Ren had come to a frustrating conclusion.
His inability to master the Flying Thunder God Technique wasn't simply a matter of effort—it was likely something far more fundamental.
"Maybe… I just don't meet the innate requirements."
He stood alone at the edge of the training ground, staring at his palm as chakra flickered faintly across his fingertips.
It made sense when he thought about it.
The Flying Thunder God wasn't just any ninjutsu—it was a space-time technique, one of the most complex in existence. If talent alone were enough, then someone like Hiruzen Sarutobi, known as the Professor of Ninjutsu, would have mastered it long ago. After all, Hiruzen had inherited countless techniques from the Second Hokage.
But he hadn't.
Instead, the one who succeeded was Minato Namikaze—a once-in-a-generation genius.
And if even Minato…
Ren exhaled slowly.
"…then I might need to find another way."
A dangerous thought surfaced in his mind.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode…
The signature ability of the Hidden Cloud Village.
If he couldn't meet the requirements naturally, then perhaps he could compensate by enhancing his body to that level.
Of course, that idea was still far off. For now, it remained nothing more than a possibility—a future path to consider.
Still…
Not everything had gone poorly.
In fact, there was something worth celebrating.
---
A Breakthrough Achieved
Ren's lips curled into a faint smile.
"The Great Fireball Technique… finally reached its peak."
After completing the "Rectification" mission, his affinity with the technique had already surpassed ninety. With another week or two of relentless training, he had finally broken through the last barrier.
A system notification echoed in his mind—
[Great Fireball Technique Favorability +2]
[Great Fireball Technique (Favorability: 100/100 – Heart-to-Heart)]
And then—
[Stage Reward ×4 Obtained]
Physique +4
Trait Acquired: Heart of Incineration
Effect:
Fire Release chakra affinity greatly increased
Fire Release ninjutsu power increased by 240%
Great Fireball Technique can continuously increase temperature at the cost of chakra, reaching inextinguishable "purgatory flames"
---
Ren blinked.
"…240%?"
That wasn't just an improvement.
That was a transformation.
And the most terrifying part?
It applied to all Fire Release techniques.
At that moment, Ren could clearly feel the change inside his body. The fire-nature chakra flowing through him had become far more responsive—alive, almost eager.
It felt as if a single thought could ignite the air itself.
Of course, that was just a feeling.
Reality still required proper execution—hand seals, chakra control, and precision.
Unlike the Three Basic Techniques, the Great Fireball didn't gain any casting shortcuts. It still required seals.
But—
It only needed five or six.
And after enough practice, that meant barely a second.
Practically instantaneous in battle.
---
The True Meaning of "Fire"
Ren narrowed his eyes.
The power boost alone was incredible.
But what truly fascinated him was the temperature amplification.
Ordinary flames?
A few hundred to a thousand degrees Celsius.
Against experienced ninja, that wasn't enough. Chakra defenses could easily mitigate or even completely block such heat.
But what if—
"…I push it further?"
He began calculating instinctively.
Six thousand degrees?
No…
"That's still not enough."
A grin spread across his face.
"Let's aim for ten thousand."
If he could truly reach that level…
Then even the legendary Uchiha technique, Amaterasu, might not seem so terrifying anymore.
He chuckled softly.
"At that point… Amaterasu might as well be called 'Little Great Fireball.'"
---
A Blaze That Shook the Training Ground
Ren stepped forward.
His fingers moved fluidly, forming hand seals in rapid succession.
"Serpent… Ram… Monkey… Boar… Horse… Tiger—"
His chest expanded.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
BOOM—!!!
A massive sphere of fire erupted from his mouth.
Seven… eight meters wide.
It wasn't a fireball anymore—it was a miniature inferno.
From afar, it looked like a blazing sun crashing onto the training field.
The heat distorted the air itself.
Flames roared and surged, devouring everything in their path.
And as Ren poured more chakra into it—
The color began to change.
Red.
Then yellow.
Then—
White.
The temperature skyrocketed.
The surrounding air warped violently, like space itself was trembling.
---
Shock and Awe
Not far away, three figures froze.
Kakashi Hatake lowered his hand mid-seal, his visible eye widening.
Obito Uchiha stared blankly, completely stunned.
And Rin Nohara, who had been practicing Water Clones, nearly lost control of her technique.
"…No way."
Obito's voice trembled.
"What kind of jutsu is that?!"
"…That's the Great Fireball Technique," Kakashi muttered, though even he sounded unsure.
Obito blinked.
"Whose Great Fireball looks like that?!"
He glanced down at his own fireball from earlier.
A respectable size—two to three meters.
Actually quite impressive for his age.
But compared to Ren's?
It felt like a candle beside a blazing sun.
"…Did it eat some kind of miracle pill or something?"
Obito scratched his head, utterly baffled.
---
Cold Analysis in the Midst of Fire
Meanwhile, Ren released the jutsu.
The flames dissipated.
Heat waves rolled across the ground.
He wiped his face, slightly irritated by the residual heat.
"…Still not enough."
His mind was already analyzing.
"White flames usually appear around 1200 degrees… blue flames at roughly 3000."
"So… below 2000 degrees is manageable."
He frowned slightly.
"But above that, the chakra consumption increases drastically…"
His thoughts deepened.
"The relationship feels like a power function at first… but it might turn exponential."
He nodded slowly.
"I'll need proper testing later."
Despite the limitations, the result was already terrifying.
A fireball of that scale—
Even two Chunin-level Water Release techniques wouldn't be enough to stop it.
It would take at least three… maybe four.
And that was without considering the rising temperature.
For most ordinary ninja—
This was already overwhelming.
---
The Ninjutsu "Conversation" Gets Out of Hand
As Ren processed everything, another set of notifications appeared in his mind.
[Great Fireball Technique: Hehe~ So this is what it feels like to be heart-to-heart with Ren? I feel so light… like nothing can scare me anymore. Can Clone Technique do that?]
[Clone Technique: ? Why drag me into this again? We three sisters already reached that level with Little Sanjō long ago~]
Ren froze.
"…What?"
Before he could react—
[Clone Technique: And you might not know this… but our bond with Little Sanjō is even deeper. These past few days, we've been together in a small room… lights off… and then—hehe~]
[Great Fireball Technique: ???]
[Phoenix Sage Fire Technique: (eyes shining) Wait, wait—what happened next? Tell me!]
[Water Release: Rampaging Water Waves Technique: …This topic is shallow.]
[Substitution Jutsu: Stare]
[Water Wall Technique: Stare]
Ren: "…"
He was completely speechless.
"…What kind of nonsense is this?"
His face darkened.
"'Small room'? That's just the Instant Hell Shadow Kill Formation training space!"
"And what do you mean lights off?!"
This was slander.
Pure slander.
Just as he was about to argue—
A flash of golden light streaked across the training ground.
---
The Arrival of a Legend
"Whoa! Minato-sensei!"
Obito immediately perked up.
Standing before them was none other than Minato Namikaze, smiling gently as always.
"Good afternoon," Minato said warmly. "How did everyone's training go today? Any problems?"
His presence instantly calmed the chaotic atmosphere.
Ren stepped forward.
For the sake of secrecy, he didn't mention the Instant Hell Shadow Kill Formation. Instead, he asked a few questions about chakra control.
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin followed, bringing up their own issues with ninjutsu practice.
Minato answered each one patiently.
Clear.
Precise.
Effortless.
This was the level of a true genius.
---
A New Mission Begins
After the discussion, Minato reached into his pouch and pulled out a scroll.
"I have a new mission for us."
He unfolded it slightly.
"A C-rank escort mission. We'll be accompanying several nobles from the Land of Fire to the Land of Tea to visit relatives."
Obito's face immediately twisted.
"…Another escort mission?!"
Minato chuckled lightly.
"It will take a few days. Go home and prepare your supplies."
Obito groaned.
"Seriously… don't these nobles have anything better to do? It's practically wartime, and they're still traveling around like this!"
Ren sighed softly.
"War is our business, not theirs."
He glanced at Obito.
"If they stop moving, stop spending…"
"…then what exactly are we protecting?"
Obito paused.
"…Huh."
Ren shrugged.
"If they don't run around, what are we supposed to eat?"
---
The Calm Before the Storm
The training ground slowly returned to normal.
But beneath the surface—
Something had changed.
Ren clenched his fist.
His fire had evolved.
His path had expanded.
And somewhere in the distance—
War was approaching.
Soon… this power would be tested in real battle.
--------------------------------
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