No signal was needed.
The instant Ren and Might Guy's gazes met, both boys launched themselves forward.
Their figures tore through the morning mist and collided in the center of the training ground.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The crisp sounds of fists, palms, elbows, and shins crashing together echoed through the surrounding forest. Fallen leaves trembled beneath their feet, while thin streams of mist scattered with every violent movement.
Compared with Hyūga Homon's precise and insidious Gentle Fist, Guy's Strong Fist was overwhelmingly direct. He did not aim for chakra points or attempt to disrupt Ren's internal chakra network. Every punch and kick carried enough force to crack bone, batter muscle, and drive the air from an opponent's lungs.
There was nothing subtle about his assault.
Guy advanced like a raging beast, throwing one heavy strike after another without giving Ren a moment to breathe. His fists cut through the mist, and his kicks produced sharp bursts of displaced air that brushed painfully against Ren's skin even when they missed.
Ren remained calm.
Rather than competing with Guy's momentum directly, he relied on his sharper perception and repeated predictions. He slipped past a straight punch, turned his shoulder to avoid an elbow strike, and raised his knee to block a low kick aimed at his ribs.
Guy immediately transitioned into a spinning backfist.
Ren leaned away just in time. Guy's knuckles passed less than an inch from his nose, carrying enough force to stir his silver hair.
Fast.
Ren's right foot slid across the damp earth. He twisted his hips and launched a whip-like kick toward Guy's temple, forcing the other boy to raise both arms to protect his head.
Bang!
The impact sounded like a heavy wooden club striking a tree trunk.
Guy grunted and staggered two steps sideways, but his defense did not collapse. Before Ren could withdraw his leg completely, Guy planted one foot, twisted his waist, and drove a powerful fist into Ren's shoulder.
A dull shock spread through Ren's arm.
He used the force to retreat rather than resist it, sliding several meters across the ground before stabilizing himself. The shoulder that had taken Guy's punch throbbed with numbness.
Ren rotated his arm experimentally and drew a quiet breath.
As expected of the future Blue Beast of Konoha.
Guy's endurance and raw physical strength were already frightening. Even with the Gate of Opening active, Ren could not suppress him through physical ability alone.
That was absurd when one considered their age.
Ren's Partial Transformation allowed him to temporarily imitate Guy's physique, but imitation was not the same as becoming the original. Guy had trained his body relentlessly for years, turning every muscle, tendon, and bone into a weapon through effort that bordered on madness.
A copied body could reproduce Guy's physical structure, but it could not perfectly recreate every result of that endless training.
Partial Transformation: Might Guy Physique still has plenty of room for improvement.
Ren had barely completed that thought when Guy charged again.
"Ren!" Guy shouted, his eyes blazing with excitement. "Your movements have become even sharper! But my youth will not allow me to fall behind!"
"You can compliment me without trying to kick my head off," Ren replied.
"That would make the compliment meaningless!"
Guy dropped low and swept one leg toward Ren's ankles. Ren jumped over it, but Guy used the momentum of the sweep to spin onto his hands and launch both feet upward.
Ren crossed his arms in front of his chest.
The kick struck his guard and sent him flying backward. He flipped once in the air before landing in a crouch, his sandals carving two narrow trails through the dirt.
From the edge of the training ground, Might Duy raised both fists into the air.
"Excellent, Guy!" he shouted, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Show Ren the blazing power of our youth!"
Guy's determination immediately intensified. "Yes, Father!"
Ren glanced toward Duy and silently sighed.
Having a passionate father cheering from the sidelines appeared to give Guy an unlimited supply of energy. If the fight continued much longer, Duy might decide to join them, turning a friendly spar into a survival exercise.
The two boys exchanged more than a dozen additional moves.
Guy's pressure grew fiercer with every passing second. Sweat rolled down his face, and his breathing had become heavier, yet his attacks showed no sign of weakening.
Then Ren deliberately allowed his left side to appear exposed.
Guy's eyes flashed.
He stepped forward, transferred all his weight onto his supporting leg, and unleashed a devastating spinning kick.
"Konoha Great Whirlwind!"
The air screamed.
Guy's heel tore through the mist toward Ren's ribs with enough force to send an ordinary Academy graduate directly to the hospital.
Ren's hands formed a seal.
His body vanished in a burst of chakra.
Guy's kick passed through empty air and struck a falling stone in Ren's place. The rock shot across the training ground like a projectile, smashed into a nearby tree, and exploded into fragments. The entire trunk shuddered, sending a rain of leaves cascading from its branches.
Ren reappeared seven or eight meters behind Guy.
The replacement had been perfectly timed.
Guy landed and remained still for a moment, staring at the cracked tree. Then his shoulders began trembling, and a delighted laugh burst from his throat.
"Hahaha! That was incredible!"
He turned toward Ren and gave him a brilliant smile, his teeth practically sparkling through the mist.
"I know you were holding back," Guy continued. "You fought me almost entirely with taijutsu and didn't use your real abilities. But next time will be different! I'll become even stronger, and then we'll fight with everything we have!"
Ren deactivated the Gate of Opening and immediately felt fatigue settle over his body.
"Sure," he replied while massaging his aching shoulder. "Definitely next time."
He had no intention of explaining that the phrase next time could be postponed indefinitely if necessary.
Duy rushed onto the training ground and pulled Guy into a crushing embrace. "My son! Even though you failed to win, you displayed the purest flames of youth!"
Guy hugged him back with equal enthusiasm. "Father!"
Ren quietly stepped away before they dragged him into their emotional celebration.
As the spar officially ended, a translucent notification appeared before his eyes.
[Eight Gates: Hmm… I suppose that battle was acceptable. It wasn't nearly as intense as I imagined, and you still refused to go all out. However, since you woke up early and took me on a proper sparring date, I'll forgive you this time. I'll come looking for you later so we can continue our training!]
[Eight Gates favorability increased by 1.]
[Current favorability: 6/100—Stranger.]
Ren's expression darkened slightly.
One point?
He had opened the Gate of Opening, fought Guy at close range, and endured a punch that had nearly numbed his entire arm. Yet the Eight Gates had rewarded all that effort with a single favorability point.
This woman was far too difficult to please.
Still, the spar gave Ren another opportunity to consider something that had bothered him for a long time.
Why could the System detect the Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist as a potential romance target but not Guy's Strong Fist?
After careful consideration, Ren suspected the difference lay in completeness.
The Gentle Fist was an entire martial arts system. It contained specialized footwork, defensive stances, chakra-injection methods, and attacks designed to target the opponent's chakra pathway system and internal organs. Learning it required not only excellent chakra control but also deep knowledge of the human body.
The Strong Fist, by comparison, was more of a general classification.
It referred to direct taijutsu that damaged an opponent externally through raw force. Individual moves such as the Konoha Great Whirlwind could be detected, but the Strong Fist itself was not a single complete technique. Most of its moves belonged under the broader category of Konoha-Style Taijutsu.
That was probably why the System did not recognize it as an independent "young lady."
Tsunade's Chakra Enhanced Strength, however, should qualify.
That technique required the user to gather chakra with extraordinary precision before releasing it at the instant of impact. Its destructive power was several levels above ordinary taijutsu, allowing a single punch to shatter the ground or crush an enemy's defenses.
If Ren encountered Tsunade in the future, he would have to find an opportunity to learn it.
With his constantly increasing Physique, the combination could become terrifying.
Ren remained with Guy and Duy until they began a new round of endurance training. The moment Duy suggested that all three of them run five hundred laps around Konoha on their hands, Ren calmly bid them farewell.
He made his way to a secluded training ground on the western side of the village.
A clear stream flowed through the trees there, its surface reflecting the pale morning sunlight. The location was far enough from nearby homes that Ren could practice destructive ninjutsu without causing a disturbance.
He stood on a flat stone beside the water and formed a rapid sequence of hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Chakra surged from his lungs.
A massive orange-red fireball erupted from his mouth and roared across the stream, its flames turning the surrounding mist crimson. The water below began bubbling, and waves of heated air rolled through the trees.
Ren cut off the chakra supply, changed his hand seals, and immediately converted his chakra's nature.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
A powerful torrent burst from his mouth.
The water struck the stream with a thunderous crash, sending a tall curtain of spray into the air. The lingering heat from the fireball transformed the droplets into hazy white vapor that drifted across the training ground.
Fire and water appeared in alternating bursts.
One moment, flames illuminated the trees. The next, a surging wave swallowed the scorched ground and filled the area with steam.
Now that the graduation examination was over, Ren no longer focused exclusively on increasing the size or destructive power of his techniques. Instead, he carefully examined how the traits Spirit of Fire and Water Dancer affected their respective ninjutsu.
Water Dancer was particularly interesting.
While releasing Wild Water Wave, Ren deliberately altered the flow of his chakra. The torrent twisted into a spinning vortex, then compressed into a rough sphere before dividing into several thinner streams.
He continued experimenting.
The water formed a spiral, a blooming flower, and finally a curved shower that glittered beneath the sunlight. None of those shapes significantly improved the technique's combat power, but Ren sensed subtle fluctuations in its chakra consumption.
Wild Water Wave was watching him.
More accurately, she was judging his performance.
Ren adjusted the angle of the flowing water and shaped it into a serpentine form that circled him once before diving into the stream. The dragon lacked detailed features, but its movement was smooth and graceful.
The response was immediate.
The amount of chakra required to sustain the technique decreased noticeably.
Ren's eyes brightened.
Apparently, the technique cared less about practical efficiency than visual beauty. The more artistic and elegant the water became, the more satisfied she was.
It was a ridiculous personality for combat ninjutsu.
It was also extremely useful.
By the time Ren's chakra neared exhaustion, the favorability of both Great Fireball and Wild Water Wave had increased by roughly two points.
Another notification appeared.
[Water Release: Wild Water Wave favorability has reached 50/100—Intimate.]
[Stage rewards obtained: Physique +2.]
[Trait—Water Dancer has evolved: Your Water Release possesses greater artistic potential. When you create an artistic form that satisfies Wild Water Wave, the technique's chakra consumption will be reduced by 40 percent.]
Warm energy spread throughout Ren's body.
The exhaustion in his muscles faded slightly as the Physique reward strengthened him. His chakra pathways also seemed better able to endure the strain of repeated nature transformations.
The first stage of Water Dancer had reduced consumption by thirty percent. The second stage had increased that reduction to forty percent. If the same pattern continued, the completed trait might eventually reduce chakra consumption by sixty percent.
For Wild Water Wave alone, the benefit was useful but not extraordinary. The technique did not consume enough chakra for the reduction to transform Ren's fighting style.
But if he obtained Water Dragon Bullet or Exploding Water Shock Wave and gave it to her as a new skin, the situation would change completely.
Those large-scale Water Release techniques normally demanded an enormous amount of chakra, especially when used in an environment without an existing water source. Reducing their consumption by more than half would remove their greatest limitation.
Combined with a Physique that could theoretically continue increasing without limit, Ren might one day reproduce Tobirama Senju's greatest miracle.
He would use Water Release so overwhelmingly powerful that his enemies would wonder whether he had summoned an entire sea.
Compared with Wild Water Wave's steady progress, the Great Fireball Technique had become noticeably harder to please after reaching sixty favorability.
Ren did not know whether this was because he had failed to provide a gift or because he had not triggered a special event like those involving the Three Basic Techniques. Simply training with Great Fireball was no longer enough to produce rapid progress.
After ending the session, Ren sat cross-legged on a large stone beside the stream. He allowed the cool wind to dry the sweat on his forehead while slowly recovering his chakra.
Then he immersed his consciousness in the System and opened his conversation with the Great Fireball Technique.
[Ren: Little Fire, I want to ask you something. Do you know the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique?]
The answer appeared almost immediately.
[Fire Release—Great Fireball Technique: Hmm? Phoenix Sage Fire? I suppose you could call her a younger sister from the same clan. Why are you asking?]
Ren considered his wording before responding.
[Ren: No particular reason. I heard her name recently and became curious. What is your relationship with her like?]
This time, there was a brief pause.
[Fire Release—Great Fireball Technique: Our relationship is merely acceptable! That girl is far too playful. She spends all her time dressing herself in flashy clothes and throwing sparks everywhere, as if appearances are the only thing that matters. True quality comes from within. Only shallow, uncultured people need fancy decorations to make themselves look impressive!]
Ren stared at the message in silence.
Why did that sound like sour grapes?
He could almost imagine Great Fireball sitting alone in plain clothes while enviously watching Phoenix Sage Fire show off a collection of colorful dresses.
If Ren had chosen Great Fire Wall and gifted it to Great Fireball as a new skin, would she still criticize fancy appearances?
Or would she instantly change into her new outfit, parade around the System space, and claim that true beauty required both inner quality and external refinement?
Before Ren could probe further, another conversation window forced its way onto the screen.
The Clone Technique had arrived.
Worse, she had appeared in her Water Clone form, which meant she was already dressed for trouble.
[Clone Technique—Water Clone form: My, my. If it isn't Miss Great Fireball. I haven't seen you for two days. How did you become even more pitiful?]
[Clone Technique: "What matters is on the inside"? Aren't you saying that only because you don't have any new clothes?]
Great Fireball responded instantly.
[Fire Release—Great Fireball Technique: Who allowed you into this conversation? Leave!]
Clone Technique ignored her.
[Clone Technique: But I suppose Ren won't give you a gift anytime soon. After all, your reputation outside isn't particularly impressive. You may look bright and powerful, but do you know what other people call you behind your back?]
The flames surrounding Great Fireball trembled violently.
[Fire Release—Great Fireball Technique: Shut up! You are forbidden from saying it!]
[Clone Technique: Hehehe. Everyone calls you the Merciful Fireball Technique—because no matter how impressive you look, you never manage to hit anyone!]
For one brief second, the System space became deathly silent.
Then Great Fireball exploded.
[Fire Release—Great Fireball Technique: AAAAAAH! CLONE TECHNIQUE, YOU ANNOYING PEST! I'M GOING TO BURN EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!]
The flames around her surged wildly, flooding the conversation window with crimson light. Clone Technique responded by creating several copies of herself, each wearing the same smug expression.
Ren pressed two fingers against his forehead.
Among all his techniques, these two were undoubtedly the most active. They also fought more often than anyone else. Every time Clone Technique appeared, she found a new way to torment Great Fireball, while Great Fireball reacted with precisely the fury Clone Technique wanted.
They truly were a pair of star-crossed lovers—destined to meet, destined to quarrel, and apparently destined to make Ren suffer alongside them.
He was beginning to worry that Clone Technique's relentless teasing might eventually reduce Great Fireball's favorability.
Before Ren could intervene, a sharp chime rang through his mind.
The translucent System interface suddenly turned blood-red.
[Ding! Special event keyword detected.]
[A time-limited mission has been triggered!]
Ren's amusement disappeared.
The forest around him remained peaceful, but an inexplicable chill crawled down his spine.
Whenever the System used the words special event, peace was usually the first casualty.