Ever since his spar with Hyūga Homon, Ren had sensed that both his Transformation Technique and Substitution Jutsu were approaching a breakthrough.
The feeling was difficult to describe. It was as if the two techniques had reached the edge of an invisible barrier, and all they needed was one final push to cross it. Since he already had some time before meeting Might Duy, Ren decided to remain at the training ground and finish what he had started.
He formed the familiar hand seals again and again. Chakra flowed through his body, shifting beneath his skin as his appearance changed repeatedly—from an ordinary academy student to an adult shinobi, then to an elderly merchant, and finally to a completely different child.
Each transformation became smoother than the last. The imperfections around his eyes disappeared, his breathing matched the body he had assumed, and even the subtle tension of his muscles became indistinguishable from the real thing.
Once the Transformation Technique had been practiced enough, Ren turned his attention to the Substitution Jutsu. Wooden logs scattered around the training ground as he repeatedly exchanged positions with them, shortening the activation time while steadily increasing the distance.
After several more attempts, the familiar notifications finally appeared before him.
[Transformation Technique favorability +4. Current favorability: 75/100—Attachment]
[Stage reward obtained: Physique +1]
[New Trait: Perfect Form—Your transformations are now flawless, possessing realistic physical details. You may alter your body to a significant degree. Unless examined by a sensor of Jonin level or higher, your disguise will be almost impossible to see through.]
Before Ren could fully process the improvement, a second notification followed.
[Substitution Jutsu favorability +4. Current favorability: 52/100—Friendly]
[Stage reward obtained: Physique +1]
[New Trait: Sealless Instant Release—The Substitution Jutsu no longer requires advance preparation. Within a range of fifteen meters, you may exchange positions with a suitable medium through thought alone. Activation time: 0.2 seconds.]
Ren slowly lowered his hands as the last trace of chakra faded from the training ground. A pleasant warmth spread through his muscles and bones as the two Physique rewards took effect.
His breathing deepened. His shoulders broadened ever so slightly, and the soreness accumulated from hours of training disappeared as if it had never existed.
With these two rewards, Ren's Physique had now increased by a total of seven points.
Seven points might not sound like much, but the difference was becoming increasingly obvious. His strength, speed, stamina, reaction time, and recovery had all improved beyond what should have been possible for an ordinary academy student.
More importantly, all four of the ninjutsu he had cultivated had now developed unique traits.
The Transformation Technique was the most intriguing.
At first, it had been nothing more than a refined disguise. Now, however, it was beginning to resemble genuine shapeshifting. At seventy-five favorability, the technique could significantly alter his physical structure instead of merely covering him with a layer of chakra.
Ren looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers thoughtfully.
If he transformed into a bird, would the wings actually allow him to fly? If he became a fish, would the technique create functional gills that allowed him to breathe underwater?
In theory, Perfect Form should reproduce the essential physical characteristics of whatever shape he assumed. Wings and gills were not decorative features; they were part of the creature's body.
Of course, theory and reality were rarely the same when ninjutsu was involved. Attempting to test the technique by turning into a bird and jumping from a cliff would be an exceptionally stupid way to discover its limitations.
He would need to experiment somewhere safe.
Compared with the Transformation Technique, the latest improvement to his Substitution Jutsu was far more direct. Its effective range had increased from five meters to fifteen, and the activation no longer required hand seals or preparation.
A five-meter Substitution Jutsu sounded useful, but its limitations became obvious in a genuine battle. Against large-scale ninjutsu, five meters might not even carry him beyond the edge of the attack. Against a fast opponent, reappearing so close to his original position could make him an easy target.
Fifteen meters was different.
That was enough distance to escape an explosive tag's blast radius, slip outside the reach of most close-combat techniques, or instantly appear in an enemy's blind spot. Combined with the activation time of merely 0.2 seconds, the technique was no longer just an emergency escape method.
In the right hands, it could become a weapon.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Ren's mouth. He could already imagine several ways to exploit it, especially against an opponent who believed the Substitution Jutsu was nothing more than an academy trick.
"Good. That should be enough for today," Ren murmured as he rolled his shoulders. "Now I can go find Might Duy."
He bent down to retrieve the kunai scattered across the training ground, but before he could place the final one inside his pouch, a faint sound drifted through the trees.
Footsteps.
They were light, controlled, and deliberately quiet, yet they moved with too much urgency to belong to an ordinary civilian. Whoever was approaching knew how to conceal their presence, but they had not expected an academy student to notice them.
Ren's fingers tightened around the kunai.
He straightened without turning immediately, his gaze sweeping across the shadows at the edge of the training ground. The evening breeze stirred the leaves, causing branches to sway and patches of sunlight to dance across the earth.
Then the footsteps stopped.
Ren turned sharply.
A young shinobi stood beneath one of the trees, wearing Konoha's forehead protector and the traditional clothing of the Hyūga clan. His arms were folded across his chest, and his pale eyes rested on Ren with an unreadable calm.
The face seemed familiar, though Ren could not immediately place it.
"Who are you?" Ren asked.
The newcomer's eyebrows lifted slightly. He stepped out from beneath the tree, making no attempt to conceal himself any longer.
"Your senses are sharper than I expected," he said. His voice was composed, carrying neither hostility nor warmth. "Are you Ren?"
"That depends on who's asking."
The Hyūga shinobi studied him for another moment before answering.
"My name is Hyūga Hizashi. Homon is my cousin."
Recognition struck Ren immediately.
No wonder the young man's face seemed familiar. This was Neji's father—though at this point in the timeline, Neji would not be born for another four or five years.
Hizashi himself appeared to be only sixteen or seventeen. He was probably not even married yet, but his posture already carried the discipline and restraint expected from a member of the Hyūga clan's main household.
Ren's expression remained calm, but his thoughts accelerated.
Why had Hizashi come looking for him?
"I heard something interesting from Homon," Hizashi continued. "He said he encountered a civilian genius at the Ninja Academy. Someone who defeated him despite his Byakugan, using nothing but coordination between the Three Basic Jutsu."
His pale eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.
"I wanted to see that person for myself."
Ren slipped the kunai into his pouch while subtly moving his hands closer together. If necessary, he could form seals at once—although after his latest breakthrough, the Substitution Jutsu no longer required them.
"So you've seen me," Ren replied. "I'm the person who defeated Homon. What happens now?"
A faint tension settled over the training ground. Birds that had been chirping among the trees suddenly went silent, as though they, too, sensed the change in atmosphere.
"Did you come to avenge your cousin?" Ren asked. "Or are you planning to teach me a lesson on behalf of the Hyūga clan?"
It would hardly be surprising.
The practice of an older relative confronting the person who defeated a younger family member was practically a tradition among troublesome shinobi. When Kushina first arrived in Konoha, she had beaten up an academy classmate, only to be cornered after school by that student's Genin brother. Naturally, Kushina had ended up beating him too.
Powerful clans spoke endlessly about dignity and honor, but pride often made people behave in remarkably petty ways.
Hizashi, however, shook his head.
"That isn't why I'm here," he said. "Disputes between students should remain between students. Victory and defeat are natural parts of becoming a shinobi. If Homon cannot accept losing once, then he has no business walking this path."
The answer caused some of the tension in Ren's shoulders to ease, though he did not lower his guard completely.
Hizashi's tone sounded sincere. From what Ren remembered, Hizashi had been an honorable man—someone willing to sacrifice himself for his brother and clan while still loving his son deeply.
But memories of a story were not guarantees. This was a real world, and real people were always more complicated than a few scenes from someone else's life.
"Then why are you here?" Ren asked.
"I heard that your Three Basic Jutsu could deceive the Byakugan," Hizashi answered. "That claim interested me. If possible, I would like to experience your techniques personally."
Ren stared at him.
"Can I refuse?"
"Of course. That is your right."
Hizashi's reply came without hesitation. After a brief pause, however, he unfolded his arms and added, "If you agree, I can offer you guidance in taijutsu. I am already a Chunin, and although the Hyūga clan specializes in the Gentle Fist, the foundations of close combat are universal. I should be able to point out flaws in your movement."
That changed things.
Ren had planned to seek out Might Duy precisely because his taijutsu lacked proper instruction. An opportunity to spar with a Hyūga Chunin—and receive advice afterward—was not something an academy student could normally obtain.
There was still a possibility that Hizashi was concealing hostile intentions. Yet if he truly wanted revenge, he would not need such an elaborate excuse to attack an academy student.
Besides, Ren had just upgraded his Substitution Jutsu.
Why should he back down now?
"All right," Ren said, a spark of anticipation appearing in his eyes. "Let's do it."
Hizashi walked toward the center of the training ground. His steps were measured and silent, but each one seemed to sharpen the pressure surrounding him.
Once he reached the open space, he turned sideways and lowered his center of gravity. One palm extended toward Ren while the other remained near his torso. His shoulders were relaxed, his fingers loose, and his stance appeared almost gentle.
Ren knew better than to underestimate it.
The Gentle Fist did not rely on crushing physical power. A single accurate palm strike could inject chakra directly into the opponent's body, damaging internal organs or sealing the chakra points. Against someone who could see his entire chakra network, one mistake might end the spar instantly.
"Come," Hizashi said. "Attack me however you wish."
Ren inhaled slowly.
His heartbeat steadied. Every sound around him seemed to fade—the whispering leaves, the distant calls of birds, even the wind moving through the field.
His right hand dropped toward his weapon pouch.
Hizashi's pale eyes followed the movement.
Ren's fingers closed around a kunai. In one fluid motion, he drew the weapon, spun it around his index finger, and hurled it directly at Hizashi's face.
At the same instant, Ren kicked against the ground and charged after it.
The distance between them vanished rapidly.
Hizashi remained perfectly composed. Veins bulged around his temples as chakra flowed into his eyes.
The Byakugan opened.
The world changed within Hizashi's vision. The trees, the training posts, the earth beneath his feet, and Ren's rapidly approaching chakra network all became visible in extraordinary detail.
The kunai spun toward him.
Hizashi stepped forward and swept his right hand across its path. His palm brushed the weapon aside with a motion as soft as a willow branch bending in the wind.
The deflected kunai flew past his shoulder.
Ren was already directly in front of him.
Hizashi shifted his weight, preparing to intercept the charge with a Gentle Fist strike. His Byakugan focused on Ren's chakra points, selecting the quickest route to disable him without causing lasting harm.
Then a quiet sound reached his ears.
Poof!
The charging Ren disappeared.
A second kunai materialized where his body had been and fell toward the ground, spinning through the cloud of white smoke.
For the first time since entering the training ground, Hizashi's calm expression shattered.
His Byakugan caught a burst of chakra behind him.
Ren had exchanged positions with the kunai Hizashi had just deflected.
There had been no hand seals. No log prepared in advance. No visible delay.
In less than the blink of an eye, Ren had crossed Hizashi's defense and appeared directly inside his blind spot.
A cold sense of danger crawled along Hizashi's spine. Ren planted one foot against the ground, twisted his hips, and launched a vicious side kick toward the back of his head.
For one impossible instant, a single thought flashed through Hizashi's mind.
Isn't this the same principle as the Flying Thunder God?
No ordinary Substitution Jutsu could be used like this.
Shock surged through him, but his body reacted before his thoughts could catch up. Hizashi pivoted sharply, rotating his torso while raising his right arm in a diagonal guard.
Ren's heel slammed into his forearm.
The impact cracked through the training ground like a snapped branch. Dust burst beneath Hizashi's sandals as the force pushed him half a step sideways.
His pale eyes widened.
That speed was already troublesome enough—but the power behind the kick was even more unbelievable.
Ren landed lightly, his gaze locked on Hizashi as a fierce smile spread across his face. He had finally found an opponent against whom he could test the true limits of his upgraded technique.
Hizashi lowered his arm and slowly reassumed the Gentle Fist stance. The calm curiosity in his expression had vanished, replaced by the sharp concentration of a Hyūga shinobi facing a genuine threat.
What had begun as a simple test was no longer going to be an ordinary spar.