The morning air was crisp, the kind that made the academy tiles feel colder underfoot. Ren sat cross-legged in his apartment, bare-chested, sweat rolling down his back. The only sound in the room was his own steady breathing and the occasional soft rustle of the leaf pressed against his forehead.
Focus. Even flow. Zero fluctuations.
It had taken him two weeks to get to five minutes without faltering. Today, the goal was ten.
**\[System Challenge: Maintain Chakra Flow for 10 Minutes (Leaf Concentration Exercise)]**
**Progress: 8:03... 8:04...**
His control had been atrocious when he first woke up in this body. Wild, leaky chakra pathways, inefficient coils. But time and grinding repetition had whittled down the imperfections.
He didn't need the system to hold his hand. But the carrot it dangled today—
**\[Reward: Chakra Control +1]**
—was worth the trouble.
He felt the pulse of chakra falter slightly.
**Steady. You know the rhythm now. Just breathe.**
The leaf didn't even twitch.
**9:59... 10:00**
**\[System Notice: Challenge Complete – Chakra Control +1]**
A small jolt of warmth threaded through his chakra network. Subtle, but measurable. He opened his eyes.
"Another step," he murmured.
---
At the academy, the mood was lighter than usual. The Third Hokage was due to make a surprise visit, which had turned even the laziest students into posturing perfectionists.
Ren slid into his seat near the back of the class as always, avoiding the clusters of friends chatting around the room. The usual buzz faded as the instructor, Umino-sensei, entered.
"Alright, today's lesson: team coordination and obstacle clearance."
Groans echoed.
"You'll be placed in trios for the practical. Random selection."
Ren narrowed his eyes slightly.
**Randomized means high odds of pairing with someone annoying.**
"First group: Rin Nohara, Obito Uchiha, Ren Shirogane."
He didn't sigh. He didn't react. But internally?
**Of course. The one Uchiha who trips over his own feet and the girl who actually tries to fix everything with a smile.**
---
They met at the training course behind the academy. Log balance beams, rope nets, swinging traps.
Rin was already smiling. "Let's do our best, okay?"
Ren gave her a nod. "Don't slow down and we won't have a problem."
Obito grumbled, "Tch, you act like you're the team captain or something."
Ren tilted his head. "I act like someone who doesn't want to spend all day in the mud."
Rin stepped between them quickly. "C-come on, let's just focus. The bell timer starts soon."
**Internal Monologue:**
**I don't care about being liked. Not by them. But alienating them is a waste of energy. Kakashi, Guy, even Genma... I need to get used to working with future assets. No one survives alone.**
The whistle blew.
Ren sprinted ahead, body light from the morning training. He darted under a swinging log, then jumped clean over a muddy trench while Obito floundered into it.
"HEY! You could've helped!"
Ren didn't slow. "Adapt or drown."
He reached the rope wall first. Rin caught up second, panting but focused.
"Help me boost him up when he gets here," she said.
Ren blinked at her.
**She wants to wait? Mid-course?**
Still, he offered his hands without complaint when Obito stumbled into view.
They reached the end five minutes before the second-fastest group. Rin clapped her hands. "That was great teamwork!"
Obito muttered, "Only because you kept us from killing each other."
Ren shrugged. "It was acceptable."
He didn't miss the glance Rin gave him, thoughtful and slightly puzzled.
---
That evening, Ren returned home, cleaned up, and lit a candle at the corner of the room.
He knelt before it.
Not out of piety.
Out of discipline.
Every night, he reviewed his progress. Physically. Mentally. Strategically.
He opened his notebook—one he'd created himself, detailing future events, key dates, Akatsuki formations, war triggers, and Uchiha downfall checkpoints.
All still far off. But coming.
**Graduation. That's the first hurdle. One year. One reward. Then...**
The Sharingan. The real version. Not the half-baked one this body was doomed to never unlock.
A knock came at his door.
He paused.
Nobody ever visited him.
He slid the door open carefully.
Genma stood outside with a lazy smirk. "Yo. You left your pouch behind today. I saw you drop it when Obito pushed you into the wall."
Ren stared at the small leather satchel.
"...Thanks."
Genma didn't leave. "Y'know, you should join us sometime after class. We hang near the dango stall on 5th."
"Maybe," Ren replied.
**But probably not.**
---
### Danzō POV
The clipboard was plain. Its contents? Less so.
Shimura Danzō sat in the dim light of the Foundation archive office, scanning the latest behavioral reports from the academy. The Third had requested a psychological profile update for prospective genin.
**Hatake, Kakashi: prodigy. Flawless control. Already ANBU candidate.**
**Might, Gai: Overzealous. Excellent stamina. Weak chakra control.**
**Uchiha, Obito: Impulsive. Undisciplined. Emotionally volatile.**
**Shirogane, Ren: Civilian-born. Average aptitude. No clan affiliation. Chakra potential stable. Behavior compliant.**
Danzō closed the folder without a second thought.
"No threat."
He moved on.
---
Ren sat by the window again that night, the cool wind brushing his skin.
A single thought echoed:
**Let them keep thinking that.**
**The shadows don't warn before they rise.**