The relationship between nobles and ninja in the shinobi world was generally based on cooperation and a clear division of responsibilities.
The nobility controlled civil administration and the economy, while ninja villages handled military affairs and national security.
Officially, the feudal lord held the higher position. The daimyō possessed the authority to appoint a village's Kage, approve military funding, and influence the distribution of missions.
In practice, however, the balance of power differed from nation to nation.
The harsher a hidden village's natural environment, the more dependent it became on its feudal lord's financial support. Unless the village could become self-sufficient or discover another reliable source of income, it had little choice but to maintain a cooperative relationship with the nobility.
Sunagakure was an excellent example.
The Land of Wind possessed a vast territory, but most of it consisted of barren desert. Agricultural output was limited, natural resources were difficult to exploit, and travelling merchants had to cross enormous stretches of hostile terrain.
For the Hidden Sand, Rasa's Magnet Release and ability to gather gold dust represented more than a powerful bloodline limit. It could support the village's economy and reduce its dependence on the Wind Daimyō.
That alone made the technique strategically priceless.
Regardless of their political circumstances, ninja rarely attacked members of the nobility without an extraordinary reason—even nobles from enemy nations.
Nobles were potential employers, financial supporters, and symbols of political legitimacy. Killing one might provide a short-term advantage, but once responsibility became known, the consequences could be disastrous.
Unless the attacking party was absolutely certain that the truth would never emerge, targeting a noble risked provoking condemnation and retaliation from the entire shinobi world.
As someone who had come from a modern society, Ren felt no particular affection for the aristocracy.
He didn't hate them either.
For all its flaws, the feudal system was already relatively advanced by the standards of the shinobi world. The nobles certainly included corrupt officials, twisted pleasure-seekers, and power-hungry schemers, but they also maintained roads, supervised taxation, managed agriculture, resolved civilian disputes, and administered entire nations.
Compared with the ninja clans—where nearly everyone seemed to carry some form of untreated trauma—the nobles almost appeared stable.
If someone truly wanted to reform this world, the aristocracy wasn't the first institution that needed to be dismantled.
The shinobi system was.
Ren stretched his arms behind his head and began walking home.
"Let's go. We need to pack our supplies and prepare to leave."
---
Team Minato's clients were a family of four.
The head of the household was a nobleman named Masamune Tachibana, who was said to share a distant family connection with the Fire Daimyō. He was travelling with his wife and their two young children to visit his brother-in-law, a member of the Uesugi family in the Land of Tea.
They departed from Konoha the following morning.
Minato led the group from the front, while Ren, Rin, and Obito guarded the carriage from different positions. The noble family's servants and luggage travelled in a second carriage a short distance behind them.
During the first few hours, the two children watched their escorts with obvious apprehension.
The forehead protectors, weapons, and stuffed ninja-tool pouches made Ren and the others seem dangerous and mysterious. Whenever Obito glanced toward the carriage, both children hurriedly ducked behind the curtains.
Their fear didn't last long.
As the journey continued without incident, curiosity gradually overcame caution. The little boy eventually leaned through the carriage window and stared at Obito's Uchiha crest.
"Mr. Ninja, can you really breathe fire?"
Obito immediately puffed out his chest. "Of course I can! It's called the Great Fireball Technique, and I've mastered it!"
He gave the boy a proud thumbs-up, sunlight reflecting from the goggles resting on his forehead.
The little girl appeared beside her brother. "Can you also make lots of copies of yourself?"
"That's the Clone Technique." Obito grinned and brought his hands together. "Watch closely!"
He rapidly formed several seals.
Poof!
Two identical Obitos appeared beside him in clouds of white smoke. All three leaned toward the carriage window and pulled exaggerated faces.
The children stared for a second before bursting into laughter.
Their remaining fear disappeared completely.
Having found an appreciative audience, Obito treated the road like his personal stage. He began telling the children about Konoha's monuments, training grounds, festivals, and ramen shops.
Naturally, he also described several of his own "legendary achievements."
In Obito's version of events, he had apparently defeated terrifying enemies, protected his teammates from countless dangers, and repeatedly saved Kakashi from certain death. Ren suspected the story would eventually end with Obito becoming Hokage if no one interrupted him.
Rin watched from behind the carriage with an amused smile.
"Obito is surprisingly good with children," she whispered. "He complained more than anyone when we received this mission, but now he seems to be enjoying it the most."
Minato glanced back at his student and nodded warmly.
"That's true. Obito may be reckless, but he's also a genuinely kind child." His expression softened further. "If I have children someday, I'm sure they'll get along very well with him."
Ren fell silent.
That went without saying.
Obito would become the first person outside Naruto's family to hold him. In fact, he might end up holding Naruto longer than almost anyone else that night.
The circumstances, however, would be somewhat difficult to describe as friendly.
Ren pushed the dark thought aside and quickened his pace until he was walking beside Minato.
"Minato-sensei, there's something I'd like to ask you."
Minato turned toward him. "What is it, Ren?"
"Is there a way to train spatial balance and neural reaction speed?"
The question immediately drew Minato's attention.
Ren carefully organized his explanation. He couldn't reveal every secret of the Death Mark, but withholding too much information would make it difficult for Minato to give useful advice.
"I'm developing a combat method centered on the Substitution Technique," Ren said. "It combines aspects of the Transformation and Clone Techniques, along with certain properties of genjutsu."
Minato listened without interrupting.
"My goal is to create the illusion that several bodies are carrying out simultaneous assassinations within a limited area. In theory, I can repeatedly change positions and attack from different angles, but I encountered several problems during practical testing."
Ren briefly described the disorientation caused by rapid positional changes and the mental delay that occurred when he tried to attack multiple targets.
Minato's blue eyes became thoughtful.
He had noticed long ago that Ren's Substitution Technique differed from the ordinary version taught at the Academy. Instead of merely exchanging places with a nearby object at the moment of impact, Ren could use it with extraordinary speed and precision.
The more Ren developed it, the more it resembled the Flying Thunder God Technique.
If Ren truly possessed an aptitude for space-time ninjutsu and wished to pursue that path, Minato wouldn't object to teaching him the Flying Thunder God in the future.
Konoha had everything to gain from producing another shinobi capable of mastering the technique. A second Flying Thunder God user would provide another layer of protection for the village after Minato was gone.
For now, however, it was too early.
Ren was only nine years old and remained a genin.
The Flying Thunder God was an S-rank forbidden technique with extreme requirements. It demanded enormous chakra reserves, exceptional sensory abilities, extraordinary observation, precise control, and a natural understanding of space-time ninjutsu.
Since Konoha's founding, only Tobirama and Minato had mastered it completely.
That fact alone demonstrated its difficulty.
More importantly, Team Minato had existed for only two months. Ren had shown intelligence, courage, and loyalty, but Minato still needed more time to assess his character before entrusting him with one of Konoha's most dangerous forbidden techniques.
Even so, Ren's proposed combat method fascinated him.
It bore a surprising resemblance to the technique Minato was currently developing—the Spiralling Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three.
"If your main problem is spatial balance, then basic training is the most important place to begin," Minato said. "You need to make disorientation feel familiar."
Ren listened closely.
"Start by running and jumping at high speed across unstable or extreme terrain. Cliffs, turbulent rivers, narrow branches, and swaying suspension bridges would all be useful."
Minato gestured toward Ren's feet.
"You can also practise treading water or climbing beneath a waterfall. The constant impact of the current will disrupt your balance, interfere with your senses, and force you to maintain chakra control under pressure."
"That sounds manageable," Ren said.
"Once you become comfortable with those exercises, repeat them while blindfolded."
Ren's expression became more serious.
Without his vision, he would have to rely on hearing, touch, chakra perception, and his internal sense of direction. It would be dangerous, but the benefits were obvious.
"There is another, more extreme exercise," Minato continued. "You can jump from a high location and try to stabilize your body during the final few seconds before landing."
He raised one finger in warning.
"That forces you to control your chakra instantly while under severe psychological pressure. However, it is extremely dangerous. You must arrange reliable protection and have another capable shinobi present. Never attempt it alone."
"I understand."
"As for neural reaction speed…" Minato's expression became contemplative. "That depends much more heavily on natural talent."
Ren had expected that answer, but he remained silent and allowed Minato to continue.
"You can improve by throwing weapons at fast-moving targets or defending against dense barrages of shuriken. Training in unpredictable environments will also help."
Minato shook his head slightly.
"But those exercises mostly uncover potential you already possess. Once you reach your natural limit, further improvement becomes extremely difficult."
"So there's no way to break past it?" Ren asked.
"There is one possibility."
Minato lowered his voice.
"Chakra can be used to forcibly stimulate the body's cells and nervous system. If done correctly, that stimulation can increase physical speed and shorten reaction time."
The first technique to enter Ren's mind was Kumogakure's Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
"The Hidden Cloud has conducted the most advanced research in that field," Minato said. "Konoha attempted similar experiments in the past, but as far as I know, we didn't produce any useful results."
He paused, searching his memory.
"Tsunade and Orochimaru were responsible for much of that research. If you want the details, you should ask Tsunade."
Ren nodded slowly. "I understand."
Anything involving Tsunade could become troublesome.
Fortunately, Ren had interacted with her frequently over the last several weeks. He attended her lectures, assisted at Konoha Hospital, and had gradually earned a small measure of her recognition.
After his father, Tajima, returned injured, Ren had gained another reason to approach her for medical guidance.
Their relationship had not reached the level of master and disciple, but asking about an abandoned research project shouldn't be impossible.
Still, timing mattered.
The Advanced Medical Class assessment was approaching. Ren could wait until he and Rin passed it before raising the subject. Tsunade would probably be more willing to answer once they had proven themselves.
There was no need to rush.
"For now, I'll begin with balance training," Ren decided.
He could practise high-speed movement through forests and across rivers before gradually increasing the difficulty. Once his body adapted to rapid changes in direction and orientation, the Death Mark's Phantom Stage should become much easier to control.
Minato gave him an approving nod.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something important, his eyes brightened.
"By the way, Ren, have you already chosen a name for the new technique you're developing?"
Ren turned toward him with a questioning look.
Minato's smile became unusually confident.
"If you haven't, I could help you. To tell you the truth, I'm rather talented at naming techniques."
Ren stared at his teacher.
He remembered Spiralling Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three.
Then he imagined Minato giving the Death Mark a name.
For the first time since accepting the escort mission, Ren felt a genuine sense of danger.
Some threats could not be avoided with the Substitution Technique.