Fifteen minutes later, Ren and Kurenai arrived at a quiet training ground around three to four kilometers away from the Ninja Academy.
The winter air was cool, but the open field still held traces of the afternoon sun. Leaves rustled faintly at the edges of the clearing, and from the center of the training ground came the sharp, rapid sound of weapons colliding.
Pap! Pap! Pap!
Ren and Kurenai were already in the middle of a taijutsu spar.
Kurenai lunged forward with a kunai in hand, her movements quick and clean, but still carrying a trace of inexperience. Ren stepped aside, blocked, redirected, and slipped past her attacks with practiced ease. He didn't move with overwhelming speed or crushing strength. Instead, he relied on timing, angles, and control.
After another short exchange, the two separated.
Ren stood upright, calm and steady, his breathing only slightly elevated.
Kurenai, on the other hand, was clearly struggling more. Her breathing had grown uneven, and a thin sheen of sweat glistened at her temples. She tightened her grip on her kunai and stared at Ren with obvious frustration.
"Again," she said, her voice low but stubborn.
Without waiting for a response, she rushed in once more.
This time, her kunai cut in a sharp arc toward Ren's shoulder blade from an awkward angle, fast and aggressive.
But just before the blade could connect, Ren shifted.
His body moved lightly, almost like a willow branch bending with the wind. At the same moment, his right hand shot out and caught Kurenai's wrist with startling precision. Then, with a slight pull and a subtle trip from his foot, he disrupted her balance completely.
Kurenai stumbled.
"Ah—!"
She lost her footing and fell to the ground with a small cry.
"Ow…"
Ren withdrew his hand and looked down at her.
"See?" he said. "You can't charge in that recklessly. The moment you throw all your weight forward, your center of gravity shifts too far ahead. If your opponent only guides you a little, you'll lose balance."
He crouched slightly and gestured toward her stance.
"Remember this. Your center of gravity should stay close to your core. Move with your momentum, not against it. That way, no matter what your opponent does, you can still adjust in time."
Kurenai sat there for a second, cheeks faintly flushed.
Her lower lip tightened as she processed his words.
That throw… it reminded her a little too much of the way Ren had taken down Hyuga Homon before.
Embarrassing.
Still, she nodded.
"…I understand."
Ren continued, his tone patient.
"And another thing. Whether you're attacking or defending, don't rely only on the strength of your arms. Power doesn't come from the hand alone. It starts from the soles of your feet, passes through your legs, waist, back, shoulders, and finally into your arm."
He paused, then added more gently:
"You're a girl. Compared to some of the boys, brute force will naturally be one of your weaker points. That means technique matters even more for you."
Kurenai looked up at him, slightly startled.
She had expected advice. She hadn't expected it to be this clear.
Most of what Ren was saying sounded strangely mature for someone their age. In truth, a lot of it came from what he had learned from Hyuga Hizashi and Might Duy. Right now, he was essentially taking what others had taught him and repackaging it in a way Kurenai could understand.
Still, he explained it so naturally that it sounded like his own insight.
Under Ren's guidance, Kurenai got back to her feet and adjusted her stance.
Then the two sparred again.
This time, she was more careful.
She didn't rush as blindly as before. Her steps became steadier, her center more controlled, and her attacks began to flow with a little less stiffness. She still wasn't matching Ren, but compared to the start of the session, her movements were already noticeably smoother.
That alone made her feel better.
After another round, Kurenai stepped back and let out a breath.
"Ren…"
"Hm?"
"Can I ask about your Three Basic Jutsu?"
Ren blinked.
Kurenai hesitated, then continued.
"My Transformation Technique and Clone Technique… the teacher always says they have form but no spirit. They're too easy to see through."
She looked at him seriously.
"But yours are completely different. The way you use them feels… real. Is there some kind of trick to it?"
Before Ren could answer, the galgame system suddenly lit up in front of him.
---
[Clone Technique: Hmph. Who is this girl? She thinks she's worthy of using the Three Basic Jutsu properly? Just look at that clumsy face of hers. No wonder she can't use us well. The clones she makes probably couldn't fool a dog.]
[Transformation Technique: Little Clone, that's a bit too harsh…]
[Clone Technique: Harsh? Hmph. Ren, show her. Let her see what the real Three Basic Jutsu look like.]
[Substitution Jutsu: She does seem… much worse than Mr. Ren… (.-ω-)zzz]
---
Ren almost laughed.
As the favorability of his techniques had increased—especially after he started giving them gifts and unlocking skins—their attitudes toward him had changed dramatically.
Transformation Technique was still the gentle, mature older sister.
Substitution Jutsu remained soft and sleepy.
And Clone Technique…
Well, Clone Technique was still sharp-tongued, but these days she was much more talkative. Compared to the moody, difficult version from the beginning, she had become almost lively.
Ren suppressed his amusement and said to Kurenai, "There is a trick, but it's easier to show than explain."
He raised his hands and formed seals.
"Watch carefully."
Poof!
Four figures appeared beside him in an instant.
Kurenai's eyes widened.
Each one looked exactly like Ren.
Not just their appearance, but their posture, breathing, and tiny shifts in expression all matched perfectly. At first glance, there was no obvious flaw at all. It was far beyond the ordinary level of the basic Clone Technique.
Of course, what Ren was actually using now was the Water Clone version of the technique.
Then, before Kurenai could fully recover from her surprise, Ren formed another set of seals.
With a faint puff of smoke, his original body vanished.
A second later, where Ren had stood, there was now a small gray-and-white kitten crouched on the ground.
The kitten's eyes were bright and alert.
Its fur looked soft and real.
Then it opened its mouth and let out a light, natural—
"Meow."
Kurenai froze.
Then she gasped softly.
"Wow…"
She stepped closer, staring in disbelief.
"This is…"
She crouched down in front of the kitten—Ren—and leaned in for a better look.
"It's so realistic…"
Unable to resist herself, she carefully reached out a finger and touched the top of the kitten's head.
The fur was warm.
Soft.
Real.
Kurenai's eyes widened even more.
"This… this feels completely real," she whispered. "It's like you actually turned into a cat."
She glanced up in surprise.
"Ren… you didn't secretly use Substitution Jutsu, did you?"
Then, before Ren could react, Kurenai gently stroked the kitten's back too.
And then again.
A smile of pure delight bloomed on her face.
"But it's so cute…"
On Ren's side, things were a bit awkward.
His Transformation Technique was not like the normal academy version. It wasn't just visual deception. Thanks to the galgame system, his transformations were far more complete—close to genuine physical changes. That was why both the appearance and the touch felt so convincing.
Which meant…
From the low angle of a cat's perspective, Ren was unfortunately seeing things he would rather not be seeing.
Because when Kurenai crouched down, her skirt naturally shifted, and her thighs parted slightly as she balanced herself.
Ren instantly turned his head away.
This is bad.
This is very bad.
To prevent the situation from becoming even more embarrassing, the gray-and-white kitten suddenly let out another "meow," then leaped away with remarkable agility.
With a light spring of his body, Ren jumped onto a nearby tree branch, trotted along it a few steps, then flipped back down to the ground.
The moment he landed, the transformation dispersed.
He returned to human form as if nothing had happened.
His expression was completely serious.
"Did you see that, Kurenai?"
Kurenai still looked a little dazed, as though part of her mind was still stuck on the kitten.
Ren cleared his throat and pressed on.
"The Three Basic Jutsu aren't rigid formulas. You can't just memorize the seals and expect the result to be convincing. When you use them, you need to imagine the breathing, the heartbeat, the habits, even the little mannerisms of whatever you're transforming into or copying."
He tapped his temple lightly.
"You need to create a second self in your mind first. Only then can your chakra recreate it properly."
Kurenai frowned in concentration.
That explanation sounded meaningful.
But…
After a few seconds, she sighed.
"That still sounds really hard. I don't think I can grasp that feeling right away."
Ren thought for a moment.
Then he said, "How about this? Use the Three Basic Jutsu one by one. I'll place a hand on your back and try to sense your chakra flow. Maybe I can figure out where the problem is."
Kurenai stiffened.
"Huh? This…"
For a moment, she hesitated.
It was a little embarrassing. Not because the contact was especially improper—they were both young academy students, and this was clearly for training—but still, having someone place a hand on her back while she used chakra made her feel strangely self-conscious.
But then she remembered Ren's flawless demonstration just now.
And the calm, teacher-like way he had guided her during taijutsu practice.
After a brief pause, she nodded.
"…Alright."
She turned her back to him, took a breath, and began forming seals.
Ren stepped closer and gently placed his right palm between her shoulder blades, at the center of her back.
Through the fabric of her training clothes, he could feel the warmth of her body.
And also the tension.
She was nervous.
Ren chose to ignore that and focused instead on the chakra.
Soon, chakra began moving through Kurenai's body as she activated the Transformation Technique.
Ren narrowed his eyes.
He could vaguely sense the issue.
Her chakra output wasn't weak at all. In fact, it was fairly strong for someone their age.
The problem was…
Too loose.
Too scattered.
He was just thinking about how to explain it when the galgame interface popped up again.
Then Transformation Technique, who had been quiet for a while, suddenly spoke.
---
[Transformation Technique: Little Ren, this girl's chakra strength is actually quite good. But the way she applies it is far too loose.]
[Transformation Technique: It should be like putting on clothes. First, spread the chakra evenly over the whole body. Then gather the remaining chakra in a few key features that define the form most clearly.]
---
Ren froze.
"…?"
Hold on.
What exactly was happening here?
Did this mean…
His teachers for the Three Basic Jutsu…
Were actually the Three Basic Jutsu themselves?
Ren's expression became strange.
For a moment, he didn't know whether to laugh, sigh, or just accept that his galgame system had once again become even more ridiculous than before.
Still…
Ridiculous or not, the advice was good.
Very good.
So Ren steadied himself and repeated the explanation in his own words.
"Kurenai, your chakra output isn't the problem," he said slowly. "The problem is distribution. You're releasing too much chakra too loosely, without structure."
Kurenai kept still and listened carefully.
Ren continued, using Transformation Technique's explanation.
"Think of it like putting on clothes. First, your chakra needs to spread evenly across the whole body to create a stable base. After that, focus extra chakra into the key features of the form you want to create. The important parts need sharper detail."
Kurenai blinked.
That explanation was much clearer.
"So… instead of trying to change everything at once, I should build the outline first?"
"Exactly."
"And then strengthen the details?"
"Right."
Kurenai nodded slowly.
"I think… I understand a little."
"Try again."
She did.
This time, her chakra flow was steadier.
Not perfect, but more organized than before.
A cloud of smoke appeared around her body.
When it cleared, Kurenai had transformed into another academy student.
There were still flaws. The shoulders were slightly off, and the facial details weren't fully natural.
But compared to her earlier attempts…
It was undeniably better.
Kurenai looked down at herself, then turned to Ren with surprise.
"It worked a little better."
Ren nodded.
"You improved."
A faint smile appeared on Kurenai's lips.
For the first time that afternoon, it was a smile filled not with embarrassment or awkwardness, but genuine confidence.
Then she looked at Ren in a new light.
This wasn't just some lucky classmate who had suddenly improved.
He really did understand things she didn't.
And maybe…
Maybe asking him for help had been the right choice after all.
Meanwhile, Ren was thinking something completely different.
If this kept going, then in the future…
Would he end up learning advanced ninjutsu directly from the ninjutsu themselves too?
The thought was absurd.
But with this system?
It also felt completely possible.
And somehow, that made him even more motivated.
--------------------------------
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