Chapter 25: A Stirring of Power
While Ren Arakawa was busy extorting the Second Hokage, Konoha ninjas who had heard the commotion gradually appeared around them. They then surrounded Naruto Uzumaki, who was holding the Forbidden Scroll. Their faces were filled with disgust and fear—they clearly saw Naruto as the Nine-Tails Fox itself.
To save the mentally shaken Naruto Uzumaki from being taken into custody, the severely injured Iruka had no choice but to recount Mizuki's betrayal of the village to them. However, after learning the whole story... all eyes turned to Ren Arakawa, who was standing beside Naruto Uzumaki.
"Is this the brat who caused such a stir at the Ninja Academy yesterday?"
"Was it him who broke the record Senior Kakashi set at the academy?"
"This kid is something else, taking down Mizuki, a chūnin!"
"Achieving such feats at such a young age... it seems Konoha is about to produce another super genius!"
...
The group scrutinized Ren. They were no strangers to the name "Ren Arakawa." However, Ren had absolutely no interest in these minor characters who didn't even have names. Even if they were praising him now, he pretended not to hear them. Because in his eyes, only by mastering absolute power could one stand out in the cruel ninja world. After all, there were too many geniuses in the ninja world who shone only briefly. What he wanted was eternal glory!
After exchanging a few words with Naruto, Ren used the Body Flicker Technique to leave.
"Such a fast Body Flicker... Is this kid really a fresh graduate?"
"No wonder Mizuki fell to him. With speed like that, a single misstep and you're done!"
Ren's departure deeply shocked these minor ninja characters. They never expected a student who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy to have already mastered the Body Flicker Technique to such a level!
After leaving the forest, Ren went straight back to his residence. However, he didn't go to sleep immediately. Instead, he sat on the bed and began studying the forbidden techniques he had tricked out of Tobirama Senju.
Tobirama Senju had passed on dozens of forbidden techniques to him this time! Their power varied, and some were even designed for auxiliary purposes. But forbidden techniques were still forbidden techniques. Many skills had significant limitations when used.
For example, the most famous technique in the ninja world, the Impure World Reincarnation, required a living human sacrifice and the blood and tissue of the person to be reincarnated, prepared in advance, to perform!
There was also the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, described in the original work as a powerful forbidden technique capable of infinite explosions. After learning about it, Ren discovered that it also required preparing a large number of explosive tags in advance. Otherwise, it would be impossible to immediately summon subsequent explosive tags to carry out multiple explosions the moment the first one detonated!
However, if one could indeed prepare a large number of explosive tags in advance, the power of that technique was also extremely abnormal. A single explosive tag could easily blow up an entire ninja village!
After searching his memories for a long time, Ren finally managed to find a few forbidden techniques that he could currently use!
The first was the Darkness Technique! This was a forbidden genjutsu that instantly created a dark environment, blocking the opponent's vision and rendering them blind. However, the caster's vision would not be affected.
The second was the Exploding Tag Control Technique! This technique could be considered a prerequisite for using the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags and also needed to be used in conjunction with explosive tags. Its function was to freely control explosive tags by manipulating chakra energy. Even if the explosive tag was in someone else's hand, as long as you had enough chakra, you could detonate it remotely! It was incredibly difficult to defend against.
The third was the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique! This skill probably needed no explanation. It created physical clones that could act independently. The only drawback was its massive chakra consumption. This technique could be considered an enhanced version of the Shadow Clone Technique! When you had abundant chakra, you could create more clones. When chakra was low, it could be used like the Shadow Clone Technique, creating a few clones to assist in battle.
"Alright, with these three forbidden techniques, plus the ones I've already learned, I might not be able to run rampant in Konoha yet, but I should be able to protect myself!" Ren lay on the bed, lost in thought for a while, and then unknowingly fell asleep.
At the same time, in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi covered the crystal ball on his desk with a cloth. He slowly stood up and walked to the window. Gazing at the entire Konoha Village under the night sky, he puffed on his old pipe and muttered to himself, "Ren Arakawa? It seems this kid has quite a few secrets..."