That evening, Team Minato arrived at Yakiniku Q and immediately encountered several familiar faces.
Asuma, Kurenai Yūhi, and Raidō Namiashi were already seated around a large table. Their new Jonin instructor sat beside them, lazily resting his chin against one hand while studying the menu.
Ren recognized him immediately.
Shikaku Nara.
In the original story, Asuma, Kurenai, and Raidō had belonged to the same squad, but the identity of their instructor had never received much attention.
Now Ren finally knew the answer.
Considering Asuma's identity as the Third Hokage's son, assigning him to an ordinary Jonin would have been difficult. Hiruzen could not openly give Asuma special treatment, but he also could not ignore the political and personal risks surrounding him.
Shikaku was an ideal choice.
He was one of Konoha's most capable Jonin, possessing both exceptional intelligence and considerable combat strength. As the leader of the Nara clan, he also represented the "Shika" within the long-standing Ino–Shika–Chō alliance.
The Nara and Sarutobi clans had maintained close relations for generations. Hiruzen could trust Shikaku to train Asuma properly without indulging him.
Minato and Shikaku were already acquainted. Since the newly graduated students had also celebrated together at this same restaurant only a few days earlier, the two squads pushed their tables together and turned dinner into a larger gathering.
Plates of meat soon covered the table.
Kurenai leaned closer to Ren while the others argued over which cuts should be placed on the grill first.
"I heard you were assigned to Minato Namikaze," she whispered. "Is that true?"
Ren nodded. "Minato is our Jonin instructor. Kakashi will serve as his assistant whenever he's away."
Kurenai's crimson eyes widened.
"You have two instructors?"
"Technically, yes."
"That hardly seems fair."
Across the table, Asuma overheard enough of the conversation to look over.
"Having more instructors doesn't mean his squad will become Chūnin before ours," he declared. "We'll earn our promotions first."
Obito immediately slammed one hand against the table.
"Impossible! I'm going to become a Chūnin before any of you!"
Asuma scoffed. "You barely graduated."
"That doesn't matter! I'm an Uchiha!"
"You were still at the bottom of the class."
"That was only because the Academy exams didn't measure my true ability!"
"What ability? Arriving late?"
Obito's face flushed.
"Just wait! I'll become Chūnin before you, and after that, I'll become Hokage!"
Asuma folded his arms.
"You? Hokage?"
"What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing. It just means I'll have to become Hokage first."
The two boys leaned across the table, glaring at one another while boasting about promotions neither was remotely close to receiving.
Their argument soon expanded into increasingly ridiculous claims.
Obito insisted he would become a Jonin within a year. Asuma declared he would accomplish it six months sooner. Obito then promised to master every Uchiha Fire Release technique, while Asuma claimed he would learn all five chakra natures.
Rin tried several times to calm them down.
Kurenai eventually gave up and focused on grilling her food.
Shikaku watched the entire exchange with a tired expression.
"So troublesome," he murmured.
Minato laughed.
The meal continued in a surprisingly relaxed atmosphere. Even Kakashi ate quietly at the edge of the group rather than leaving early, although he responded to every attempt at conversation with the fewest words possible.
By the time the final plates were emptied, night had settled over Konoha.
Obito wiped his mouth and looked hopefully at Rin.
"Since the graduation ceremony is over, do you want to come to my house and play cards?"
Rin hesitated.
She had promised that they could gather after graduation, so refusing now would feel unfair. She looked toward Ren and Kakashi.
"What do you two think?"
"Let's go," Ren replied.
They were teammates now. Agreeing to something so simple was the least he could do.
Kakashi shoved his hands into his pockets and looked away.
"How boring."
Despite his complaint, he walked with them when they left the restaurant.
His actions were far more honest than his words.
Minato did not accompany them. He still had plans with Kushina Uzumaki and had no intention of spending his entire evening supervising a children's card game.
"Enjoy yourselves," he said.
Then his figure vanished with a quiet rush of displaced air.
Obito stared at the empty space.
"I'm going to learn that technique someday."
Ren silently glanced toward the System interface.
Get in line.
The four Genin made their way toward the Uchiha clan compound.
Lanterns illuminated the streets, and the noise of Konoha's central district gradually faded behind them. As they walked, Ren slowed his pace until he was beside Kakashi.
He glanced at the short sword strapped across the silver-haired boy's back.
"Assistant Instructor Kakashi," Ren began casually, "the style you used during our match earlier—was that Hatake Swordsmanship?"
Kakashi looked at him from the corner of his eye.
"Yes."
"It was impressive," Ren continued. "Unfortunately, the fight ended too quickly for me to observe it properly."
Kakashi remained silent, waiting for him to finish.
Ren smiled.
"Would you be willing to spar with me again sometime?"
"Sure."
A notification appeared instantly.
[Ever since witnessing Hatake Swordsmanship at the training ground, you have been unable to stop thinking about its elegant yet deadly form.]
[To arrange a meeting, you approached an attendant of the Hatake household and requested an introduction.]
[The attendant has accepted your request and promised to bring Hatake Swordsmanship to meet you in the future.]
Ren nodded with satisfaction.
Done.
Three sentences had been enough to make Kakashi agree to hand over Hatake Swordsmanship.
Of course, the System's description raised another question.
An attendant of the Hatake household?
Did the System consider Hatake Swordsmanship the true mistress of the family while Kakashi was merely the servant responsible for carrying her around?
Was Kakashi nothing more than an unusually talented sword rack?
Ren decided not to think too deeply about it.
Regardless of the System's strange interpretation, his gains from this single day were extraordinary.
Hiruzen had taught him Phoenix Sage Fire and given him the Great Fire Wall scroll. Hatake Swordsmanship was nearly guaranteed to enter his conquest list once he sparred with Kakashi again.
Even Flying Thunder God had been detected as a potential target. Although Ren could not conquer it yet, the System had confirmed that doing so might eventually become possible.
There were more opportunities as well.
Kakashi possessed an affinity for all five basic chakra natures. Lightning Release was his specialty, but he had also learned techniques from the other four transformations.
If Ren occasionally asked his helpful "assistant instructor" for advice, he might be able to acquire several additional ninjutsu.
Ren was not particularly selective.
As long as a technique could enter his conquest list, he would accept it—even if it was the Water Dragon Bullet Technique and its ridiculous forty-four hand seals.
"We're here," Obito announced.
Ren lifted his gaze.
The Uchiha clan compound was quieter than Konoha's central district, but it was far from small. Rows of traditional houses stood along clean streets, many bearing the clan's red-and-white fan crest.
Obito's home was surprisingly spacious.
Although his parents were gone and he lived only with his grandmother, he was still a member of the Uchiha clan. The clan's support, combined with the pension left by his parents, allowed them to live more comfortably than most civilian families.
This was Ren's first time entering the compound.
He appeared merely curious as he studied the buildings, alleys, rooftops, and narrow spaces between houses.
In reality, his thoughts were far less relaxed.
Where are Madara's White Zetsu hiding?
Uchiha Madara was unquestionably monitoring the clan. Even if he had not yet selected Obito as the target of his future plans, White Zetsu could already be observing promising young Uchiha from somewhere beneath the ground.
Ren's senses swept across the surroundings.
Nothing appeared unusual.
No pale face emerged from a wall. No disguised presence followed them from the rooftops. The earth beneath his feet remained silent.
Still, the possibility made him uncomfortable.
This was one of the reasons he had resisted joining Team Minato. Kakashi, Rin, and Obito stood at the center of Madara's future scheme, and anyone close to them risked being dragged into it.
However, avoiding the problem was no longer possible.
Ren was already here.
He was a member of the team.
If Kakashi had survived the original timeline, Ren refused to believe that he was destined to die merely because he had taken Kakashi's former position.
A living person could not allow himself to be frightened into surrendering by a future that had not happened yet.
If Ren eventually had to confront Uchiha Madara, then he would deal with it when the time came.
He was a transmigrator with a System and knowledge of the future. Was he truly supposed to spend his life trembling before an old man hiding in a cave?
Ren's confidence lasted for several seconds.
Then he quietly checked the nearby rooftops again.
There isn't a White Zetsu watching me right now… is there?
Obito's grandmother welcomed them warmly and brought out tea and snacks. After speaking with Rin for several minutes and embarrassing Obito with childhood stories, she left the four teammates to their game.
Obito chose Old Maid.
The rules were simple. Even though Ren had never played that particular version, he understood it after a single explanation.
The game quickly became more intense than expected.
Obito was incapable of concealing his emotions, which made it obvious whenever he held the losing card. Rin repeatedly drew it from him anyway because she felt guilty about avoiding it.
Kakashi maintained the same indifferent expression no matter what cards he possessed. He won twice in a row, causing Obito to accuse him of using Chūnin-level psychological warfare.
Ren won the third round by deliberately pretending to look disappointed whenever someone avoided the card he wanted them to take.
"You cheated," Obito complained.
"It's called strategy."
"It's a card game!"
"And you still lost."
By the time they finished, even Kakashi's visible eye had curved in faint amusement.
Obito attempted to persuade everyone to stay the night.
"My house has plenty of space," he insisted. "If you're tired, you can sleep here."
Rin politely declined. It was already late, and their families would worry if they failed to return home.
Ren and Kakashi refused as well.
The group separated outside the compound and headed in different directions.
When Ren finally reached home, Aoi was already asleep. He washed, changed his clothes, and returned to his room.
Instead of immediately lying down, he took out the scroll Hiruzen had given him.
Fire Release: Great Fire Wall Technique.
Ren sat on the edge of his bed and opened the System interface.
"Great Fireball," he called. "Would you like a gift?"
The response was immediate.
Phoenix Sage Fire rushed into view before Great Fireball could appear.
[Phoenix Sage Fire Technique: Wow! Big Sister, hurry and look! Ren brought you new clothes!]
Great Fireball emerged with her chin raised.
Her eyes fixed on the scroll.
The light surrounding her shifted, and her original flame-covered dress transformed. Layers of crimson fire folded around her body like a protective gown, while a broad mantle of flames spread behind her like a defensive wall.
For someone supposedly unimpressed, she examined the new outfit with extraordinary care.
[Fire Release—Great Fireball Technique: Hmph! It's merely a defensive skin. The design is somewhat heavy, and it lacks elegance… but I suppose it is barely acceptable.]
She turned slightly, causing the mantle of fire to flare behind her.
[Fire Release—Great Fireball Technique: At least it is far more useful than the ridiculous outfit belonging to a certain Clone Technique.]
A string of notifications appeared.
[Gift accepted: Great Fire Wall Technique.]
[Great Fireball Technique has obtained a new skin: Great Fire Wall.]
[Great Fireball Technique favorability increased by 9.]
[Current favorability: 75/100—Attachment.]
[Third-stage rewards obtained: Physique +3.]
[Trait—Spirit of Fire has evolved. Your affinity for fire-nature chakra has increased substantially. The power bonus applied to Fire Release ninjutsu has increased from 60 percent to 120 percent.]
[Spirit of Fire is compatible with the Great Fire Wall skin.]
Warm energy flooded Ren's body.
His fatigue faded, and every breath seemed to carry a faint trace of heat. Even without performing a technique, he could sense fire-nature chakra more clearly than before.
Ren reread the notification.
The Spirit of Fire bonus had not increased by another fixed thirty percent.
It had doubled.
The first major stage had granted thirty percent. The next had increased it to sixty. Now, the third stage had raised the enhancement to one hundred and twenty percent.
If the pattern continued, reaching maximum favorability might increase it again—to an astonishing two hundred and forty percent.
Ren's eyes brightened.
Before he could examine the trait further, a familiar figure appeared at the edge of the System space.
[Clone Technique: …!]
Great Fireball immediately noticed her.
[Fire Release—Great Fireball Technique: Oh? Clone Technique, when did you arrive? Were you hoping to see the new skin Ren gave me?]
[Clone Technique: Who asked you?!]
Transformation Technique entered the conversation soon afterward.
[Transformation Technique: Little Fireball's new clothes are beautiful. They also look wonderfully warm.]
She sighed.
[Transformation Technique: What a pity. I was the first one to meet Ren, but he still hasn't given me a gift.]
Ren stared at the message.
What kind of gift could I possibly give the Transformation Technique?
The only obvious answer was Sexy Jutsu.
But Transformation Technique's favorability had already reached its maximum. Giving her an additional gift would hardly be efficient.
Ren coughed, even though none of the techniques could physically hear it.
He quickly reassured them that he would treat everyone fairly and promised to work toward providing each technique with suitable new clothes in the future.
Only after several minutes of persuasion did the complaints subside.
Ren closed the System interface and lay back on his bed.
"Not bad," he murmured. "Great Fireball is only five points away from the next stage. I should be able to reach it within a few days."
The special mission concerning the "Merciful Fireball Technique" still remained.
Ren did not intend to rush.
Team Minato had only just formed. They needed time to understand one another before taking on dangerous assignments.
With Minato, Kakashi, Ren, Rin, and Obito together, their squad's overall strength was far beyond that of ordinary new Genin teams.
Surely Hiruzen would not waste them on trivial work.
Ren closed his eyes.
"We aren't going to spend our first mission catching a cat… right?"
In the darkness, the Great Fireball mission timer continued counting down.
Fourteen days remained.