Chapter 4 - Chapter 4: Detention with the Scarface Sensei (And a Slime Secret)

Konoha Academy detention room: a dusty closet of despair, chalkboard scrawled with "No Shadow Clones During Lunch" in faded white. Ren Uchiha sat chained to a desk (metaphorically—Iruka's glare was binding jutsu enough), while Naruto Uzumaki doodled exploding foxes on scrap paper.Iruka Umino paced, ponytail swishing like an angry cat tail. "You three turned training ground #7 into a warzone! Sasuke's got bruises, Naruto's caked in mud, and Ren—you somehow made exploding confetti? Explain!"Naruto pointed dramatically. "Blame Ren! He ate my clones!""Eat clones? Pfft, they poofed on their own, ramen breath," Ren shot back, smirking. Great Sage, play back the spar footage in my head—yep, looked sus.[Mental replay active. Visual anomaly: 2% slime exposure. Iruka suspicion: 41%. Recommendation: Deflect with genius distraction.]Iruka rubbed his scar. "Ren, you're the new variable here. Uchiha survivor, top theory scores, but that 'eat and repeat' line? Spill. Bloodline limit? Forbidden scroll peek?"Ren leaned back, channeling inner troll-genius. "Sensei, hypothetically... what if I said it's a kekkei genkai called 'Gloop no Jutsu'? Absorbs attacks, spits 'em back funnier."Naruto snorted ramen through his nose. "Gloop?! That's lame!""Lame? Revolutionary." Ren's eyes twinkled. "Watch." He palmed a spare explosive tag from his pocket (Predator-dupe, undetectable). "Iruka-sensei, analyze this."Iruka snatched it—standard issue. "Basic explosive tag. Where's the trick?"Ren grinned. "Throw it at me. Full power."Iruka hesitated. "That's dangerous—""Do it. Trust the slime—er, Uchiha process."Naruto cheered. "Demo time!"Iruka sighed, underhand toss. Boom potential engaged.The tag hit Ren's chest—glorp. Instead of exploding, it sank into his shirt like water into a sponge. No smoke, no blast. Ren burped glitter.[Predator: Explosive Tag v2 absorbed. Chakra efficiency improved 15%.]Iruka's jaw dropped. "What... how? Fuinjutsu seal?"Naruto poked Ren's chest. "You're hollow! Like a ramen bowl!"Ren laughed, shapeshifting his finger to balloon briefly—boing—then normal. "Not hollow. Adaptive. Family secret from the Uchiha vaults. 'Mimicry Core'—eats chakra constructs, learns 'em. Non-lethal only in demos."A mostly true lie, Ren thought. Uchiha + slime = perfect cover.[Deception success: 92%. Iruka buy-in probable.]Iruka circled, prodding with a kunai. Ren let it phase harmlessly through his palm—retrieve, reform. "See? Harmless goo-genius."Naruto exploded. "Teach me! I wanna eat Kakuzu's hearts!""Classified," Ren winked. "But you get honorary slime status. Prank partner forever."Iruka paced thoughtfully. "This... explains the spar oddities. Incredible potential—but dangerous if word spreads. ANBU would dissect you." He paused, eyes softening. "Reminds me of a certain fox-kid's stamina. Promise control it. Train under supervision?""Deal," Ren said, shaking. Score: Mentor unlocked.Naruto fist-pumped. "Team Slime-Fox-Uchiha! World domination via pranks!"As Iruka erased the board, assigning "reflection essays," Ren whispered to Naruto. "Phase 1 complete. Next: Beast hunt tonight. Real Predator test—forest critters for evo points."Naruto's eyes sparkled. "I'm in! But if we get caught—""We won't. Sage predicts 99% stealth." Ren's core hummed. [Night op prep: Scout perimeter. Target: Chakra beasts. Evolution threshold: 35%.]Detention dragged—essays on "Responsible Ninjutsu"—but Ren multitasked: mentally simulating absorbed skills. Phoenix Flower + Shadow Clone = Slime Fire Clones? Genius.Sunset filtered through bars. Iruka unlocked the door. "Dismissed. Ren—tomorrow, private session. Show me more 'Gloop.' Naruto, no ramen in class.""Hai!" they chorused.Outside, Sasuke waited by the gate, shuriken glinting. "You held back," he said flatly.Ren grinned. "You first, cousin. Next spar—no mercy?"Sasuke's lip twitched. "Tch. Fine."As the trio split, Ren melted into shadows toward the forest edge. Naruto tailed stealthily (adorably bad at it).Iruka hooked, Sasuke baited, Naruto crewed. Powers hidden in plain sight. Ren's slime form jiggled excitedly under human guise. Magic Sense pinged: Low-level boar-beast ahead. Dinner time.A rustle—massive chakra boar charged from underbrush, tusks gleaming.[Target acquired. Predator optimal.]Ren expanded—massive slime wave. Boar dove in—gluuuuurp. Flesh dissolved, chakra flooded.[Beast absorbed: Enhanced durability, minor earth affinity. Evolution: Slime Body Lv. 2—human form perfected. Sharingan sync: 15%.]Reforming stronger, Ren high-fived Naruto. "Level up! Your turn next ramen run."Naruto whooped. "Best. Friend. Ever!"Under moonlit leaves, Konoha's slimiest shinobi plotted bigger feasts. Chunin Exams loomed—who needed Mangekyo when you had infinite?Iruka watched from afar, smiling faintly. That kid... gonna change everything.