"I guess you could say that."
Ren nodded calmly.
Setting aside his newly acquired target—Hatake Sword Style—he also had another clear goal in mind.
Close combat.
Right now, that was his biggest weakness.
Compared to taijutsu or the Eight Gates—which required long-term training, physical conditioning, and gradual breakthroughs—weapon mastery offered a much faster way to boost combat effectiveness.
And Kakashi…
At this stage, Kakashi was still fully committed to inheriting his family's swordsmanship.
Which meant—
He was the perfect training partner.
A walking treasure trove.
It would be a waste not to take advantage of that.
---
"I see."
Kakashi's tone remained as indifferent as ever.
"Then come with me later."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"I have a few old swords at home. They're just sitting there anyway."
"…?"
Ren blinked.
"I'll lend you one for now," Kakashi added casually. "Return it after you get your own."
That… was unexpected.
Among all ninja expenses, weapons were easily the most costly.
Kunai, shuriken, explosive tags—those were consumables.
But swords?
Good ones could cost tens of thousands.
High-quality ones? Hundreds of thousands.
And if it was a chakra-conductive blade—
The price skyrocketed.
At Ren's current financial level, he could only afford a basic iron sword at best.
But Kakashi…
Was offering one for free.
There was no reason to refuse.
Ren smiled slightly.
"Then I'll take you up on that. Thanks… Kakashi."
"…Mm."
Kakashi gave a faint nod.
---
From the side, Obito immediately protested.
"Hey! Kakashi! Why didn't you ask me?!"
Kakashi didn't even look at him.
"You?"
His tone was flat.
"Focus on your ninjutsu first."
"…"
Obito froze.
Critical hit.
---
By evening, Ren followed Kakashi to the old Hatake residence.
The house was quiet.
Simple.
There was a faint sense of age to it—like a place that had once been full of life, but now existed in stillness.
Ren waited outside.
Kakashi went in alone.
Minutes passed.
When Kakashi returned, he held a sword.
White.
Short.
Elegant in its simplicity.
He handed it over without ceremony.
"This was forged alongside the one I use," Kakashi said.
"A spare from my father."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"Don't disgrace it."
Ren accepted the sword carefully.
Its weight was balanced.
Its grip natural.
Even without drawing it, he could already tell—
This was no ordinary blade.
"I won't."
---
At that exact moment—
The system chimed.
[Ding! Gift detected for "Hatake Sword Style": Old Hatake Family Sword!]
Ren paused.
"…?"
Wait.
This counts as a gift too?
That was… unexpected.
He hesitated.
But didn't activate the [Give Gift] option.
Because—
This sword wasn't his.
It was borrowed.
Unlike a ninjutsu scroll—which he could copy before sacrificing—it wasn't something he could casually consume as a "gift."
And more importantly—
This wasn't just any weapon.
It was tied to the White Fang.
Even ignoring its symbolic value, the cost alone was far beyond what Ren could afford.
Still—
A thought surfaced.
If this works…
Then what about sword notes? Training insights?
Could those also be used as gifts?
Ren's eyes flickered slightly.
Kakashi's house… might be worth exploring further.
For research purposes.
Of course.
---
Back in the courtyard—
Ren drew a breath and raised his hand.
"Water Release: Water Clone Technique."
Puff! Puff!
Two clones formed instantly.
As the technique stabilized—
The system interface appeared.
---
[Water Clone Technique (Clone Technique)]
Favorability: MAX (Perfect Harmony)
Stage Rewards (×4):
Physique +4
Trait: One-Man Army
---
Effect:
Freely allocate chakra among clones
Full sensory and consciousness sharing
Each destroyed clone grants a stack of "Victory Over Death", boosting speed, strength, and reaction speed temporarily
---
Ren's eyes narrowed slightly.
So it's finally maxed.
All three basic techniques—
Transformation.
Substitution.
Clone.
All at maximum.
And just like the others—
The Clone Technique had evolved.
The chakra allocation aspect was useful, but not revolutionary.
It was similar to Shadow Clones in flexibility.
But the second effect—
That was interesting.
Very interesting.
Ren tilted his head slightly.
"If I create… eight or ten clones…"
"…and then destroy them all…"
Wouldn't that generate multiple stacks of buffs?
Artificial enhancement.
Instantly.
Of course—
Clones consumed chakra.
So it wasn't free.
But if the buff was strong enough—
It would be worth it.
Ren considered testing it immediately.
But then—
He paused.
"…Feels weird."
Creating clones just to destroy them?
Even for him, that crossed into questionable territory.
He decided to test it later.
On Kakashi.
---
Another thought surfaced.
All three basic jutsu… maxed.
He frowned slightly.
"Shouldn't there be a combo skill or something…?"
Nothing appeared.
No system notification.
No hidden unlock.
"…Guess not."
Ren shrugged lightly.
"Then I'll just create it myself."
He had already started forming ideas.
Substitution—0.2 second activation.
Clone—multi-presence.
Transformation—disguise and misdirection.
Combined—
It could create something similar to Shisui's afterimage movement.
A battlefield filled with false and real bodies.
An 80-meter radius where enemies couldn't tell illusion from reality.
Ren's lips curved slightly.
"…Instant Hell Shadow Kill Formation."
Yes.
That sounded right.
---
Afterward, he reviewed his current progress.
---
[Current Targets]
Great Fireball Technique (Skin: Great Fire Wall) — Favorability: 81
Healing Technique — 13
Eight Gates — 8
Hatake Sword Style — 1
---
Phoenix Sage Fire and Hatake Sword Style were both newly acquired.
Not much time invested yet.
But interestingly—
Phoenix Sage Fire was leveling quickly.
Probably because Great Fireball acts like an older sister…
Ren almost laughed.
In the short term—
His priority was clear.
Max out Great Fireball Technique first.
Then—
Healing.
Water Release.
Taijutsu.
As for difficulty…
That remained to be seen.
But one thing was certain—
Hatake Sword Style would likely be easier to progress than the Eight Gates.
Because Kakashi—
Was right there.
---
"Ren-kun… are you there?"
A soft voice called from the side.
Ren turned.
Rin stood at the fence of the neighboring yard, hands hidden behind her back, smiling slightly.
He walked over.
Before he could speak—
She stepped forward and pressed something into his hand.
It was small.
Soft.
A cloth amulet.
Simple in design—
But carefully made.
On the surface, delicate green leaves were embroidered around a single character.
"Ren."
Every stitch carried care.
Every thread told a story of effort.
"This is… something I made myself."
Rin's voice was quiet.
"I hope it brings you good luck… on this mission."
Ren looked at it silently.
For a moment—
He didn't speak.
Then—
He raised his eyes.
"An amulet, huh…"
He tilted his head slightly.
"Is this just for me… or did everyone get one?"
---
The question hung in the air.
And somewhere deep inside—
Even Ren didn't fully understand why he asked it.
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