Ren was leaning against a tree, eyes closed, breathing slowly, letting the noise of the camp dissolve in the back of his mind. The rough wood against his back kept him anchored, as if the tree were the only unmoving point in a world that insisted on spinning too fast.
He wasn't sleeping. Just organizing his thoughts.
The exam would begin soon, and even so, it was hard not to feel the faint vibration in his chest—that anticipation that didn't come from fear, but from necessity. He wanted this. He wanted to measure how much he had changed, to discover what he still lacked. And above all, he wanted to keep his mind in the right place.
Footsteps approached. Light, quick, without hesitation. The sound carried an energy he would recognize even in the dark.
Ren opened his eyes and only managed to see a blur rushing toward him.
"I missed you," Ino said, wrapping him in a hug so tight that for a moment he had to remember how to breathe.
Ren laughed, the sound low and genuine, and hugged her back, catching her scent mixed with the cold air. "It's only been a few hours since we last saw each other."
"Really?" Ino lifted her face, her eyes shining with a playful expression that seemed to completely ignore the rest of the world. "Feels like weeks."
She didn't wait for another response. Ino held his face with both hands and pulled him into a kiss, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, as if there were no exam, no tension, no people around.
Ren gave in, because it was hard to resist when she acted like that—direct, leaving no space for doubt.
Time became strange for a few minutes. The rest of the world turned into distant noise. Ren felt her warmth, the light pressure of her fingers on the back of his neck, and realized his own anxiety was fading, as if someone had tightened a knot inside him and suddenly loosened it.
They kept kissing for several minutes until a sound broke the bubble.
"Ahem."
Ren and Ino separated quickly, as if air had suddenly rushed back into their lungs. Both turned toward the sound.
Shikamaru stood there, wearing an expression of tiredness and a faint irritation that looked more like habit than actual anger. His eyes said, without needing words, that he had seen everything—and would have preferred not to.
Ren and Ino blushed at the same time.
Ino kept her chin lifted, trying to act normal, but her face was too warm to be convincing. Ren cleared his throat and, without thinking much, decided to change the subject. Anything was better than standing there looking like an idiot.
"Hey Shikamaru, sleep well?"
A vein popped on Shikamaru's forehead, and Ren immediately knew the question had been the worst possible choice. Still, Shikamaru answered, as if he didn't have enough energy to bother arguing.
"I slept enough to keep being tired."
Ino let out a short laugh, still hiding her face for a moment. Ren scratched the back of his neck, trying to figure out what to do with his hands, because for some reason everything felt more awkward now that they'd been caught.
Shikamaru glanced at the two of them—at Ino's hands still close to her chest, at the way Ren looked uncomfortable—then let out a long sigh, the kind that sounded like it carried decades.
"You two are… troublesome."
"You're the troublesome one," Ino shot back immediately, regaining part of her composure. "You and whoever showed up out of nowhere."
"I was walking, like any normal person," Shikamaru said, and the word normal came out almost like an accusation.
Ren opened his mouth to reply, but didn't get the chance. Another group approached, the sound of hurried footsteps accompanied by a voice that wouldn't know subtlety even if it tried.
"Hey Ren, Ino, Shikamaru!"
Naruto shouted, already running toward them as if the world needed to adjust to his pace.
Behind him came Sasuke with his usual expression—closed off, focused—as if showing any emotion would count as a personal defeat. Sakura walked beside him, trying to appear calm, but clearly attentive to Sasuke's every movement, as if ignoring him were impossible.
Naruto stopped in front of them, breathing hard, and immediately started talking without pause, pouring out words like he'd been holding them in for days.
"You won't believe the missions I did—"
Ren listened, but he didn't really need to pay attention to know it was Naruto being Naruto.
Even so, there was something familiar about it. Something that brought a strange sense of normality.
As if, for a few seconds, the exam wasn't an unknown abyss but simply another step along the road.
Sasuke and Sakura arrived moments later and greeted them briefly. Sasuke merely nodded. Sakura smiled, a little more enthusiastically than necessary, then turned quickly toward Sasuke as if looking for confirmation of something.
That was when Naruto looked down.
Ren didn't notice what Naruto had seen at first. Only when Naruto's eyes widened—as if he'd discovered living proof that the world was conspiring against him—did Ren understand.
Ino and Ren were still holding hands.
Naruto pointed, his voice rising with his usual ease.
"Why are you holding hands?!"
Hearing the question, Shikamaru sighed as if he'd already known this moment would come and was already tired of it. Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly, a minimal but clear gesture, as if evaluating an inconvenient situation. Sakura's eyes widened in a way that made Ren almost feel the explosion of questions forming before they even left her mouth.
Ino blushed again and lowered her face, trying to hide behind her hair.
Ren also blushed slightly—but didn't let go of her hand. In fact, he tightened his grip.
"Well…" Ren began carefully, knowing that one wrong word would turn everything into chaos. "Isn't it normal for couples to hold hands?"
The silence that followed was so heavy that even the wind seemed to respect it.
Naruto blinked once. Twice.
His mouth opened a little, closed, then opened again.
Sakura raised a hand to her face as if trying to confirm she had heard correctly.
Sasuke kept his usual expression, but Ren noticed the smallest shift in his eyes—a spark of controlled surprise.
Shikamaru closed his eyes for a moment, as if saying a silent prayer not to be dragged into that conversation.
Then Naruto broke the silence.
"WHAT?!"
The shout was so loud that everyone instinctively covered their ears.
Ren felt the vibration of the sound pass through his head and, for a moment, had the urge to disappear into his own shadow.
*This is going to be troublesome.*
Naruto started talking and gesturing at the same time, throwing out questions with no order, no logic, and no pause to breathe.
"Since when?! What do you mean?! Are you joking?! Ino, Ren, you guys—"
Ino was still red, but slowly she lifted her face again, trying to regain composure. She opened her mouth to respond, but Naruto spoke over her and the scene turned into chaos.
Sakura stepped forward, her expression switching between shock and indignation, as if this were a personal offense against the universe.
"Ino, you… you…"
Sasuke looked at Ren for a longer moment. He didn't say anything, but his silence felt like a different kind of question—less explosive, sharper.
Ren kept a calm expression on the outside, even as his heart beat faster.
Shikamaru, on the other hand, looked like he was counting the seconds until he could leave.
After answering enough questions for Naruto to finally stop repeating the same ones in circles, the six of them eventually headed toward the exam room.
The hallway was crowded—voices overlapping, hurried footsteps, tension disguised as confidence.
Ren walked with the group, feeling Ino beside him, her hand still in his.
It was both comforting and a responsibility.
Naruto was still muttering, as if trying to reorganize the world inside his head. Sakura kept looking at Ino with a mix of disbelief and indignation. Sasuke walked quietly, eyes fixed forward. Shikamaru yawned as if the entire universe were a tiresome job.
They were close to the exam room when someone blocked their path.
Ren raised his gaze and saw three people standing there—two boys and a girl.
The girl stayed slightly behind, observing, while the two boys carried a different presence from the rest, as if they were used to drawing attention without even trying.
One of the boys, wearing a green jumpsuit, started walking toward Ren with firm steps and a direct gaze.
"You're Ren, right?"
Ren didn't answer with words. He simply nodded, keeping his expression controlled.
He didn't like unnecessary confrontations—especially here, especially before the exam.
But he also knew avoiding it could be seen as fear.
"My name is Rock Lee," the boy continued, his energy so intense it almost seemed to shine. "I wanted to see if you're really as strong as I've heard."
Ino stepped forward immediately, clearly ready to argue, but Ren stopped her with a simple gesture.
There was no need for a verbal fight. Not now.
And deep down, he was curious.
The dangerous kind of curious.
He stepped forward, positioning himself between Lee and the group, his voice calm.
"It's better if we're quick. Otherwise we might be late for the exam."
Rock Lee looked satisfied, as if that was exactly what he wanted to hear.
His body moved without warning.
Lee rushed forward, spinning into a kick aimed straight at Ren's face.
Ren raised his right arm and blocked.
The impact was strong and sharp. Ren felt the force travel through his forearm into his shoulder.
Still, he didn't move.
*If that kick had landed two months ago, it probably would've pushed me back.*
Thanks to Saisei, his body was different now.
More resilient. More responsive. As if his entire structure had slowly reorganized itself.
He didn't like relying on that alone—but it would be a lie to say it didn't make a difference.
Without wasting time, Ren pushed Lee's leg aside and turned his hips, returning a kick.
Lee raised his arms and blocked, but was still pushed slightly backward.
Ren advanced, closing the distance.
The two entered a rapid exchange of punches—fast, intense, but clean.
Neither landed a direct hit. When one attacked, the other dodged by inches or blocked at the right angle.
It felt like a dialogue made of movement.
Every strike a question. Every block an answer.
Ren felt his body working almost on its own.
Not in the sense of losing control, but in the sense of not needing to think too much.
Firm stance. Feet adjusting. Breathing finding rhythm.
Lee was fast.
Much faster than most opponents Ren had faced in training.
But he was also straightforward, and Ren could read certain intentions at the start of the movement—the shift of the shoulder, the transfer of weight before the strike.
Still, Lee could read Ren as well.
That made everything more interesting.
And more dangerous.
After several seconds, they both stepped back almost at the same time.
They stood facing each other, breathing, evaluating.
Ren maintained a firm but non-aggressive stance.
Lee, on the other hand, looked radiant, as if the exchange had fed some inner flame.
He raised a thumbs-up and smiled widely.
"You truly deserve all the praise you receive. I look forward to fighting you during the exam."
Ren didn't answer immediately.
He felt his heart beating, the faint tingling in his arms from the blocked impacts.
Despite being brief, the exchange had served as a warning.
*This exam won't be simple.*
The other boy, with white eyes, approached Lee and spoke in a quieter, colder voice.
"Let's go."
Lee nodded, still smiling, and the three of them disappeared down the hallway, swallowed by the crowd.
Naruto stood frozen, staring at Ren as if trying to understand what he had just witnessed.
Sakura looked equally confused.
Sasuke kept his serious expression, but Ren noticed he was more attentive now—as if he had registered the name Rock Lee and stored it for later.
Shikamaru simply sighed, as if everything about the situation had been inevitable.
"What was that?" Naruto finally asked.
Ren straightened his posture, trying to settle his body's rhythm again, trying not to let the adrenaline rise too much.
He looked forward—toward the exam room—and replied firmly.
"It doesn't matter. Let's go."
After saying that, Ren began walking, the others following behind him.
On the outside, he looked calm as always.
Controlled expression. Steady breathing. Composed posture.
But inside…
He was excited for what was coming.
*Now it really begins.*
(Early access chapters: see the bio.)