The moment the summoning contract was completed, several translucent lines of text appeared before Ren's eyes.
[You have used the Summoning Jutsu once again.]
[As spatial ripples spread outward, one of the chains wrapped around the right hand of the Summoning Jutsu has been drawn to the surface. At the end of that chain, the image of a giant lizard has appeared.]
[This is the Shadow-Hiding Giant Lizard you subdued.]
Then another message followed.
[Summoning Jutsu: "Hmm… Little White-Hair, so this is the first summon you've chosen for yourself? Your standards are a little low, but I suppose it'll do. At your current level, this creature can still be fairly useful."]
["I'll keep an eye on the contract for you. As long as the contract remains, it won't casually disobey your orders."]
["Also, if you have time, look around wetlands for a kind of purple berry that grows in the mud. It's called Purple Mud Fruit. It has distinctive markings, so it should be easy to recognize. These lizards love eating it, and it should help improve this one's strength."]
[Summoning Jutsu Favorability +4]
[Current Favorability: 8/100 — Stranger]
Ren silently read through the messages before narrowing his eyes thoughtfully.
There were two especially important pieces of information.
First, the giant lizard apparently belonged to a specific species known as the Shadow-Hiding Giant Lizard.
That immediately reminded Ren of the giant chameleon that would one day become one of Pain's Animal Path summons.
There was a very real possibility that the two creatures belonged to the same species.
Perhaps they were even the same creature.
After all, Nagato had not yet become the Pain known throughout the shinobi world. His collection of powerful summons for the Animal Path would not be established until much later.
If this Shadow-Hiding Giant Lizard eventually wandered away from the Land of Fire and reached the Land of Rain, only to fall into Nagato's hands years later…
That would hardly be impossible.
The second discovery was even more interesting.
Every creature Ren formed a summoning contract with seemed to appear upon one of the chains surrounding the Summoning Jutsu itself.
Judging from the system's description, those chains did more than merely record his summons. They strengthened the binding force of the contract while simultaneously raising the Summoning Jutsu's favorability toward him.
For Ren, that was unquestionably good news.
Then there was the strange fruit.
"Purple Mud Fruit…"
Ren committed the name to memory.
The Summoning Jutsu had not explained exactly what the fruit strengthened. Perhaps it improved ordinary physical qualities such as strength, speed, or stamina.
Or perhaps…
It could enhance the Shadow-Hiding Giant Lizard's natural invisibility.
Either possibility was worth investigating.
Ren already spent plenty of time training in forests and wilderness areas anyway. Keeping an eye out for a strange purple fruit growing in wetlands would hardly cost him anything.
After sorting through his thoughts, Ren turned his attention toward the enormous creature standing before him.
"Little Green."
The giant lizard stared back.
Ren raised one hand.
"Disappear."
The lizard blinked.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then chakra slowly began circulating through its enormous body.
Ren's eyes sharpened.
The creature's dark green scales began to blur.
Its massive outline shimmered like heated air before gradually merging with the surrounding forest.
A moment later, the giant lizard had almost completely vanished.
Only the faintest distortion remained where its body stood.
Even Ren, who knew exactly where the creature was, needed to deliberately concentrate in order to distinguish its outline.
More importantly, the camouflage remained intact when the lizard moved.
Branches bent.
Grass flattened.
But the creature itself remained nearly invisible.
Ren's interest immediately increased.
This was essentially an enhanced version of Jiraiya's Transparent Escape Technique.
Unfortunately, it shared the same weakness.
The lizard could hide its physical body, but it could not completely conceal the fluctuations of its chakra.
Against an ordinary shinobi, the technique would be terrifying.
Against a capable sensor…
The result was much less certain.
Tsunade stood nearby with her arms crossed, watching the experiment with mild interest.
"Not bad."
She tilted her head slightly.
"The invisibility is stronger than I expected."
Her eyes followed the barely visible distortion moving across the clearing.
"When you get the chance, find someone from the Inuzuka or Aburame clans and test it properly. See whether their clan techniques can locate it while it's invisible."
Ren nodded.
"That's what I was thinking."
"There's no point testing it against the Byakugan or Sharingan," Tsunade continued. "Those eyes should see through it without much trouble."
Ren agreed.
Obito had already proven that the Sharingan could detect the creature.
And if the Sharingan could do it, then the Byakugan—with its exceptional ability to perceive chakra—certainly would not be fooled either.
Other sensory techniques were another matter.
Ren remembered that in the future, the giant chameleon summoned by Pain had been detected while invisible by Shima of Mount Myōboku, who immediately attacked it with Water Release.
But Shima was hardly an ordinary sensor.
Alongside Fukasaku, she stood near the top of Mount Myōboku's hierarchy, directly beneath the Great Toad Sage.
Her being capable of detecting an invisible summon did not mean that every sensor-nin could accomplish the same thing.
Finding the exact limits of Little Green's invisibility could determine whether it became merely useful—or an exceptional reconnaissance weapon.
Ren walked forward and placed his palm against the creature's cold, rough foreleg.
"Your head is green enough."
He nodded decisively.
"Little Green it is."
"Goo…"
The giant lizard made a low sound from its throat.
Tsunade stared at Ren for several seconds.
"That's your naming sense?"
Ren glanced at her.
"What's wrong with it?"
"…Nothing."
Her expression clearly said otherwise.
Still, the contract had been successfully established, and Tsunade had apparently lost interest in watching Ren experiment.
She yawned lazily and turned toward the path.
"Alright. The summoning contract is done. You can figure out the rest yourself."
She waved without looking back.
"I'm going home to sleep."
Ren was about to respond when Tsunade suddenly stopped.
She slowly turned her head.
Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Actually…"
Ren instinctively felt something was wrong.
"There's one more thing."
Tsunade pointed directly at him.
"Don't you dare copy that idiot Jiraiya and use this thing's invisibility to spy on women bathing."
Her fist slowly clenched.
"If I ever discover you doing something like that…"
A frightening smile appeared on her face.
"I'll personally rearrange every bone in your body."
Ren's mouth twitched.
"…Understood."
Tsunade gave him one final suspicious look before leaving.
Ren watched her disappear down the path leading toward the Senju clan grounds.
Only then did he sigh.
What kind of person did she think he was?
If he really wanted to sneak into a women's bath, why would he need to copy Jiraiya's ridiculous methods?
Transformation Technique existed.
In theory, he could transform into a woman and walk straight inside—
Ren abruptly stopped that train of thought.
Some ideas were better left unexplored.
He turned back toward Little Green.
"Go into the forest and find something to eat. Recover from your injuries properly."
Ren patted its foreleg again.
"When I need you, I'll summon you."
"Goo."
Little Green nodded before lumbering toward the forest.
The newly established contract meant Ren was no longer restricted by the limitations of an empty Summoning Jutsu.
Previously, he could only randomly summon creatures located within a relatively limited distance.
Now things were different.
As long as Little Green was not absurdly far away, Ren could summon it whenever necessary.
That alone made obtaining the creature worthwhile.
Ren stretched his shoulders and glanced toward the surrounding forest.
"Since I'm already out here…"
A faint smile appeared.
"I might as well practice the Transparent Escape Technique."
It would be a shame to waste such a sacred—
No.
Useful reconnaissance technique.
---
The following three days passed peacefully.
Ren returned to his usual training schedule, dividing his time between physical conditioning, ninjutsu practice, and studying his newest technique.
His main focus was the Water Dragon Bullet Technique: Tobirama Version.
Because the technique had been obtained as a system skin, Ren did not face the usual difficulty of learning it from scratch.
He also gifted the corresponding scroll to Wild Water Wave.
That single action caused its favorability to rise dramatically.
It had now exceeded ninety points.
Only a small distance remained before reaching maximum favorability.
Yet strangely, no special event had appeared.
Ren could not determine whether he simply had not triggered the necessary condition or whether Wild Water Wave did not possess a special-event mechanism at all.
There was no reason to rush.
If the favorability stopped increasing over the next several days, the answer would become obvious soon enough.
Meanwhile, Ren was hardly the only Chūnin Exam candidate preparing.
Obito, Rin, Asuma, Guy, and the others were all squeezing every possible improvement out of the remaining days.
Obito in particular had been subjected to something approaching hell.
His performance during the second stage of the exam had been… unfortunate.
Being caught by Shinku Yūhi's genjutsu and remaining trapped for such a long time had exposed one of his most obvious weaknesses.
Minato therefore contacted Fugaku Uchiha.
The two jōnin spent an entire day giving Obito intensive genjutsu resistance training.
Their method was brutally simple.
Trap him.
Let him escape.
Then trap him again.
Conventional genjutsu, visual illusions, Sharingan-based techniques—
Obito experienced all of them.
Some were disorienting.
Others were terrifying.
A few were apparently designed by people who had questionable definitions of the word "training."
By the end of the day, Obito emerged with bloodshot eyes and a haunted expression.
However, the results were undeniable.
His Sharingan showed faint signs of evolving into the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Fortunately, it stopped just short of completing the transformation.
Ren was secretly relieved.
If Obito awakened three tomoe this early, the pressure on Ren might become considerably more annoying.
Besides training, Ren also spent part of those three days helping his family expand another battlefield.
The battlefield of business.
Specifically—
Konoha Raw Cola.
With Hiruzen Sarutobi personally approving the trademark issue, the final legal obstacle had disappeared.
And because Tsunade possessed thirty percent of the profits, her enthusiasm toward the business had increased dramatically.
She personally introduced Ren's family to wealthy merchants and nobles visiting Konoha.
Some knew her socially.
Some had once been her patients.
Others…
Had apparently lent her money.
Whatever their relationship, when Tsunade invited them, very few dared refuse.
Then they tasted Konoha Raw Cola.
That changed everything.
Carbonated drinks were practically unknown in the shinobi world.
The sensation of bubbles bursting across the tongue, combined with the sweet, distinctive flavor, immediately caught people's attention.
Not everyone loved it.
But nearly everyone remembered it.
And experienced merchants understood immediately what that meant.
Several businessmen approached Ren's father and proposed cooperation.
Some wanted to purchase the formula outright.
That offer was rejected without hesitation.
The recipe was the foundation of the entire business.
Selling it would be equivalent to slaughtering the goose that laid golden eggs.
Instead, negotiations shifted toward regional distribution rights.
Ren and his father lacked detailed knowledge about the merchants competing for those rights.
Tsunade did not.
Years of traveling, gambling, borrowing money, treating wealthy patients, and dealing with nobles had accidentally given her an impressive information network.
She quickly eliminated the unreliable candidates and selected two merchants with strong reputations and extensive distribution channels.
Contracts were signed soon afterward.
For the first time, Konoha Raw Cola was preparing to expand beyond Konoha itself and enter the wider Land of Fire market.
After the negotiations ended, Tsunade planted both hands on her hips.
"See?"
She looked unbearably pleased with herself.
"In the end, you still needed me."
She glanced at Ren and his father.
"If you two handled everything yourselves, you'd still be arguing over which merchant to choose."
Ren immediately nodded.
"Yes, yes."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes.
His response sounded suspiciously perfunctory.
Ren instantly corrected himself.
"Lady Tsunade is brilliant, beautiful, capable, and absolutely indispensable."
Tsunade's lips curved upward.
"Hmph."
Much better.
Then she seemed to remember something.
"Tomorrow is the final stage of the Chūnin Exams, isn't it?"
Ren nodded.
"I'll come watch."
Tsunade pointed at him.
"Perform properly."
Ren raised an eyebrow.
"If I perform well, do I get a reward?"
"No."
Her answer came instantly.
"You're not my student. Ask Minato for rewards."
"…Oh."
---
The next morning, Konoha was unusually lively.
The final stage of the Chūnin Exams consisted of public individual matches.
Their purpose extended far beyond determining promotions.
The matches allowed Konoha to display the strength of its younger generation to visiting nobles, merchants, foreign shinobi, and representatives from other villages.
It was military propaganda disguised as entertainment.
And the villagers loved it.
By early morning, nearly a thousand spectators had already crowded the stands surrounding the training arena.
Under normal circumstances, the number would have been even greater.
But Konoha was at war.
Large numbers of shinobi had been deployed to the southwestern front and northeastern border, while those remaining in the village still had patrols, investigations, guard duty, and missions to complete.
Even so, the atmosphere was electric.
Especially because two idiots were making enough noise for an entire stadium.
"The Sharingan is invincible!"
Obito raised a fist.
"I'm definitely winning!"
Across from him, Might Guy erupted with even greater enthusiasm.
"YOUTH WILL NEVER LOSE!"
Several nearby candidates quietly moved away from them.
Ren and Rin sat farther down the bench, peacefully drinking chilled bottles of Konoha Raw Cola while studying the match schedule attached to the wall.
The pairings had clearly been arranged with purpose.
Obito versus Might Guy.
Rin versus Shinku Yūhi.
And then there were the most politically important matches.
Ren and Asuma had each been placed against the respective captains of the Iwagakure and Amegakure teams.
The meaning could hardly have been more obvious.
Konoha intended to use Ren and Asuma to display the strength of its new generation—especially in front of Iwagakure.
The Five Great Nations were already standing on increasingly unstable ground.
Every public victory carried political value.
Every defeat carried consequences.
Ren finished his cola.
"It's starting."
He tossed the empty bottle cleanly into a nearby trash bin and stood.
"Obito and Guy are first."
Rin followed him toward the railing.
The two fighters entered the arena.
At this stage, Guy's strength was roughly what Ren expected from the original timeline.
Obito was another story.
He had already awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan.
His Fire Release had improved dramatically.
His taijutsu had been sharpened through Minato's training.
And after his recent torture—otherwise known as Fugaku's genjutsu lessons—his overall combat awareness had improved as well.
The ridiculous outcome from another timeline, where Guy defeated him almost immediately with a single kick, was impossible now.
The match began.
Obito's Sharingan spun.
Guy charged.
Their fists collided.
The impact echoed across the arena.
Guy immediately launched a rapid combination of punches and kicks, but Obito's Two-Tomoe Sharingan tracked every movement.
He slipped aside from one punch.
Blocked another.
Then ducked beneath a sweeping kick and retaliated with a sharp elbow.
Guy jumped backward.
Obito formed hand seals.
"Fire Release!"
Flames erupted across the arena.
Guy twisted through the attack, barely escaping the edge of the blaze.
Obito pursued him instantly.
For several exchanges, Obito held the advantage.
Watching from the sidelines, Asuma stared in surprise.
"Since when did that idiot become this strong?"
Genma Shiranui rubbed his chin.
"His Fire Release is one thing, but his taijutsu isn't much worse than Guy's anymore."
Shinku Yūhi narrowed his eyes.
"That Sharingan makes a huge difference."
Nearby, Rin watched Obito force Guy backward again.
Her eyes brightened.
"Ren."
She smiled.
"It looks like Obito's going to win."
Ren watched the arena silently.
Obito was already smiling.
He believed victory was within reach.
But Ren's expression remained calm.
"No."
Rin blinked.
"Huh?"
Ren's gaze shifted toward Guy.
"Obito is going to lose."
Almost the instant those words left his mouth—
Guy stopped.
The boy lowered his head.
Then he slowly crossed both arms before his chest.
Ren's eyes sharpened.
A violent surge of chakra erupted from Guy's body.
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
One gate.
Two.
Three.
Then—
"Fourth Gate… OPEN!"
BOOM!
Green energy exploded around Might Guy.
His skin flushed crimson.
His muscles tightened.
The pressure rolling from his body changed so dramatically that Obito's victorious smile vanished instantly.
All around the arena, experienced shinobi straightened in their seats.
Even the air seemed to tremble.
Obito's Sharingan spun wildly.
"What the hell—?!"
Guy raised his head.
His eyes burned with terrifying determination.
Then he disappeared.
Not moved.
Not charged.
Disappeared.
A violent shockwave exploded from where he had been standing.
For the first time since the match began, Obito's Sharingan could barely keep up.
And as the green beast tore across the arena toward him, Ren's eyes narrowed.
The real first match of the Chūnin Exam finals had only just begun.
----------------------------------------------
Extra chapters available in Patreon⚡
[Www.patreon.com/Samurai492 ]"
_________________________________