"I really didn't expect you to actually master the Flying Thunder God."
"Just good luck," Ren replied with a smile. "And I should thank the Hokage for giving me the technique in the first place. Otherwise, I wouldn't have learned it at all."
That night, inside a private room of a barbecue restaurant in Konoha, Yūgao looked at Ren with unmistakable disbelief in her eyes.
As teammates, she felt she already trusted and understood Ren quite well.
And yet—every single time—this guy somehow managed to stir up something huge, completely refreshing everyone's understanding of him.
Flying Thunder God.
What kind of technique was that?
It was created by the Second Hokage and brought to perfection by the Fourth.
Calling it a Hokage-level technique wouldn't be an exaggeration. Aside from Hokage themselves, had anyone ever truly mastered it?
Compared to Yūgao's amazement, Ren appeared far more modest.
Still, he had to admit one thing—he had seriously underestimated the impact Flying Thunder God had within Konoha.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's shock and delight were understandable. Anyone would be stunned seeing someone Ren's age master such an absurdly difficult technique without direct guidance.
And for Konoha, Flying Thunder God carried enormous significance.
But what Ren hadn't expected was this—
It hadn't even been half a day since the exam ended, yet it already felt like he'd become famous overnight.
Wherever he went, someone seemed to recognize him, immediately turning to friends and excitedly recounting how Ren used Flying Thunder God.
It left him feeling both amused and slightly helpless.
"Don't be humble," Kakashi said with a shrug and a laugh. "The difficulty of that technique is absurd. Even with direct teaching, most people can't learn it."
After all, his teacher had once taught Flying Thunder God to Genma and a few others.
But no matter how personally Minato instructed them, they simply couldn't make sense of it.
Then Kakashi's expression grew more serious as he lowered his voice.
"After you learned it… there haven't been any issues on the other side, right?"
"Don't worry," Tenzō immediately understood what Kakashi meant and smiled. "Ren is ANBU now. We're under the Hokage's protection."
Ren nearly lost his composure when he heard that.
He knew perfectly well that before the exam even ended, Aburame Ryōma had already come looking for him.
Danzo was extremely invested in the fact that Ren had mastered Flying Thunder God.
For the sake of inheriting Danzo's legacy, Ren decided it was best to placate him for now.
Fortunately, it wasn't too troublesome.
After all, Danzo was a man brimming with… self-confidence.
And besides—
Ren hadn't come away empty-handed.
Mission Complete: Defeat Uchiha Itachi and make him understand Root's "shame"
Evaluation: A
Reward: 1 Free Point
Mission Complete: Ensure Uchiha Itachi is not injured
Evaluation: S
Reward: 2 Free Points
"All right, enough about that," Ren said, shaking his head with a grin. "Tonight is for celebrating."
Then he shot Kakashi a mischievous look.
"And, Kakashi-senpai, I saw Guy-senpai looking for you nonstop on my way here."
"..."
At the mention of Might Guy, Kakashi's scalp tingled.
"Guy is a great person," Kakashi said stiffly. "He's just… a little too intense sometimes…"
"Guy-senpai really isn't bad," Yūgao nodded. "We're all from the same generation. I understand him pretty well."
"I think Guy-senpai is simply pursuing and practicing his dream," Ren said, tilting his head thoughtfully. "I've heard some of his past stories. Honestly, I really respect him."
This wasn't flattery.
Guy's life was genuinely inspiring.
A civilian-born shinobi who inherited his father's will, tempered his body relentlessly for decades, and forged it into a vessel capable of nearly fully bearing the Eight Gates—
To the point where he forced a Six Paths–level Uchiha Madara to declare:
'In taijutsu, I acknowledge you as the strongest.'
That alone spoke volumes.
Ren worked hard too—but he understood himself clearly.
He was playing with cheats.
"Guy-senpai really is admirable," Yūgao said with emotion.
Kakashi's visible eye curved into a crescent smile.
"Yeah. He's always had a clear dream, and he's never stopped striving toward it. He's always been a good man."
And what about you?
Ren couldn't help but glance at Kakashi.
Kakashi wasn't as cold as he once was, but it was hard to say whether he was truly living for himself—or simply living in Obito's place.
The way he would later act as a jōnin instructor, especially with Team Seven, carried far too much of Obito's shadow.
If Obito were truly dead, that would be one thing.
A hero. A savior.
But Obito wasn't dead.
He was very much alive.
He had caused the Nine-Tails incident—and now he had even come back to Konoha.
Is he targeting Itachi? Shisui? Or something else entirely?
Obito might be a complete lunatic—but he was also dangerously powerful.
Ren didn't like him. At all.
Among Konoha's greatest ingrates, Obito ranked right up there with Itachi.
"Even with Flying Thunder God, dealing with Kamui… the best counter is probably another Mangekyō."
Space-time techniques demanded equal-tier answers.
And in Ren's view, genjutsu was actually the most effective solution.
After all, even if you hid inside the Kamui dimension—
Your eyes still had to see.
With that thought, Ren's mind inevitably drifted to that person.
The one who might not even exist.
The one rumored to have been buried underground for over a century—yet absurdly still alive.
Shisui was an option, yes. And Ren could absolutely use him to pressure Obito.
But Obito inherited far too much from Uchiha Madara.
And Ren wanted someone who would stand firmly on his side.
Shisui, at best, was a colleague.
At worst, someone Ren was meant to monitor.
That was why Ren's attention kept returning to her.
Especially since, as a gamer, he knew just how terrifying her ability truly was.
The real problem was—
Did she even exist?
And if she did…
Where exactly was she buried?
"Tch… what a headache."
Ren sighed inwardly.
Yūgao noticed the shift in his mood.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Ren said immediately, straightening up. He looked at her seriously. "I was just thinking about you, sen—Yūgao."
"Me?" Yūgao stiffened slightly, confused.
"Yes," Ren said with a smile. "I think you look much better with your hair down than tied up."
"Brat—are you teasing me again?! And how many times do I have to tell you, call me Yūgao!"
Laughter filled the barbecue room.
At the same time—
Inside the Uchiha compound, Uchiha Fugaku's expression had grown increasingly grim.
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