The training field was silent that morning. Not an absolute silence, but that specific kind that comes before something important — the light wind passing through the trees, the distant song of a bird, the almost imperceptible rustle of leaves beneath footsteps that had yet to begin. Ren stood a few meters behind Asuma, while Ino and Shikamaru remained at his side, forming an irregular line, as if none of the three really knew where they were supposed to stand.
Asuma leaned casually against a tree trunk, hands in the pockets of his vest, the same lazy smile on his face as always. Two small silver bells hung from his waist, swaying gently with his movements.
"So…" he said, calmly observing the three of them. "This is the famous bell test."
Ino narrowed her eyes at the bells, tilting her head slightly. "That's it? We just have to take them?"
"That's it," Asuma confirmed, never losing his smile. "But there's a detail."
Shikamaru sighed, already expecting it. "Of course there is."
Asuma raised two fingers. "There are two bells. And there are three of you."
The silence that followed was short, but heavy enough to be felt. Ino was the first to react, slowly opening her mouth. "That means that—"
"That one of you will be left without one," Asuma finished. "And whoever doesn't get a bell… fails."
Shikamaru closed his eyes for a moment. "How troublesome…"
Ren kept his gaze fixed on the bells. There was no visible tension in his posture, but something inside him shifted. It wasn't anxiety. It was pure focus.
Asuma took a few steps forward, positioning himself at the center of the field, completely exposed.
"You have until noon. You can use anything. Weapons, jutsu, strategy. Just don't kill the teacher, okay?"
Ino made a face. "You say that like it's a real option."
Asuma blinked. "You never know."
He moved back a few meters, opening space between them. "You can start whenever you want."
The three remained still for a few seconds, as if no one wanted to be the first to make a mistake. Shikamaru broke the silence, scratching the back of his head.
"Okay… before we rush in and get defeated in five seconds, maybe we should think."
Ino crossed her arms. "I agree. He's a jōnin. Charging straight in would be insane."
Ren nodded slightly. "If we split up, we'll lose quickly."
Asuma watched from afar without interrupting, as if that conversation was part of the test itself.
Shikamaru took a deep breath. "So the basics are simple. Alone, none of us stand a chance. But together, maybe we can create an opening."
Ino looked at Ren without hesitation. "You're the strongest among us. If anyone can get close to him, it's you."
Ren didn't take offense, he just thought for a moment. "I can try to draw his attention, but I won't be able to hold it for long."
Shikamaru gave a half-smile. "You don't need to hold it. You just need to create a mistake."
Asuma slightly raised an eyebrow as he saw the three whispering among themselves.
"Interesting…"
Ren took a deep breath. "Then I go first. You two stay ready."
Ino nodded. "If I manage to use the mind jutsu, even for a second, that'll already help."
"And I'll try to catch his shadow," Shikamaru added. "If it works, we win."
Ren closed his eyes for a moment — not to focus his chakra, since that was already natural to him — but to align his intent.
When he opened them, they were different.
The Sharingan emerged silently, three tomoe slowly spinning in the red iris.
Ino's eyes widened slightly. "…Wow."
Shikamaru blinked. "Okay. That definitely helps."
Ren took one step, then another — and vanished.
Not a perfect shunshin, but fast enough for the wind to react before the eyes could.
Asuma smiled the instant he felt the pressure. "Ah. So it's you."
Ren appeared in front of him already moving, body low, attack coming straight in without flourish.
Asuma dodged easily, tilting his torso to the side. "Good reflexes."
Ren didn't stop. He spun, changed angles, attacked again — and again — and again.
The strikes weren't explosive. They were precise, economical, each one coming from a different point, as if Ren were testing invisible distances.
Asuma began to truly move, not retreating, just matching him.
"You don't attack like a genin," he commented. "Your rhythm is that of someone with a lot of experience."
Ren didn't answer. His eyes followed every micro-movement — the slight shift of the foot, the rotation of the shoulder, the tension in Asuma's fingers before any counterattack.
The Sharingan didn't show the future, but it revealed patterns.
Asuma tried a kick. Ren blocked.
A short punch. Ren dodged by centimeters.
A grab. Ren twisted away, feeling the wind pass where his neck would have been.
"…Interesting," Asuma murmured, now clearly more alert.
That was when Shikamaru acted.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu!"
The shadow stretched across the ground, fast, trying to connect to Asuma's.
He noticed, but a fraction too late.
The shadow touched his foot and, for a split second, his movement froze.
Ino didn't waste time.
"Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
Her body fell forward as her consciousness surged ahead.
Asuma felt both pressures at the same time — the physical restraint of the shadow and the mental invasion from Ino.
"Good combo," he said, even with difficulty.
Ren moved.
That was the opening.
His hand went straight to Asuma's waist, to the bells.
Asuma reacted on instinct, forcing chakra, partially breaking the shadow, shifting his body just enough so Ren couldn't grab both — but managed to grab one.
The metallic sound echoed.
Cling.
The bell came loose.
For a second, the field fell silent.
Ino returned to her body with a heavy breath.
Shikamaru dropped to the ground, exhausted.
Asuma slowly straightened, looking at the bell in Ren's hand.
"Okay… that was better than I expected."
Ren was breathing heavily, but didn't look exhausted. "So… there's still one left."
Asuma smiled. "Yes. And now I won't go easy."
His chakra thickened around his body, the relaxed posture disappearing.
"Second round."
Ren felt the difference immediately.
Before, Asuma was testing.
Now, he was fighting.
He moved — not toward Ren, but toward Shikamaru.
Ren reacted instantly, trying to intercept, but Asuma was too fast.
A sweeping kick sent Shikamaru flying back, and Ino shouted his name without thinking.
Ren tried to step in front, but Asuma passed him as if he had predicted it.
"You have good eyes, but you're still a genin."
The impact to Ren's stomach knocked the air out of his lungs for a second.
He was thrown backward, rolling on the ground, while Ino froze — by instinct, by fear, by everything at once.
Asuma advanced on her.
Ren stood up at the same time.
The Sharingan spun faster, chakra condensing differently — not explosive, but dense, as if something was finally clicking into place.
Ren appeared between Asuma and Ino.
The punch came straight at him, and he blocked it.
This time, he wasn't pushed back.
His feet sank slightly into the dirt, but he stayed standing.
Asuma's eyes widened just a little. "…Oh."
Ren advanced.
One strike — Asuma dodged.
Another — dodged again.
But now there was something different.
Ren was pressuring him.
Not brute force, but reading, anticipation — every movement of Asuma met with an almost immediate response.
The field filled with dry sounds of impact — punch, block, kick, dodge — and little by little, Asuma began to step back.
Just a little. But he was retreating.
"You're almost at jōnin level," Asuma commented, smiling with a mix of surprise and respect.
Ren didn't answer.
His focus was absolute.
The Sharingan recorded everything, his body responded, chakra flowed without waste.
It was as if, for the first time, mind and body were perfectly in sync.
From the ground, Shikamaru watched with wide eyes.
Ino felt her heart beating too fast.
Ren forced a longer sequence.
Asuma blocked, but the last strike barely grazed him.
The bell swayed at his waist.
Ren saw it.
And that was all he needed.
He twisted his body, slid under Asuma's arm, and reached out.
Asuma tried to react, but he was half a second late.
Cling.
The second bell came loose.
Ren landed a few meters ahead, holding both bells, the Sharingan still active, breathing fast — but his body completely steady.
Asuma stood still for a few seconds.
Then he laughed — a low, genuine laugh.
"…You passed."
Ino's eyes widened. "We passed?"
Shikamaru blinked. "Like… for real?"
Asuma nodded. "For real. Because you didn't try to win alone. And because one of you managed to go beyond what I expected."
He looked directly at Ren.
"If you keep going like this… soon it won't be me testing you anymore."
Ren slowly deactivated the Sharingan. "Thank you, sensei."
Asuma smiled softly. "Yeah. I think I'm the one who should be thanking you."
(Early access chapters: see the bio.)