"Ren, come, let's play outside!" a kid around 4 years old shouted at Ren, who was chilling in his garden.
"Not interested, Rui. Go play with others," Ren said as he kept looking up at the clouds.
"You are so boring! Okay, Ren, see you later!" Rui said as he ran outside.
It has already been 5 years… Ren thought. I am both lucky and unlucky. At least it's a world I know, but being reborn in the Naruto world is not really a good thing. This world is cruel.
It is Konoha Year 57, so in 5 years the Third Shinobi War is going to start. Maybe I'm lucky that my parents are not ninjas. What do I want to do… I have one year to decide. Ren closed his eyes as his memories drifted past.
I don't know how I got here, but if I don't become a ninja, the chances are we will all survive as long as we stay in Konoha. But I don't want to just survive—I want to live life, even if that means dying early. I do not want to become a subject for Orochimaru's experiments or Root's twisted ways. So I need to get stronger. Even if that means risking my own life, I have to get stronger to protect my new family. Ren thought of his loving parents and his little brother Rui.
"Yosh, let's start our body training then." Ren jumped up and began his daily routine: 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10-kilometer run. He was very jacked for a 5-year-old and pretty damn big—he looked more like an 8-year-old.
For the next 2 hours, Ren finished his practice and went inside. The smell of food was coming from the kitchen; he couldn't help but go there.
"Ren, go take a bath, you stink," Yuri said as she shooed her son away. True to her name, she was a gorgeous middle-aged housewife.
"Okay, when is Dad coming?" Ren asked as he turned to leave.
"Your dad is already back. He went to sleep for a bit."
"Lazy bum, always tired," Ren grumbled jokingly.
"Brat, who are you calling a lazy bum? You wanna get a spanking from this lazy bum?" Taro shouted as sounds came from the parents' bedroom.
"I was joking!" Ren said and ran upstairs to get his clothes.
"You awake, dear? Can you go call Rui back? He's out playing with Guy," Yuri said as she stirred her pot.
"That weird spandex kid?"
"Don't say that. He is very kind. He's just a lot like his father, and his father is a ninja."
"Ah, these kids. Alright, I'm off to call him."
"Ah, if Guy is there, bring him with."
"I will."
As Taro went out the door, Yuri could not help but smile. It had been 5 years since the last Shinobi War ended, and the world was finally at peace.
........
"Thank you for the food, Mrs. Zuki. It was delicious," Guy said as he bowed to Yuri.
"Oh Guy, don't be polite. You are practically family now. You can come over whenever you want."
"Thank you! I will, Mrs. Zuki. Oh, and Rui, let's train again with the power of YOUTH!"
"Yes, Guy! YOUTH!"
"Ren, wanna jo—"
"No." Ren grumbled as he flatly declined. He had nothing against Guy, but this kid was a menace. You've got to remember that Ren was 28 years old mentally, and with the age of this body, he was 33. Although he sometimes acted like a kid, that was just his body's hormones messing with him.
"Your father must be worried, Guy. Need me to bring you home?" Taro asked as he looked at the sky, already growing dark.
"No, Mr. Zuki. I will run on my hands till I reach home as a form of training. YOUTH!"
"Yes, youth. Alright, kid, have a great night," Taro said as he went back inside, massaging his temple.
"Goodnight, Guy!" Rui said as he waved the kid farewell. Guy, however, was already hand-running home.
"....""...."
Ren and Yuri couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
"Truly an interesting kid, but a very kind one. You should hang out with him more, Ren," Yuri said, to which Ren simply shrugged.
"I do not dislike the kid, but we simply have different interests."
"Kid? You talk as if you are already grown up, hahaha," Yuri laughed, walking back inside.
"Yeah…" Looking at the dark sky, Ren smiled. I will live this life to the fullest. Show me what you've got, Naruto world.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Year Later
"Let's go, Ren! You'll become a ninja today!" Rui said, full of excitement as he dragged Ren's hand—to no effect, as Ren kept walking at a normal pace like a one-ton stone.
"Rui, we have time. Let go of your brother's hand," Yuki said as she patted Rui's head."So, Ren, are you excited to become a ninja?" She looked at Ren worriedly. She hoped he didn't take on this dangerous path, but she also understood that this village needed protectors—and right now was a time of peace, a good time to become a ninja.
"Yes, Mom, I am very excited. I can't wait," Ren smiled in genuine happiness. He really could not wait to join the academy and become a ninja. Yuki only smiled and gave him a light slap on the head. I haven't seen him this excited since ever, she thought.
"Ren, I'll become a ninja next year too, and then we can do cool ninja stuff together! Pah! Pah! Pew Pew!" Rui said, making motions with his hands throwing shuriken and kunai.
"Alright, but if you're not strong, you'll quit when I tell you, alright?" Ren said as he couldn't help but think of the impending war.
"No way! I'll become a ninja so strong that I can protect you, Mom, and Dad!" Rui put his fist in the sky and giggled to himself."Alright, Mr. Protector, I will await your protection," Yuki giggled at her youngest son's antics.
A bit later, all three of them reached the academy's entrance. There were, similar to them, many other children and parents. This is around 200 kids… Ren thought as he looked around. About half the children were from clans, the other half commoners. He saw big clans like Uchiha, Hyuga, and others making up the majority of the entrants.
Let's learn chakra first. I can feel a presence of power inside my body, but it needs fuel to use—like an invisible car that is there, you know it's there, but you can't touch it without first deactivating the invisibility.
"Oh, Hokage-sama is here!""HOKAGE-SAMA!! I LOVE YOU!!" a woman screamed while holding her 6-year-old son's hand.
Hiruzen just walked and smiled at the children, but he took a good look at the woman who screamed that she loved him. My wife is ten times more beautiful, he thought, but his steps kept steady forward.
After standing at the front, he looked at every kid there, cleared his throat, and gave his speech:
"Welcome, future shinobi!
You are now part of something very special—the great family of Konoha. This village is more than just a place; it's our home, and each of you has a very important job to protect it.
The Will of Fire is the warm, bright feeling inside all of us—it's the love we have for our friends, our families, and everyone in the village. It means we care for each other, and we stand together no matter what.
Sometimes, being a ninja means making hard choices. It means being brave even when you're scared, and helping others even if it's not easy. But remember, you will never be alone—because the Will of Fire connects all of us, and it gives us strength.
When you wear the leaf headband, you're promising to protect Konoha and everyone in it. That promise is the greatest power you'll ever have.
So grow strong, be kind, and carry the Will of Fire in your hearts. Together, we will make Konoha a place where everyone can live happily and safely."
Ren could not help but shake his head. Truly a master talker. With one speech, he seeded the Will of Fire in all these children, even the adults.
Hiruzen then walked off and headed toward the Hokage Tower.
Meanwhile, the teachers lined up everyone and assigned classes. Around 200 kids entered the academy. There, everyone was first brought in for a written exam, which Ren aced. Afterwards, a physical exam, which he also did very well on—still lacking in shuriken throwing and kunai fighting since he couldn't buy any without being a ninja. Still, with his strong physique, he got a good score.
Afterwards, the parents were called into the office for the tuition fees. Yes, correct: tuition fees. Even Konoha cannot train 200 students without feeling the pain, so they made a tuition fee. The top 10% are waived their fees and, as long as they stay there, don't need to pay. The others, however, are required to pay every 6 months. With a new batch every 6 months, that is 400 students every year. Considering there are 6 years of classes, that makes 2,400 students. The cost is astronomical.
If we assume one student costs the academy 10,000 Ryo a year, that is more than 20 million Ryo… every year. Without tuition fees, Konoha can't afford this. Ren's thoughts made sense, since the academy provided lunch, basic tools, and teaching for free—not to mention Chunin as teachers. Each class had one Chunin; 400 students per year, with around 20 students per class, means 20 classes. Six years makes it 120 Chunin who have to be paid every year. Even if we assume they get paid 1 million Ryo per year, that would still total 120 million.
"140+ million Ryo every year to keep the academy running. No wonder Konoha is always the strongest—they really do invest a lot in their ninja profession." If only Ren knew the true economic scale of the Hidden Leaf Village, he would be shocked.
Ren was put in Class 1 due to his excellent scores, so his parents did not need to pay tuition.