"…Why are you here?"
Ren looked up at Hikaru, who had walked straight into his room without waiting for permission. His expression turned faintly peculiar.
He was fairly certain he hadn't told her to come in.
Still—
He had to admit.
She was easy on the eyes.
Her expression remained cold, as though ten miles of spring breeze had been sealed beneath unmelting ice. But that kind of aloof elegance didn't bother him.
Ever since moving into the Senju ancestral estate, she had changed out of the standard Uchiha blue robes.
Now she wore a simple white long garment. Her jet-black hair flowed down her back like ink, and paired with her quiet, distant aura, she looked almost unreal.
The only pity—
Time had frozen her age.
Visually, she looked slightly younger than him.
"Am I not allowed to come?"
Hikaru tilted her head and glanced at him before calmly closing the door behind her. She walked over and sat beside him without ceremony.
After a brief silence, she finally lifted her eyes.
"…Thank you."
"Things didn't unfold exactly how I imagined. And I know you have your own goals."
"But at least… I truly saw that clan burn to ash."
The Uchiha.
The memories.
What she endured.
Those were demons lodged deep in her heart.
For a long time, she believed she would never see closure.
But now—
She had witnessed it with her own eyes.
It wasn't perfect.
It wasn't clean.
But it was release.
"Just thank you?" Ren tilted his head slightly, deliberately playful. "Overthrowing a major shinobi clan isn't exactly something ordinary people accomplish. According to tradition, shouldn't you at least say something like 'I'll repay you with my life'?"
"…."
There was a soft crack.
Her fist clenched.
She stared at him in disbelief.
This bastard really would say anything.
Ren immediately raised both hands in surrender.
"Relax. I'm joking."
"Aren't we friends?"
"Friends help each other. That's normal."
"And like you said, I have my own motives."
"So don't carry it like a debt."
Hikaru shot him a look, but after a long pause, she exhaled softly.
"…Even so."
"When I saw innocent people slaughtered like that… I didn't feel satisfaction."
"I thought I would."
"But instead…"
Her voice lowered.
"…it felt uncomfortable."
"I don't understand why."
Ren nodded gently.
"That just means you're not rotten."
He leaned back slightly.
"You hated the Uchiha who tortured you."
"You hated that no one saved you."
"You hated that the world let it happen."
"But that's different from wanting innocent people dead."
"You were consumed by pain. That's not the same as being cruel."
He studied her quietly.
"And now?"
"I don't see someone celebrating revenge."
"I see someone questioning herself."
"Hikaru… you're not evil."
"You're wounded."
Silence fell between them.
Outside, leaves rustled in the courtyard wind.
For once—
She didn't argue.
"…If I turned out to be a monster?" she suddenly asked, standing up. "If my past proves I deserve hatred?"
Ren didn't hesitate.
"Then I'd keep you close."
"And see if you could change."
He smiled faintly.
"You're my friend."
"I don't abandon my friends."
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Like you treat Yūgao?"
There was a flicker of something almost mischievous in her tone.
Ren snorted.
"I prefer women older than me."
"…Tch."
She rolled her eyes—
Then froze.
He froze.
She was over a century old.
The silence stretched awkwardly.
Outside, birds perched along the courtyard branches, utterly confused by the strange tension radiating from inside the room.
Warm sunlight filtered through the leaves.
Hikaru stepped outside into the garden.
She walked slowly, hands clasped behind her back.
After a few steps, she glanced back at his window.
Then forward again.
"…Idiot."
Her thoughts churned.
He broke her seal.
He crushed the clan she hated.
He gave her a direction.
He promised to uncover her past.
And—
He said she was kind.
Was she?
She wanted it to be true.
"…Liking older women… what kind of habit is that?"
A small pebble skipped across a pond's surface, ripples spreading outward like her thoughts.
Before she could spiral further—
"Hikaru?"
Yūgao's voice called out.
Hikaru looked up.
Yūgao and Shizune were walking toward her.
"We just finished up," Yūgao said softly. "You shouldn't wander alone. You're still not familiar with the village."
"Yeah," Shizune added gently. "If you want to go out, we can go together. Clear your head."
Hikaru paused.
They misunderstood.
They thought she was grieving for the Uchiha.
But their concern was real.
"…Alright," she said quietly.
Yūgao slipped an arm around her shoulders.
"We'll drag Ren along later. With him around, Lady Tsunade won't complain."
Hikaru glanced once more toward Ren's room.
Something unspoken lingered in her eyes.
Inside the room—
Ren exhaled slowly.
"Complicated…"
He stretched.
"Sixteen already. In this world, that's old enough to have kids."
He waved the thought away.
Focus.
He opened his status panel.
Shihara Ren
Physical Condition: LV12
Chakra: LV11
Abilities: Wood Release LV8, Flying Thunder God LV7, Taijutsu LV7, Yin Release LV7, Scorch Release LV7, Yang Release Chakra Mode LV8
Free Points: 70
He didn't hesitate.
[Yang Release Chakra Mode increased to LV9]
[Remaining Points: 54]
[ Yin Release increased to LV9 ]
[ Wood Release increased to LV9 ]
[Remaining Points: 23]
[Chakra increased to LV12]
[Physical Condition increased to LV13]
[Free Points: 0]
And then—
It hit.
A surge.
Violent.
Uncontrollable.
Agony.
[Due to physical evolution, bloodline mutation detected.]
Pain tore through him.
His body felt like it was collapsing.
Blood boiling.
Organs failing.
He slammed into the floor.
Steam rose from his skin.
He couldn't even lose consciousness.
His control was too precise.
He felt everything.
Every cell.
Breaking.
Reforming.
Reassembling.
And then—
Silence.
His body stabilized.
But it wasn't the same.
He sat up slowly.
"…What is this?"
His senses had expanded dramatically.
Previously, his passive perception extended a few hundred meters.
Now—
Kilometers.
If he narrowed focus—
He could feel heartbeats.
Blood flow.
Muscle tension.
Even micro-movements before someone attacked.
"…This feels like having Sharingan."
Except—
It wasn't visual.
It was sensory.
Pure awareness.
And more—
His chakra control had reached absurd refinement.
He raised his hand.
No seals.
No buildup.
A spiraling sphere formed—
Flames intertwining seamlessly with rotational force.
A Fire Release Rasengan variant.
Perfect fusion.
The room trembled.
Dust drifted from the ceiling—
And was blown away before touching him.
"…So this is it."
His vitality surged.
There was a sensation—
Like a flame burning inside his chest.
Life energy.
Dense.
Radiant.
Almost tangible.
"…I'm getting closer to something."
Not just Kage.
Not just beyond Kage.
Something else.
Almost—
Ōtsutsuki-like.
Not in form.
But in essence.
And then—
The door burst open.
"What the hell are you doing? Trying to tear down the house?!"
Tsunade stormed in—
Then stopped.
Her eyes narrowed.
"…Why are you so pale all of a sudden?"
Ren blinked.
"…Pale?"
He turned toward the mirror.
And froze.
His skin—
Was noticeably fairer.
Not sickly.
But unnaturally luminous.
As if something beneath the surface had shifted.
Something ancient.
Something not entirely human anymore.
The mutation—
Had only just begun.
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/lucarioTL