"You…"
A flash of anger crossed the Nine-Tails' eyes. It snorted coldly but said nothing more, instead beginning to use its secret techniques to sense whether Amano Ren truly possessed Ashura's chakra.
In the past, it had ways to discern Ren's identity, but it hadn't bothered—things like the reincarnation of Indra or Ashura held no interest for it.
Now, however, if this Jinchuriki really was the reincarnation of Ashura…
After a long moment, the Nine-Tails looked at Ren with a complex expression.
"I understand. From now on, I will lend you my power, Ashura's reincarnation. I hope that one day, you will release me."
"Ashura is of the past. In this life, my name is Amano Ren. Call me by my name."
Ren frowned slightly, speaking seriously.
"I understand."
The Nine-Tails replied briefly and fell silent.
"That's good. Thanks, Kurama."
Ren smiled faintly, then his body shimmered and disappeared before Kurama's eyes.
"The world is about to change."
The Nine-Tails stared in the direction Ren had vanished, speaking in a daze. When the heart of Ashura, the Sage's spirit, turns dark, that is the true Ashura. Who could stop him besides the Six Paths?
But it didn't concern Kurama—it wanted nothing more than for everyone in the ninja world to perish.
And it was quite pleased with Ren's personality. This world wasn't suited for someone like Ashura. If he weren't strong, he would have died long ago.
Meanwhile, Ren returned to reality after finishing his communication with Kurama.
"Kurama… unexpectedly decent," Ren said with a smile, looking at the sun outside.
Although this fox was slightly different from the tsundere version in the original story, it was still manageable.
"But I still have to go to school."
Ren got up, ate a bit, and headed off.
He had probably arrived late; after all, his daily training took a lot of time, and today he had spent extra moments communicating with Kurama. By now, all the other classmates were already in the classroom.
One by one, they chatted with bright smiles, relaxed expressions, and bursts of laughter filling the room.
Uchiha Sasuke sat alone at his desk, without friends, unwilling to mingle with anyone in class.
Being the son of the Uchiha clan leader, he carried that pride.
Perhaps for that reason, a cluster of girls nearby gazed at him with admiring eyes far beyond what children this age would normally display.
"Clack, clack, clack."
Sudden footsteps caught the students' attention. Expecting the teacher, they held their breath, eyes fixed on the empty blackboard, pretending to be good students.
But the newcomer wasn't Iruka—it was a blonde boy in black sportswear.
"Ugh, it's that monster. Gave me a scare.""He really has the nerve to stay here. What a dead weight.""Alright, enough talking. If he hears us, we're in trouble.""Let him hear, then. Who cares."
When they realized it was Amano Ren, quiet whispers resumed, occasionally louder, as if worried he might not hear them.
Ren's expression was indifferent, his lips carrying a faint hint of mockery. Unlike the original story, his chakra had never been suppressed—his poor performance at school was intentional. Basic ninjutsu like the Body Replacement Technique had long been refined to a high level.
Otherwise, mimicking the original scenes would have been difficult. Why did he do this? He refused to sacrifice the chance to study the forbidden chakra scrolls for the sake of appearances.
"Amano Ren…"
Hinata's worried eyes followed him, though she sensed from his gaze that he didn't care about the others' ridicule.
She silently exhaled, relieved as long as he was fine. Yet she hadn't noticed the disdain and aloofness lurking deep in Ren's eyes.
Hands in his pockets, Ren walked coldly down the aisle. Students instinctively stepped aside, as if afraid he might touch them.
The disdain and indifference in his eyes left no room for compromise.
Yes, this is the kind of emotion I like. In the future, when I act, there'll be no trace of pity.
He walked to his seat with a calm expression.
Sakura Haruno, seated in front of Ren and Sasuke, subtly shifted inward as he passed, though her face showed no sign of disdain.
Ren glanced at her briefly, then quickly turned away and continued to his seat, closing his eyes to rest.
The classroom gradually became noisy again.
"Hey, Ren, why do you seem so happy today?"
Ren opened his eyes and glanced to his left—Ino had somehow seated herself beside him.
"That's none of your business."
Ren said flatly.
"Tch, so stingy. I'm not bad looking, right?"
Ino pouted.
"I don't see what charm a six-year-old girl could have," Ren replied coldly.
"Hmph!"
Ino snorted and walked away.
"Ino, wait, where are you going?"
Sakura hurried to pull Ino aside, whispering while pointing at Ren.
"Don't you think Ren is interesting? And if you ignore those six whiskers, he's actually quite handsome, right?"
Ino spoke with excitement.
"Ren? Handsome? Really?"
Sakura twisted her mouth, unable to associate Ren with "handsome." In her eyes, only Sasuke was truly good-looking.
"Tch, whatever. Keep liking Sasuke, then."
Ino waved, no longer caring about Sasuke, her eyes instead filled with curiosity about Ren.
Time flew by.
Hours passed with the teacher's endless lectures. When the bell rang, the more active boys rushed out, while the girls clustered around Sasuke.
Ren remained in his seat, spinning a pen in his right hand, his left supporting his chin as he pondered.
Chakra and my innate energy… they've unconsciously reached the level of a normal Jonin. Their complementarity is truly astonishing.
Even Ren was surprised. Even as a six-year-old with the Uzumaki body and Kurama's Jinchuriki power, this was impressive. No wonder they call it "dual cultivation."