The two boys stood poised, an unspoken challenge hanging in the air. Then, Uchiha Kai moved first, his left hand snapping forward, launching three shuriken in a tight, pin formation. He surged forward immediately after his throw.
Renzou's eyes narrowed, tracking the projectiles. He swiftly drew two shuriken of his own, held ready between his fingers, and flung them. The pairs of shuriken collided mid-air with a sharp clink, both sets clattering harmlessly to the ground. But Kai wasn't finished. A kunai whistled through the air, aimed directly at Renzou.
Renzou reacted instantly, rolling to the side. The kunai hissed past where he'd been, embedding itself with a solid thunk into the tree behind him, its point biting deep into the wood. By then, Uchiha Kai was upon him, a kunai glinting in his right hand as he lunged at the prone Renzou. Renzou parried with his own kunai, sparks flying as the steel met. They locked into a brief, intense struggle.
Suddenly, Renzou eased his pressure. Caught off balance by the unexpected shift, Uchiha Kai stumbled. Seizing the opportunity, Renzou executed a swift leg sweep, catching Kai's lower body. The momentum carried Kai off his feet, and he landed on the ground with a surprised grunt. Before he could recover, Renzou had his kunai pressed against Kai's neck.
"Yield?"
"Hmph! Not convinced!" Uchiha Kai retorted, his face a mask of displeasure as he regained his senses. "I lost this time. Next time, I'll be the victor." He stood up, brushing dust from his clothes, adopting an almost arrogant posture, arms crossed over his chest as if he had been the one to win.
Seriously? Renzou thought, a mental eye-roll escaping him. Tsundere tendencies must be a Uchiha clan-wide thing. He collected the scattered shuriken and kunai, tucking them back into his ninja pouch, and started to leave the clearing.
"Hey," Uchiha Kai called out, stopping Renzou as he walked past. "What's your name?"
"Me? Uchiha Renzou," Renzou replied with a small smile.
"I'm Uchiha Kai. Remember it. I won't lose again next time!" With that, he turned and strode off with an air of perceived triumph.
Renzou watched him go, touching his nose thoughtfully. Didn't he hear my name this morning? Why the dramatic re-introduction? Shrugging it off, he returned to the tree, picked up the Wind Style scroll, and resumed his study.
Wind Style offensive ninjutsu… characterized by turning wind into a sharp blade, a swift physical cut, difficult to defend against.
Renzou focused, visualizing the flow of wind-attributed chakra through his meridians, following the sequence of hand seals. He felt the chakra gathering, then exploding outwards as he completed the jutsu.
"Click!"
A few meters away, a pine tree, as thick as his arm, snapped cleanly. Renzou leaned back against his tree, exhaustion washing over him. His chakra reserves felt completely drained. A mere C-rank jutsu had depleted him in one go.
As expected, my chakra capacity is still too low. At this point, it was only good for a decisive strike. He also needed to drastically improve his seal formation speed, so opponents wouldn't have time to react. The Shadow Clone Technique was far too chakra-intensive for his current level. Best to master these basic ninjutsu first.
A pragmatic thought surfaced. I should probably find a backer soon. Otherwise, I'll likely end up as frontline cannon fodder. Until he had the power to protect himself, a low profile was essential. If Danzo gets wind of my dual bloodlines… captures me… turns me into some emotionless weapon… who would even know?
Renzou ate the rice balls he'd packed, discarding the now-useless scroll for the moment, his mind already turning to how to become stronger, efficiently. He wolfed down the food and resumed his training, focusing on replenishing his chakra first.
Half an hour later, the familiar warmth of circulating chakra returned. Renzou took a deep breath. Grabbing the weighted training gear, he began to run laps around the clearing. The body is the foundation. A strong physique would allow him to draw more physical energy. As for spiritual energy, the combined mental strength of his two lives was already considerable and steadily growing, likely on par with a natural Uchiha's.
Finishing his run, Renzou, panting heavily, rested his hands on his knees for a moment before launching into a series of push-ups, followed by kicks and punches. Each repetition was a small increment in his physical strength. Remember, small steps. Don't try to jump from the first floor to the third all at once.
By the time he could no longer push himself, the sun was beginning to set. Renzou collapsed in the middle of the clearing, his chest heaving, clothes soaked with sweat clinging to his small frame. The potential of his Uchiha and Hyuga bloodlines felt like a dormant power within him.
After a few minutes of rest, Renzou slowly pushed himself up. He grabbed his schoolbag; it was time to head home. A quick walk brought him back to his quiet house. He dropped his bag and located the medical kit his mother had left behind. He remembered her as a medical-nin, a member of Konoha's White Fang Team. A pang of sadness resonated within him as he truly felt the loss through the inherited memories.
Returning to the present, he opened the medical box, taking out antiseptic, bandages, and medical alcohol. Treating his scrapes and bruises was a clumsy affair, a constant reminder of his inexperience. Definitely need someone who knows what they're doing. But he managed to apply the bandages.
Afterward, Renzou brewed himself a cup of hot tea. He sat on the sturdy branch of the tree in his small yard, the warm mug in his hands, gazing out at the vibrant leaves of Konoha. Just then, two streaks of green flashed past the edge of his vision, disappearing almost instantly.
"Huh?" Renzou blinked, surprised by the sudden movement. He set down his tea, stood on the thickest tree trunk, and peered in the direction he'd seen the flashes.
"Oh, it's them." Recognition dawned. Watermelon head, thick eyebrows, green spandex – one big, one small. Might Dai and Might Guy. The father-son duo who represented the pinnacle of taijutsu in the ninja world. Dai, whose legendary Eight Gates formation had decimated the Hidden Mist's Seven Ninja Swordsmen, leaving only three survivors. And his son, Guy, whose "youth" burned even brighter, his taijutsu reaching a level where he could challenge even the likes of Six Paths Madara. Madara himself had acknowledged Guy's power.
A spark ignited in Renzou's eyes. Now is the time to build a foundation. What better way to hone his physical skills than to train alongside these two taijutsu masters?
Excellent! Absolutely Excellent!
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End of Chapter 5