Chapter 17: Bury them in earth after the fight

Chapter 17 - Bury them in earth after the fight At the dango shop, Ren was calmly eating, savoring the sweet flavor, while Eiji sat across from him, still trying to control his breathing. Between huffs and puffs, Eiji pointed a shaky finger at Ren. "You... how are you so fast?" Ren didn't even pause between bites as he casually replied, "I run around Konoha to build my stamina and speed." It was nothing special, at least in his eyes, and it wasn't something that needed to be kept secret. Eiji, however, looked genuinely surprised. "Really? Maybe I should do that too..." he muttered, thinking about it seriously. Ren raised an eyebrow, amused. "Let's see how long that motivation lasts." As they ate, Ren casually asked, "So, how do you find the Academy?" By now, Eiji had calmed down enough to eat properly, chewing on a skewer before answering. "It's fine, I guess, but I don't really like sitting around and doing nothing." He leaned in slightly, a mischievous smirk on his face. "So, I need to find a way to sneak around the class." Ren chuckled. "Same here, but I don't think sneaking out will be easy—especially with Sensei around." Eiji sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah, I know, but I don't think he'd mind too much if you skipped sometimes... as long as your grades are fine." Ren nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. It's probably fine to skip after the first week. By then, we'll know our way around the Academy." He wasn't against the idea—if anything, having someone else to coordinate with made it easier. Something about talking with Eiji made Ren feel strangely comfortable. It was rare for him to have such a casual conversation with someone his age. And he didn't mind it at all. As they were finishing Eiji suddenly asked "Can we have a spar? I've never really fought anyone and you easily blocked my punch so I wanted to get some experience." Ren agreed since he too wanted to fight someone his age so after finishing ren led him to the training ground he found when he was exploring konoha after hospital discharge. Once there they both did some stretches and started. Eiji instantly rushed after Ren with a punch since he knew it would be difficult to catch up to ren's speed. Ren braced himself as Eiji's punch collided with his crossed arms. Even though he had blocked it cleanly, he still felt the force behind the strike. "Not bad... his strength isn't that far behind mine." While Ren had the advantage in speed, Eiji wasn't weak—his raw power was enough to make blocking a bad long-term strategy. Eiji didn't stop. Seeing that his first attack was blocked, he quickly followed up, aiming a low kick to Ren's ribs. Ren twisted his body, dodging it smoothly, and retaliated with a quick jab toward Eiji's stomach. Eiji managed to step back in time, but Ren followed up immediately, closing the distance again. Realizing he was at a disadvantage, Eiji threw a wide hook, trying to push Ren back. But Ren ducked under it and swept his leg forward, aiming to trip him. Eiji saw it at the last second and jumped back, but he was off balance. Ren took advantage, launching forward with a shoulder tackle. The impact knocked Eiji backward, and he landed on the ground with a grunt. But instead of staying down, he rolled to the side and quickly pushed himself back up. A grin stretched across his face. "Damn, you're quick." Ren smirked. "And you hit harder than I expected." Eiji didn't waste time talking—he rushed forward again, aiming for another punch, but this time, his movements were more controlled. "He's already adapting?" Ren thought, impressed. Ren decided to change tactics—rather than blocking, he chose to deflect. Eiji threw a straight punch, and instead of taking it head-on, Ren redirected the force with his forearm, causing Eiji to stumble slightly. Seizing the opportunity, Ren stepped forward, placing his leg behind Eiji's, and shoved him backward, making him lose balance again. This time, Eiji barely caught himself, but he was breathing heavier now. Ren could tell—his endurance was lower. "Looks like he can't last much longer." Eiji panted but grinned. "One more round?" Ren nodded. "Let's go." The spar continued. Eiji's stamina finally gave out after the third round, and he came to a stop, breathing heavily. Ren, also catching his breath, sat down beside him. "You really need to work on your stamina," he commented, stretching his arms. Eiji sighed, wiping sweat from his forehead. "I know. I even did some running, but it still doesn't increase much." He took a few gulps from the water bottle he had carried with him. Ren, recalling his own discovery about stamina and vitality, offered some advice. "You need proper nutrition too. Just running won't increase your stamina by itself." Eiji blinked, thinking it over. "I see... looks like I have to find a way to eat meat daily." He fell into deep thought, likely calculating how to afford more food. Ren left him to it and got up, moving on to his physical strength training. After recovering, Eiji also joined him, pushing himself further despite his earlier exhaustion. They trained together until evening, and before they left, Ren showed Eiji tree-walking, since he had already mastered leaf balancing. Eiji tried it a few times, managing to stick to the trunk briefly before slipping off. "This is harder than it looks," he muttered. Ren smirked. "Just keep practicing." As the sun began to set, the two parted ways, heading home. Ren walked through Konoha's streets, satisfied with the day's progress. After arriving home, Ren prepared dinner for himself and Juichi—meat, vegetables, and rice. Not knowing how long his father would take, he sat down and started eating. But just as he took his first bite, the front door opened. "Oh, you've cooked. I was hungry—thanks." Juichi walked in, casually sitting down to eat with him. As they ate, Ren decided to bring up the topic. "Hey, Dad, can you teach me the Shadow Clone Jutsu?" Before he could say anything more, Juichi chuckled and casually tossed him a scroll. "I thought you'd last at least three days, but you got bored on day one." Ren blinked in surprise, then quickly unfurled the scroll. Sure enough—it was the Shadow Clone Jutsu. His surprise turned to laughter, and he exclaimed, "Thanks, Dad! Yeah, Academy is pretty boring. Even in the Elite Class, there's not much exciting stuff in the first year." Juichi simply nodded, already expecting this. "I knew it might be boring for you, but listen—be careful when using it." Ren immediately focused, knowing that his father wasn't joking. "Your chakra is barely enough to sustain one clone. Don't try to push beyond that, or you might suffer mental strain. Also, avoid showing it off—keep it hidden as much as possible." Ren nodded, but Juichi wasn't done. "If you leave a clone to train, do it at home—I'll show you the basement. If you use it at the Academy, be extremely careful. If someone discovers you can use Shadow Clones already, you might be forced to graduate early, and I don't think you want that." Ren agreed without hesitation. "You're right. I won't be graduating early—at least not before my second year." Juichi seemed satisfied with that answer, and they continued eating. After finishing dinner and cleaning up, Juichi led Ren to the living room. Standing before a seemingly ordinary wall, he spoke. "Watch carefully. Remember the hand signs." Even with just one arm, Juichi quickly formed a sequence of hand seals before slapping his palm against the wall. A soft rumbling sound echoed through the house. Before Ren's eyes, a hidden staircase appeared, leading downward. Ren's eyes widened in surprise. Juichi chuckled. "Didn't expect that, huh?" "This... is this a personal training ground?" Ren asked, still amazed. Juichi nodded. "It's one of the benefits available to certain Jōnin. Some are allowed to have a sealed room that can hide from sensor-nin. Only the Jōnin who owns it and the Hokage have access to its key." Ren nodded slowly, still processing. "Don't bring anyone here," Juichi cautioned again. As they walked down the stairs, Ren finally saw the hidden room. It was large, with fortified walls, a high ceiling, and minimal furniture—designed purely for training and secrecy. Juichi looked around. "I don't use this much anymore. You can leave your clone here to practice ninjutsu—or anything else you want." Ren was shocked once again. "I assumed it would just be a normal room... but this place is perfect for training." His father kept surprising him. For a moment, Ren even wondered—could Juichi have some deeper secrets? But he shook off the thought for now. Instead, he focused on exploring the room, already thinking about how he could best use it for training. As Ren explored the hidden training room, Juichi called him over and handed him a thin piece of paper. Ren immediately recognized it. "You should also start learning some ninjutsu. You know what this is, right?" Juichi asked. Ren nodded. "Yeah, it's chakra litmus paper—used to test chakra affinity." Juichi smiled. "Correct." He held the paper between his fingers and pushed a small amount of chakra into it. The paper split into four-- Wind Affinity One part burned – Fire Affinity One part became damp – Water Affinity One part crumpled – Lightning Affinity One part turned to mud and fell apart – Earth Affinity "It's not entirely accurate for high-level shinobi, since they tend to awaken multiple affinities over time, but it's still useful in the early stages." Juichi then handed Ren another paper. "Alright, you try." Even though Ren already knew he had Wind Affinity—thanks to the system—he still went through with the test. Holding the chakra paper, he pushed a small amount of chakra into it. To his surprise, both halves of the paper turned to mud and crumbled away. Juichi nodded, not looking too surprised. "Looks like you have an equal affinity for Wind and Earth." Ren raised an eyebrow. "Both aren't that common in Konoha, right?" Juichi shrugged. "Not really, but it's not surprising in your case. My main affinity was Earth, and your mother's secondary affinity was Wind." Ren had expected to have only Wind Affinity, but this result meant that his body's natural affinity was actually Earth. The Wind Affinity must have been gained through the system. "So this is the original body's nature..." "I want to start with Wind first," Ren decided. Juichi smiled approvingly. "Good choice." "Earth is useful for defense, but starting with an offensive affinity will be more beneficial—especially since Wind pairs well with your speed." Juichi thought for a moment, then pulled a small leaf from his pocket. "I'll show you Leaf Splitting. If you master it before learning Wind Style jutsu, you'll have a much easier time later." Ren was slightly surprised. From what he remembered from the anime, Leaf Splitting was usually taught after someone learned basic Wind Jutsu, to help them fine-tune their control. But learning it this early would only be an advantage. "Sounds good. I can even practice this in class, so I won't waste time." Juichi nodded. "Exactly." He then demonstrated the technique, showing Ren how to focus chakra into the leaf, causing it to split cleanly down the middle. Ren watched closely, absorbing the process. After that, Juichi left the basement, leaving Ren to begin his new training.