A scorching white fireball gathered in Pakura's palm, its heat so fierce that the air around her hand twisted like rippling glass. With a sharp flick of her wrist, she launched it across the underground chamber. The orb screamed through the air, leaving a wavering trail of heat behind it before slamming into the reinforced target at the far end of the room. A heavy boom rolled through the sealed space, and the surface of the target turned crimson in an instant, glowing as if it had been pulled straight out of a furnace.
Ren's eyes sharpened. His palm remained pressed lightly against Pakura's back, his chakra carefully threaded into her meridian network. Through that contact, he caught the violent movement inside her body with far more clarity than any medical instrument could provide. The moment Pakura activated Scorch Release, her chakra did not simply burn hotter. It accelerated, compressed, and fused at several specific points within her chakra pathways, like magma being forced through narrow cracks beneath a volcano. Her blood flow surged with it. Her body temperature rose sharply. Certain glands released abnormal bursts of chemical signals at exactly the same moment the chakra changed nature.
Those details were almost impossible to understand by looking only at the data screens. Numbers could show that something had happened, but they could not reveal the exact feeling of that transformation. Ren could sense it directly now, and the more he observed, the more certain he became that Scorch Release was not just Fire Release mixed with Wind Release in a crude way. It was a precise, terrifying conversion process that turned heat into a weapon designed to steal moisture and life.
Little Phoenix, what do you think? Ren asked inwardly, keeping his face calm.
One of the biggest reasons he had chased after Pakura's Scorch Release was the special event connected to the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique. Since the technique itself had shown unusual awareness and growth potential, Ren naturally wanted it to observe this process. Even if it could not help, there was no harm in letting it watch. At worst, it would complain. At best, it might find something Ren himself could not.
After a short silence, the system text appeared in his vision.
[Phoenix Sage Fire Technique: Huh? You're asking me about this kind of thing?]
Ren almost sighed. I'm doing this to fulfill your wish, aren't I? Think of it like buying something at a market. I'm the one paying, but you still need to choose what you want.
[Phoenix Sage Fire Technique: Uh… is that really the right comparison?]
The analogy was not perfect, but the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique did not argue for long. Using Ren's chakra as a medium, it began sensing the changes inside Pakura's body. The effect was immediate. The chakra Ren had carefully thinned and softened suddenly gained a faint scorching quality, becoming more restless than before. Pakura's body jerked, and a muffled groan escaped her throat as the foreign chakra inside her meridians grew hot enough to make her instincts flare in warning.
Ren reacted at once, tightening his control before the chakra could run wild. He reduced the output, smoothed the edge of the flow, and forced the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique's excitement back into a stable thread. Only then did Pakura's shoulders stop tensing. She glanced over her shoulder at him, her amber eyes burning with irritation, but she held herself back from lashing out.
[Phoenix Sage Fire Technique: It really feels different from yours, Little Ren. Use a little more force. Let me see deeper, maybe I can notice something. Right, Big Sister?]
[Great Fireball Technique: …]
Ren's brows twitched. It seemed there was actually a chance. If the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique was reacting this much, then Pakura's Scorch Release clearly contained something it could learn from. Ren withdrew a portion of his attention from the system, exhaled softly, and said to Pakura, "Again."
Pakura clicked her tongue, but she raised her hand. This time, instead of the basic scorching orb, she released a chained Scorch Release technique, sending several smaller white-hot spheres spinning outward in a curved path. The targets across the room were struck one after another, each impact bursting into waves of dry heat that filled the chamber with a suffocating pressure. The sealing formulas on the walls flared faintly, absorbing the excess chakra before it could damage the underground base.
Ren's chakra moved like thin threads inside Pakura's body, tracing the route of her chakra flow while avoiding direct interference. He observed the moment Scorch Release formed, the shift between ordinary Fire Release output and the final bloodline transformation, and the way her body supported that terrifying heat without burning itself apart. Under the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique's feedback, he adjusted the angle and density of his chakra threads several times, trying to see deeper without causing harm.
Pakura endured it at first, but soon her patience reached its limit. "Wait, not there. That's too deep," she snapped, her voice strained as another wave of chakra ran through her body. When Ren quickly adjusted, she still gritted her teeth and continued, "Slower! It hurts. Your chakra is tangling with mine!"
Ren frowned, not because he was offended, but because the internal reaction was more complicated than expected. "I'm not forcing it. Your Scorch Release pathway is rejecting the observation thread whenever your chakra compresses. Relax your breathing and don't suddenly change direction."
"Don't talk like this is my fault," Pakura shot back, her face flushed from heat and exertion. "You are the one poking around inside someone else's body. I've warned you several times already. If you keep blundering around like that, get out immediately."
The chamber fell into a strange silence for half a breath. Jace, who had been recording the instrument readings, froze with his brush hovering above the scroll. He slowly looked up, then quickly looked back down, pretending he had heard nothing. Rin's hand tightened around her own brush, her face faintly red as she focused very hard on the data in front of her. Minato, standing nearby with his arms folded, coughed lightly and turned his gaze toward the wall as though the sealing formulas had suddenly become extremely fascinating.
No one could deny that the words had a proper technical meaning. Chakra sensing inside another person's body was delicate, uncomfortable, and difficult to describe without sounding strange. Still, the phrasing was simply too dangerous. It was fortunate Jiraiya was not present. If he had heard this exchange, he might have received divine inspiration on the spot and turned the entire scene into material for the next volume of Icha Icha Paradise.
Minato's expression remained composed, but even he could not completely ignore the ambiguity. As Jiraiya's student, he was not some innocent child who understood nothing. Remaining clean while standing near mud required, at the very least, knowing what mud looked like. Besides, he was already an adult, old enough to marry and have children by the standards of the era. He simply refused to let his thoughts wander in that direction when his own students were involved.
Ren, however, noticed none of it. His entire focus stayed on the experiment. He asked Pakura to repeat several Scorch Release techniques, then had her perform ordinary Fire Release and Wind Release as comparison samples. The difference was enormous. Fire Release increased temperature. Wind Release sharpened and accelerated. But Scorch Release created a third reaction, a brutal fusion that extracted moisture and vitality instead of merely burning the surface.
Half an hour later, Pakura's forehead was damp with sweat, and more than half her chakra had been consumed. Her breathing had grown heavier, but her pride refused to let her show weakness. The targets across the room were ruined. Some were cracked, some were glowing, and two had collapsed completely despite their heat-resistant design. The chamber itself smelled dry and scorched, like earth baked under a merciless desert sun.
Pakura lowered her hand and looked back at Ren. "After tossing me around for this long, are you finally done, white-haired brat?"
Ren slowly withdrew his chakra from her body. "More or less. I've collected what I can for now."
In truth, he had already tested every controlled condition he could think of. Basic Scorch Release, advanced Scorch Release, ordinary Fire Release, ordinary Wind Release, chakra compression, chakra acceleration, physical response, and external interference had all been recorded. Unless he planned to dissect Pakura, there was nothing more to do today. Of course, that option was never on the table. He wanted research, not a corpse.
Jace and Rin helped Pakura remove the medical patches from her body while Minato stepped forward to reapply the seal. His fingers moved with practiced precision, and the Five Elements Seal settled back over Pakura's abdomen. The moment it closed, her chakra flow dimmed, and the dangerous pressure she gave off faded like a furnace being shut behind iron doors.
Ren glanced around and finally noticed that the atmosphere in the room seemed a little strange. Jace and Minato both stared straight ahead, their expressions unusually neutral. Rin's face was faintly red, and whenever her eyes met Ren's, she seemed as if she wanted to say something but could not find the words. Ren was completely confused, but since no one spoke up, he decided not to ask.
After the equipment was secured and the data scrolls were collected, Ren personally escorted Pakura back to her cell. The walk was quiet. The underground corridor was dim, lit only by lamps set into the stone walls, and Pakura's footsteps echoed softly beside him. When they reached the cell, she stepped inside, then turned before the door closed.
"Hey," she said, her amber eyes fixed firmly on him. "Don't forget your promise. I want to see the research results as soon as possible."
Ren leaned one shoulder lightly against the doorway. "First, my name isn't 'hey.' Second, research requires patience. We only finished preliminary data collection today. I still need to analyze, organize, and verify several theories. It won't be that fast."
Pakura narrowed her eyes. "Convenient."
"It's the truth," Ren said casually. "While you wait, study the Fire Release scrolls I gave you. Or think about what will happen after you return to Sunagakure. They will definitely try to get you back, but being captured is not a glorious experience. When prisoner negotiations begin, your village may need to pay a price, and your rivals might use that against you."
Pakura's expression cooled. "Heh. And whose fault is that?"
"On the battlefield, everyone serves their own side," Ren replied without guilt. "If you had won, I would be the one in trouble right now. Actually, considering Sunagakure's hatred for the White Fang, I might not even have a head left to worry with."
Pakura said nothing. She wanted to refute him, but the truth was not easy to deny. If Sunagakure had captured someone connected to the White Fang, especially a powerful young Konoha ninja, there was a real chance Chiyo's hatred would outweigh any prisoner value. Ren might have been killed outright before negotiations even began.
Her silence stretched for a moment. In her mind, she thought of Sunagakure, and naturally, of the people waiting there. Rasa's face surfaced first. He was older than her, technically her senior, and strong enough to be taken seriously. But his personality was rigid, stubborn, and unpleasant. The two of them had clashed more than once, and if Karura had not stepped in to smooth things over, their relationship might have broken completely long ago.
If Rasa learned she had been captured by Konoha, sarcasm would be unavoidable. He would question her judgment. He might even use the incident to weaken her influence. But surely that was all. Even if he disliked her, would he deliberately set a trap to kill a capable ninja from his own village? Would he cut off one of Sunagakure's own arms just to remove a rival?
That would be insane. It would be like sending one's own brother-in-law to assassinate one's own son. No one with a brain would do such a thing.
Pakura looked away and said coldly, "Sunagakure's internal affairs are none of a Konoha ninja's concern. I know how to handle myself."
"I hope so," Ren said with a faint smile.
In his mind, Sunagakure's geniuses were honestly all rather strange. Sasori of the Red Sand assassinated the Third Kazekage, turned himself into a missing-nin, and walked away from the village entirely. Pakura was powerful and loyal, yet in the original course of events, she had been sold out by her own village and killed without even understanding the full truth. As for Rasa, he was on another level altogether. His decisions in the future would be so disastrous that calling them shortsighted almost felt too polite.
If Sunagakure eventually let someone like that become the Fourth Kazekage, then the village's talent shortage must have been truly desperate.
"Rest well," Ren said at last. "I'll give you a copy of the research results when they are ready."
He waved and left without lingering. The cell door closed behind him, leaving Pakura alone in the quiet room. She stood in place for a while, thinking over his words despite herself. Her brows slowly tightened. Finally, her gaze fell on the Fire Release scrolls placed on the table. After a brief hesitation, she reached out, picked up the first scroll, and opened it.
No matter what happened later, strength came first. With the seal suppressing her chakra, she could not practice properly, but she could still study the theory. When she escaped or returned home, preparation made now might become an advantage then.
Ren returned to the temporary medical analysis room, where Jace and Rin were already buried in scrolls, charts, and printed instrument records. The room looked more chaotic than the battlefield. Lines of numbers, chakra graphs, body-temperature records, glandular responses, and handwritten notes were spread across the tables. Jace rubbed his temples as if the data itself had attacked him.
"How is it?" Ren asked. "Any clues?"
"Not yet," Jace replied with a tired sigh. "There is too much data, and the changes are too complex. Look here. Pakura's chakra peak synchronizes almost perfectly with the sudden secretion of several glandular substances, but those substances alone cannot explain the effect of instantly drying moisture. There has to be a hidden linkage mechanism or some catalytic medium we haven't identified."
Rin pointed to another chart, her voice softer but serious. "And here. When she condenses high-temperature chakra, part of her cellular energy structure briefly shows an overload-like fluorescence. The conversion efficiency rises several times in an instant, then returns to normal after the technique ends. It's almost like her body opens a temporary pathway only when Scorch Release is active."
Ren flipped through the data rapidly. The information from the machines overlapped with what he had personally sensed from Pakura's chakra network. A faint inspiration flashed in his mind, small and bright like a firefly in darkness. For one heartbeat, he felt as though he had almost understood something.
Then it disappeared.
"Tsk. Just a little more," Ren muttered, scratching his hair in frustration. The answer felt close, separated from him by only a thin veil. He could see the outline, but not the shape behind it.
Rin noticed his irritation and set down her brush. "Ren, don't rush too much. Developing a Bloodline Limit is already one of the highest-level problems in the ninja world. Even analyzing and imitating one is extremely difficult. People like Lady Tsunade and Orochimaru would need time and repeated experiments too. We only just started today. If we continue, we will find the direction."
Ren looked at her earnest face, and the frustration in his chest eased a little. "You're right. I'm being impatient."
The three of them spent the next stretch of time sorting and archiving the day's data. The material was extremely valuable. If Ren copied a set and handed it over to Konoha later, it could probably be exchanged for a large amount of contribution points. More importantly, it might become the foundation for something entirely new.
By the time Ren and Rin returned to the barracks, night had already fallen deep. Kakashi and Obito were asleep, their breathing steady in the quiet room. Ren washed up quickly, then lay down on his bed with his arms spread, staring at the dark ceiling. His mind still circled around Pakura's Scorch Release, the chaotic data, and that vanishing spark of inspiration.
Fatigue soon dragged him down. His eyelids grew heavy, and he was just about to fall asleep when a loud system message burst through his mind.
[Phoenix Sage Fire Technique: Hey, hey! Little Ren! Wake up! Don't sleep!]
Ren's eyes snapped open.
[Phoenix Sage Fire Technique: I've realized it!]
"What?" Ren sat up abruptly, all sleepiness blasted away. "Little Phoenix, what did you realize? Why are you shouting in the middle of the night?"
The Phoenix Sage Fire Technique completely ignored his complaint, its excitement almost spilling out of the text.
[Phoenix Sage Fire Technique: Hehe, I've realized it! I think I know how to become shiny like that woman!]
The next system prompt appeared, and Ren's expression froze.
[Based on deep observation of the Scorch Release Bloodline Limit, Phoenix Sage Fire Technique successfully realized and absorbed part of its light-and-flame characteristics. The original trait, Explosive Bullet, has gained an additional flash effect.]
"Holy crap," Ren whispered.
The Phoenix Sage Fire Technique had actually gained an epiphany on its own.
Ren stared at the prompt in disbelief. No, this was real? A ninjutsu could observe another bloodline limit and comprehend something by itself? As expected of Little Phoenix. He had always known it was the clever one from childhood.
Then his excitement paused.
Wait. Just a flash effect?
What was the use of that?
Unable to resist, Ren immediately sat up straighter and formed hand seals as quietly as possible. He opened his mouth and released a small Phoenix Sage Fireball. A pale white flame slipped into the air, floating silently above his palm. Unlike before, this fireball flickered with a sudden bright glimmer, its surface flashing like a tiny star hidden inside the flame.
For a moment, Ren simply stared at it.
Then, in the darkness of the barracks, the little fireball suddenly pulsed with light.
Kakashi's eyes opened.
Obito stirred.
And Ren's smile slowly widened as he realized that this so-called "flash effect" might not be useless at all.
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