The three stood in the training field, already stretching and warming up, when Kenshi strolled in with his usual quiet composure.
He watched them for a while, then finally said, "Not bad. You've grown since the mission. Stop for a moment, today we're doing chakra paper tests."
Each of them took a slip of thin white paper and fed chakra into it. Almost immediately, the sheets began to transform.
Kenshi explained as he always did, steady and precise: "Fire burns the paper. Wind splits it in half. Lightning wrinkles it. Water makes it damp. Earth crumbles it. If someone has all five, each section reacts differently." He paused, as if to emphasize how rare such a thing was.
Then he looked at Renji's paper. And froze.
One corner burned, another split cleanly. A third wrinkled into creases. Another turned wet. The last crumbled to dust. All five elements.
Yan and Retsu gasped. Kenshi's brows twitched for the first time in years.
Renji himself didn't even look surprised. He'd known all along. Crossing into this world had left him with more than just another life, his chakra was flexible, his mind sharp, his control refined to the point he could scale trees and walk on water as if born to it. He had tested once before, in secret.
Instead, he turned his attention to his teammates' results. Retsu had Fire, Earth, and Lightning. Yan had Fire, Wind, and Earth.
Renji chuckled. "Retsu, you're the strangest. You've got Water-style jutsu like the Water Prison, but no Water affinity. And Lightning affinity, but you never even use it."
Retsu scratched his cheek awkwardly.
Kenshi shook himself back to focus. "So you've all seen your results. Any thoughts? Training plans only work if they match your instincts."
Yan was the first to speak. "I want to specialize in defense and control. Think of me as support, covering teammates, holding enemies down. I've already learned Earth Wall, Fireball, and Wind Breakthrough. Plus the Uchiha Shuriken Technique. I want to refine around those."
Renji followed. "I prefer offense and combos. So far my techniques chain together, but they're not fused into anything new. My arsenal includes Fireball, Phoenix Fire, Crimson Claw, Dragon Fire, Earth Wall, Headhunter Jutsu, and Gale Wind. I'm also practicing swordsmanship with my father."
Finally, all eyes turned to Retsu. He coughed. "I'm… more about traps and deception. I dabble in everything. Water Prison only works in water. Wind Breakthrough I'm still learning. Lightning Ground Runner I don't like. But I can handle Earth Wall, Headhunter, Fireball, Phoenix Fire. I also train Uchiha shuriken techniques, and just started on Shuriken Shadow Clone."
Yan slapped his shoulder. "Grandson of the clan elder, huh? Training like a spoiled prince."
Renji smirked. "Honestly, Retsu, you're closer to all five elements than me. You're insane."
Kenshi let the teasing pass, then ordered, "Today, keep training as usual, except you, Retsu. Drop Wind Breakthrough. Focus on Shuriken Shadow Clone instead. Tomorrow, bring your things. I've called in two allies for a one-week closed training session. Don't waste it."
He vanished in a flicker.
Kenshi reappeared at the Police Force headquarters. At the gates, Takuma was joking loudly with other Uchiha. Kenshi's serious expression silenced him.
"Come with me. It's about your son."
Takuma blinked. "Renji? What'd he do? Beat someone up? Sneak out of the village? He's usually careful…" He trailed after Kenshi, grumbling, until they reached Clan Head Nobunaga's office.
The secretary, Star, smiled. "The clan head's inside. Tea just delivered."
"Thanks, Star. And don't forget my wife's rice cakes later," Takuma said, pocketing the small box from her desk.
Inside, the three men sat around tea for a long, heavy silence.
Finally Takuma sighed. "So. My son caused trouble, didn't he?"
Kenshi shook his head. "Not trouble. But something you need to know. I tested his chakra paper today. All five elements. Every single one."
Nobunaga's face stiffened. "Impossible. I tested him years ago myself. He had three affinities, Fire, Earth, Water. His brother Fugaku had only Fire and Lightning. Fugaku wept for days, thinking he'd shamed me. I remember it clearly."
Both men turned to Takuma.
Takuma stared into his cup for a long moment. Then he began to speak.
"It was Renji's fifth birthday. We took the family for a picnic. The kids were playing in the forest. Renji climbed a tree and found a strange fruit, golden, patterned. He brought it to his mother. She told him not to eat it. But he was showing off to the other kids… and swallowed it whole."
Takuma's jaw tightened. "He collapsed, writhing. We rushed him to the hospital. Nothing helped. He burned with fever for seven days. Muttered nonsense in his sleep. We thought he'd die. His mother never left his side. You were both there when we prepared to say goodbye. And then… the fever broke, as sudden as it came."
He exhaled. "Afterward, he remembered nothing. The healers called it selective amnesia. His body changed. His chakra control skyrocketed. His memory sharpened. He was… different. Stronger. I tested again. All five elements. His mother and I kept it quiet, calling it a blessing born from tragedy. We never told anyone else."
Nobunaga sat back, grave. "So it's true. Five affinities, awakened through suffering. A secret best kept buried. Let it end here. He's safer if no one knows."
Kenshi nodded. "Agreed. I'll plan their training accordingly. I've already arranged for Uchiha Ze and Uchiha Sa to join me. One week of sealed training. That should sharpen them without drawing attention."
He stood, bowed, and left.
Nobunaga and Takuma sat in silence, the weight of Renji's hidden gift heavy in the air.
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