After saying goodbye to Might Guy, Ren left the Konoha Ninja Academy and began the walk back home.
The path from the academy was familiar. He walked west along the street outside the academy gates, then turned through several narrow alleys before crossing a small wooden bridge that spanned a quiet stream. Beyond that bridge lay the civilian district, where Ren lived.
Konoha, as the center of the ninja world, was enormous.
The village stretched across dozens of miles and was divided into many different districts. Powerful ninja clans like the Uchiha, Hyuga, and Aburame had their own residential compounds. There were administrative areas, bustling commercial streets, training fields, and numerous civilian neighborhoods.
Overall, the village followed a pattern of large-scale mixed living combined with smaller community clusters.
The civilian neighborhood where Ren lived was about a twenty-minute walk from the Ninja Academy. Not too far, but far enough to be quiet and peaceful compared to the busy central districts.
Ren finally reached his small house and pulled a key from his pocket.
Just as he was about to unlock the door—
A cheerful voice suddenly called out from the neighboring courtyard.
"Ren! You're back!"
Ren turned his head.
Leaning over the wooden fence was a small girl with soft brown hair and bright chestnut-colored eyes.
Her face was round and gentle, with two light purple markings on her cheeks. Her shoulder-length hair swayed slightly in the evening breeze, and her eyes curved into warm crescents as she smiled.
The girl was holding a bucket with both hands.
Inside, something splashed violently, sending small droplets of water flying over the fence.
"It's you, Rin," Ren said, slightly surprised.
"What's going on?"
The girl next door was Rin Nohara.
In the ninja world of Ren's previous life memories, Rin was famous for something very specific.
She was what fans jokingly called the "number one white moonlight of the ninja world."
The gentle girl who had completely captured the heart of a certain Uchiha boy for an entire lifetime.
Because their families were neighbors, the two households had a good relationship. They often helped each other out with small things.
Just like today.
"My father caught a lot of fish at the Naka River yesterday," Rin explained happily.
"There are too many for us to eat, so he asked me to bring some over for you and Aunt Aoi."
She lifted the bucket over the fence with a small grunt.
"Ren, help me hold this! It's heavier than it looks."
Ren hesitated briefly before reaching out and taking the bucket.
The moment he grabbed it, he immediately understood why she complained.
"...Yeah, that's pretty heavy."
Several large fish were thrashing around inside the bucket.
"Thanks," Ren said.
"And please thank Uncle Hiroshi for me and my mom."
He paused and coughed lightly.
"I mean—thank him for catching so many fish."
Rin giggled.
"No need to be so formal."
Then she looked carefully at Ren's face.
Ren had inherited excellent genes from his mother in this life.
Even at a young age, his appearance could be described as clean, handsome, and bright, giving people a very comfortable impression.
Under the golden sunset, his sweat-damp silver hair clung slightly to his forehead, making him look both tired and strangely charming.
Rin's voice softened slightly.
"Ren… did you go running with Guy again after school?"
"You've been training really hard lately."
Ren shrugged casually.
"The early bird catches the worm."
"I'll be graduating next year. If I can't become a ninja, I'll probably have to go home and start farming."
"So of course I have to work harder now."
He spoke half jokingly, then suddenly remembered something.
"Oh right."
"Rin, didn't Obito come looking for you today?"
Mentioning that name made Rin's expression turn slightly helpless, though her voice remained gentle.
"Obito said he's been practicing a new ninjutsu lately."
"He told me that once he finishes learning it, he'll perform it for me."
Then she added softly,
"You should come too, Ren. I don't think Obito would mind."
Ren blinked.
A new ninjutsu?
Just as he was about to answer—
A line of glowing system text suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[You have learned about the existence of a mysterious girl and feel deeply curious about her.]
[Will you seize this opportunity to encounter this mysterious girl?]
Yes / No
Ren stared blankly at the system interface.
"...What?"
He slowly turned to look at Rin.
A completely real girl was standing right in front of him.
Yet the system was asking him to meet some mysterious girl?
And that mysterious girl was apparently…
A ninjutsu he hadn't even seen yet.
Ren resisted the urge to complain loudly.
"...This system is definitely broken."
Still, under Rin's expectant gaze, Ren smiled and nodded.
"Sure."
"I'd like to see Obito's training results too."
"Just remember to call me when he's ready."
Rin smiled brightly.
"Okay!"
Then she noticed the sweat still dripping from Ren's hair.
"You look exhausted."
"I have some medicine and bandages at home. I'll bring some over later."
Ren waved his hand.
"Thanks."
After chatting a little more, Ren carried the bucket inside his house.
The smell of cooking greeted him immediately.
In the kitchen stood a woman with long dark hair tied neatly behind her head.
She was currently cleaning fish beside the sink.
This woman was Aoi, Ren's mother in this life.
Yes.
Ren had something very rare among transmigrators.
He actually had a complete family.
His mother worked as a librarian at the Konoha Library.
Thanks to her job, Ren had access to a huge number of books while growing up.
Mathematics.
Medicine.
Chakra theory.
Geography of the ninja world.
Because of this, Ren's knowledge about the world was far more detailed than someone who only remembered events from the original story.
His father, meanwhile, was an ordinary Chunin ninja.
Two years ago, his father volunteered for a border patrol rotation, which would last for nearly three years.
"Ren," Aoi said while turning around.
"Why do you look so happy today?"
"Did something good happen at school?"
Ren smiled casually.
"The teacher said I've improved in the Three Basic Jutsu."
His mother immediately brightened.
"Really?"
"Our Ren is amazing!"
"Good. Dinner is almost ready, go wash your hands."
"Okay, Mom."
Soon, dinner was placed on the table.
Golden fried salmon.
Stir-fried pork with green peppers.
And a bowl of hot mushroom miso soup.
The two sat down and began eating.
During dinner, Aoi asked several questions about school.
Ren answered them calmly.
After the meal finished, Aoi carried the dishes back to the kitchen.
Ren returned to his room.
He had just sat down, preparing to investigate the strange system further—
When someone called his name from outside the window.
"Ren! Are you there?"
Ren opened the window.
Outside stood two children.
One was Rin Nohara.
The other was a boy with messy spiky hair and orange goggles resting on his forehead.
Uchiha Obito.
Ren blinked.
Speak of the devil…
He had just been wondering why Obito hadn't appeared earlier.
And here he was.
Obito's expression looked slightly annoyed, clearly unhappy that Rin had come to call Ren along.
"Ren," Rin said happily.
"Obito is going to show us his new ninjutsu."
"Do you want to come watch?"
Obito immediately protested.
"Rin! I said I would only perform it for—"
"Sure!"
Before Obito could finish, Ren jumped straight out of the window.
"Where are we going?"
He had absolutely no intention of missing this.
After all—
The system mission was still active.
Obito crossed his arms and snorted.
"...Fine."
"I'll let you watch this once."
"You should feel honored."
"This is the power of the great Uchiha Obito!"
Then he pointed at Ren threateningly.
"But if you tell anyone about my new ninjutsu—especially Kakashi—I'll never forgive you!"
"This is my secret weapon to defeat him someday!"
Ren nodded calmly.
"Yeah, yeah."
He was trying very hard not to laugh.
At their current age, there was only one ninjutsu Obito could possibly be learning.
The Great Fireball Technique.
A classic jutsu of the Uchiha clan.
The three of them left the neighborhood and walked toward a nearby training forest.
Obito carefully led them deep inside before finally stopping.
"This spot is perfect."
Then he turned dramatically toward Rin.
"Rin!"
"Watch carefully!"
He inhaled deeply.
His hands formed rapid seals.
"Snake!"
"Ram!"
"Monkey!"
"Boar!"
"Horse!"
"Tiger!"
Then he shouted loudly.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball exploded from his mouth.
The blazing sphere of flames was nearly taller than a person, and the surrounding air distorted from the intense heat.
Even though Ren expected it—
Seeing the real technique with his own eyes still made his heart skip.
But then—
The system suddenly reacted.
[ High-potential target detected: Great Fireball Technique.]
[Limited encounter mission triggered.]
A new message appeared.
[In the forest of Konoha Village, you encounter a mysterious girl.]
[Her beauty and passionate temperament capture your attention instantly.]
[Please gather your courage and start a conversation with her.]
Ren's eyes widened.
"...What?!"