That night, Amano Ren tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Eventually, he rose from bed, draped a robe over his shoulders, and stepped out into the courtyard beneath the old tree. Bathed in pale moonlight, he lifted his gaze to the sky and silently stared at the full moon.
He couldn't tell what made this moon different from the one he knew on Earth. If anything, they looked almost identical. Yet he was certain—this world and Earth were nothing alike.
Ren had never been someone who gave up easily. He always moved forward—never stopping, never looking back. Even when the path ahead was uncertain, he would grit his teeth and press on. If his legs gave out, he'd crawl on his hands. If his hands failed too, he would still drag himself forward.
It was this stubbornness that helped him survive the slums—a place without sunlight or hope. As a child, he had protected his younger sister and eventually made it out of that forsaken place.
And yet… this time, though he still had both arms and legs, he stood frozen on this seemingly endless path. Questions sprouted in his mind like bamboo shoots after the rain, clouding his thoughts until it felt like his skull might burst.
Dawn arrived in a thick mist, and still, Ren had not closed his eyes. One night wasn't enough to bring clarity. He had no idea what the chances were of returning to Earth, nor could he even begin to imagine how he'd do it. Maybe only by reaching a certain level of strength could he even see the possibility.
In that moment, Ren set himself a goal: to gain power like Orochimaru—and then surpass him. Perhaps only then would he touch upon the answers he sought.
Unless he died, he would never give up.
Same time. Same place. Same people.
Orochimaru stood before his three young students, his voice calm and emotionless."The village is short on manpower, and mission requests have piled up. But there aren't many missions suited for genin like you. So, I've arranged for ten days—during which I will personally train you."
Konoha was in a state of rebuilding, and almost every capable ninja was deployed daily. The missions appropriate for fresh genin were mostly menial tasks—hardly worth Orochimaru's time or attention. So he petitioned the Hokage for a ten-day suspension from missions, determined to use this time to make Ren and the others stronger. Only then would they be ready for higher-level missions.
As for the risk of injury or death? He didn't care much. In Orochimaru's eyes, missions were meant to test one's strength. If someone died, it simply meant they weren't strong enough.
It was this brutal worldview that made Orochimaru notorious as a teacher. His student casualty rate was a horrifying 100%. If he had taken on more students over the years, it's doubtful any parent in the village would ever agree to let their child train under him.
But Ren and the others didn't know any of this. The moment they heard that Orochimaru would be teaching them personally, they were filled with excitement.
"I want to learn ninjutsu!" Ren blurted out.
His eyes burned with determination as he spoke—direct, intense, almost aggressive.
Kushina and Hokuto Seiya were both startled by Ren's sudden outburst. They quickly glanced at Orochimaru's emotionless face, staying silent. Yet inwardly, they felt the same urge—to learn real ninjutsu.
Orochimaru cast Ren a cold glance. Despite the three years they had spent under his watch, he showed no hint of favoritism. His tone remained icy.
"I decide what you learn."
Ren knew Orochimaru well enough to understand the warning. He shut his mouth without another word. The truth was, he had spoken out of anxiety. His knowledge of ninjutsu was pitiful—limited to the basic E-rank techniques. Yet his chakra control and chakra reserves were already above average. If these ten days were just more of the same foundational training, he'd be beyond frustrated.
"Follow me," Orochimaru said, turning and walking toward the forest. Ten days wasn't a long time, so he hadn't made a detailed plan. He would stick to standard training procedures: first tree climbing, then walking on water.
To learn advanced ninjutsu, one must first master chakra control.
He picked a spot with three tall trees standing side by side and gave the trio a clear explanation of the theory behind tree-walking. Then he let them begin training on their own.
When Ren realized the task was just tree climbing, his face darkened. He had hoped Orochimaru would start him on ninjutsu right away. Still, he remembered the man's cold words and swallowed his protest. With no other choice, he began climbing.
Ren was confident in his chakra control. He gathered a thin amount of chakra at his feet, stepped onto the trunk, and began to walk upward as though strolling on flat ground. In no time, he reached the top with ease—twice as fast as Kushina.
Hokuto Seiya didn't fare so well. Halfway up the tree, he lost control of his chakra and stripped bark off the trunk, falling to the ground with a thud.
Orochimaru observed them closely, noting each of their performances. At first glance, it seemed Ren had the best control. But appearances were deceiving.
Kushina had never practiced this kind of training before. Her first few attempts were clumsy and slow, but she adapted quickly. Within minutes, her speed surpassed Ren's.
Hokuto Seiya, seeing the other two advance so quickly, grit his teeth in silence and kept training with fierce determination.
When Ren saw Kushina pass him, he felt a wave of defiance and pushed himself harder.
Crack!
Suddenly, the bark beneath his foot split open. He froze, startled, then lost balance and crashed down, landing flat on his back.
Kushina and Seiya looked over at the sudden noise, but Ren ignored their stares. He sat up, eyes fixed on the gouged tree bark in stunned silence.
It was then he realized: his chakra control wasn't as strong as he thought.
Taijutsu, chakra reserves, chakra control, ninjutsu—all were separate fields, each requiring constant effort and refinement. No one could ever claim to have mastered them all.
His desire to jump straight into learning jutsu faded. He turned to look at Orochimaru, who still wore that same detached expression.
"I got ahead of myself," Ren muttered, biting his lip.
He had assumed tree walking would be easy. But once he tried to rush it, his overconfidence in his control had been exposed as hollow.
For the past three years, all his training focused on using chakra to stick to objects. It had never occurred to him that climbing trees could be a method to refine chakra control.
Ironically, this had given him a solid foundational skill set.
Now, he let go of his desire to learn ninjutsu and focused entirely on mastering tree climbing.
While Seiya's goal was simply to reach the top safely, Ren now aimed to move swiftly across the trunk without letting his chakra waver even slightly.