged with resolve. The road ahead was endless, but every step forward, every small milestone, gave him the reason to keep going.
From that day on, Amano Ren stepped into the ninja academy with a different mindset. No one noticed the change in him, but something inside had definitely shifted. He no longer felt bored during class. Instead, he listened intently to every word Mr. Zakima taught. After school, he focused on increasing his chakra reserves and learning how to control it.
He had realized something simple: though it took three years to graduate from the academy, he didn't have to move at the academy's pace.
If the academy was teaching something, he absorbed it completely.If it wasn't, he taught himself.
Spring faded into summer, autumn into winter. Old trees added new rings, and grass reemerged. The once-withered flowers bloomed again in competition for the coming season.
Time passed—sometimes like a raging river, sometimes like a slow, hobbling elder. When he trained, Ren wished time would crawl like an old man. But when he slept, he wished it would race like a stream.
Day after day, year after year.
Under the quiet eyes of those watching him, Amano Ren grew rapidly from the moment he first touched chakra.
In the past two years, the files about him on the Hokage's desk were constantly being updated. Hiruzen Sarutobi witnessed every surprising leap in Ren's development.
Precise chakra control. Creative application.The first time he condensed chakra on the surface of his body.The first time he used it in his palms to boost destructive force.The first time he used chakra in his feet to cling to surfaces.The first time he failed to coat a kunai with chakra.The first time he tried to manipulate chakra outside his body into forming shapes.
Had he not been under surveillance, Hiruzen might have suspected Orochimaru of secretly teaching Ren. But in truth, the only help Orochimaru had given was that single sentence.
And yet—that one sentence awakened something deep within Ren. It made him realize the treasure he carried inside.
"Orochimaru, you really did bring back a remarkable child."
Every time Sarutobi read the latest reports, he couldn't help but praise.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, a figure flickered into the office, appearing silently before the Hokage's desk. Sarutobi showed no surprise.
The newcomer wore a black skin-tight uniform and a white fox mask—it was an ANBU operative.
"Lord Hokage, Jiraiya-sama has returned," the ANBU said respectfully, bowing slightly before disappearing into the shadows.
Upon hearing the news, Hiruzen paused for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"He's back at just the right time."
Today was graduation day.
In the classroom, Zakima stood stiffly behind the podium, his usual zombie-like expression on display. He stared at the students who had finally begun to shed their youthful naivety.
"From today onward, you are officially ninjas."
Even at the end, the man couldn't bring himself to smile.
"This is the team assignment list. Someone will come fetch you shortly."
No congratulations. Not even a readout of the team list. Zakima simply slapped the paper on the blackboard, glanced once more at his students, then turned around and left.
"Try not to die too easily… all of you."
He murmured those words as he walked out of the room, a flicker of sadness passing through his eyes.
Being a ninja meant walking the edge of life and death. The stronger you were, the more danger you faced. And in such turbulent times, even genin were never truly safe.
Back in the classroom, as soon as Zakima left, most of the students rushed toward the blackboard to check the team list.
After graduation, genin were grouped into teams of three, each led by a jōnin. But the list didn't reveal who the team leaders were, so everyone was in suspense.
Amano Ren didn't move. He sat with his chin in his palm, staring absentmindedly out the window.
Soon, the classroom was filled with students gathering in groups of three. Only Ren remained alone.
Kushina Uzumaki stood near the board, scanning the list. One name, in particular, caught her attention—it stung like a thorn.
"Amano Ren…"
She rubbed her forehead and glanced toward Ren, who was still daydreaming by the window.
This grouping made no sense. There was a clear rule: no team was supposed to have more than one top-performing student. Yet her team broke that rule. Why on earth was she placed with Amano Ren?
"Kushina, from today on, we're teammates."
A timid voice startled her. She turned to see a short, bowl-cut boy with glasses, acne on his cheeks, and a nervous look in his eyes.
As Kushina looked at him, he flinched, as if trying to avoid her gaze.
"Uh… I look forward to working with you," he said with a slight tremble in his voice.
Kushina stared at him and asked, "What's your name?"
The boy froze, as if struck in the heart. That one question echoed in his mind.
After three years of being classmates, she didn't even know his name.
The realization made him feel like crying.
Kushina, sensing his sadness, gave a slightly awkward smile. "You've never told me your name, so it's not really my fault, right?"
Thud.It felt like arrows had pierced his soul.
Clutching his chest dramatically, he said with melancholy, "My name is Hokusei Yoru. Please remember it."
Kushina nodded quickly, realizing she may have come off too harsh. But it wasn't entirely her fault—the guy had always been nearly invisible.
"I bet that guy doesn't know Hokusei Yoru's name either…" she thought with a glance toward Ren, slightly spiteful.
Just then, Yoru shivered. He also glanced toward Ren—his other teammate.
"No way... he doesn't know my name too, right?"
A forced smile crept onto his lips. He turned to Kushina and asked in a small voice, "Hey, Kushina, shouldn't we go talk to Ren?"
"Of course we should."
And with that, she marched straight toward him. Yoru quickly followed.
Smack.She slapped her hand on the desk, finally getting Amano Ren's attention.
Ren's eyes lingered on her face for a moment before drifting around the room at the teams that had already formed.
"Kushina Uzumaki," he said calmly. Then, glancing at the nervous boy beside her, "Hokusei Yoru. Looks like we're a team."
Yoru's eyes instantly welled with tears when Ren said his name.
Kushina lowered her hand and muttered, "You really didn't care about the team list, huh?"
Ren gave her a faint look and replied, "Let's work well together from now on."