Twenty days had passed since Ren was assigned to Team 8.
The mission in the Whispering Gorge had turned into a grueling game of whack-a-mole. They had hunted Iwa infiltrators, dismantled traps, and slept in shifts on rocks so cold they felt like they were trying to suck the soul out of your backside.
For Ren, however, this wasn't just a mission. It was a grind session.
Every skirmish was a chance to test his Reishi manipulation. Every close call was an XP boost for his spirit.
[Quincy Compatibility: 74%]
He was standing on the precipice. Just one percent more. The Blut was clawing at the inside of his veins, desperate to be released.
But while his body hardened, his mind grew... bored.
It was the twentieth night. The team was resting in a small, damp cave that smelled distinctly of wet dog and insect feed. The Aburame and Inuzuka were asleep, exhausted. Hyuga Ko sat near the entrance, keeping watch. His back was rigid, and even though he was facing the outside, Ren knew the Byakugan was active. Ko had been keeping an eye on Ren 24/7.
Ren lay down, closing his eyes, his internal voice dripping with sarcasm.
'Look at him. Standing guard like a lawn ornament. The noble Hyuga. He's been staring at my chakra network for twenty days straight. Does he not get tired of seeing my glowing blue insides? It's creepy. It's like living with a walking X-Ray machine that has zero sense of personal boundaries.'
Ren peeked one eye open. Ko hadn't moved an inch.
'And that seal on his forehead. They call it the "Caged Bird Seal" to protect the Byakugan, but let's be real—it's a magical shock collar. He wears a slave brand like it's high fashion because "Destiny" said so. Bro, if my dad tried to tattoo a kill-switch on my forehead, I'd defect to the moon.'
Ren smirked in the darkness. 'A bird that loves its cage isn't loyal; it's just got Stockholm Syndrome.'
The next morning, Ren's internal commentary was interrupted by a summons.
An Anbu messenger hawk descended, landing on Ko's arm. Ko read the scroll, his face turning pale.
"We are recalled," Ko announced, his voice devoid of emotion. "Immediately. All units are to return to the main camp."
The journey back was silent. The urgency in the recall order was palpable.
When they arrived at the main camp, the atmosphere had shifted from routine occupation to high-alert panic. Tents were being reinforced with earth walls. Supply lines were being doubled. The air tasted of ozone and impending doom.
Ren spotted his father, Satoshi, standing near the command tent, looking grim.
"Dad," Ren approached, dusting the red sand from his cloak. "What's happening? Did someone burn the rice supply?"
Satoshi looked at his son, relief washing over his face for a moment before the worry returned. "We got intel from the deep spies in Iwa and Suna. The stalemate is over."
"The Tsuchikage, Onoki the Fence Sitter, has left Iwagakure," Satoshi said, his voice lowering. "He is heading here personally. He wields the Dust Release—a Kekkei Tota capable of disintegrating anything at a molecular level."
Ren narrowed his eyes.
'Onoki. The flying midget with the molecular disintegration beam. Great. Just what I needed. A cranky old man who can delete me from existence by looking at me.'
"And that's not all," Satoshi continued. "Sunagakure has deployed their ultimate weapon. The One-Tails Jinchuriki, Bunpuku, is moving toward the front."
"A Tailed Beast and a Tsuchikage," Ren muttered aloud. "They want to wipe us out in one push."
'So we have a Kaiju and a Human Nuke coming to a theater near us,' Ren thought dryly. 'Wonderful. I hope I packed enough popcorn.'
"Exactly," Satoshi said. "Sakumo-san is strong, but fighting both Onoki and a Tailed Beast simultaneously is suicide. That is why Konoha has responded."
Satoshi looked toward the road leading back to the Fire Country.
"The Third Hokage departed the village two days ago. Hiruzen Sarutobi will be here soon."
Ren looked at his hands.
'Well, the server just got flooded with Admin-level players. The difficulty setting just jumped from "Hard" to "You Will Die". I need that last 1% desperately.'
While talking, they reached the Uchiha family tent.
Ren pushed the flap open. Inside, the scene was peaceful compared to the chaos outside. His mother, Kaori, was instructing Mikoto on the finer points of chakra scalpel precision.
When Kaori saw Ren, she dropped her tools and rushed over.
"Ren!"
She gave him a deep, bone-crushing hug, immediately followed by her hands glowing green as she scanned his body for injuries. "Are you hurt? Did you eat? Your chakra levels seem stable... have you been sleeping?"
"I'm fine, Mom," Ren smiled, gently pulling away. "Stop scanning me, I feel like I'm at a grocery checkout. I have something to show you."
Ren walked to the small table and pulled out a scroll case. He unrolled it, revealing three distinct types of tags.
"I finished them," Ren announced.
Mikoto leaned in, curious. "Are these the Healing Tags you talked about?"
"Yes, but they've evolved," Ren explained, his eyes gleaming with the pride of a developer releasing Patch 2.0.
He pointed to the first tag. It looked standard, with black ink.
"Type 1: The Bandage Tag."
"This is the basic model," Ren explained. "You stick it on a wound. The ink is a special mixture of Yin and Yang chakra properties. I analyzed the composition using my left eye..."
Ren touched his left eyelid. 'Omoikane almost went blind processing that data. I lost 50% of my vision in that eye for a week. I was walking around winking at everyone like a pirate with a twitch. Totally worth it, though.'
"The program is written in the ink," Ren continued. "It releases Yang chakra specifically tailored to the wound's requirement. It stops when the flesh is knit. Simple. Efficient."
He pointed to the second tag. The paper was thicker, and the ink shimmered with a faint blue light.
"Type 2: The Restoration Tag."
"This one is different," Ren grinned. "It contains a massive amount of compressed Yang energy and a small reserve of standard chakra."
Ren's smile didn't reach his thoughts. 'The seal structure isn't held by chakra; it's held by a Reishi Lattice. But I can't explain that part. They wouldn't understand.'
Ren looked at his parents. "If someone is exhausted and injured—near death—this tag doesn't just close the wound. It forces the body to reset. It restores them to full health and replenishes about 30% of their chakra reserves."
'It's literally a Health Potion,' Ren laughed internally. 'Full HP and partial MP restore in a sticker. It's a cheat code. Imagine fighting a guy, you think he's dead, and then pop, he's back to full health. The enemy is going to rage-quit. I guarantee it.'
"And this..." Ren pointed to the third tag, which was glowing faintly on its own. "Type 3: The Solar Tag."
"It's just a prototype," Ren admitted. "But the seal is designed to absorb ambient Natural Energy from the air and convert it into healing chakra over time. It's a self-charging, reusable battery."
'Chakra solar panels,' Ren thought smugly. 'Eat your heart out, modern engineering.'
Kaori stared at the table, her mouth slightly agape. As a medic, she understood exactly what this meant. This wasn't just ninjutsu; it was a revolution.
"Ren..." Kaori whispered. "This... this is priceless."
Satoshi rubbed his eyes. "Am I still dreaming? My son invented a way to cheat death?"
Mikoto, who didn't quite grasp the strategic or economic implications, just clapped her hands happily. "That's amazing, Ren! You're going to help so many people!"
Ren looked at Mikoto's innocent face, then back at the tags.
'Help people? Sure, sure, that's nice,' Ren thought, his inner capitalist waking up. 'But mostly, I'm going to help my bank account. Do you have any idea how much ninjas will pay for a Type 2 tag? I can see it now... a castle on the mountain. No, a floating castle. Gold-plated toilets. I'm going to be richer than the Hokage.'
"Yes," Ren said aloud, hiding his greed behind a humble, saint-like smile. "It's all for the village."
P.S. Sorry about the mess in Chapter 13! It's my first time writing, so please bear with me—I'll do better next time.
"By the way, I'm rethinking the teacher role for Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan. It's definitely not going to be the MC. Who do you guys think would be the best fit for the job? Let me know what you think!"