Chapter 19: Becoming a Porcupine

Words : 1746 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 19 - Becoming a Porcupine {Had some work yesterday so I'll be releasing 2 Chapters today} Waking up early in the morning, Ren followed his usual routine—freshening up, heading out for morning training, then returning home for a bath and breakfast. After saying goodbye to his father, he made his way to the Academy. It had been a week since the Academy started and since the Shadow Clone Jutsu incident. Since then, Ren had been strictly following his training schedule. Aside from his usual morning exercises, he had also been visiting the library daily to study the E-rank jutsu his father had told him to learn. The first step? The Three Academy Jutsu. ✔ Clone Technique (Bunshin no Jutsu) ✔ Transformation Technique (Henge no Jutsu) ✔ Substitution Technique (Kawarimi no Jutsu) Since library scrolls couldn't be taken outside, Ren memorized the hand signs first, then returned home to practice. The Transformation Technique was the easiest, requiring only three signs: [Dog → Boar → Ram]. Ren attempted it on the first try— Poof! He successfully transformed into his father. [SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Congratulations! You have learned your first jutsu! REWARD: +1 GENIN LEVEL POINT] Without hesitation, Ren dumped the point into Chakra, increasing it to 20. Seeing his Chakra stat reach 20, he couldn't help but smirk. "Almost at Chūnin level for Chakra... soon, I'll be able to make a Shadow Clone safely." After successfully learning all three jutsu, Ren practiced them for an extra day, making sure he was comfortable using them in real situations. But he noticed something. None of them appeared on his Mastery Panel. "So they don't have their own mastery level?" Thinking about it, he realized the reason. "They're supplementary jutsu, so they likely fall under Chakra Control Mastery instead." Since chakra control determines how well someone can perform them, his 52% Intermediate Chakra Control allowed him to learn them instantly. Once he fully mastered the jutsu, Ren started experimenting. Since his chakra control was high, he realized he could flow chakra faster than the normal hand seal sequence required. He tested skipping seals, carefully studying how chakra traveled through his pathways when using each jutsu. By adjusting his chakra flow, he managed to reduce the required hand seals from three to just one. But then, he went even further. Since the last remaining hand sign was only needed to stabilize the flow, he pushed himself to try eliminating it entirely. It worked, but he noticed that the activation speed was slower than using even one seal. With the Academy Three successfully learned, Ren moved on to elemental ninjutsu. Rather than learning all three Wind Jutsu at once, he decided to focus on them one by one. 1st Wind Jutsu – Wind Levitation Jutsu (E-Rank) Description: By controlling the wind, the user can force air beneath an object to make it levitate. Practical Use: He combined this with his shurikenjutsu practice, using small wind adjustments to keep his projectiles airborne longer or redirect their movement slightly. 2nd Wind Jutsu – Wind Clone (E-Rank) Description: A non-tangible clone made of wind. Unlike its higher-rank counterparts, attacks pass through it. Practical Use: Since it was just moving air, the clone was extremely fast and could close in on an enemy before blasting a harmless gust of wind. Effectiveness: The "blast" was too weak to do any real damage—more of a nuisance than an actual attack. "Only little kids would be bothered by wind in their face... but that just means I need to get creative with it." Ren didn't disregard it—instead, he decided to train it harder just because of how annoying it could be in battle. 3rd Wind Jutsu – Projectile Control (E-Rank) Description: By coating projectiles in a thin layer of wind, the user can slightly adjust their trajectory or give them an extra push to increase their speed. Practical Use: Once again, perfect for training alongside Shurikenjutsu. With this, Ren was able to correct mid-flight errors and make shuriken curve slightly—an incredibly useful technique for deceptive attacks. After learning the three Wind Jutsu, Ren immediately worked on reducing their hand seals. Wind Levitation – Reduced from 4 → 2 hand signs Projectile Control – Reduced from 4 → 2 hand signs Wind Clone – Reduced from 4 → 3 hand signs The Wind Levitation Jutsu and Projectile Control Jutsu were more useful than the wind clone so he worked harder on the former than the latter but that changed when he tried to use wind jutsu in one of his spar against Eiji. He used the Wind Clone first, sending it rushing toward him. Eiji, thinking it was a real attack, prepared to dodge—only for the clone to burst into harmless wind right in his face. The gust messed up his footing, making him stumble slightly. "Tch—damn it, Ren! That's just annoying!" Ren grinned. "Good, then I'll keep using it." Even though the Wind Clone was weak, it was effective in messing with an opponent's focus. He made a mental note to continue training it—not because it was strong, but because it was hilarious to use. The Academy continued to be as dull as ever, but Ren at least had something productive to do now. Rather than wasting time listening to lectures he already knew, he practiced the Leaf Splitting technique under his desk—hidden from sight. After successfully performing the technique for the first time, a system notification had popped up: [Wind Style Mastery - 12% (Beginner)] That was when Ren realized something— "Not every technique has its own mastery. Instead, they fall under parent categories like Wind Style or Chakra Control." This was useful information. If he wanted to increase his overall Wind Style Mastery, he needed to train multiple Wind Jutsu, not just a single technique. A week had passed since the start of the Academy, and today was the day Ren had been waiting for. Finally—sparring and shurikenjutsu training would begin. Ren was excited. "If my guess is right... I might be paired against Itachi." The thought thrilled him. Even though there was a high chance of losing, he wouldn't go down easily. Arriving at the Academy, Ren took his usual seat beside Eiji and Hitoshi Aburame—the quiet bug boy. Hitoshi barely spoke, only answering when the teacher called on him. Ren wasn't sure if the boy was just naturally reserved, like most of his clanmates, or if he was simply too obedient. But one thing was clear. Every now and then, Ren would hear a faint buzzing sound from Hitoshi's direction. And every time he heard it, a chill ran down his spine. He knew what it was. Bugs. Lots and lots of bugs. Resisting the urge to shudder, Ren would subtly shift away, moving a bit closer to Eiji. Eiji noticed this behavior a few times and looked at him, confused. "Yeah, no way I'm explaining this." The bell rang, signaling the second period, and Utakata-sensei closed his book. "Today, we will have your first Shurikenjutsu class. Form a line and head toward the training ground outside. Quietly." The students moved in silence, knowing how strict their teacher could be. Everyone still remembered the time Utakata made a student stand on his hands for an entire class because he had been caught sleeping and couldn't answer a question. No one wanted to experience that. Once outside, the students stood in five rows of six students each—a formation they had already been taught. Utakata stood in front and explained. "Each row has a box full of shuriken in front of them. You are to throw five shuriken at the target in front of you." He pointed toward the target boards set up ahead. "After throwing, do not retrieve them until I give the clear. First-years tend to have creative aims, and we do not want anyone becoming porcupines." A few students snickered but were instantly silenced by Utakata's sharp gaze. "Any questions?" "NO SIR!" The response rang out in unison. Ren stood in the last row, fifth position, with Eiji in front of him and Hitoshi behind him. Since everyone had a clear view of each other's performance, all eyes were on Itachi when his turn came. He grabbed five shuriken and threw them all at once with perfect precision. All five hit bullseye. Almost every girl in the class cheered— Only for Utakata's icy glare to silence them instantly. "Retrieve." Itachi moved back in line without a word, his face as calm as ever. Soon, Ren's turn arrived. Eiji went first, throwing his shuriken one by one. Four hit the bullseye and one was just slightly off. Then came Ren. He grabbed two shuriken in his left hand and three in his right. In a single motion, he threw them all together. All five hit the bullseye. Unlike with Itachi, there was no cheering or reaction. Everyone had learned their lesson—getting too excited only led to lost marks. "Retrieve," Utakata ordered. Ren almost used Wind Levitation out of habit but stopped himself just in time. When he glanced at Utakata, he noticed the man's gaze was fixed on him. His face gave away nothing but he had definitely noticed something. Still, Ren stayed calm, retrieved the shuriken, and rejoined the line. Once everyone finished, Utakata addressed the class. "All your classes—and your results—will be reflected in your final evaluation at the end of the year." His tone remained neutral, but the meaning behind his words was clear. "A shinobi is evaluated continuously. They must always prove that they have value—something that makes them worth investing in." Ren's eyes narrowed slightly. "Otherwise, you're on your own." Utakata hadn't said it outright, but Ren understood the message clearly. This was a military village, after all. There was no such thing as guaranteed success—only those who proved their worth would thrive. Which was why Ren would never shy away from showing his talent if it meant he could gain something The bell rang, marking the end of class. Before dismissing them, Utakata left them with one last instruction. "Gather here after break. Your first sparring session will begin next." Ren grinned slightly as he followed the rest of the students to lunch. "Sparring, huh? Let's see if I get matched against Itachi." _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Updated Stats [CHA : 20] Mastery Panel [Wind Style Mastery - 12% (Beginner)]

Chapter 19: Becoming a Porcupine

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