From the moment Might Guy opened the Eight Gates, the outcome of the battle was practically decided.
The Fourth Gate had pushed Guy's speed and strength into an entirely different realm. Even Obito's Two-Tomoe Sharingan, with its enhanced perception and ability to track rapid movement, struggled to follow him.
Obito's eyes darted desperately across the battlefield.
Left.
Right.
Above—
Too late!
Guy's figure vanished from his vision.
A violent impact exploded against Obito's ribs.
"GAH!"
Obito was hurled sideways before he could even process what had happened. His feet had barely touched the ground when Guy appeared in front of him again, green-clad legs cutting through the air like blades.
"Konoha Great Whirlwind!"
BOOM!
The kick smashed into Obito's guard and sent him spinning across the arena.
Dust erupted.
But Guy wasn't finished.
The spectators could barely follow the battle anymore. All they saw were flashes of green tearing through the clouds of dust, accompanied by one heavy impact after another.
Obito had effectively become a human punching bag.
Seven or eight strikes from Konoha's Strong Fist hammered into him in rapid succession. He endured several more devastating kicks, including three or four Konoha Great Whirlwinds, before Guy finally launched him into the air.
Obito's Sharingan widened.
Guy disappeared beneath him.
Then—
"Hidden Lotus!"
The spectators collectively held their breath.
A violent crash shook the arena.
BOOM—!
Stone shattered outward from the point of impact.
Dust rolled across the battlefield in thick waves, briefly hiding both fighters from view.
When the dust finally began to settle, Guy stood near the edge of a newly formed crater. His knees were slightly bent, his chest rising and falling heavily as sweat rolled down his face.
The Fourth Gate placed an enormous burden on his body.
But he was still standing.
Obito wasn't.
The Uchiha lay unconscious in the center of the shattered ground, his clothes torn and his body covered in bruises.
Might Guy had defeated Obito Uchiha.
The medical team, which had been waiting beside the arena from the beginning, immediately rushed onto the battlefield. Several medical-nin quickly surrounded Obito while another checked Guy's condition.
Standing at the edge of the field, Shikaku Nara calmly raised his hand.
"The winner—Might Guy!"
For several seconds, the stands remained strangely silent.
Thousands of spectators stared at the ruined battlefield.
Then the entire arena erupted.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!"
"That green kid was terrifying!"
"Did you see how fast he moved?!"
"I couldn't even follow him!"
"Wasn't that Uchiha using the Sharingan?!"
The cheers and discussions became deafening.
The opening match had already surpassed nearly everyone's expectations. Many civilians had unconsciously held their breath throughout the final exchange, and only now did they realize how dry their throats had become.
Fortunately, someone had anticipated exactly that problem.
Several small carts suddenly rolled through the aisles between the spectator seats.
"Melon seeds! Peanuts! Cold cola!"
"Anyone thirsty?"
"Guests near the aisle, please pull your legs in!"
The timing was almost suspiciously perfect.
Naturally, the arrangement had been Ren's idea.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had personally approved it beforehand, turning the Chunin Exams into an excellent opportunity to promote Konoha Raw Cola.
Most Konoha civilians had heard of the drink by now, but many had never actually tried it. Some still believed it was an expensive luxury.
Once they saw the actual price, however, their hesitation disappeared.
After witnessing such an intense battle, buying a cold drink and some snacks seemed perfectly reasonable.
Coins quickly changed hands.
The visitors from outside Konoha were even more generous. For many of them, purchasing a locally famous product was simply part of the experience.
The first batch of cola disappeared almost immediately.
If Ren had been watching the sales personally, he probably would have been smiling from ear to ear.
But the tournament continued.
One match followed another.
Rin Nohara faced Kurenai Yuhi.
Hyūga Homon fought Shiranui Genma.
Each battle brought its own excitement, and the arena repeatedly filled with applause and cheers.
Yet only a few streets away, another battle of an entirely different kind was taking place.
Inside the Konoha Research Institute, the atmosphere couldn't have been further removed from the noisy arena.
The sharp scent of disinfectant filled the laboratory.
Cold white lights illuminated rows of experimental equipment, sealed containers, glass instruments, and neatly arranged scrolls.
Standing before a microscope was—
Ren.
Or, more accurately, another Ren.
He wore a clean white laboratory coat, protective gloves, and a mask covering the lower half of his face. His eyes remained fixed on the sample beneath the microscope as he carefully adjusted the instrument's focus.
Beside him, Orochimaru casually manipulated the contents of a petri dish.
His golden eyes briefly shifted toward Ren.
"The final stage of the Chunin Exams is quite an important occasion."
A faint smile appeared on Orochimaru's face.
"And yet you've sent only a Shadow Clone to participate. Is that truly wise, Ren-kun?"
His voice carried unmistakable amusement.
"Or perhaps..."
Orochimaru's smile deepened.
"You believe half your chakra is enough to defeat the other participants?"
Ren didn't even look away from the microscope.
"You've got it backward, Lord Orochimaru."
"Oh?"
"The one standing here is the Shadow Clone."
Ren adjusted the focus another fraction.
"I gave this clone roughly one-third of my chakra."
He finally glanced sideways.
"So unless my main body suddenly becomes an idiot, I don't see how two-thirds of my chakra could possibly lose to an Iwagakure genin."
For a moment, Orochimaru said nothing.
Then a low chuckle escaped his throat.
"Heh..."
His eyes lingered on Ren with renewed interest.
"Impressive."
Ren's expression remained calm.
"Splitting your chakra so precisely while maintaining a Shadow Clone over this distance requires considerable control. Your mastery of the Shadow Clone Technique may already exceed that of many jonin."
Ren offered no response.
That was intentional.
He had deliberately revealed part of his ability to Orochimaru, but only part.
Showing talent was useful.
Showing too much talent in front of Orochimaru was another matter entirely.
The man had an almost unhealthy fascination with geniuses.
There was no reason to make himself too interesting.
A brief silence filled the laboratory.
Then Orochimaru placed the petri dish down.
"Enough about the Chunin Exams."
His expression became noticeably more serious.
"Let's discuss the reason you came here."
Ren immediately straightened.
"I've completed the preliminary analysis of the blood and cellular samples you brought back from Pakura."
That sentence instantly captured Ren's full attention.
Orochimaru continued.
"After repeated observation and several induction experiments, I can now determine with reasonable confidence that the fundamental mechanism behind the Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai lies in—"
Rustle.
Before Orochimaru could even finish, Ren had already pulled out a blank scroll.
Pen in hand.
Ready.
Orochimaru's lips twitched slightly.
Ren ignored him.
This research was too important to rely entirely on memory.
After returning from the southwestern battlefield, he had divided the blood samples obtained from Pakura into two portions.
One portion had gone to Tsunade.
The other had gone to Orochimaru.
He wanted two of the greatest researchers and medical minds in Konoha to investigate Scorch Release from different perspectives.
Unfortunately, progress on Tsunade's side had been limited.
Her knowledge remained extraordinary, but her hemophobia created a severe obstacle. Something as fundamental as personally examining blood samples had become extremely difficult for her.
Therefore, Ren had taken the preliminary information from Tsunade's research and brought it here.
And Orochimaru had finally produced results.
Ren's pen began moving.
Orochimaru spoke slowly, explaining each observation while occasionally pausing to answer Ren's questions.
Lines of precise notes gradually filled the scroll.
"Within the chakra pathway system of a Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai possessor, several unusual chakra nodes have been identified."
Ren's eyes sharpened.
He continued writing.
"These nodes can temporarily be designated as Scorch Release Cores."
Their function was even more important.
They appeared to serve as the key mechanism that allowed ordinary chakra to be efficiently transformed into the unique chakra state required for Scorch Release.
The implications were enormous.
If the structure could be understood—
Perhaps it could be replicated.
Ren's pen moved faster.
"The structural composition of the meridian nodes..."
"The relationship between Wind and Fire chakra transformations..."
"The estimated probability of artificial induction..."
"The feasibility of separation and transplantation..."
"The potential rejection response..."
"Future research directions..."
Question after question.
Hypothesis after hypothesis.
Orochimaru patiently explained his findings while Ren occasionally interrupted with his own ideas. Some were immediately dismissed. Others caused Orochimaru to pause and reconsider certain assumptions.
Time passed unnoticed.
Finally, Orochimaru stopped.
"That is essentially everything I've confirmed so far."
Ren wrote down the final sentence.
"If you want to push the research further," Orochimaru continued, "we'll require considerably more experimental material."
Ren's pen paused.
That was the problem.
Pakura's blood wasn't exactly something he could casually purchase from a Konoha market stall.
He blew lightly across the fresh ink before beginning to review the scroll from the top.
Then—
A translucent notification suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Ding! Giftable item detected.]
[Special Item — Phoenix Sage Fire Technique: Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai Analysis Report]
Ren blinked.
"...?"
He nearly thought he had misread it.
A research report could be gifted?
He had always assumed the system primarily recognized things like ninjutsu scrolls or objects directly connected to a technique.
Yet this worked too?
Then why hadn't the earlier version he had shared with Pakura triggered anything?
As if responding to his confusion, another line appeared.
[Special items must contain a sufficient amount of energy or technical knowledge related to the corresponding ninjutsu before the gifting condition can be triggered.]
Ren stared at the explanation for several seconds.
Then everything clicked.
"So that's how it works."
Apparently, his previous research notes had simply been too crude.
This report, however, contained the combined research of Tsunade, Orochimaru, and himself. Its understanding of Scorch Release had already reached an entirely different level.
Ren's thoughts immediately became active.
His relationship with Phoenix Sage Fire Technique had already reached maximum favorability, so gifting the report wouldn't increase affection any further.
But favorability wasn't the only benefit.
If Phoenix Sage Fire Technique could absorb the knowledge contained within this research...
Light Flame Bullet might evolve again.
The possibility alone made Ren's eyes brighten.
He would make another copy later.
After reaching that decision, he carefully stored the scroll away.
Orochimaru had already moved on.
Without taking a break, he began preparing the next dissection experiment.
Ren stepped over to assist.
Neither of them seemed particularly concerned that, only a few streets away, Ren's main body was about to enter one of the most important matches of the Chunin Exams.
And almost at that exact moment—
The atmosphere inside the arena changed.
Several earlier battles had already concluded.
The spectators had been entertained.
The snacks were selling.
The cola carts were practically being emptied the moment they appeared.
But now thousands of conversations gradually quieted.
Shikaku Nara stepped forward.
He glanced toward both sides of the arena before announcing the next contestants.
"Next match—"
A pause.
"Konoha's Ren..."
The spectators immediately reacted.
"...versus Iwagakure's Toki!"
The arena exploded.
"Finally!"
"It's Ren!"
"I've been waiting for this match!"
"I heard he's the strongest genin in this year's exam!"
"Didn't he fight on the Sunagakure front?"
"That's what I heard! Apparently, he earned major military achievements there!"
"But his opponent is from Iwagakure..."
"So what?"
One Konoha civilian immediately scoffed.
"Our shinobi are the strongest!"
Another spectator leaned forward eagerly.
"Stop talking! They're coming out!"
Thousands of eyes turned toward the battlefield.
The earlier excitement surrounding Guy and Obito had already been intense.
But this was different.
This wasn't merely another match between young shinobi.
Konoha.
Iwagakure.
Two villages whose relationship had been written in blood across generations.
Even in a Chunin Exam, those names carried weight.
On one side, Toki stepped onto the battlefield.
On the other—
Ren emerged.
His footsteps were unhurried.
His expression was relaxed.
And while one-third of his chakra calmly assisted Orochimaru with Scorch Release research several streets away...
the remaining two-thirds had just walked into the arena.
Toki stared at him.
Ren stared back.
Shikaku raised his hand between them.
The roaring stadium gradually fell silent.
And somewhere inside the Konoha Research Institute, another Ren was already preparing the knowledge that might push his flames into an entirely new realm.
The hand dropped.
"Begin!"
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