Chapter 58: Unnecessary Tests

Chapter 58 - Unnecessary Tests Once Ren reached the Hokage Tower, he headed straight to the top floor where the Hokage's office was located. On his way, nobody stopped him, allowing him to swiftly reach the office door. Just as he stood in front of it, a voice called out from inside, "Come in." Ren entered the office and immediately went down on one knee to greet the Hokage. "Hokage-sama," he said respectfully. Hiruzen gave a small smile upon seeing Ren and said, "Be at ease, young man. You have done an exceptional job this time, and you shall be rewarded accordingly." He paused briefly before continuing, "The original mission your team was sent on was an A-Rank mission, for which you and your team will be compensated appropriately. Now, about your encounter with the masked man..." Hiruzen's tone grew more serious. "I must ask you to keep it to yourself that the man identified himself as Madara Uchiha. You understand the kind of chaos such news could cause, right?" Ren nodded immediately. "Yes, Hokage-sama." Satisfied, Hiruzen continued, "As for the rewards, you will have two S-Rank missions recorded in your file. The first is for engaging in combat with an S-class enemy responsible for the Fourth Hokage's demise and the massive destruction of the village. The second is for bringing in crucial information about the enemy's abilities. In addition to these records, you will receive the respective rewards. The compensation from the Daimyo will also be given to you at a later date." Ren nodded again, maintaining his expression despite the excitement he felt. The monetary reward was appealing, but it was the other rewards that he was hoping would be coming next that truly excited him. Hiruzen took out a large scroll and placed it on the table. "This here is the Forbidden Scroll," he said, looking at Ren. "Do you know what it is?" Ren gave a small nod. "Yes, Hokage-sama. I heard some kids in the class talk about it. They said it contains super powerful jutsus that are important to the village." Hiruzen nodded approvingly. "Precisely. The Forbidden Scroll holds techniques and jutsus developed by our predecessors some of the most powerful techniques the village possesses. However, they are labeled 'forbidden' not just because of their strength but because of their dangerous side effects that can harm the user." Ren listened intently as Hiruzen continued, "You may select two jutsus from this scroll. I will then hand over the detailed version of them to you. However, you are not permitted to share them with anyone. Doing so will have severe consequences. Understood?" Ren nodded without hesitation. He understood that techniques of such high value and power were not to be treated lightly. Leaking them would be unforgivable, no matter the reason. There was also the fact he didn't really have anyone who he would leak the contents too. Hiruzen smiled, pleased with Ren's understanding. What Ren didn't know was that most shinobi given access to the Forbidden Scroll were usually bound by sealing techniques to ensure confidentiality. However just like anyplace else Konoha also placed importance on connections and due to Ren being Juichi's son, Hiruzen gave him the scroll without imposing any binding seals. "Very well," Hiruzen said, gesturing to a corner. "You may sit there and browse through the scroll." Ren bowed slightly. "Thank you, Hokage-sama." Ren stepped forward and picked up the scroll, it was almost half the length of Ren's height so it was quite a sight for Hiruzen who saw Ren holding the scroll. He took it and then sat in the corner. Once Ren sat down, he tried to open the scroll but couldn't. He glanced at Hiruzen, who was back to his work, and then back at the scroll. Focusing chakra in his eyes, he carefully examined the scroll and soon noticed a sealing formula. Ren frowned and took out a pencil and paper, deciding to draw the seal instead of attempting to unlock it directly. There was a detonation symbol that would go off if even one attempt was wrong. He carefully sketched the seal on the paper, analyzing it as he worked. The seal was a combination of symbols that didn't normally go together, like "sharp" and "dull." As he traced the pattern, he noticed a connecting line that revealed the real locking seal hidden beneath layers of useless seals. Taking a deep breath, Ren passed yang chakra through the correct seal, and the scroll finally opened without any explosions. Unknown to Ren, Hiruzen smiled as he watched the boy successfully unlock the scroll. Ren opened the massive scroll and started browsing through the techniques listed. The first one he saw was an A-rank Genjutsu called Mirror Image Creation Technique, created by Tobirama Senju. It cast an illusion where the target perceived their own reflection as hostile, essentially forcing them to fight a perfect copy of themselves. However, the drawbacks were significant: the technique had an enormous chakra cost and caused brain strain if maintained for too long. Ren took note of it and moved on. The next technique was another A-rank Genjutsu called The Night of Despair, also created by Tobirama. It trapped the target in complete darkness, where shadows continuously attacked them. Once again, the drawbacks were high chakra usage and mental fatigue. Ren memorized the technique details and moved on. (This is not the Bringer of Darkness jutsu) When he reached the third technique, he paused in surprise. It was an A-rank medical ninjutsu: Chakra Enhanced Strength, created by Tsunade Senju. The technique drastically amplified physical power by concentrating chakra at a specific part of the body, usually the fists or legs, and releasing it at the moment of impact. The risks included potential injury if mishandled and the high learning requirements, but Ren immediately decided that he wanted this technique. It was proven to be incredibly strong, and he knew he could meet the requirements. Ren continued to the next jutsu and found another A-rank medical technique: Lifeforce Transfer Technique , also created by Tsunade. It was an inferior version of a jutsu from the Sand Village, designed to sacrifice the user's life to heal others. Tsunade copied this jutsu from the rumors she heard from the sand shinobi so this technique was not entirely correct. Ren immediately skipped over it, having no interest in a jutsu that required self-sacrifice for others. As he reached the last technique on the scroll, his eyes widened. It was the Eight Inner Gates technique, an S-rank forbidden Taijutsu created by Might Duy. This technique was far stronger than the others, it was the only S-Rank technique after all. Ren couldn't help but inwardly sigh. He could tell that this was likely one of the techniques they intended him to choose from the start along with Tsunade's jutsu but they still made him choose just so that he could feel that he had a choice. Rolling the scroll back up, Ren stood and approached Hiruzen. "Hokage-sama, I want the Chakra Enhanced Strength and the Eight Inner Gates technique," he said. Hiruzen chuckled softly. "Ho ho, good choice, I must say, young Ren." He took the scroll back and handed Ren a smaller one. "This contains the Eight Inner Gates technique, but I must warn you this technique is extremely harmful to the body. Unless you are working under your sensei's guidance, you are not allowed to open gates beyond the third. Is that clear?" "Yes, Hokage-sama," Ren replied without hesitation. He wasn't sure if he would even learn the Eight Gates technique as it was, so the matter of using higher gates wasn't something he needed to worry about for now. Hiruzen nodded approvingly and continued, "Your Sensei will provide you with the other technique when you're ready. Now off you go." He waved Ren off, and Ren bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Hokage-sama," he said before leaving the office. As Ren made his way home, Hiruzen watched him leave with a thoughtful smile. 'How long has it been since a young shinobi didn't try to actively impress me? he mused to himself. 'He really is Juichi's son, like father, like son.'he thought remembering how Juichi used to be in his youth. Hiruzen tapped his desk lightly and spoke to the air. "Inform Utakata." A shadow flickered in the office as an ANBU operative left to carry out the order. Hiruzen smiled to himself and continued with his paperwork. After leaving the Hokage office, Ren headed straight home. Once inside, he made his way to the basement and sat down, eager to examine the scroll he had just received. However, when he tried to open it, he found it sealed shut once again. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Ren focused chakra into his eyes and saw yet another complex sealing formula. 'Why does that old man keep locking these scrolls with seals?' Ren thought to himself as he began analyzing it. This one was even more intricate than the previous seal. After carefully examining it and figuring out the pattern, he cracked the seal, and the scroll finally opened. Inside was the complete Eight Inner Gates technique, along with special moves like Morning Peacock and others. Ren read through the entire scroll to confirm its authenticity and realized that it was indeed the same technique used by Guy and Lee. The technique worked by breaking through the body's eight natural limiters, granting immense speed, strength, and power. However, it also inflicted extreme damage on the user's body. Ren frowned slightly as he considered the technique. The biggest issue wasn't the injuries but the uncontrollable surge of power. He didn't like the idea of losing control, even if it meant becoming incredibly strong. Despite his reservations, he decided to keep the technique because it was still one of the best option among the choices he had. Besides, he had hopes of improving it to make it safer and more controllable. He had been thinking about possible improvements for a while and eventually concluded that Fuinjutsu might be the key. As he read through the scroll, he noticed that the First Gate (Gate of Opening) had drawbacks like loss of focus, dizziness, and sudden power surges. However, he remembered that there were focus seals used to help children maintain clarity when they first awakened their chakra. If he could develop seals that activated simultaneously when opening the first gate, it might neutralize some of those side effects. It was just an idea for now, but it seemed like the most promising approach. To test it out, Ren dispelled all his Fuinjutsu clones and recreated them. This time, he assigned half of them to study the original techniques and the others to work on developing the new seals. Satisfied with his plan, Ren went outside to continue his physical training since he didn't have much else to do on his own. {I didn't explain the eight gates much since I plan to gate by gate and explain them all together with the solution. The base of the technique shall be the same however there will be some changes in the execution so that it isn't extremely harmful for the user. The eight gates would be improved over a period of time and during this time his Fuinjutsu will improve so that the solution actually seems logical and not forced. Or at least I hope that would be the case. But anyway just know that he won't be using the complete 8 gates till the 8th gate freely for quite some time.}