Chapter 135: October Tenth

Chapter 135 - October Tenth Inojin took out a few sealing tags from his pocket and explained, "These are sensory dampening seals. They temporarily dull your five senses so you can focus entirely on perceiving with your spiritual energy instead of your sensory organs." He handed one to Ren and added, "Just place it on your forehead. It'll activate on its own." Ren took the seal and examined it briefly. With his Fuinjutsu mastery, he could tell it wasn't harmful, just a layered chakra suppression seal targeted at sensory input. He applied it to his forehead. Instantly, Ren felt a subtle chakra layer settle over his eyes, ears, and other senses. He tried to look around but could barely make out vague shapes, let alone see clearly. He nodded in the general direction of Inojin, signaling that the seal was working. Inojin moved on to the next step. He took out a small ball, attached a few additional seals to it, and let it roll across the floor until it stopped in a corner of the room. "You can start now," he said. Ren formed the hand signs he'd been taught earlier and spread out his spiritual energy. Slowly, the vague world around him began to sharpen, not visually, but as a field of awareness. He focused for a few seconds before speaking. "There's something about... thirty degrees to my left." He narrowed his perception further. "It's... a ball?" Inojin smiled. "Correct. Stop now." Ren ended the technique but left the seal on. Inojin placed several more chakra-suppressed objects around the ten-meter training room and stepped back. "Now, tell me how many objects you can detect." Ren went through the signs again and closed his eyes. His field expanded outward slowly as he focused on each signature. "Five total," Ren said after a few moments. "The furthest one I can sense is the shuriken." Inojin nodded and asked for him to remove the seal. Ren did, and immediately his physical senses returned to normal. He looked down at the tag in his hand thoughtfully. 'This could actually be helpful for practicing Hyperfocus too.' Inojin spoke up again, "Your sensory range is about 6.5 meters right now. That's where the shuriken was placed." Ren looked to confirm and nodded, it was exactly 6.5 meters away. "Well," Inojin said, "that's all I can teach you. You already know how to stimulate spiritual energy, how to spread it, and how to identify chakra-suppressed objects. From here on, it's about refinement. Until your spiritual energy is highly polished, you won't be able to learn advanced sensory techniques anyway. So keep practicing." Ren nodded. 'Well, that was easier than I expected.' He gave a short bow. "Thanks for taking the time to teach me." "No problem," Inojin replied, then turned back to his notes as Ren left the room. A few minutes later, Itsuki (Number 3) entered the room. She looked around, then asked casually, "So, how was it?" Inojin responded calmly, "He learned it, of course." She studied his face for a moment, her brow furrowing. 'He sounds, normal. Didn't Ren show enough talent? No, he said he learned it in one go.' Inojin glanced at her and chuckled. "You expected me to be shocked?" She pouted slightly. "You used to be more expressive." "I've known you since the Academy," Inojin said, chuckling. "We got married, had a daughter, and you still expect me to be surprised by you?" Itsuka sighed, "You're getting numb. I should try new things to shake you up." Inojin laughed again. "Waiting." She tilted her head thoughtfully. "How about we ask Ren to help Shizuka after she graduates? Not as a jonin Sensei, just someone who can help her manage her condition. You know how hard it is for her to control her yin chakra since the quantity she has is very large. If something goes wrong." She didn't finish the sentence, but Inojin understood. "I was thinking of asking Shinku-san's daughter, Kurenai," he replied. "She's the newest Genjutsu prodigy in the village. But, Ren would indeed be a better fit." He thought for a moment, then nodded to himself. "Let's keep both options open. Shizuka's only a year younger than Ren. She might not feel comfortable learning from someone that close in age. But if Ren's mastery of yin release continues at this pace, by the time she graduates, he'll have surpassed Kurenai by a large margin. If that happens, he'll be the better choice regardless." Itsuki nodded. "Alright. Two more years to go." Though they were husband and wife, both maintained professional boundaries inside the command base. Their conversation ended with a mutual understanding, and Itsuki quietly left the room. ~ Once Ren returned home, he began outlining his training plan for sensory jutsu. As part of his usual routine, he created a clone to test whether the technique could be practiced in parallel. The clone formed the necessary hand signs and attempted to spread out a wave of spiritual energy. However, the moment it tried to expand its range, the clone dispelled with a puff of smoke. Ren narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking, 'Hmm, as expected. Clones with low chakra reserves can't handle the strain. Sensory techniques rely heavily on spiritual energy, and spiritual energy consumption is tied directly to chakra. If I want clones to practice this, they'll need at least 20% of my chakra, but that's too costly.' He dismissed the idea for now. 'It's more efficient if I handle sensory training myself. The technique isn't complicated and doesn't demand full concentration, so I can train it in parallel with my physical routines.' With his plan set, Ren stepped outside and resumed his intense physical training. At regular intervals, he activated the sensory technique, pushing his limits with each attempt. ~~~ The next day arrived in the Hidden Leaf Village, but it was not greeted with sunlight. Instead, dark clouds loomed overhead, and a steady downpour blanketed the village in grey. The date was October 10th, a day already marked by a somber atmosphere in Konoha, but the rain made it feel even heavier. Silence pervaded the streets. Shops remained closed, and even the hawkers, usually persistent in any weather, were quietly packing their goods and preparing to leave. For Ren, however, the day was entirely normal. Even though it was his birthday, his routine didn't change. He had already checked with Yoru and found out that both Yugao and Hitoshi were out on missions and not in the village. So, even if he had wanted to celebrate, there wasn't anyone around to invite. Rather than dwell on it, he stuck to his usual schedule: training. The rain was an added challenge, but not an unwelcome one. With nearly 800 kilograms of weighted gear strapped to his body, Ren continued running laps around the village. The rain poured down relentlessly, drenching his clothes and causing his hair to stick to his forehead, but he didn't stop. There was something calming about running in the rain. 'It should rain more often in Konoha,' he thought as he inhaled deeply, enjoying the earthy scent of petrichor. 'The smell of wet earth is truly enchanting.' As he continued sprinting through the village, he passed by Might Guy, who was running in the opposite direction, upside down, of course, and wearing his ever-vibrant green jumpsuit. The two crossed paths with nothing more than a shared glance and an exchanged thumbs-up. It was a routine sight. They had encountered each other many times during their training laps around the village, but not once had they stopped to chat. This time was no different. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Hidden Leaf Village, a small boy with bright yellow hair was running through the streets with a wide grin plastered across his face. His white shirt, adorned with the Uzumaki clan symbol, was stained with colorful paint that the rain struggled to wash away. Behind him, two Chunin were chasing after him, their expressions a mix of exhaustion and frustration. "Damn it," one cursed, panting, "how is a kid who hasn't even entered the Academy running this fast?" The other grumbled in agreement, "Tch. Lord Third better punish him properly this time. That fox brat painted all over the library entrance." Naruto Uzumaki laughed gleefully as he turned to shout at them, "You'll never catch me!" He leaped up and over a cart, using every obstacle in the street as a springboard to maintain his lead. "Gramps can only do something if you guys catch me first!" As he reached an intersection, he came to a brief halt, glancing quickly down each of the three roads ahead. "Which way should I go?" he mused aloud, before pointing to the middle path with a smirk. "I choose you!" With that, he dashed forward, oblivious to the blue blur that sped past him in the opposite direction. For the briefest of moments, their paths crossed. Both turned their heads to glance back. The yellow haired boy thought, 'Was that guy also running after pranking someone?' The blue haired boy, glanced over his shoulder, had a different thought, 'So we finally meet, Naruto Uzumaki.' Neither said a word. Neither stopped. They simply continued running, each unaware of the full weight the other carried. A little distance away, as Ren continued his sprint through the rain, he glanced back once more and sighed internally. 'Even if I wanted to talk to him, there's no way those guys would allow it.' The moment he crossed paths with Naruto, his observe picked up the six ANBU operatives shadowing Naruto's every move. Among them, he had no doubt that at least two or three were from ROOT. 'The moment I stopped to talk or made any suspicious movement, they would surround me in an instant. Not like they could do anything to me, but it's still not worth the trouble.' He let the thought fade as quickly as it had come and focused back on his run, the sound of rain masking his footsteps, and the scent of the wet earth grounding his mind. Today was just another day. ~~~ The rain hadn't stopped for the entire day. Fortunately, this was a world filled with chakra-wielding superhumans. Otherwise, the village might've been halfway underwater by now. Every few hours, whenever the water level began to rise too high in any part of the village, ninja would flicker to the area and quickly dry the excess moisture using various fire or wind techniques. At one point, Ren had paused mid-run to ask one of them who they were. The ninja had responded proudly, "We are the 'Capital Inspired, Save the Village from Getting Very Wet Department.' Appointed personally by the Fourth Hokage, we mobilize in situations like this." Ren had blinked at that. 'What a great name. The Fourth really was a genius when it came to naming things.' He had even offered to help, but was quickly, though politely, refused. Since he wasn't officially part of the 'Capital Inspired, Save the Village from Getting Very Wet Department,' he couldn't be trusted with critical moisture control duties. Ren had sighed at the rejection but didn't dwell on it. Instead, he continued with his training, drenched in rain but focused as always. With no missions assigned for the day, he just kept going until the sky began to darken and the lamps around the village flickered to life. By evening, he finally called it a day and headed toward a very familiar destination: Ichiraku Ramen. Pushing aside the curtain at the entrance, he found the place unusually empty. No customers. No one even manning the counter. He leaned forward slightly and called out, "Old man Teuchi, are you here?" A moment later, Teuchi poked his head out from the kitchen and broke into a wide smile when he saw Ren. "Haha! Happy birthday, Ren! I thought you wouldn't come by today with all this rain." Ren stepped inside and used a small burst of Fire Release to dry himself off, steam rising briefly from his clothes as the moisture evaporated. With a grin, he replied, "My birthday wouldn't be complete without your Ramen." Teuchi laughed warmly. "Well, since you're the only customer right now, and the birthday boy, you get two bowls on the house." Ren nodded as he took a seat at the counter. "Thanks. I'll go with the usual." With a hum and a nod, Teuchi turned and disappeared back into the kitchen, humming a familiar tune. As Ren waited, he let his thoughts wander. 'It's already been six years since I came to this world. So much has happened, but I survived. No, it's better to say I thrived. From a scared, fragile kid to this, I've done well. Let's hope it continues like this.' Soon, Teuchi returned with two steaming bowls in hand, which he set down in front of Ren with a smile. "Happy birthday once again." Ren smiled back, placed his hands together briefly in thanks, and dug in. Teuchi leaned on the counter, watching with a faint smile as Ren slurped down the first bowl. His thoughts wandered, drifting back to a time a few years ago, a time when the shop bustled with a very different set of regulars, loud voices and laughter echoing beneath these same awnings. He looked back at Ren and his eyes shone with emotion and thought quietly, 'How times have changed.' His gaze drifted around his humble stall, walls still strong despite the years, and his eyes eventually landed on the entrance. A small boy stood there, drenched from the rain, fists tightly clenched, and eyes locked onto something in his palm. He opened his hands and seemed to be counting something. Teuchi blinked, then gently waved him in. The boy froze for a moment, clearly startled, but slowly stepped into the shop. Ren paused mid-slurp and turned around slightly, raising an eyebrow at Teuchi's gesture. Then he saw the boy. Blonde hair. Whiskered cheeks. A shirt with the Uzumaki clan symbol. Soaked head to toe, a bit of mud clinging to his sandals. And in his hand, a handful of crumpled notes and coins, just enough for a meal, probably counted a dozen times. Ren stared for a second. 'What a strange game the universe plays,' he thought. 'Looks like we were meant to meet today, Naruto Uzumaki.' ~~~~~ {So they finally meet. Tbh, I was originally planning to wait for a bit longer for them to meet, but then thought, it doesn't matter, the two of them have stayed away for too long, it's about the time the original protagonist and the new protagonist meet.} {Also, for anyone who is waiting for Naruto bashing, you would be disappointed, because just like Hiruzen, I will try to make the real representation of Naruto, and, he is already hated by almost all of the village and quite a lot of onepiece fans, he doesn't need one more hater.} {If you want, you can support me on pat-reon} { h t t p s : / / w w w . p a t r e o n . c o m / Z e e n o n } {You know what else} {200 Stones = Extra Chapter} {STONES!!!!}