Meeting Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina was merely a minor interlude on the way home. At most, it could be counted as an initial acquaintance. Ren and Kurenai bid their farewells, and the two children walked toward the Yūhi residence, enjoying their dango as they went.
Ren had already revealed his potential identity as a member of the Uzumaki clan. Future contact was inevitable, and Ren had no intention of letting such influential connections slip through his fingers.
These two possessed a wealth of knowledge that intrigued him: the various sealing arts and secret techniques of the Uzumaki clan; Minato's Rasengan, Flying Thunder God, and other high-level ninjutsu…
Meanwhile, watching the two small figures walk away, Kushina stroked her chin thoughtfully. She glanced at her boyfriend beside her. "Minato, do you think he really is Uzumaki?"
The Uzumaki clan didn't possess a distinct Kekkei Genkai. If they had a defining trait, it was their monstrous vitality and recuperative powers… External features were hard to judge. She couldn't be sure.
Minato wasn't entirely certain either, but he offered his analysis. "It's possible. Although Ren is still very young, from my sensory perception, his chakra reserves far exceed those of his peers. But that alone isn't conclusive. There are other prodigies with abnormally large chakra pools. We'd have to ask Hokage-sama for the details."
Whether he was or wasn't, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, would likely have the definitive answer.
"That's right! That old man must know something! Hmph, if Ren really is Uzumaki, how could he keep that from me?!"
"Haha, perhaps the timing wasn't right…"
Minato already had his own suspicions about Ren's heritage. If the boy was indeed Uzumaki, then he might very well be the village's next candidate for… that specific, burdensome duty. Not just anyone could become a jinchūriki, and those of Uzumaki blood were undeniably the most suitable vessels.
Jinchūriki… Minato's gaze softened as he looked at Kushina, a silent sigh echoing in his heart. Being a vessel was no blessing. Kushina was often jolted awake from nightmares, her sleep invaded by the corrosive, malignant chakra of the Nine-Tails. Worse was the loss of her freedom, the constant need to remain within heavily guarded barriers and seals.
Kushina pouted, her expression a mix of indignation and hope. "I don't care about 'the right time'! I'm going to ask the old man later. If he is… then I'll have a little brother from the same clan!"
She wasn't lonely—Minato was always by her side. But having a clansman, a true blood relative, would be a different kind of joy. More importantly, Ren, that little shōta, was terribly cute, and his "little adult" act was endlessly amusing.
Minato chuckled indulgently. "Alright, alright. I'll go with you later."
Back at the Yūhi residence, Ren did not allow himself to slack off. He resumed his daily training regimen.
He wouldn't rely solely on the system. It was too abstract, its mission triggers too sparse, and its rewards too few. There were many paths to power, and self-reliance was paramount. With his exceptional talent, letting it lie dormant was unthinkable. He refused to become like Enel—a natural powerhouse who never trained and got one-shotted when reality finally hit. He had to work hard.
After nearly a month of dedicated chakra cultivation, the reserves within Ren's body were now considerable. In Shinku's estimation, he had reached the typical level of a newly-minted genin. To achieve this volume in less than a month was, in Shinku's eyes, definitive proof: Ren was undoubtedly a descendant of the Uzumaki clan.
Now, standing before the battered training post in the backyard, Ren took a deep, centering breath. His eyes burned with focused intensity.
He mobilized the chakra within his body, channeling it to the acupoints in his fist. The moment he threw the punch, he combined the explosive release principle of Bakudō #1: Sai with his own developing chakra amplification technique.
BOOM!
The punch connected with a thunderous crack. The sturdy wooden post didn't just splinter; it exploded into a cloud of shredded wood and flying fragments, scattering debris across the packed earth.
Ren shook his right fist, a slight, dull ache radiating from his knuckles. He frowned. "Still not perfect. The recoil feedback still causes injury…"
He'd had the idea to merge the concussive, releasing principle of the basic Kidō with the chakra-surge technique, attempting to replicate the monstrous striking power of Tsunade's famed Chakra Enhanced Strength. The results were impressive, but incomplete. He couldn't fully negate the reactive force of his own attacks. While it was no longer the bloody, self-maiming mess of his first attempts, he still sustained minor injuries. It was inefficient.
He ceased his attempts, sitting down on the sun-warmed back steps to think. "This doesn't make sense. With my aptitude, how have I not perfected this after nearly a month? What's the missing piece?"
He learned everything with terrifying speed. To be stymied for weeks by this single technique felt illogical.
"Could it be that my body is still too underdeveloped?" He looked at his slender arms and small frame. Perhaps there were physiological limitations. His comprehension might be there, but the physical vessel wasn't yet capable of channeling the power without backlash.
"Although the chakra-enhanced strength is a chakra application technique, it must also be intimately tied to physical conditioning. It's a 'fist' technique, after all—a form of taijutsu, a 'Hard Fist' style…" Ren broadened his perspective, letting his thoughts roam.
"Wait. Taijutsu?!"
The realization struck him like a lightning bolt. Of course! Taijutsu! How had he overlooked this?
The chakra-enhanced strength technique was taijutsu enhanced by chakra. It couldn't possibly be as simple as randomly throwing a punch and detonating chakra upon impact. The chakra surge was the amplifier, the force multiplier. Even without the chakra explosion, Tsunade's raw physical strikes would be formidable. And as for taijutsu proper…
Ren hadn't even begun formal taijutsu training.
The academy curriculum was still in its foundational phase, focusing on theory, basic conditioning, core knowledge, and history. Shurikenjutsu had only been introduced in the last few days. The curriculum progressed methodically, step-by-step.
If perfecting the chakra-enhanced strength technique required a foundation in both taijutsu form and physical conditioning, then it was no wonder Ren, who lacked even basic taijutsu training and whose physical stats were merely average for his age, couldn't achieve perfection.
"That must be it… Taijutsu fundamentals and physical development…"
The excitement of solving the puzzle flashed in his eyes. The idea of independently reverse-engineering and perfecting such an advanced technique gave him a profound sense of accomplishment. Developing it from scratch with no guidance was a monumental task.
He really was that good.
"Uncle Shinku definitely knows foundational taijutsu. I'll start training with him. Practicing basic forms should also improve my overall physique—killing two birds with one stone…"
Ren decided he wouldn't wait for the academy to get around to it. He was impatient. He wanted to conquer the technique that had stumped him for nearly a month as soon as possible. The unresolved challenge was a nagging itch in his mind.
Perhaps it was a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder.