Whoosh—!
A dragon-shaped torrent of fire erupted from Ren's mouth. Although it was nowhere near as enormous as the three blazing dragons Hiruzen had summoned, it still carried an impressive amount of power.
The fiery dragon roared across the training ground and crashed into a nearby stone pillar.
Boom—!
The stone pillar exploded on impact. Cracks spread across its surface before the entire structure shattered, sending burning fragments of rock flying in every direction. A wave of scorching heat rolled over the field, stirring Ren's short white hair.
"Not bad."
Hiruzen nodded approvingly as he studied the destruction.
"To produce this much power on your first attempt proves that your talent for Fire Release is indeed exceptional. Your chakra reserves and instantaneous explosive output are also excellent."
Ren listened carefully, keeping his eyes on Hiruzen.
"However, the form of your technique still has room for improvement," Hiruzen continued. "You released too much chakra at once, causing part of the fire dragon's body to disperse before impact. Remember the two most important principles—condense without scattering, and move without losing control."
As Hiruzen patiently explained the weaknesses of his first attempt, Ren exhaled softly and shifted a small portion of his attention toward the system window floating before his eyes.
[Gift: Limited Skin Fragment—Fire Dragon Flame Bullet → Dragon Fire Technique]
[Dragon Fire Technique favorability increased by 4.]
[Current favorability: 59/100]
Ren immediately noticed the difference.
A fragment only granted four favorability points. A complete limited skin would likely grant roughly twice that amount.
Still, the true value of gifting a skin did not lie solely in increasing favorability. Once the system registered the skin, Ren would immediately receive a basic level of proficiency in the corresponding technique. More importantly, he would gain access to the special trait associated with the original skin.
The trait connected to the Dragon Fire Technique was called Piercing Flame.
It increased the range and stability of the user's flames, allowing them to maintain their concentrated form across greater distances.
The trait had never been particularly useful when paired with the original Dragon Fire Technique. That jutsu required a wire to guide the flames toward its target, which meant its trajectory was always a predictable straight line. Even without charging the technique, striking an alert opponent was far from guaranteed. If Ren paused to gather additional power, the enemy would have even more time to evade.
For that reason, he had barely used Piercing Flame until now.
But the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet was different.
A strange sensation suddenly spread through Ren's mind.
It was as if an unseen hand had taken Hiruzen's explanation, broken it into countless pieces, and reconstructed it into something Ren instinctively understood. The flow of chakra, the compression of the flames, and the delicate shape transformation required to maintain the dragon's body—all of it became clearer.
Alongside that knowledge came a subtle but unmistakable increase in his control over fire.
Ren's eyes sharpened.
He raised his hands and began forming the seals again.
This time, he deliberately slowed his movements.
Rat.
Ram.
Monkey.
Boar.
Horse.
Tiger.
When the final seal was completed, Ren's chakra surged upward from his abdomen and gathered inside his throat.
However, he did not release it immediately.
Instead, he held it there.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
The pressure rapidly intensified. Heat swelled inside his mouth until it became almost impossible to contain. The compressed fire chakra struggled violently against his control, threatening to erupt before he could complete the transformation.
Hiruzen noticed what Ren was attempting, and his relaxed expression immediately disappeared.
Minato's eyes narrowed as well.
Ren suddenly leaned forward and opened his mouth.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Boom—!
A ferocious dragon's head erupted from between his lips.
Unlike the somewhat unstable flames of Ren's first attempt, this dragon possessed an almost solid shape. Its jaws opened wide as it dragged a long, concentrated body of fire behind it.
The blazing dragon shot across the training ground like a crimson comet.
The air screamed as it passed.
A massive granite target stood dozens of metres away, reinforced specifically to withstand powerful ninjutsu. The fire dragon struck it head-on.
BOOM—!!
The entire training ground trembled.
The granite target exploded into countless fragments. Stone dust and flames surged outward in a violent ring, while the remaining fire continued forward without losing its momentum.
The inferno tore into the forest beyond the training ground.
Several trees were pierced through before bursting into flames, and the blazing dragon finally collapsed into a sea of fire among the vegetation.
Ren immediately cut off his chakra supply, preventing the flames from spreading any farther.
For several seconds, the training ground fell completely silent.
Hiruzen's pipe hovered halfway to his mouth.
"Oh?"
A brilliant light flashed in the Third Hokage's eyes. His surprise was so genuine that he momentarily forgot to take another puff from his pipe.
"Only your second attempt…"
Hiruzen looked from the shattered granite target to the scorched path running into the forest.
"And you have already reached this level?"
His voice carried undisguised astonishment.
"The range and penetration are completely different from your first attempt. You did not merely correct your previous mistakes—you altered the technique to suit your own strengths."
Hiruzen took several steps toward the crater and inspected the molten edges of the shattered granite.
"Incredible."
Minato's expression was no less surprised.
Although Hiruzen had obviously restrained himself during his earlier demonstration, the technique he displayed was still far beyond what an ordinary shinobi could reproduce. Even experienced Jōnin might require weeks or months of practice before they could control the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet properly.
Ren had only seen it once.
His first attempt had already been powerful enough to destroy a stone pillar, and his second had achieved a level of penetration that faintly surpassed even Hiruzen's demonstration.
Of course, Ren's version lacked the enormous suppression range of the Third Hokage's technique. Hiruzen had created three independently controlled fire dragons that attacked from multiple directions, while Ren had concentrated everything into a single dragon.
But in terms of pure piercing and explosive power, Ren's version was terrifying.
"Ren's comprehension of Fire Release really is extraordinary," Minato murmured.
Some talents could not be measured through ordinary logic.
Minato himself was the clearest example.
Before his generation, numerous Konoha shinobi had attempted to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique. That list included exceptional geniuses such as Jiraiya and Orochimaru, yet neither had successfully mastered it.
Then Minato appeared.
Not only had he learned the Second Hokage's legendary space-time ninjutsu, but he had also refined and surpassed many aspects of the original technique.
Ren's talent for Fire Release might be similar.
After all, this was not the first time he had displayed such comprehension. He had already modified the Great Fireball Technique through his own understanding, increasing its effectiveness beyond its conventional limitations.
Seen from that perspective, what had just happened was shocking—but not entirely without precedent.
"Hoo…"
Ren slowly exhaled.
The breath leaving his mouth was scorching hot and carried a faint scent of sulfur. His chakra had become somewhat turbulent after forcing so much energy into a single attack, but the disturbance remained well within his control.
At the same time, Ren reached a new conclusion.
There were no truly useless traits.
What mattered was whether the user could find the correct technique to pair them with.
Piercing Flame had been awkward when attached to the Dragon Fire Technique because the jutsu depended on wires and followed a fixed trajectory. Charging it only made an already predictable attack even easier to avoid.
The Fire Dragon Flame Bullet had none of those weaknesses.
It was originally a wide-area suppression technique, and its flames could be guided to a certain extent even after being released. Spending one or two seconds charging it would not greatly reduce its chances of hitting. Against slower opponents or enemies who attempted to block instead of evading, Ren could increase the charging time even further.
Unless the target immediately recognized the danger and escaped before the technique was released, avoiding it without injury would be extremely difficult.
"Well done, Ren!"
Hiruzen's praise rang across the training ground.
He did not attempt to conceal his satisfaction. As a shinobi who had spent decades mastering nearly every conventional technique in Konoha, few things pleased him more than seeing a talented younger shinobi display genuine understanding of ninjutsu.
"To grasp the essence of the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet after only two attempts is impressive enough. But you went further and incorporated your own interpretation into the technique."
Hiruzen turned toward Ren, his expression unusually serious.
"In terms of Fire Release comprehension, among all the juniors I have personally mentored, I would call you the strongest."
Minato glanced at his student with a faint smile.
That was extraordinarily high praise.
Hiruzen's disciples included Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru—three shinobi whose names already carried enormous weight throughout the shinobi world. For the Third Hokage to place Ren above all of them in a specific field was enough to show how highly he regarded the boy's talent.
"I can hand this technique over to you without concern," Hiruzen continued. "Your version is still incomplete, but that is only a matter of practice. Once you can divide the flames into three streams without sacrificing their penetrating power, the technique will become far more dangerous."
"Thank you for your guidance, Hokage-sama," Ren replied.
Hiruzen gave a satisfied nod before turning his attention toward the other half of the field.
"Now, let us move on to the Water Release technique left behind by the Second Hokage."
He raised one hand and made a brief gesture.
Two masked Anbu appeared silently at the edge of the training ground. They landed on one knee before Hiruzen and waited for his command.
"Prepare the targets."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
The Anbu separated and moved to opposite sides of the field. Both formed a rapid series of hand seals before slamming their palms against the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
The ground shook.
One wall rose twenty metres away from Hiruzen. Another emerged farther to the left, followed by several more at different distances and angles.
Within moments, a collection of thick earthen barriers stood across the training ground. The nearest was approximately twenty metres away, while the farthest exceeded fifty. Some walls were tall, others low, and several partially overlapped one another.
The arrangement clearly tested more than simple destructive power.
Hiruzen intended to demonstrate the technique's range, control, and flexibility.
Once the Anbu withdrew, Hiruzen began his explanation.
"The Water Severing Wave is fundamentally different from the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. The Fire Dragon Flame Bullet relies on explosive output and maintaining the structure of a large mass of flames. Water Severing Wave demands extreme compression."
He pointed toward the nearest earthen wall.
"You must compress water and chakra into an exceptionally thin stream while maintaining tremendous pressure. If the stream is too wide, it loses cutting power. If the chakra distribution is uneven, it destabilizes and disperses. If your control slips even slightly while changing its direction, the technique will break apart."
Ren listened without interrupting.
"This technique places a severe burden on chakra control," Hiruzen continued. "Raw reserves alone will not help you. In fact, recklessly pouring more chakra into it may make the technique harder to stabilize."
His hands began moving through a sequence of seals far more complicated than the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
"Watch carefully."
When the final seal was completed, Hiruzen inhaled sharply.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
Sshhh—!
A pale-blue stream of water shot from Hiruzen's mouth.
It was no thicker than a chopstick.
Yet the instant it struck the Earth-Style Wall twenty metres away, the massive structure was sliced cleanly in half. There was no explosion and no dramatic collision. The water passed through the earth so smoothly that the damage was almost invisible for a heartbeat.
Then the upper half of the wall slid sideways.
Boom!
It crashed heavily to the ground, revealing a perfectly smooth cut across its centre.
Hiruzen lifted his chin.
The thin stream curved through the air as though it possessed a life of its own.
Ssh! Ssh! Ssh!
It pierced a second wall, severed a third diagonally, and swept across another target more than fifty metres away. Each movement was swift and precise, leaving behind cuts as smooth as polished glass.
Within seconds, every wall across the training ground had either been pierced or sliced apart.
Then Hiruzen closed his mouth, and the stream vanished.
The entire demonstration possessed a cold and lethal beauty.
There had been none of the overwhelming spectacle created by the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. No sea of flames, no thunderous detonation, and no violent shock wave.
But Ren understood that the Water Severing Wave was far deadlier against a single target.
A fireball could be blocked.
A wall could absorb an explosion.
But a stream of water compressed to this degree could slice through defensive ninjutsu, armour, flesh, and bone before the target even realized what had happened.
At that moment, the system window pulsed again.
[Ding! Giftable item detected.]
[Legendary Limited Skin Fragment—Wild Water Wave: Water Severing Wave!]
[Note: Legendary Limited Skins can only be gifted after favorability reaches 90.]
[There is a significant difference between a fragment and the complete skin. It is recommended that the complete skin be prioritized.]
Ren's gaze remained fixed on the message.
As expected, the system classified Water Severing Wave differently from the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
This was not a B-rank technique.
Water Severing Wave was a top-tier S-rank ninjutsu.
It had become only the second Legendary Limited skin Ren had encountered. The first was Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique.
Even the Mystical Palm Technique had only been classified as an Advanced Limited skin.
In terms of direct destructive power, the difference between Water Severing Wave and Fire Dragon Flame Bullet might not appear to be two full ranks. Their true difference lay in the difficulty of learning and controlling them.
The principle behind Water Severing Wave resembled an ultra-high-pressure water jet. The user had to create water, compress it to an extreme degree, and force it through a minuscule opening while maintaining enough pressure to cut through solid structures.
At the same time, the stream had to remain stable across dozens of metres and respond instantly to changes in direction.
The demand it placed on chakra control far exceeded that of most medical ninjutsu.
Ren considered gifting the fragment immediately, but restrained himself.
The system had already warned him that a fragment of a Legendary Limited skin differed greatly from the completed version. Wasting the opportunity before understanding the technique's fundamental difficulties would be unwise.
More importantly, Ren wanted to test himself again.
He walked to Hiruzen's position, recalled every detail of the explanation, and formed the seals.
Water chakra gathered inside his throat.
Ren compressed it carefully and opened his mouth.
A stream of water shot forward—but instead of becoming a thin blade, it sprayed across the ground and left only a shallow cut in the nearest wall.
Ren frowned and tried again.
The second attempt was thinner, but the stream destabilized after travelling less than ten metres.
His third attempt reached the wall, only to leave behind a narrow groove rather than slicing through it.
Hiruzen watched without speaking.
Minato's expression became more serious with each attempt.
Unlike the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, the Water Severing Wave refused to yield so easily. Each failure revealed another hidden difficulty—compression, stability, pressure, trajectory, or the precise balance between them.
For the first time that afternoon, Ren's extraordinary talent had encountered a true obstacle.
But instead of frustration, excitement slowly appeared in his eyes.
The legendary technique was finally beginning to show its fangs.
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