Ren had considered another method for raising favorability.
Instead of relying entirely on Dialogue and Practice, he could use the system's Gifting function.
That method had already worked once.
The ordinary Clone Technique and the Water Clone Jutsu shared the same foundation, so Ren had been able to present the latter as a gift. Clone Technique accepted it, acquired a new form, and gained abilities far beyond those of an intangible academy clone.
If the same principle applied to other techniques, Ren might be able to shorten some of his most difficult training paths.
The problem was finding a suitable gift for the Eight Gates.
Perhaps a body-enhancement technique would work. Both abilities strengthened the user's physical performance, even if their mechanisms were different.
There was no guarantee the system would consider them closely related, though. A rejected gift would waste time and possibly offend the most exhausting personality on his Affinity List.
Ren considered a second possibility.
Maybe he could ask Duy for one of the Might family's green training suits.
The crimson-haired woman personifying the Eight Gates might appreciate clothing designed for extreme physical training. Duy and Guy wore their green suits every day, yet the fabric rarely tore despite enduring long-distance runs, violent sparring sessions, and constant exposure to sweat.
The material was surprisingly durable, flexible, and absorbent.
Ren briefly imagined offering the Eight Gates a neatly wrapped green jumpsuit.
The woman would probably put it on immediately, declare that it contained the spirit of youth, and demand another hundred laps to celebrate.
Ren shuddered.
Perhaps gifts were not always safer than practice.
The lowering sun cast long shadows across the western training ground. Ren finished one final repetition of Wild Water Wave before allowing the remaining water to soak into the earth.
His chakra reserves had fallen below the level he considered safe for traveling home.
"That's enough for today."
He stretched his shoulders, collected his equipment, and started back toward the village for dinner.
Across Konoha, many other academy students were reaching the same conclusion.
Graduation season was approaching.
Guy trained under Duy until both father and son were covered in sweat. Homon practiced the Gentle Fist beneath the strict supervision of older Hyūga relatives. Asuma repeated Fire Release exercises while receiving corrections from a member of the Sarutobi clan.
Kurenai moved between genjutsu practice and the taijutsu drills her father had assigned her.
Nara Shinen reviewed tactical formations after completing his family's shadow-control exercises.
Most of the year's strongest students possessed something Ren lacked: an experienced relative capable of correcting their mistakes, supervising their training, and serving as a reliable sparring partner.
Even Kakashi, who had recently returned from a mission and found himself increasingly isolated from his teammates, continued training alone.
Inside the Hatake residence, the white-haired Chūnin washed the dust from his face, stepped into the courtyard, and silently drew a short sword.
His family's swordsmanship flowed through one movement after another.
There was no audience, no encouragement, and no one to praise the precision of his strikes. Only the cold winter air and the whisper of steel accompanied him.
For every student preparing to graduate, the days ahead represented a turning point.
Two or three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Winter break ended.
During the final days of January, heavy snow descended upon Konoha.
White covered the village rooftops, roads, trees, and training grounds. Once the snowfall stopped, children poured into the streets to build snowmen and launch snowballs at one another.
Their laughter echoed between the buildings.
Shopkeepers cleared snow from their entrances, families brought out new winter clothing, and many civilians welcomed the changing season with cautious hope.
The shinobi moving across the rooftops presented a very different sight.
Most wore Konoha's dark-green flak jackets, and few were smiling. Their movements were hurried, their expressions solemn.
More and more returned with bandaged limbs or injuries hidden beneath their uniforms. Words such as casualties, supplies, reinforcements, and border clashes drifted through quiet conversations before disappearing the moment civilians approached.
Those with sharp instincts sensed the change.
Konoha had not officially begun wartime mobilization. No public declaration had been issued, and the Hokage Monument still overlooked a village that appeared peaceful.
However, memories of the previous war remained painfully fresh.
Few civilians dared to speak openly about the possibility of another conflict. Instead, families quietly stored food, medicine, blankets, and clean water.
The village's markets revealed even more.
Prices for kunai and explosive tags began rising. Orders for soldier pills increased daily, and several equipment stores introduced purchase limits after shinobi units began buying supplies in bulk.
Something was coming.
For the students of the Ninja Academy, however, the immediate concern was graduation.
When the new semester began, familiar faces returned to the classroom after weeks apart. Students gathered in noisy groups, comparing their winter training, trading rumors, and boasting about the techniques they had nearly mastered.
Ren entered the classroom and sat at his usual desk.
He had barely placed his bag beneath the chair when someone approached.
"Ren."
Homon stopped beside his desk.
The Hyūga boy stood stiffly, his pale eyes fixed on Ren with intense seriousness. His posture had improved since the previous semester, and the skin along his fingers had hardened from repeated Gentle Fist practice.
"Long time no see," Homon said.
Ren nodded once.
"Good morning."
Homon's expression tightened, apparently dissatisfied by the casual greeting.
"During the winter break, I asked Brother Hizashi to supervise my training," he announced. "He corrected my Gentle Fist and taught me how to respond to your unusual Substitution Jutsu."
Several nearby students quieted and began listening.
Homon took another step forward.
"I am not the same opponent you defeated last semester. During the graduation examination, I will reclaim everything I lost—including first place."
Ren stared at him.
Homon had apparently spent the entire winter rehearsing that declaration.
"If you worked hard, then I look forward to seeing your improvement," Ren replied politely.
That was all.
Homon waited as if expecting a more dramatic response. When none came, he turned and walked away with as much dignity as he could manage.
Ren watched him return to his seat.
Academy students seemed to possess an irresistible need to announce their challenges in advance. Guy and Obito had done the same thing with Kakashi for years.
They challenged him when he was present.
When he was absent, they challenged him even more loudly.
A few minutes later, Kurenai entered the classroom.
She wore a warm red jacket, and melting snow clung to the ends of her dark hair. A carefully wrapped bento rested in her hands.
Kurenai slowed as she approached Ren's desk.
Her confidence from the training ground seemed to abandon her. She glanced around, noticed several classmates watching, and tightened her grip on the cloth around the box.
"Ren," she began. "I made too much food this morning."
The explanation came slightly too quickly.
She placed the bento on his desk.
"I wasn't sure whether you had eaten properly before coming to the academy. Please take this for lunch."
After a brief hesitation, she added, "Consider it a thank-you for helping me with my training."
Ren looked down at the box.
The cloth had been folded neatly, and the knot on top was tied with obvious care.
"Thank you," he said. "I'm already getting hungry, so this arrived at the perfect time."
Kurenai's nervousness eased.
"I hope you like it."
Not far away, Ebisu adjusted his glasses and leaned subtly in their direction.
His ears had practically risen like those of an alert hound.
Everyone knew that Kurenai occasionally shared food with Asuma. Seeing her bring an entire homemade bento to Ren was more interesting than anything that had happened during the winter break.
Ebisu glanced toward Asuma's empty seat and began constructing a scandal in his mind.
Ren remained unaware of the approaching rumor.
His appetite had grown dramatically since his training intensified. Every day involved repeated chakra depletion, physical conditioning, and recovery exercises.
Chakra and physical stamina were not identical, but consuming one placed pressure on the other. Ren became hungry so frequently that he had begun carrying bread, chocolate, or dried fruit inside his bag.
An additional meal was always welcome.
Rin had entered the classroom just before Kurenai placed the bento on Ren's desk.
She paused near the doorway.
Her gaze moved from Kurenai to the wrapped lunch and then to Ren. She said nothing, but her fingers tightened briefly around the book she was carrying.
Kurenai offered Ren one final smile before walking toward her own seat.
Rin watched her leave.
Then she calmly placed her book on her desk and turned away as though she had seen nothing noteworthy.
The classroom bell rang before anyone could begin asking questions.
Oki-sensei entered through the door.
Obito slipped in directly behind him, attempting to use the instructor's body as cover.
The attempt failed.
Oki-sensei stopped and looked over his shoulder.
Obito froze halfway through a step.
"You are late on the first day of the semester," Oki-sensei said.
"Only a little late."
"That does not improve the situation."
Obito lowered his head and prepared for punishment.
Oki-sensei sighed. Since it was the first day and Obito had arrived only moments after the bell, he decided not to pursue the matter.
"Sit down. If it happens again, you'll clean the training field after class."
Obito hurried to his seat.
Oki-sensei placed a stack of papers on the front desk and faced the classroom.
"Welcome back. I trust everyone enjoyed the winter break."
The students gradually settled.
"From today onward, I expect your full attention. The graduation examinations are approaching, and the results will determine whether you are ready to become Konoha shinobi."
The mood changed immediately.
Graduation was not decided by a single transformation test or a basic spar.
The examination covered multiple subjects. The written portion included language, mathematics, geography, mission procedure, codebreaking, intelligence analysis, and the recognition of common traps and ninja tools.
The questions were not impossibly advanced, but they demanded genuine preparation. To Ren, the difficulty was roughly comparable to an entrance examination from his previous life.
Konoha did not expect every Genin to become a scholar.
It did expect them to read maps, understand orders, calculate distances, analyze simple intelligence, prepare a combat plan, and write a coherent mission report.
A shinobi who could throw kunai but could not understand instructions would endanger the entire team.
The practical examinations were equally broad.
Students would be judged on the Three Basic Jutsu, throwing accuracy, chakra control, taijutsu, tactical judgment, and combat performance.
Oki-sensei allowed the warning to settle before beginning the first review lesson.
For the following week, the academy's schedule became relentless.
Oki-sensei, Himura-sensei, and the other instructors used the mornings for written revision. Students memorized maps, translated coded messages, reviewed mission classifications, and practiced writing reports.
The afternoons were spent outside.
Students formed pairs and drilled taijutsu, weapon throwing, transformations, clones, and substitutions until sunset. The instructors constantly changed partners, ensuring that no one became too comfortable fighting the same opponent.
The results of the winter break soon became obvious.
Shinen's tactical awareness had improved sharply. During team exercises, he read opposing formations quickly and directed classmates into advantageous positions.
Homon's Gentle Fist had become faster and more controlled. Even students who did not understand the Hyūga style could sense the danger behind his palms.
Asuma remained one of the year's strongest all-rounders. His ninjutsu, taijutsu, and academic scores contained no obvious weakness.
Kurenai attracted even more attention.
Her taijutsu had changed completely.
The hesitant movements of the previous semester were gone. She stepped more confidently, maintained a tighter guard, and used subtle genjutsu feints to create openings during close combat.
Students gathered at the edge of the training field and whispered among themselves.
"Nara Shinen improved so much."
"Homon's attacks are terrifying now."
"I still think Asuma is stronger."
"Did you see Kurenai's footwork? She fights like a different person."
The discussions continued until one girl introduced an entirely new subject.
"I saw Kakashi in the village yesterday," she announced. "He came back from a mission."
Several heads turned immediately.
"He was wearing his Chūnin vest, and his presence felt even colder than before," she continued dreamily. "He looked so handsome."
"Really?"
"When did he return?"
"Was he alone?"
The graduation examination was forgotten.
Obito shot to his feet.
"Kakashi is back?"
Guy rose at almost the same moment, his eyes blazing.
"My eternal rival has returned from the flames of his mission!"
Both boys rushed toward the girl and began demanding every possible detail.
Obito wanted to know where Kakashi had gone, what mission he had completed, and whether he had mentioned Obito's name.
Guy wanted to know whether Kakashi appeared stronger and where he could be found for an immediate challenge.
The classroom dissolved into noise.
Only Ren remained apart from the commotion.
He sat cross-legged near the wall with his eyes closed, quietly circulating chakra through his recovering pathways. Behind that calm exterior, the Affinity List was open inside his mind.
While his classmates obsessed over the return of Konoha's youngest Chūnin, Ren moved through another round of Dialogue and Practice, calculating exactly how many favorability points he could gain before the examination.
Kakashi had already proven himself a genius.
Ren's challenge was different.
In one week, he intended to prove that this generation had room for another.