The "Twin Calamities" were no longer allowed to walk the streets of Konoha in their standard gear. Their presence was too disruptive, their reputation too polarizing. Instead, they spent their recovery in the quiet, shaded gardens of the Hokage's private estate, a "gift" from Hiruzen Sarutobi that felt suspiciously like a gilded cage.
Renza sat on the edge of a koi pond, his legs dangling over the water. His arms were still wrapped in thin, pressure-relieving bandages, but his grey eyes were sharp, scanning the dragonflies that darted over the lily pads.
Renju stood a few feet away, practicing a series of slow, deliberate katas. His movements were liquid, silent, and lacked any of the explosive violence of the Kannabi plateau. He was re-learning how to move without the Second Gate's surge—how to be a human being again.
"Special Jonin," Renza muttered, flicking a pebble into the water. "It sounds like a title they give to dogs that bite too hard."
"It's a title that keeps us out of the mud for a few months," Renju replied, his voice calm. "Tsunade-sama was clear. If we open the Second Gate again before the winter, our chakra coils will simply snap like dry twigs."
"I know, I know," Renza sighed. He looked at the heavy, red-sealed scroll sitting on a stone bench between them. "But the Old Man sure knows how to make a bribe look like a reward."
The scroll was the "Sovereign's Ledger," a catalog of techniques from the Hidden Leaf's secret archives. For their "unprecedented bravery and tactical absolute" in securing the Kannabi sector, the Third Hokage had offered them a choice: One S-Rank Jutsu of their choosing, or Three A-Rank Jutsus.
The garden gate creaked open. It wasn't an intruder or a child; it was the Hokage himself. Hiruzen Sarutobi walked without his ceremonial robes, dressed instead in a simple grey kimono. He looked weary, the weight of a multi-front war etched into the lines around his eyes. He stopped several paces away, watching Renju finish his form.
"Control is the first thing to go in a long war," Hiruzen said, his voice a gravelly rumble. "To see you two reclaiming it after what happened at Kannabi... it gives me hope for the next generation of commanders."
Renju bowed low. "Lord Hokage. We are grateful for the respite."
"It is a respite earned in blood," Hiruzen said, stepping toward the stone bench. He looked at the scroll. "Have you reached a decision? Many in your position would reach for the S-Rank—the power to end a battle in a single strike.
Renza hopped off the pond's edge, his expression uncharacteristically serious. "We talked about it, Old Man. An S-Rank is a nuke. We're already nukes when we open the Gates. What we need isn't more fire... we need to not burn out before the match is over."
Renju nodded. "We choose the three A-Rank techniques. We've identified gaps in our synchronization that pure 'Breathing' can't fill. We need tools that allow us to control the battlefield without relying solely on the Overclock."
Hiruzen puffed on his pipe, a small smile of approval touching his lips. "Practicality over glory. You truly are students of the front lines."
With the Hokage's blessing, the boys finalized their selection. These weren't just random powerful moves; they were surgical additions to their "Breathing" styles, designed to bridge the gap between their physical limits and their chakra potential.
1. Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere (Fūton: Shinkū Daigyoku)
For Renza, the "Gale." This technique allowed him to compress massive volumes of air into a single, dense orb. When combined with his Total Concentration Breathing, the sphere didn't just explode; it became a gravitational vacuum on impact, pulling enemies into a central point where they could be shredded by his wind-infused blades.
2. Water Release: Grasp of the Abyss (Suiton: Shin'en no Tsukami)
For Renju, the "Abyss." This A-Rank technique allowed him to manipulate the density of the water around him to an extreme degree. It wasn't just a wave; it was a localized field of "Heavy Water." Any enemy caught in the radius would feel as if they were three miles under the ocean, their movements slowed and their lungs compressed by sheer atmospheric pressure. It allowed Renju to control the pace of a fight without moving a muscle.
3. Body Flicker Technique: High-Speed Movement (Shunshin no Jutsu - Specialized Variation)
They chose a specialized, high-tier version of the Shunshin that utilized chakra-vibration. Standard Body Flicker relies on a sudden burst of physical speed that puts immense strain on the joints. This version used their "Breathing" to vibrate the air around their bodies, reducing friction to near zero. It allowed for near-teleportation speeds with a fraction of the physical toll on their already frayed chakra coils.
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The following weeks were a blur of intense, focused labor. Under the supervision of Jiraiya—who had been tasked with ensuring they didn't kill themselves during the testing—the boys began to weave the A-Rank jutsus into their existing styles.
In the deep forests of the estate, Renza stood before a row of iron-reinforced training dummies.
"Watch the intake!" Jiraiya shouted from a safe distance. "Don't just blow air, Renza! Shape the pressure!"
Renza took a deep, rattling breath. "Wind Breathing, Third Form: Constant... VACUUM GREAT SPHERE!"
He didn't just launch the orb; he used his trench knives to "guide" the vacuum. The sphere hit the center dummy and, instead of shattering it, began to suck the surrounding three dummies into its core. The metal groaned and twisted as the four targets were crushed into a single ball of scrap iron.
"A gravitational anchor," Jiraiya muttered, impressed. "He's turned a long-range jutsu into a crowd-control weapon."
On the other side of the clearing, Renju stood as a squad of shadow clones rushed him. He didn't draw his sword. He simply exhaled, a thin mist rising from his skin.
"Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Grasp of the Abyss!"
The air around the clones suddenly turned blue and viscous. They didn't fall; they froze in mid-motion, their bodies straining against an invisible weight. One by one, the clones "popped" simply because the external pressure became higher than the chakra holding them together.
"He's created a literal dead zone," Hiruzen whispered, watching from the balcony. "They aren't just using the jutsus. They've integrated them into their biological rhythms. They are 'Breathing' the techniques."
As the month came to a close, the boys were summoned to the Hokage's office. The atmosphere was grim. Maps of the Land of Grass and the Land of Earth were spread across the table, marked with the red ink of recent Konoha losses.
Hiruzen handed them two new flak jackets. They weren't the standard olive green. They were a matte, midnight black, made of a reinforced weave designed to dampen the sound of movement and mask their heat signatures.
"Special Jonin is a rank," Hiruzen said, his voice heavy. "But the 'Twin Calamities' is a burden. The Hidden Stone has officially placed an S-Class Bounty on your heads. You are listed as 'Priority: Terminate on Sight'."
"We're famous," Renza joked, though his voice lacked its usual spark.
"It means you can no longer be used as simple infantry," Hiruzen continued. "You are now our Denial Specialists. When the enemy thinks they have secured a vital pass or a fortress, you go in and 'deny' them that reality. You are the ghosts that strike before the Sannin arrive."
He slid a scroll across the table.
"A joint Iwa-Suna tactical unit has seized the Black Fortress on the Grass border. They are using it as a staging ground for an assassination squad targeting our medical supply lines. If those lines fall, our forces in the Rain will starve."
Renju picked up the scroll. "Who is leading the defense?"
"A battalion of elite vanguards," Hiruzen said. "And rumors suggest they have hired mercenaries—a splinter group of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. They aren't just protecting a fortress; they're waiting for a challenge."
Renza grinned, the teal light of the First Gate flickering briefly in his eyes. "A fortress, an army, and some fancy swordsmen? Sounds like they're just giving us more targets."
"Leave tonight," Hiruzen commanded. "And remember... you are the Gale and the Abyss. Don't let them see the storm until it's already over."