"What kind of ridiculous matchmaking agency is this?"
Ren's mouth twitched as he stared at the translucent system panel hovering before his eyes.
The message was absurd, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that it followed the Gala System's twisted logic surprisingly well.
Back when Hiruzen Sarutobi had presented him with several ninjutsu and allowed him to choose one as a reward, the system had interpreted the situation as the Hokage arranging a blind date for him.
In that case, a facility where shinobi exchanged mission credits for ninjutsu would naturally be categorized as a matchmaking agency.
Tajima's accumulated mission credits became Ren's membership fee, while Minato's decision to cover the remaining cost was apparently equivalent to purchasing him a premium matchmaking package.
Ren's expression became increasingly strange.
If that logic was correct, then shinobi with enormous mission records must be the supreme VIP members of this so-called agency.
Minato, the Legendary Sannin, and the adult Kakashi had all completed an astonishing number of missions throughout their lives. They could probably walk into this building and select almost any "young lady" they wanted from the catalogue.
No wonder four out of those five people remained single for so long.
They had clearly spent too much time dating ninjutsu.
Ren suppressed the urge to sigh and returned his attention to the receptionist.
"I'd like to examine the list of Fire Release techniques available for exchange."
The chūnin behind the counter nodded and handed him a thick catalogue. Every entry contained the technique's rank, chakra nature, required hand seals, and a short description of its effects.
Ren opened the catalogue and began reading.
Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique. C-rank. Hand seals: Snake, Dragon, Rabbit, Tiger. The user releases a concentrated stream of fire along a straight path. Effectiveness increases when the technique is guided along wire or another suitable medium.
The next entry was also familiar.
Fire Release: Flame Bullet. C-rank. The user converts chakra into a combustible substance before expelling and igniting it, producing a powerful flaming projectile.
Ren continued turning the pages.
Scorching Flame Technique.
Great Flame Technique.
Blazing Meteor Technique.
Several other C-rank techniques possessed respectable power, but none offered anything particularly unique. Most were variations of flame projectiles, cones of fire, or short-range bursts.
Eventually, he found the technique he wanted.
Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique. B-rank. A high-level Fire Release technique that compresses flames into the form of a dragon and launches them toward a distant target. Skilled users may create and control multiple fire dragons.
Konoha's Fire Release reserves were richer than Ren had expected.
Although few Hokage were remembered primarily for Fire Release, Konoha remained the hidden village of the Land of Fire. Generations of civilian shinobi had created or collected dozens of techniques, providing the village with a broad archive.
Unfortunately, very few high-level ninjutsu appeared in the public catalogue.
The Dragon Flame Release Song Technique was absent. Even the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, a technique Hiruzen Sarutobi would use with devastating effectiveness, could not be found.
The reason was easy to understand.
The Mission Hall's public exchange system mainly served civilian genin and chūnin who had no clan inheritance. Truly powerful or secret techniques were passed down within clans, taught directly from master to student, or restricted to shinobi who had earned the absolute trust of Konoha's leadership.
No village would allow every ordinary shinobi to exchange a few years of mission credits for its most dangerous ninjutsu.
After reviewing the list, Ren closed the catalogue.
"I'll exchange for the Dragon Fire Technique and the Great Dragon Fire Technique."
The receptionist checked Tajima's authorization once more before stamping the exchange form. A portion of the required credits came from Tajima's service record, while the remainder was deducted from Minato's account.
The chūnin disappeared into a secured archive behind the counter and returned several minutes later with two sealed scrolls.
"These contain controlled ninjutsu," he warned. "You're forbidden from copying, reselling, or teaching them to anyone without authorization from the village. If either scroll is lost, report it immediately."
"I understand."
Ren signed the final document and accepted the scrolls.
The instant his fingers touched them, two notifications appeared.
[Ding! A high-quality potential conquest target has been detected: Fire Release—Dragon Fire Technique. A limited-time Encounter Mission has been activated!]
A second message followed almost immediately.
[Ding! A giftable item has been detected. Limited Skin compatible with Great Fireball Technique and Dragon Fire Technique: Fire Release—Great Dragon Fire Technique!]
Ren looked down at the two scrolls.
Dragon Fire was not exactly a stranger.
When Hiruzen had previously allowed him to select a ninjutsu, Ren had briefly encountered it through the system. He had ultimately chosen Phoenix Sage Fire instead, causing his connection with Dragon Fire to end before it truly began.
Great Dragon Fire was different.
When its name had failed to appear in the Gala System's first matchmaking prompt, Ren had suspected it might be classified as a skin rather than a new conquest target.
What he had not expected was for it to be compatible with two different ninjutsu.
"Great Fireball and Dragon Fire can both use it?"
Ren considered the relationship between the three techniques.
Great Dragon Fire combined Great Fireball's explosive power with Dragon Fire's range, speed, and concentrated form. From a technical perspective, it could be considered an advanced evolution of either technique.
That explained why both were compatible.
Still, the system's romantic interpretation raised an entirely different question.
If Great Dragon Fire was born from combining Great Fireball and Dragon Fire, should it be considered their daughter?
Or was it some sort of fusion between the two?
Ren rubbed his temple.
The Gala System's relationship mechanics clearly required further refinement.
More importantly, he now had to decide who should receive the limited skin.
He could gift it to Great Fireball immediately and unlock the Great Dragon Fire Technique without delay.
Alternatively, he could wait until Dragon Fire's favorability reached fifty, unlocking the Gift function, and then give the skin to her.
Waiting would be fairer to Dragon Fire.
It would also take far too long.
War had already begun, and Ren had no intention of delaying a useful B-rank technique merely to avoid offending a personified ninjutsu.
From a practical perspective, it did not matter which technique unlocked the skin. Once Ren fully understood Great Dragon Fire's principles, he could attempt to create another training scroll and give that copy to Dragon Fire.
If the Gala System refused to accept the same skin twice, he would find some other way to compensate her.
Ren made his decision.
He selected Great Fireball Technique and pressed the Gift option.
The system interface shimmered.
A small theatre-like scene appeared before his eyes, showing the personified Great Fireball Technique holding the newly obtained scroll. She carefully unrolled it, her eyes widening as she studied the dragon-shaped flame patterns drawn across its surface.
[Great Fireball Technique: Hm? Is this a new outfit for me? It's beautiful! It looks much more elegant than the Great Fire Wall outfit you gave me last time. This must have been expensive, right?]
Ren smiled faintly.
"It wasn't too—"
Before he could finish, another figure leapt into the scene.
Phoenix Sage Fire circled Great Fireball with exaggerated amazement, inspecting the brilliant dragon patterns embroidered across her new crimson robes.
[Phoenix Sage Fire Technique: Oh my! What a magnificent outfit! Look at those dragon patterns! Don't you know that the dragon is the symbol of an emperor?]
She clasped her hands together dramatically.
[Phoenix Sage Fire Technique: Congratulations, Sister! From this moment onward, you may proclaim yourself empress!]
Ren fell silent.
Great Fireball placed one hand over her mouth and began laughing with all the dignity of a noblewoman who had completely lost her senses.
[Great Fireball Technique: Hahahaha! I knew it! I am still Ren's favorite! This outfit reveals his true intentions. He wishes for me to ascend the throne!]
She swept her new dragon-patterned sleeve through the air.
[Great Fireball Technique: Very well! From this day onward, whenever Ren enters battle, We shall personally lend him Our imperial flames!]
Ren stared at her.
Phoenix Sage Fire's personality had always been playful and mischievous, so her behavior was hardly surprising.
Great Fireball, however, was supposedly a dignified young lady from a prestigious clan.
How had she transformed into this?
It had only been a few days since Ren last paid attention to her. Yet she was already referring to herself as an empress and using the royal "we."
Perhaps Phoenix Sage Fire was a terrible influence.
Based on Ren's previous experience, whenever Great Fireball became overly pleased with herself, she would inevitably seek out a certain ill-fated rival and show off.
Sure enough, another system dialogue appeared.
[Great Fireball Technique: Clone Technique, how did you know Ren bought me another beautiful outfit? I have two limited outfits now. I could wear a different one every day without repeating them!]
Clone Technique appeared in the corner of the system scene, her expression immediately darkening.
[Clone Technique: Hmph! You act as though you're the only one who has received anything from him. Sister, I wasn't talking about you.]
Transformation Technique stood beside her in complete silence.
[Transformation Technique: …]
That silence somehow felt more dangerous than an argument.
Great Fireball proudly displayed her dragon-patterned sleeves. Clone Technique turned away with an irritated snort, while Phoenix Sage Fire continued encouraging the chaos from the side.
Within seconds, the Gala System had become a battlefield.
Ren coughed lightly.
"There's no need to argue. Every one of you is important to me."
The bickering paused.
Ren seized the opportunity.
"You are all my wings."
The system became completely silent.
He had used that excuse more than once, but apparently it still possessed remarkable effectiveness.
Before any of them could recover and begin questioning which wing was his favorite, Ren closed the interface.
He left the Mission Hall and searched for a secluded location where he could activate Dragon Fire's limited-time Encounter Mission.
Ren had expected Dragon Fire to resemble Great Fireball and Phoenix Sage Fire. After all, all three belonged to the same chakra nature and shared several technical similarities.
Instead, Dragon Fire possessed a much calmer personality.
She was steady, serious, and dutiful. She did not declare herself royalty, start arguments, or demand special treatment. When Ren praised her range and accuracy, she merely thanked him and promised to perform her role properly.
A few carefully chosen compliments were enough to complete the Encounter.
[Congratulations! Fire Release—Dragon Fire Technique has joined your conquest list.]
[Current number of conquest targets: 11.]
Ren studied the number.
His so-called harem was expanding alarmingly quickly.
At least Dragon Fire appeared responsible enough to balance some of the chaos caused by Great Fireball and Phoenix Sage Fire.
After completing the Encounter, Ren headed to an isolated training ground beyond the busier sections of Konoha.
A tall cliff stood at the far end, its stone surface already scarred by years of ninjutsu practice. There were no houses nearby, and the closest patch of forest was far enough away that a stray flame would be unlikely to cause a fire.
Ren placed the two scrolls on a flat rock and carefully reviewed the Great Dragon Fire Technique.
Its hand seals were identical to Dragon Fire's.
The main difference lay in the way the user compressed, shaped, and controlled the flames after converting chakra inside the body.
Great Fireball emphasized volume and explosive force.
Dragon Fire emphasized concentration and direction.
Great Dragon Fire demanded both.
Ren stepped into the center of the training ground and inhaled slowly. Chakra surged through his pathways, gathering in his chest before rising toward his throat.
His hands blurred through the seals.
Snake.
Dragon.
Rabbit.
Tiger.
The air around him grew hotter.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
Flames erupted from Ren's mouth with a deafening roar.
They did not expand into the familiar shape of a massive fireball.
Instead, the flames twisted around themselves, rapidly condensing into the form of a long, coiling dragon. Its body stretched nearly six meters, formed entirely from blazing orange-red fire.
Horns rose from its head. Clawed limbs emerged from the flames, and burning scales rippled across its serpentine body.
The fire dragon opened its jaws.
A thunderous roar shook the training ground as it surged forward.
The dragon crossed dozens of meters in an instant, its blazing tail whipping through the air behind it. Waves of heat rolled across the ground, scorching the grass black along its path.
Then it struck the cliff.
BOOM!
The impact shook the earth beneath Ren's feet.
A massive section of the cliff exploded. Broken stone and streams of fire burst outward, while a cloud of burning dust billowed into the sky.
Chunks of rock crashed across the training ground. Sparks rained over the surrounding area, and the vegetation nearest the cliff curled beneath the intense heat.
When the smoke finally began to clear, a deep crater had appeared in the stone.
Ren slowly lowered his hands.
The destructive power exceeded his expectations.
"A B-rank ninjutsu really is on a different level."
He closed his eyes and assessed the chakra remaining inside his body.
Great Dragon Fire had consumed significantly more chakra than an ordinary Great Fireball. However, the cost was still manageable.
The Blazing Heart characteristic had likely amplified the technique's power, while Great Fireball's existing proficiency had carried over through the skin. Because of that connection, Great Dragon Fire did not feel like an entirely unfamiliar ninjutsu.
He had bypassed the awkward stage where a newly learned technique was unstable and unreliable.
Even so, the result was far from perfect.
"The dragon's structure was too loose," Ren murmured. "Some of the flames dispersed during flight. Its speed was acceptable, but the angle shifted slightly before impact."
Against a stationary cliff, that deviation did not matter.
Against a fast-moving jōnin, it could be the difference between killing an enemy and missing completely.
Ren opened his eyes and looked at the scorched crater.
"More compression should improve its speed and penetration. I'll also need to practise changing its direction after release."
He still possessed enough chakra for several more attempts, but repeatedly using a B-rank technique would leave him exhausted too quickly.
It would be more efficient to alternate between Great Dragon Fire and its foundational techniques.
Since he was already at the training ground, he could also increase Dragon Fire's familiarity and push Phoenix Sage Fire closer to its next favorability threshold.
Ren walked back to the flat rock and picked up the Dragon Fire scroll.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Great Dragon Fire had already proved its destructive power.
Now he needed to determine whether the dragon could hunt.
And before Ren left that training ground, he intended to teach it how to chase its prey.