That was a lie.
In reality, Ren was only able to barely keep up with the brutal training routine of Might Duy and Might Guy because of the hidden advantages provided by the Ninja World Galgame System.
Every time he increased the affection of those personified "ninjutsu girls," the system rewarded him with Physique attribute points.
Those points were the only reason he could endure such insane physical training.
Even so…
The eight points of Physique he had accumulated so far were still not quite enough.
If he wanted to run ten full laps around Konoha Village like Duy demanded, he would definitely need to squeeze out a few more points.
On the other side of the road, Might Duy raised a bright thumbs-up, his passionate eyes shining like twin flames.
"Excellent, Ren!"
"This persistence is the most dazzling light of youth!"
He grinned broadly, teeth sparkling.
"Your physical foundation has grown far stronger than before!"
Ren wiped sweat from his forehead.
Then his expression suddenly turned serious.
"…In that case, Uncle Duy… do I now have the qualification to ask about that secret technique?"
Duy blinked.
Ren straightened his back despite his exhaustion.
"I know that technique represents the ultimate secret of taijutsu."
"I also know it's a forbidden technique that exchanges life force for power."
"But I still want to learn it."
His voice was firm.
"I have the determination to protect the things I care about."
This conversation wasn't completely new.
Earlier, Ren had already interacted with Might Duy several times.
On one occasion, he had even "accidentally" witnessed Duy practicing the Eight Gates technique.
Because of that, he had already hinted at this topic before.
So bringing it up again now didn't seem strange.
For a few seconds, Duy remained silent.
He looked deeply into Ren's eyes.
The determination there was unmistakable.
Finally, the man slowly stood up.
Then—
He raised his thumb again.
A brilliant smile spread across his face.
"Excellent!"
"I can feel your determination, Ren!"
His voice suddenly grew serious.
"But cultivating the Eight Gates is no simple matter!"
"It requires tempering your body day after day, year after year, until it becomes a steel frame capable of withstanding that violent power!"
"Pain!"
"Monotony!"
"Endless sweat!"
"Even blood!"
"All of these are part of the path!"
Duy leaned closer.
"You understand this, don't you?"
"I do."
Ren nodded without hesitation.
Duy's eyes narrowed.
"Then prove it to me!"
He pointed dramatically toward the long road stretching around the village.
"If you can run ten laps around Konoha Village every day for ten consecutive days, I will teach you the cultivation method of the Eight Gates!"
Ren paused.
Ten laps.
Every day.
For ten days.
Even with his current physique, that sounded almost impossible.
But after a moment of calculation, Ren nodded firmly.
"…Alright."
"Ten days it is."
"Uncle Duy, it's a deal."
He had already tested his limits earlier.
With 8 points of Physique, he could barely endure nine laps.
If he managed to gain one or two more Physique points, completing ten laps should become possible.
Which meant—
If everything went smoothly…
He could meet Duy's requirements in about half a month.
At most one month.
And by that time, it would still only be January next year, well before the Ninja Academy's graduation exams.
There was plenty of time.
Duy burst into laughter.
"HAHA!"
"This is exactly what youth should look like!"
"I have high hopes for you, Ren!"
Without another word, he flipped back into a handstand and shouted toward his son.
"Guy! Let's continue!"
"Charge toward the tenth lap!"
"Yes, Father!"
Guy immediately responded with full enthusiasm.
Before running off, he turned back toward Ren and flashed a brilliant grin.
"Ren!"
"I'll challenge you again next time!"
Then—
The father and son duo sprinted away.
Two figures in green jumpsuits moving like blazing comets of youthful madness.
Ren leaned against a nearby tree.
A wave of exhaustion swept over him.
His legs trembled.
His lungs burned.
But his eyes shone brightly.
"Ten days… ten laps…"
He murmured quietly.
"If I want those Physique points, I'll need to push the ninjutsu favorability even harder."
Right now, Ren was maintaining relationships with six different ninjutsu.
Trying to maximize their affection every single day was already becoming extremely time-consuming.
Unless he spent the entire day talking and practicing with them.
But—
He had noticed something interesting.
Every time a technique's favorability level increased, he received +1 Physique.
So instead of spreading his efforts evenly, it might be smarter to focus on the techniques closest to leveling up.
Ren nodded to himself.
"Yeah… that's probably the best strategy."
---
The weekend passed quickly.
Before he knew it, a new week had begun.
Early Monday morning, the bulletin board outside the Ninja Academy was completely surrounded by students.
Everyone had gathered there.
Why?
Because the final exam results had been posted.
Students squeezed through the crowd, standing on tiptoe and craning their necks.
"Whoa! The results are out!"
"I'm not last this time!"
"Quick! Who got first place?"
"Wait—look!"
"First place is Ren Mikami!"
"Perfect score?!"
"What?! How is that possible?!"
"His combat class used to be his weak point!"
"Look again! His practical score is high too!"
"It's the same as Asuma Sarutobi's score!"
"But Ren's academic score is way higher, so he ranked first overall!"
"What about Hyuga Homon?"
"Whoa… his ranking dropped a lot."
The noise around the board grew louder and louder.
At the very top of the list—
Ren's name stood clearly in first place.
---
Not far away, Obito Uchiha was also pushing through the crowd.
He stood on his toes, anxiously searching the list.
"…Where is it?"
"…Where's my name?"
Finally—
He spotted it.
Near the bottom.
His shoulders immediately drooped.
"Ah… not again…"
Instinctively, he glanced toward Rin.
Rin Nohara was standing nearby.
But she wasn't alone.
She was talking happily with Ren.
The two of them looked completely relaxed, chatting and laughing together.
A strange feeling rose inside Obito's chest.
His face slowly turned red.
He clenched his fists.
First place…
Rin…
All of that should have been mine!
---
Meanwhile, Ren himself wasn't particularly surprised by his result.
For him, getting a perfect score in academics was almost routine.
As for the combat exam—
Although the official score came from his match with Mizuki, the teachers had clearly taken other events into account.
Especially his earlier victory over Hyuga Homon, where he cleverly used the Three Basic Jutsu to defeat a Hyuga clan student.
That performance alone had probably impressed the instructors.
But what Ren cared about more wasn't the result itself.
It was the impact this first-place ranking might have going forward.
Just as Ren cleared his throat and prepared to say something to Rin—
A soft voice spoke beside him.
"Classmate Ren… congratulations."
"You've improved a lot."
Ren turned his head.
He found himself looking into a pair of ruby-red eyes.
The owner of those eyes was a young girl with delicate features.
Kurenai Yuhi.
At this age, she didn't yet have the mature beauty she would possess in the future.
Her long hair wasn't as elegant.
Her aura wasn't as confident.
But even now, hints of her future style were already visible.
She wore a red inner shirt with a white outer garment, giving her a distinct and elegant appearance.
The only thing missing were the bandages she would wear later in life.
For a moment, Kurenai hesitated.
Then she spoke again.
"Classmate Ren… this might be a little sudden…"
"But could I ask you something?"
Ren blinked.
"Sure."
Kurenai clasped her hands slightly.
"My practical combat scores aren't very good."
"So…"
She looked at him expectantly.
"Do you have any tricks for improving ninjutsu cultivation?"
"Huh?"
Ren paused.
Then he scratched his cheek.
"Well… there's no real trick."
"It's mostly about studying and practicing more."
Kurenai blinked.
"…Anything more specific?"
Ren thought for a moment.
Then his expression suddenly became extremely serious.
"Well… if I had to say…"
"There is one important thing."
Kurenai leaned forward slightly.
Ren spoke solemnly.
"You have to treat ninjutsu like people."
Kurenai: "…?"
Ren continued confidently.
"Don't practice just for the sake of practicing."
"You should talk to your ninjutsu regularly to raise their affection."
"Occasionally give them gifts."
"And during special occasions, have meaningful interactions with them."
"As long as you treat your ninjutsu with sincerity…"
"They will definitely reward you."
Ren nodded firmly.
"Yes."
"That's the secret."
Kurenai Yuhi stared at him.
Her mouth slowly opened.
A long moment passed.
Then she finally managed to say—
"…Huh?"
--------------------------------
"Free readers are still behind… but Patreon members are already ahead 😏
Catch up now [patreon.com/Samurai492 ]"
__________________________________