Weeks passed as they trained, studied, argued, laughed, and lived the simple yet demanding life of academy students in Konohagakure. The days blurred into a rhythm of discipline and rivalry, of scraped knuckles and ink-stained fingers. Childhood still existed for them, but it stood side by side with ambition.
The academy curriculum slowly shifted its focus from dry theory to practical application. Survival was no longer a concept written in textbooks; it was something practiced beneath open skies.
They were taught how to track enemies through broken twigs and disturbed soil. They learned how to hide their presence, erase footprints, set simple traps, and detect ambushes. Iruka-sensei's tone had grown firmer, as though preparing them for a world that would not hesitate.
Hinata's growth remained steady and deliberate. Each spar sharpened her instincts, each exercise refined her footwork. Ren observed quietly, calculating without letting pride cloud his judgment.
"If her trajectory remains stable," he thought, watching her move through a stance correction, "once she enters her next growth spurt at twelve, she will be a formidable kunoichi."
His estimates were not guesses; they were projections built on data.
"By fifteen, she should reach Jōnin level," Ren muttered internally. "By seventeen… Kage-tier during the Fourth Ninja War."
He exhaled softly.
"Unless," he added with a faint smirk, "the System rewards her again at Chūnin. If that happens, she might not even need that long."
His attention shifted toward Ino.
Ino Yamanaka was on the verge of a breakthrough. Her taijutsu lacked brute dominance, but her agility and reaction speed had improved drastically.
"She should reach Genin-level taijutsu soon," Ren thought. "Her clan techniques will complement it perfectly."
He sighed quietly.
"I want to teach them more," he admitted to himself. "Advanced chakra control, nature transformation… maybe even sealing basics."
But Konoha was not blind.
"If I start teaching that openly, the village elders will start asking questions," he muttered. "Ten-year-olds aren't supposed to understand that."
That was why he had already sent shadow clones across distant territories, searching for a hidden base beyond the village's scrutiny. A place where growth would not be restricted by watchful eyes.
"It's difficult," he thought. "Finding something unclaimed…"
He paused mid-thought.
"Wait. Why didn't I think of that?"
In the anime, only five great nations were prominently shown. But what about the countless smaller islands and remote territories scattered across the seas?
"What about other islands—"
He stopped himself.
"Calm down. My mind's racing."
He rubbed his forehead.
"First, I'd need to send clones through a Great Ninja Village to reach the sea. And finding an unknown island isn't easy."
He sighed heavily.
"Troublesome…"
"Hey! What are you thinking about?" Naruto shouted as he suddenly plopped down beside him.
Naruto Uzumaki grinned, his presence as loud as ever.
Ren sighed again. "Nothing, man. Just thought life is so hard."
Naruto scratched his head. "Why are you talking like Shikamaru?"
"It has nothing to do with him," Ren replied flatly. "Life is just troublesome."
From a nearby bench, Shikamaru glanced over lazily.
"At least someone gets me," Shikamaru Nara said, resting his chin in his palm. "You're surprisingly reasonable sometimes, Ren."
"Don't get used to it," Ren answered dryly.
Naruto laughed. "You two sound like old men."
"Maybe we are," Ren muttered. "Trapped in small bodies."
Shikamaru gave him a suspicious look. "That was oddly philosophical."
"Forget it," Ren said, stretching his arms overhead and forcing his thoughts about hidden bases aside. "It's free lecture anyway."
Just then, Hinata approached.
"Ren, you promised to spar with me."
Her tone was calm, but there was unmistakable determination in her eyes.
Ren scratched his head. "Did I? I must've forgotten. Sorry about that. Let's go now—it's a free lecture anyway."
"You always forget when it's about me," Naruto teased.
"I forget everything equally," Ren replied. "I'm consistent."
Hinata smiled gently and took his hand without hesitation, pulling him toward the training field.
Behind them, Ino's mouth twitched.
She knew Ren had not said anything special, yet Hinata's small victorious smile—directed straight at her—was intentional.
"So you're marking him as your territory," Ino muttered under her breath. "Never thought you were possessive, Hina-chan."
She crossed her arms but followed anyway.
Ever since Hinata had discovered that Ren had been secretly training Ino as well, she had insisted on joint sessions. It had surprised Ino at first.
"She's not just a name-only heiress anymore," Ino had realized. "She chooses for herself now."
She had even begun suspecting that the Hyūga clan was watching Ren closely.
He might hide his strength from most people, but before the Byakugan, his chakra was an open book.
Even at ten, Ren stood at peak Genin-level taijutsu. His chakra reserves rivaled elite Jōnin. And his chakra control—Ino refused to even compare it.
"I still can't believe it," Ino muttered as they reached the field. "Your chakra control is disgusting."
Ren shrugged. "That's not an insult, right?"
"It is," she replied. "But I'm also jealous."
Hinata stepped forward. "Enough talking. Let's begin."
Ino smirked. "You sound serious."
"I am," Hinata answered calmly.
They began sparring.
Ren blocked Hinata's palm strike and pivoted smoothly. "You're faster."
"You said that last week," Hinata replied softly as she adjusted her footing.
"And you improved again," he countered.
Ino joined mid-exchange, targeting Ren's blind angle.
"You two are ignoring me," she declared.
Ren ducked and countered. "Never. You're just quieter when attacking."
"I'll show you quiet," she snapped, launching a swift kick.
Laughter mixed with the sound of impacts.
What none of them knew was that high above the compound walls, watchful eyes observed.
Within the Hyūga clan, objections had indeed arisen about Hinata's constant training with Ren. Some elders questioned the appropriateness. Others questioned the risk.
But Hiashi Hyūga had overruled them.
Hiashi Hyuga had personally witnessed something that changed everything.
Once—only once—he had seen Ren use the Flying Thunder God technique by accident.
It had been brief. But unmistakable.
FTG was not something one could casually obtain. It belonged to legends.
Hiashi had concluded that Ren had recreated it himself.
His suspicion deepened when he inspected Hinata's gravity training gear. The fuinjutsu etched into it was not written in any known sealing language.
It was structured differently.
Encoded differently.
The boy had created his own fuinjutsu language.
Hiashi had two reasons for allowing Hinata to grow close to Ren.
First, Ren was not merely a genius. He was a monster in potential. Hiashi believed he could reach Hashirama's level one day.
Second, if Hinata were ever branded with the Caged Bird Seal… Ren would find a way to free her.
Hiashi had studied Ren's behavior carefully.
The boy valued his friends.
He protected what he considered his.
"If that day ever comes," Hiashi had thought silently, "he will intervene."
Maintaining a connection between Ren and the Hyūga clan was strategic.
And what better connection than Hinata herself?
If either Hinata or Hanabi were ever get branded, Ren would not remain silent.
This was a calculation even Hinata did not know.
Even Ren remained unaware that he was being positioned carefully within clan politics.
On the field, Hinata's palm strike forced Ren back two steps.
"You're distracted," she said softly.
Ren smirked. "Maybe I was thinking about the future."
"Is it troublesome?" Shikamaru called lazily from a distance.
"Very," Ren answered.
Naruto shouted, "Then stop thinking and fight!"
Ino laughed. "For once, I agree with him."
Ren rolled his shoulders and stepped forward again.
"Fine," he said calmly. "Let's stop thinking."
For now, they were just children beneath the leaves.
But the future was already watching them.