Ren reappeared on the island using the Flying Thunder God technique. The air shimmered briefly as he stepped out of the teleportation mark and looked toward the training field.
Hinata and Ino were still practicing with leaves.
Both girls stood several meters apart, completely focused as they tried to manipulate their chakra through the fragile leaves in their hands.
Ren crossed his arms and nodded with approval.
"Good… they didn't slack off."
He observed their chakra flow with Six Eyes for a moment.
"They'll need time," he murmured quietly. "But with those gloves helping stabilize their chakra flow, they should progress steadily."
---
Ren raised his voice slightly.
"Hey, you two. Come here."
"I have something to talk about."
Hinata and Ino immediately stopped their training and walked toward him.
"You're back already?" Ino asked curiously.
"How did the seal testing go?"
Hinata tilted her head slightly.
"You wanted to say something important?"
Ren scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Well… yeah."
He hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"You see… the gravity gear I gave you has a limit."
Ino raised an eyebrow.
"A limit?"
Ren nodded.
"The materials can only handle a certain amount of pressure."
"If I push it further, the equipment will break."
Hinata nodded slowly, understanding the problem.
"And you can't upgrade it?"
Ren sighed.
"I could… but the only real upgrade would be using chakra metal."
Ino immediately whistled softly.
"Yeah… that's not happening."
She crossed her arms.
"Chakra metal is ridiculously expensive and rare."
Hinata nodded in agreement.
"If my father found out we had chakra metal used for weighted training gear…"
"He would definitely start asking questions."
Ren nodded.
"Exactly."
---
Ino leaned forward slightly with a knowing smirk.
"So… you found a solution, right?"
Ren coughed awkwardly.
"Ahem… about that."
He rubbed his neck slightly as his cheeks turned faintly red.
"I can place a gravity seal directly on your bodies."
Hinata blinked.
Her face instantly turned pink.
"And… you can't place those seals over our clothes."
Ino stared at Ren for a moment.
Then her face slowly turned red as well.
"…Oh."
There was a few seconds of awkward silence.
---
"Fine."
Ren blinked in surprise.
"You agree?"
Ino rolled her eyes.
"We're ninja, Ren."
"Just because we're clan heiresses doesn't mean we're sheltered idiots."
She crossed her arms confidently.
"We don't do seduction missions because of our status."
"But the academy still teaches us the theory behind those things."
Hinata nodded shyly.
"Things like that are part of ninja education."
She glanced at Ren with a small smile.
"And… if it's Ren, it's fine."
Ren's face turned even redder.
"…Right."
He quickly turned and walked toward the training chamber.
"Let's go."
Hinata and Ino followed quietly behind him.
---
Some time later—
The three of them walked out of the chamber again.
Ren's face was still red, and he refused to look directly at either of them.
"Ahem."
He cleared his throat awkwardly.
"We should go back soon."
"It's already afternoon."
Hinata nodded immediately.
"Our training usually ends around this time."
Ino stretched slightly.
"If we're not home soon, our parents might start wondering where we are."
Ren nodded.
"Exactly."
Hinata began walking toward her room.
"I'll change first."
Ino followed her.
"I'll change too."
---
"Wait."
Ren stopped them.
"Take your clothes with you."
Ino blinked.
"Huh?"
"I'm taking you somewhere first."
Hinata looked curious but nodded.
"Alright."
The girls went inside briefly and collected their clothes, storing them inside their new wrist storage seals.
They returned moments later.
Ren placed his hands on their shoulders.
"Hold still."
The world warped again.
---
They reappeared somewhere completely different.
Steam rose gently into the air.
The sound of waves echoed nearby.
Ino blinked in shock.
"Wait…"
She looked around slowly.
"You built hot springs?!"
Hinata looked equally surprised.
"And this looks like… another deserted island."
Ren smiled slightly.
"Yep."
He pointed toward a beautifully constructed hot spring facing the ocean.
"You can use that one."
"It has the best view."
Ino stared at the horizon where the sun was slowly beginning to set.
"…Wow."
Ren shrugged casually.
"Don't worry."
"This island is also protected with seals."
"No one will come here."
Hinata bowed her head slightly.
"Thank you, Ren."
Ino nodded.
"Yeah… seriously."
The two girls walked toward the hot spring.
Ren quietly walked toward a separate one nearby.
---
Hinata and Ino relaxed inside the warm water.
The ocean stretched endlessly in front of them as the sunset painted the sky orange and red.
Ino leaned back comfortably.
"This is just perfect."
Hinata nodded gently.
"He must have spent a lot of time preparing all of this."
Ino sighed softly.
"Yeah…"
Then she suddenly frowned.
"Too bad Sakura refused to train with us."
"Both Ren and I invited her multiple times."
Hinata sighed slightly.
"She really missed many opportunities."
Ino shrugged.
"We can't force someone if they don't want it."
Hinata nodded.
"Yes."
"Let's just enjoy the hot springs."
"We still need to go home soon."
The two girls relaxed in the warm water while chatting and watching the sunset.
---
A while later, Ren walked toward them.
"So… ready to go home?"
Ino stretched lazily.
"…Do we have to?"
She tilted her head slightly.
"Can we come back here again?"
Ren smiled.
"Of course."
"It's our private hot springs."
Ino leaned closer toward him with a teasing grin.
"You're spoiling us too much."
"You might have to deal with the consequences later."
Hinata immediately gave her a sharp glare.
"Ahem."
"Ino… it seems you stayed in the hot spring for too long."
"Do you want me to help you return to normal?"
Ino clicked her tongue.
"Tsk."
"You're no fun, Hinata."
She stood up.
"Fine. Let's go home."
---
Ren teleported them back to his garden in Konoha.
The sky had already darkened slightly.
Hinata and Ino waved goodbye before walking toward their homes.
Their lives slowly settled into a rhythm after that.
Every morning they woke up early and completed physical training.
Then they prepared for the academy and met at Ren's house.
Shadow clones were sent to attend classes while the real ones trained on the island.
After training, they relaxed at the hot springs before returning to Ren's home and eventually heading back to their own houses.
---
Their training continued relentlessly.
They sparred regularly as Ren taught them advanced chakra control techniques.
He introduced them to Monster Strength training.
They learned water walking and practiced various ninjutsu techniques.
Hinata had even started working on a new idea.
A technique she called the Twin Lion Fists.
---
Sometimes they trained on the rocky island as well.
Ren had placed Flying Thunder God markers there earlier.
The rough terrain made it perfect for practicing Monster Strength without worrying about damage.
They also conducted survival drills.
During those exercises, Hinata and Ino had to survive on the rocky island while five of Ren's shadow clones hunted them down.
It forced them to fight seriously.
---
They sparred using taijutsu, ninjutsu, and even real weapons.
Neither of them feared injuries.
Ren was already a top-tier medical ninja.
He could heal almost anything they suffered during training.
Hinata had also begun studying medical ninjutsu.
With her Byakugan, many medical procedures became significantly easier.
She enjoyed helping people.
Her kindness was still there.
But now it was different.
Her kindness was no longer a weakness.
When necessary, she fought with everything she had.
---
Ino had also begun developing new wind-based ninjutsu.
Her creativity during battle training surprised even Ren sometimes.
Both girls were growing stronger rapidly.
Ren smiled quietly whenever he watched them train.
The system had rewarded him once Hinata and Ino reached Genin-level chakra control and nature transformation.
The rewards were simple talent enhancers.
He used them on Hinata, Ino, and himself.
---
Their strength steadily increased.
Their combat instincts sharpened through constant drills and real battle simulations.
Day after day.
Month after month.
They trained.
They improved.
And slowly—
They grew stronger together.