"Uncle Shinku, do you happen to have any chakra paper at home?" Ren inquired, opting for the direct approach. The fastest way to determine one's chakra affinity was the simple, universally available chakra paper test.
"Chakra paper?" Shinku Yuhi blinked, processing the request for a moment before nodding. "I believe I have some left. Are you planning to begin training in chakra nature transformation?"
Chakra paper wasn't a rare or prohibitively expensive item. As a jōnin who had led genin teams, Shinku kept a small stock for instructional purposes.
Ren nodded, offering a plausible, peer-pressure-driven explanation. "That's the idea. I sparred with Kakashi this morning. He's already mastered a Fire Release ninjutsu. I can't afford to fall behind."
"Sakumo's son... a true genius, as expected," Shinku mused, finding the reasoning perfectly natural. A classmate's advancement was classic motivation for a competitive spirit. "Wait here, I'll fetch it."
He returned shortly from a storage closet, two blank, off-white squares of paper held between his fingers.
"Go call Kurenai as well," he instructed Ren. "We might as well test her affinity at the same time. I'll wait for you both in the backyard."
With an affirmative "Oh," Ren headed to the living room, where Kurenai Yuhi was sprawled in a state of post-dinner lethargy on the sofa. She groaned in protest as Ren insisted, finally allowing herself to be hauled to her feet with much theatrical reluctance and dragged, complaining all the while, to the backyard.
Watching the pair, Shinku couldn't help a fond smile before getting down to business.
"Formal training in chakra nature transformation typically begins after one becomes a genin," he explained. "But knowing your innate affinities early allows you to plan your future development more effectively."
"Father, isn't my path meant to be genjutsu?" Kurenai grumbled, still pouting. "Why test my chakra nature?"
Her future direction already seemed set. She possessed a noted talent for illusion techniques, and her training in that art was slated to begin in the near future.
"You do have a gift for genjutsu," Shinku acknowledged. "But what happens when you encounter an opponent immune to or adept at breaking illusions? You will need other means to respond." His plan for his daughter did indeed center on genjutsu, a path for which she showed clear aptitude. However, a secondary skillset was never a detriment.
Kurenai gave a small, resigned nod. "Alright."
Shinku handed each of them a square of paper. "Simply channel a small amount of your chakra into it. The paper will react differently based on your dominant chakra nature. Everyone has at least one, often two, innate affinities."
He was, admittedly, deeply curious about Ren's result. He no longer harbored any doubts about the boy's monstrous talent, but chakra nature touched upon the very foundation of a shinobi's future combat style. It was crucial information, not just for Ren's training, but also for the report he would inevitably need to make to the Hokage.
As Ren's status as a surviving Uzumaki descendant became more "confirmed," the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had taken a pronounced interest in the boy's development.
'It feels no different from ordinary paper...' Ren held the sheet between his fingers, examining it closely and even giving it an experimental rub. To his senses, it was indistinguishable from any other scrap. What was the underlying principle that allowed it to detect something as esoteric as chakra affinity?
Kurenai, meanwhile, held her paper without activating it yet. She tilted her head, a spark of academic curiosity in her eyes. "Has anyone ever tested positive for all five basic natures at once? It seems a bit... limited to only have one or two."
Shinku considered for a moment, then shook his head. "Not that I've ever seen or heard of. The most I've personally witnessed is two concurrent affinities."
He genuinely couldn't recall such a case. One or two was the norm; he hadn't even encountered a natural triple affinity, let alone all five from the outset.
He then offered an encouraging smile.
"But remember, chakra natures can also be acquired through later, rigorous training. Not having an affinity initially doesn't mean you can never learn it. Look at Hokage-sama himself—a master who can wield ninjutsu of all five natures. He is hailed as the strongest Hokage, the Professor of Ninjutsu! With enough dedication, you too can master techniques of any attribute, just like him!" He finished with a dose of paternal, motivational rhetoric.
"Is that so?" Kurenai nodded, though she still looked slightly puzzled. These were topics not yet covered in the academy curriculum.
"Well, it seems..." Ren interjected, his tone casual as he glanced at the sheet held between his index and middle fingers. It was already undergoing a dramatic transformation. "The legendary Five-Element Spirit Body... Ptooey... or in our terms, the person with all five innate natures complete, has finally appeared."
The chakra paper in Ren's hand was a spectacle. It simultaneously exhibited five distinct reactions: one section burned to a crisp black edge (Fire), another part split cleanly down the middle (Wind), a third area wrinkled and crumpled inward (Lightning), a fourth segment crumbled into fine dirt-like dust (Earth), and the final portion grew damp and soaked through (Water).
In a xianxia novel, this would be the heaven-defying Five-Element Spirit Body. In the world of Naruto, it was the rarest of innate gifts: complete affinity with all five basic chakra natures.
Today, the Yūhi father and daughter had met him—the one with all five natures complete. It is I, Ren!
"..."
Both father and daughter instinctively turned to look. Their eyes locked onto the impossibly reacting square of paper pinched in Ren's fingers. A profound, shared silence descended.
Kurenai Yuhi slowly swiveled her head to stare at her father, her wide eyes silently telegraphing a single, accusatory question: Didn't you just say there weren't any?
Shinku Yuhi read the message perfectly and found himself at a loss for words. Was this kid Ren specifically here to dismantle his authority?
"Ahem..." Shinku cleared his throat, raising a fist to his mouth in a attempt to salvage his pedagogical dignity. "It's... possible I simply haven't encountered one before. It's said Hokage-sama may also possess such a comprehensive affinity. And Ren is, without question, a genius of that caliber."
He didn't actually know if Hiruzen Sarutobi had been born with all five, but he had certainly mastered them all. And now, he had truly witnessed the innate version.
All five natures on the first test. Was Ren even human? He felt he had genuinely learned something new today.
"Hmm..." Kurenai let out a small, judgmental sound, her expression suggesting her father's credibility was steadily declining. He'd been so definitive a moment ago. She shook her head in a miniature impression of adult disappointment. "Father, you shouldn't state uncertain things with such certainty. It leads to incorrect judgments!"
The sight of the little loli delivering such a sober, reproving lesson was both humorous and unbearably cute.
Shinku Yuhi: "..."
This daughter... she's picking up bad habits from someone. She was backstabbing her own father! No longer his sweet, compliant little cute daughter!
"I'll try too! Maybe I also have all five natures complete!" Kurenai declared, her competitive spirit (or hope for reflected glory) ignited. She enthusiastically focused, channeling her chakra into her own sheet of paper.
The result was singular and unambiguous: the paper grew uniformly damp, becoming thoroughly soaked. Water Nature.
Kurenai's face fell into an instant pout. "Why only one?!"
"Sigh..."
A small, world-weary sigh escaped her. She had been outshone by Ren once again. Yet, notably, there was no real bitterness in the sound. It was more like... resignation? Acceptance?
Habit, she was learning, was a truly terrifying force.