Ren honestly believed he had shared his experience with complete sincerity.
From his perspective, the advice he had given Kurenai Yuhi was extremely practical. After all, he had personally verified that treating ninjutsu as living companions—talking to them, caring about them, and increasing their favorability—could drastically improve his abilities.
However…
From Kurenai's perspective, Ren's explanation sounded suspiciously like a joke.
Not entirely a joke, perhaps.
The part about "treating ninjutsu with sincerity" sounded reasonable enough.
But everything else was so vague that it was impossible to understand how to apply it in practice.
Kurenai frowned slightly, thinking it over.
As the daughter of a Konoha Jonin, her performance in combat classes was honestly disappointing compared to expectations.
The reason was simple.
Almost all of her natural talent leaned toward Genjutsu.
But the Ninja Academy curriculum focused primarily on Taijutsu and Ninjutsu.
In those two areas, Kurenai's ability could only be described as average.
Among civilian students, she was certainly above the majority.
But when compared to children from established ninja clans, she often fell behind.
That difference made her anxious.
She had even tried asking Asuma Sarutobi for advice before.
Unfortunately, Asuma wasn't much help.
As the son of the Third Hokage and a member of the Sarutobi clan, Asuma's starting point was far beyond ordinary students.
Before even enrolling in the academy, he had already mastered the Three Basic Jutsu and several D-rank techniques.
Only prodigies like Kakashi Hatake could truly suppress him in class.
Because of that, Asuma had absolutely no idea how someone with a weak foundation should improve.
But Ren…
Ren was different.
In previous exams, his combat performance had been roughly on par with Kurenai's.
Yet suddenly—
He had shot straight to first place.
Such a dramatic improvement naturally caught her attention.
After hesitating for a moment, Kurenai gathered her courage.
"Um…"
"Classmate Ren."
She clasped her hands slightly.
"I would like to ask you to guide my training."
Ren blinked.
"Guide… you?"
Kurenai nodded.
"Even if it's only once or twice."
Then she added quietly,
"I can pay you according to the lesson hours."
Ren's expression immediately sharpened.
"…How much?"
Kurenai hesitated briefly.
Then she said,
"Three thousand ryo per lesson."
Ren's eyes lit up instantly.
"Are you serious?!"
Three thousand ryo.
For an academy student, that was not a small amount of money.
A typical D-rank mission paid around that much—and that was before the village took its share and the team divided the remainder.
If he taught Kurenai for dozens of sessions…
That could easily add up to over one hundred thousand ryo.
Ren coughed lightly, trying to look composed.
"Ahem… we're classmates after all."
"Helping each other improve is only natural."
He folded his arms thoughtfully.
"How about this."
"Winter break starts in a few days."
"I can help you train during that time."
"We'll treat it as mutual progress."
Then he added casually,
"As for the lesson fee… it doesn't need to be three thousand."
"Two thousand five hundred per session will be fine."
Kurenai's eyes brightened immediately.
"Really?!"
Ren nodded solemnly.
"Yes."
"That's wonderful!" Kurenai said happily.
"Then I'll come find you after school!"
With that, she left with a cheerful expression.
Ren watched her go, satisfied.
Then he turned his head slightly—
And noticed Rin Nohara nearby talking with Obito Uchiha.
Rin's gaze drifted toward him occasionally.
There was something subtle in her expression.
But before Ren could think too deeply about it—
Clap! Clap!
Teacher Oki walked out of the staff room and clapped his hands loudly.
"Everyone, return to your seats."
The students quickly settled down.
Teacher Oki began delivering his usual end-of-term speech.
"Remember, the most important thing for you right now is to strengthen your foundation and prepare for the graduation exam two months from now."
"You must always keep the legacy of the Will of Fire in your hearts."
He paused.
"To be honest, even I cannot fully explain the Will of Fire."
"I am still learning and understanding it myself."
"There is only one person in Konoha who can truly grasp its meaning completely."
"That person is…"
"Hokage-sama."
At that moment—
Many students turned their heads toward the classroom door.
And then they froze.
Because standing there was a figure wearing a white Hokage robe and a bamboo hat.
Despite the lines of age on his face, his eyes were bright and gentle.
A warm smile rested on his lips.
It was the Third Hokage of Konoha.
Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Hokage-sama!"
The entire classroom stood up instantly.
Even Teacher Oki bowed respectfully.
Hiruzen smiled kindly and waved his hand.
"Please, sit down."
He walked slowly toward the podium.
His gaze swept across the young faces of the students before him.
"Children…"
"Seeing your energetic spirits brings me great joy."
"You are the future of Konoha."
"You are the ones who will inherit the Will of Fire."
"All the knowledge you learn today is preparation for protecting your home and your companions in the future."
He paused, smiling softly.
"I have also heard that some students performed exceptionally well in the recent examinations."
"That makes me feel confident about the future of Konoha."
The classroom was completely silent.
Everyone listened attentively.
Ren also maintained a serious expression.
But inside his mind—
He sighed.
Nice speech…
But can we skip the inspirational slogans and get to the rewards already?
Almost as if responding to his thoughts—
Hiruzen suddenly changed topics.
"I came here today not only to see everyone…"
"But also to announce something."
The students leaned forward.
"In order to encourage you all to strive for excellence in the graduation exam two months from now, the village has decided to provide special rewards."
"Specifically…"
"The top three students in the graduation exam will receive rewards from the village."
The classroom immediately stirred.
But Hiruzen raised a finger.
"And for the first-place student…"
"The reward will be even more special."
The room went completely silent.
"You may make one request to me personally."
"As long as it falls within a reasonable range, the village will do its best to grant it."
Then he added with a faint smile.
"For example…"
"You may choose a C-rank or higher ninjutsu that is not a clan secret technique."
"And I will personally teach and guide you."
For a moment—
The classroom exploded.
"WHAT?!"
"Personally taught by Hokage-sama?!"
"A ninjutsu above C-rank?!"
"That's incredible!"
"I'm going to take first place!"
Even the usually calm students couldn't stay quiet.
The idea of learning a powerful ninjutsu was already tempting.
But being personally taught by the Hokage?
That was an unimaginable honor.
Even Asuma Sarutobi subconsciously straightened his posture.
Nearby, Might Guy, Obito, Hyuga Homon, and others clenched their fists excitedly.
Ren also pretended to look thrilled.
But inside—
His mind remained calm.
C-rank or higher…
That meant B-rank techniques were possible.
Maybe even A-rank.
Technically, a technique's rank was determined by its difficulty to learn.
But in general, higher-ranked ninjutsu were almost always stronger.
More importantly—
Ren possessed the Galgame System.
Every new ninjutsu could unlock unique traits and abilities.
The bonuses from the Three Basic Jutsu alone were already extremely powerful.
If he obtained a stronger technique…
Ren's eyes narrowed slightly.
First place.
I'm definitely taking it.
After saying a few more encouraging words, Hiruzen Sarutobi left the classroom.
But now the students were far too excited to focus on anything else.
The room buzzed with whispers and speculation.
Some students were already debating who would finish in the top three.
Many glances shifted toward Ren and Asuma.
Under these circumstances, Teacher Oki had no choice but to end the class early.
"And with that…"
"Winter break officially begins."
"For the next three weeks, continue your training."
"When you return…"
"It will be time for the graduation exam."
Students immediately began packing their bags.
"Ren-kun," Rin said as she finished packing.
"Do you want to walk home together?"
Ren shook his head.
"I still have something to do."
Rin nodded.
"Alright."
"Obito-kun and I will head back first."
"See you tomorrow."
After watching Rin leave, Ren stretched lazily.
Then his gaze shifted across the classroom.
Most of the students had already left.
Near the door, Kurenai Yuhi was saying goodbye to Asuma and Genma Shiranui.
A moment later, she turned around.
Her red eyes met Ren's.
After the last few students left the room, she spoke calmly.
"Let's go."
"Classmate Ren."
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