Ren Kurosawa was still lying on the hospital bed, his body aching and muscles burning lightly after the extreme effort of battling the chakra-enhanced boar. The medical ninja sat beside him, examining his cuts and bruises again.
"Ren, I need to be honest with you," said the medic, his voice firm. "What you did in the forest was extremely dangerous. You shouldn't have exposed yourself like that. A child your age doesn't have the experience or the endurance to face a chakra-enhanced creature. If something had gone wrong, you could have died."
Ren lowered his head, feeling the weight of the reprimand.
"I understand that you want to test your limits, but 'experimenting' with your own life is not training," the medic continued, now in an even sterner tone. "You need to learn that survival and discipline are just as important as strength. No talent or power can compensate for recklessness. You must respect your body, the danger, and your opponents."
Ren took a deep breath, trying to absorb every word. "Yes… I understand. I was reckless."
The medic nodded, relaxing slightly. "Good. Now focus on recovering completely. Two days of absolute rest, hydration, proper nutrition, and chakra control. After that, we can plan safer but still effective training."
Ren closed his eyes for a few moments, reflecting on the battle. Every movement, every attack attempt, every dodge—and the **first life he had taken**, even if it was only an animal—weighed on his mind. It was a harsh but essential lesson.
He began to organize his mental notes on the mistakes he made: his posture, positioning, reading the opponent's movements, physical endurance, and chakra control. He knew he needed to improve in every aspect.
And immediately, a new thought arose: *Once I recover, the Hokage will probably want to speak with me. I'd better plan… a disguise of a good, innocent child, a firm defender of the Will of Fire. Someone who admires Konora's strongest Hokage, but who is not yet a threat. I need him to trust me, at least for now.*
Elsewhere in the village, Hiruzen received news of the incident through an ANBU. The report detailed the forest damage, the child's strength, and his unusual ability for his age. The old Hokage furrowed his brow.
"Interesting… a child capable of such strength… and with so much recklessness," he murmured, pressing his lips together. A flush of embarrassment rose: he couldn't help thinking of his own students, Orochimaru and Jiraiya, whose talents and impulsiveness had put him in similar situations. "Why are my disciples always…? Always putting me in situations of shame?"
The ANBU waited respectfully.
Hiruzen continued, murmuring more to himself: "Worth investing in someone like this… but caution is needed. Young, talented… yet inexperienced, reckless, and unpredictable. I must guide them before they get lost or hurt someone."
Before he could fully process his thoughts, another ANBU rushed into the room. "Hokage-sama, urgent notification! Tsunade destroyed a hot spring after seeing Jiraiya spying and chased him."
Hiruzen took a deep breath, a mix of anger, disbelief, and embarrassment rising within him. The shame from his disciples became wry humor in his mind: *This girl will end up questioning every decision I've made, every teaching method… and if she discovers my crystal ball, it will ruin my reputation and honor. I cannot let her see my visions. I cannot be compared to Jiraiya, nor have my merits questioned.*
At the hospital, Ren finally opened his eyes fully and examined the **system rewards**. The simple, reliable metal sword rested on the table beside him. The wind jutsu, **Palm of Wind (Rank C)**, though basic, offered strategic possibilities for training and combat. And the one-third increase in body resistance made him realize he could endure more effort than before.
He began to mentally plan how to use each improvement:
* Train the **Palm of Wind** to increase shuriken force and test distance and accuracy;
* Integrate the **metal sword** into exercises of defense and attack;
* Utilize the **increased resistance** for longer, more exhausting training sessions;
* Mentally review the mistakes of the battle to avoid repeating them.
Ren sighed, feeling the weight of the experience. Everything that happened was a lesson: strength or talent alone was not enough—it required **control, discipline, strategic analysis, and planning**.
As he closed his eyes again, the hospital fell silent. Outside, the village continued its rhythm, but in some way, the ninja world was already observing Ren Kurosawa. Every future step would have to be cautious, every move calculated—and each training session would become another preparation for even greater challenges.
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