BAM!
WHAM!
THUD!
Ren continued enthusiastically introducing Kakashi and Shisui to the ground.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Unlike Asuma, these weren’t ordinary experience farms.
Both were officially Chunin.
In reality, they were much stronger than their rank suggested.
They were the most valuable opponents Ren had encountered since arriving in this world.
Missing an opportunity like this would be criminal.
Naturally, he intended to maximize his profits.
The smile on his face widened.
Then widened further.
Eventually, it became just a little unsettling.
Kakashi tried to fight back.
Unfortunately, he’d already been injured by Mountain Crusher Strike.
Being repeatedly punched into the dirt wasn’t helping.
The only thing keeping him conscious was pure stubbornness.
The legendary prodigy simply refused to admit defeat.
Shisui, meanwhile, was considerably more practical.
The moment Ren focused on Kakashi, he spotted an opportunity.
“W-Wait!”
He hurriedly raised a hand.
“I surrender—”
The sentence ended abruptly.
Because a fist entered his mouth.
The surrounding students stared in disbelief.
A long silence followed.
Then one student cautiously raised a hand.
“Um…”
Everyone turned toward him.
“Didn’t they just surrender?”
Another punch landed.
THUD!
Ren appeared not to have heard the question.
The student looked around helplessly.
“Shouldn’t somebody get a teacher?”
Honestly, that sounded reasonable.
Even Ren would probably stop if a teacher showed up.
Right?
Obito instinctively glanced toward the Academy building.
As much as he enjoyed watching other people suffer, Shisui was still a member of the Uchiha Clan.
Seeing him publicly beaten unconscious felt a little uncomfortable.
Then Ren looked up.
Their eyes met.
Obito froze.
No words were exchanged.
None were necessary.
A message passed between them.
Clear.
Simple.
Terrifying.
Three seconds later, Obito coughed lightly.
“Actually…”
Everyone looked at him.
“I think you’ve misunderstood.”
“Huh?”
Obito folded his arms.
“Shisui wasn’t surrendering.”
Silence.
Shisui slowly turned his head.
What?
I absolutely was surrendering.
Obito nodded confidently.
“He was warning Ren.”
“Warning him?”
“That’s right.”
Obito pointed dramatically.
“He was saying he’s finally getting serious.”
The crowd gasped.
“Oh!”
“That makes sense!”
“Of course!”
“Kakashi and Shisui are famous prodigies!”
“They definitely have hidden trump cards!”
Immediately, the atmosphere shifted.
The students no longer saw two people getting beaten into the dirt.
A fierce struggle between elite shinobi.
A battle beyond ordinary understanding.
“Look carefully!”
One student whispered.
“That punch might be part of Shisui’s strategy.”
Another nodded excitedly.
“Yes!”
“Maybe he’s intentionally taking hits to create an opening!”
Several students began studying the fight with intense concentration.
Determined to learn something from the masters.
Shisui wanted to die.
Kakashi wasn’t doing much better.
The humiliation was indescribable.
They genuinely wanted help.
Why was nobody getting a teacher?
A few students still looked doubtful.
Fortunately, Obito was prepared.
“Trust me.”
He patted his chest confidently.
“Shisui is my senior.”
“I know exactly what he’s doing.”
“What if you’re wrong?”
Obito gasped.
“Are you questioning my eyesight?”
His expression turned offended.
“I’m an Uchiha!”
The discussion ended immediately.
The Uchiha Clan’s visual prowess was famous throughout Konoha.
Nobody wanted to challenge that argument.
Thus, the entire audience happily continued waiting for a miraculous comeback that would never arrive.
Ren nodded approvingly.
Obito was a good comrade.
A very good comrade.
Perhaps he deserved a reward later.
Eventually, the notification appeared.
[System Notification: Defeated Kakashi Hatake.]
[Experience Gained: 5,180]
Ren’s eyes lit up.
Now that was a proper reward.
More than ten times what Asuma provided.
As expected of Kakashi Hatake.
His actual combat ability was likely approaching that of an ordinary Jonin.
As for Shisui—
The Uchiha genius was even more valuable.
Naturally, Ren harvested both of them to their maximum limit.
Only after completely exhausting the available rewards did he finally stop.
Because Ren believed in sustainability.
Seriously.
He wasn’t joking.
Every opponent had a limit.
Beat them too often and the experience rewards disappeared.
If they were injured too badly, they’d spend months recovering.
Months spent recovering meant months not training.
Months not training meant slower growth.
Slower growth meant fewer future rewards.
Everybody lost.
Therefore, Ren always showed restraint.
After releasing the two battered prodigies, he even offered sincere recovery advice.
“Eat more fruit.”
“Drink porridge.”
“Stay hydrated.”
“Get enough sleep.”
“Your bodies repair themselves faster that way.”
By the end of it, Ren felt deeply moved by his own generosity.
I’m such a considerate person.
Unfortunately, Kakashi and Shisui seemed strangely ungrateful.
Kakashi slowly rose to his feet.
His expression was dark.
Very dark.
“Ren Akihara.”
For perhaps the first time since the death of the White Fang, genuine emotion surfaced in his voice.
Kakashi Hatake was normally distant.
Cold.
Detached.
This level of visible irritation was extremely rare.
“I’ll remember this.” Get faster updates on g.com.
Ren smiled brightly.
Excellent.
Future rematches were secured.
Meanwhile, Shisui wasn’t even looking at Ren.
His gaze was fixed elsewhere.
Specifically—
On Obito.
Without blinking.
Obito felt a chill run down his spine.
Why is he staring at me like that?
Before anyone could investigate further, Rin rushed over.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Ren!”
“You actually won!”
Her voice was filled with genuine admiration.
“That was Kakashi!”
“The Kakashi who graduated years before us!”
Behind her, Kurenai approached at a much calmer pace.
A lunchbox rested in her hands.
“Ren.”
Her smile was gentle.
“You must be hungry after fighting.”
She extended the lunchbox toward him.
“I made this for you.”
The entire training ground fell silent.
Several students gasped.
The lunchbox was beautifully prepared.
The arrangement was meticulous.
The effort was obvious.
For a brief moment, Kurenai looked suspiciously similar to a newlywed wife bringing lunch to her husband.
Rin’s eye twitched.
Kurenai continued smiling.
Then casually stepped sideways.
Directly between Rin and Ren.
A flawless defensive maneuver.
Rin immediately understood the challenge.
And refused to retreat.
“Food isn’t enough.”
Her smile was equally sweet.
“Ren, I’ll go buy you something to drink.”
The two girls looked at one another.
The air seemed to crackle.
Invisible lightning flashed between their eyes.
Nearby, Obito quietly suffered emotional damage.
He had always known Rin didn’t see him that way.
Knowing it…
And watching it happen in front of him…
Were completely different experiences.
His heart hurt.
A lot.
He sighed.
Maybe helping Ren was a mistake.
If he’d let the teachers intervene earlier, things might have turned out differently.
Sure, Ren would have beaten him up later.
But that happened regularly anyway.
Maybe it would’ve been worth it.
With a heavy heart, Obito turned to leave.
Then a hand landed on his shoulder.
He stiffened.
“What?”
The bitterness in his voice was impossible to hide.
Ren leaned closer.
Lowering his voice.
“Nothing important.”
His eyes briefly swept across the area.
Then he whispered:
“Obito.”
“What?”
“Do you want to see a cat-eared maid?”
Obito froze.
Time stopped.
His eyes widened.
His brain ceased functioning.
Several seconds passed.
Then—
“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!”
His heartbreak vanished instantly.
Some things were simply more important.