In the Land of Fire, within Konohagakure.
Kurogane Ren, his face pale, sat inside Ichiraku Ramen, savoring this iconic dish of the Naruto world while listening to the chatter around him. Beneath his indifferent expression, a faint trace of emotion slowly surfaced.
The discussions in the shop were chaotic, but the hottest topic recently revolved around the youngest Jonin—Kakashi Hatake. Although his promotion to Jonin had already happened some time ago, someone so young reaching that rank still sparked endless admiration and conversation.
But today's discussion went beyond that. What truly reignited the buzz was that after returning from the war against the Iwa-nin, Kakashi had gained a Sharingan that he could not deactivate.
It was said that Kakashi's left eye had been injured, and during the battle, he inherited the bloodline limit from the fallen Obito Uchiha—the Sharingan.
That was the signature bloodline of the Uchiha clan in Konoha. Even within the clan, few awakened it, and most only reached the single tomoe stage. Yet Kakashi's Sharingan had two tomoe.
The combination of the Sharingan and a genius like Kakashi—what kind of reaction that would create—had become a heated topic among the villagers.
At this, Kurogane Ren couldn't help but sneer softly. Who could have imagined that this Sharingan was not entirely a blessing for someone as talented as Kakashi?
It wasn't that the Sharingan was weak. On the contrary, it was incredibly powerful. The problem was that it didn't suit Kakashi at his current stage.
Even though Kakashi was already a Jonin, he was still only twelve years old. His body had not fully matured, and his chakra reserves were still limited.
Without Uchiha blood, the Sharingan remained constantly active. With his already low chakra, having an eye that continuously drained it would inevitably hinder his growth.
Of course, the Sharingan was still an exceptional bloodline, and its boost to combat ability was undeniable.
For Kakashi, the best choice would have been to seal the Sharingan for now and only unseal it after his chakra reserves improved. That way, both his growth and combat strength could progress without interfering with each other, though it might slightly reduce his familiarity with the eye.
But given Kakashi's talent, that loss in proficiency would hardly matter.
This wasn't a difficult conclusion to reach, yet Kakashi hadn't chosen that path. With Kushina Uzumaki, a master of sealing techniques, as his teacher's wife, and Minato Namikaze as his teacher—someone who had further refined barrier-type sealing techniques under her guidance—there was no way sealing the eye would have been impossible.
Which meant the reason was likely simple: it was a memento left behind by Obito Uchiha, and Kakashi refused to seal it.
"Obito Uchiha's Sharingan…"
Kurogane Ren murmured, a hint of envy flashing in his eyes. He, too, wanted that Sharingan—the one that carried the power of Kamui.
But when he thought of Madara Uchiha behind Obito, and Minato behind Kakashi, he could only give up the idea.
He was still a Special Jonin of Konoha. That identity brought him many conveniences, and for now, he had no intention of abandoning it.
Shaking his head helplessly, a fiery glint appeared in his eyes. It wasn't because he had thought of a new way to obtain Kamui, but because…
"Finally… has the time come?"
Looking at his pale reflection in the clear broth of his bowl, his gaze grew distant. He had waited far too long for this day.
Kurogane Ren, Special Jonin of Konoha, was now twenty-seven years old. Reaching only this level at such an age basically meant he had hit his limit. Any further improvement would amount to learning a few niche jutsu—minor enhancements at best.
It wasn't for lack of effort. In terms of dedication, he was no less than Might Guy.
Of course, that didn't refer to taijutsu. He had tried that path as well, but his talent there was just as mediocre. Forcing it would only ruin his body.
After realizing that his chakra talent was average, his taijutsu talent was average, and he didn't even have the standard transmigrator cheat system, Kurogane Ren felt completely numb.
The Naruto world was far from peaceful.
In his twenty-plus years of life, he had already lived through the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars. The fact that he was still alive was nothing more than luck.
In such wars, ordinary Genin were cannon fodder, Chunin were slightly stronger cannon fodder, and Special Jonin?
That title just sounded better. In reality, they were elite Chunin… or perhaps elite cannon fodder.
Kurogane Ren wasn't afraid of death. He simply didn't want to die in a meaningless, inexplicable way.
In truth, he didn't even know how he had come to this world. One moment he closed his eyes, the next he opened them with memories intact, already a member of Konoha. No truck accident, no dramatic event.
Thinking about it now, maybe the truck's role wasn't just to cause accidents—maybe it also delivered systems?
He shook his head. There was no point dwelling on that anymore. If a system hadn't appeared by now, it probably never would. At best, he could hope it might arrive when the protagonist was born or when the main story began.
Did he have any strengths at all? Yes.
His control over chakra was exceptionally precise.
But no matter how refined his control was, it couldn't compensate for his pitifully low reserves.
Even now, at twenty-seven, his chakra was only at the level of an ordinary Chunin. And it might even decline with age.
It was… ridiculous.
If not for his decent talent in ninjutsu, he might not have even qualified as a Special Jonin.
The thought left him feeling frustrated. No system, no talent—it was a bit too much.
Fortunately, heaven never sealed off all paths. At the very least, his memories could serve as his cheat.
For example, the technique he had been watching closely—the Demon Assimilation Technique—had finally become obtainable.
He had been keeping an eye on the Jonin named Hiruko for a long time. The reason he hadn't acted before wasn't due to lack of opportunity, but because he wasn't sure whether the technique had been successfully developed.
But at this point in time, Hiruko had already set his sights on Kakashi's Sharingan and even secretly used puppet techniques on him. That alone was enough to confirm that the Demon Assimilation Technique was either complete or nearly so.
Soon, his experiments would be exposed, and he would be hunted by the Sannin, forcing him to leave Konoha and collect corpses with bloodline limits. According to Kurogane Ren's memories, that time was now.
And during this window, Hiruko would act against Kakashi again. All Kurogane Ren had to do was wait for him to leave his experimental base.
Taking a deep breath, Kurogane Ren formed a hand seal with his free hand.
"Summoning Technique—Clairvoyance."
In the next instant, his vision seemed to pass through the ramen shop, arriving above a hidden experimental base.
On a large tree nearby, a crow was preening its black feathers while watching the area below with sharp red eyes.
This crow was his summoned beast. It had originally been an ordinary bird, but through careful nurturing with chakra, it had barely gained intelligence and become his summon.
"No movement yet?"
Through the crow's eyes, Kurogane Ren calmly observed the base. It wasn't surprising. Whether the information had reached Hiruko or not, broad daylight wasn't an ideal time for him to act.
After watching for a while longer, Kurogane Ren dispelled the technique.
Now he only needed to wait for his summons to notify him. Unfortunately, since they were originally just ordinary crows, they couldn't perform reverse summoning like traditional contracted beasts. Still, within a certain range, they could relay information through chakra.
After some thought, Kurogane Ren gathered more crows and spread them around the base, keeping watch from a distance.
With everything set, he picked up his bowl from Ichiraku Ramen and finished the remaining broth, letting out a satisfied sigh.
No wonder the protagonist never got tired of this ramen. The taste really was top-tier.
"Boss, the bill."