Ren moved.
The instant the signal to begin was given, he exploded across the battlefield.
Opposite him, the elite Jonin examiner, Gentsu, was still recovering from the psychological damage inflicted by Team Ren’s “strategy.”
A moment ago, he had been trying to figure out why two Academy girls had shown up dressed as cheerleaders.
Now a fist was hurtling toward his face.
What the hell?!
Gentsu’s eyes widened.
He’s fast!
Years of battlefield experience saved him.
There wasn’t enough time to evade.
Instead, he raised both arms and crossed them in front of his body.
Even if he lost the initiative, he was still an elite Jonin.
All he needed was a moment to regain control—
BOOM!
The punch landed.
A violent shock surged through both arms.
Pain exploded through his body.
For an instant, Gentsu felt as though his bones had cracked.
His balance vanished.
His guard opened.
What kind of monstrous strength is that?!
Then Ren followed up.
An elbow crashed into his ribs.
Another slammed into his shoulder.
A rising strike snapped his head back.
The attacks flowed together with terrifying precision.
No hesitation.
No wasted movement.
Before Gentsu could recover—
THWACK!
A knife-hand strike slammed into the side of his neck.
His vision went dark.
The elite Jonin hit the ground.
Unconscious.
The battlefield fell silent.
Complete silence.
The spectators looked even more shocked than they had during the cheerleader reveal.
That was an elite Jonin.
A veteran who had survived the Second Shinobi World War.
A shinobi who had fought and lived through real battlefields.
And he had just been folded in seconds.
Orochimaru’s expression darkened.
“Idiot.”
He understood exactly what had happened.
Under normal circumstances, the battle never would have ended this quickly.
But Gentsu had underestimated his opponent.
Not entirely.
Orochimaru had already warned him.
He knew Ren was exceptional.
Still, they were in Konoha.
The opponent was an Academy student.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Gentsu had relaxed.
Then Kurenai and Rin had appeared in those absurd outfits.
The distraction lasted only an instant.
Against most opponents, it wouldn’t have mattered.
Against Ren, it was fatal.
One lapse in concentration.
One mistake.
One defeat.
Orochimaru exhaled quietly.
The Third Hokage had asked him to evaluate Ren.
Unfortunately, the battle had ended too fast.
He had learned something.
But not nearly enough.
It seems I’ll have to speak with the boy afterward.
Surely they couldn’t simply heal Gentsu and have them fight again.
That would be ridiculous.
“Rin.”
Ren pointed at the unconscious examiner.
“Go heal him.”
The entire training ground froze.
“I want another round.”
Orochimaru froze.
Minato froze.
Even Rin froze.
“Ren…”
Rin blinked.
“You already won.”
“No.”
Ren shook his head immediately.
“That one doesn’t count.”
Everyone stared at him.
“It was basically a sneak attack.”
He pointed toward Gentsu.
“He wasn’t fighting seriously.”
Ren crossed his arms.
“How am I supposed to get a perfect score if my opponent doesn’t use his full strength?”
The supervising instructor nearly suffered a stroke.
You knocked out an elite Jonin!
Ren ignored him completely.
Instead, he glanced at the system notification floating before him.
[System Notification]
Defeated Elite Jonin Gentsu
Experience Gained: 6,500
Ren’s eyes brightened.
A high-level target.
A rare one.
An incredibly valuable one.
Why would anyone farm it only once?
That made no sense.
“Rin.”
He smiled warmly.
“Be a good teammate.”
Rin immediately straightened.
“Right!”
Without a second thought, she rushed toward Gentsu.
Green chakra gathered around her hands.
The Mystical Palm Technique activated.
A moment later, Gentsu groaned.
His eyes slowly opened.
“Huh…?”
The world gradually came back into focus.
Then his memory returned.
“Oh.”
“I lost.”
“No.”
Ren immediately interrupted him.
“You haven’t.”
Gentsu blinked.
“I haven’t?”
“That one was a fluke.”
Ren pointed at him.
“We’re doing it again.”
The veteran Jonin stared.
For a brief moment…
It almost sounded reasonable.
Then common sense returned.
“A loss is a loss.”
His expression became firm.
“In the shinobi world, excuses don’t matter.”
“I underestimated you.”
“I failed.”
“That’s all.”
Elite Jonin possessed a certain kind of pride.
Not arrogance.
Responsibility.
The willingness to accept mistakes.
Gentsu refused to deny his own defeat.
Ren frowned.
“Stop talking.”
Then he punched him.
Again.
“Fight me.”
This time, Gentsu was prepared.
He vanished sideways.
Ren’s fist tore through empty air.
“Wait, Ren.”
“Your examination is already over—”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Ren immediately chased after him.
“Your job is to be my opponent.”
Gentsu paused.
Then slowly straightened.
Perhaps the boy had a point.
A shinobi’s mission came first.
Personal pride came second.
If his role was to evaluate Ren…
Then perhaps the evaluation wasn’t complete.
His hand settled on the sword at his waist.
“Very well.”
His eyes sharpened.
“Then I’ll fight seriously.”
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Chakra surged beneath Gentsu’s feet.
His speed increased dramatically.
Unlike Academy students, every movement he made had been refined through years of war.
Every step.
Every adjustment.
Every ounce of force.
Optimized.
Suddenly, he disappeared.
The battlefield was completely open.
There was nowhere to hide.
Yet somehow, Gentsu vanished anyway.
A heartbeat later, he appeared beside Ren.
Steel flashed.
Ren twisted.
The blade sliced through empty air.
His counterattack struck nothing.
Ren narrowed his eyes.
Above the battlefield, Orochimaru finally smiled.
“Now this is a proper fight.”
This was Gentsu’s true specialty.
A combat style descended from the Konoha Sword Style developed during the Second Hokage’s era.
Over time, he had refined it.
Modified it.
Combined it with subtle genjutsu and silent movement techniques.
Reality and illusion intertwined.
Attacks came from impossible angles.
Feints became killing blows.
Killing blows became distractions.
Elegant.
Efficient.
Deadly.
Now Orochimaru could finally evaluate Ren properly.
Meanwhile, Gentsu’s respect for his opponent continued to grow.
Amazing.
He was no longer treating Ren as a student.
He was fighting him as a genuine battlefield opponent.
Yet despite that—
Not a single clean strike had landed.
Every attack was avoided.
Every trap was seen through.
Every setup failed.
Instinct?
Battle sense?
Whatever it was, it bordered on the absurd.
An Academy student shouldn’t be capable of this.
This kid is a monster.
His excitement grew.
Let’s see your limit.
Another exchange.
Another feint.
Another trap.
Then he found it.
An opening.
A perfect one.
A false attack drew Ren’s attention to the right.
Gentsu immediately appeared on the left.
His sword descended.
Now I’ll finally force out your—
“ROOOOOAR!”
The battlefield shook.
A deafening bellow erupted from Ren’s lungs.
Silver-Rank Skill: War Cry
The air itself seemed to vibrate.
The sound drowned out every other noise.
For one terrifying instant, Gentsu felt as though a colossal predator had appeared directly beside him.
Every instinct he possessed screamed in warning.
His body froze.
Only for a moment.
But a moment was enough.
His eyes widened.
Because by the time he recovered—
A fist already filled his vision.
BOOM!
The elite Jonin collapsed.
Again.
The spectators collectively entered a state of existential confusion.
This looked suspiciously similar to the first fight.
Only louder.
Much louder.
Silence blanketed the training grounds.
Nobody knew what to say.
Except Ren.
Naturally.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“Hmm.”
“Actually, that one doesn’t count either.”
Several observers twitched.
Ren continued with complete seriousness.
“He didn’t know about my abilities.”
“He rushed in without sufficient information.”
“So technically he lost because he was unprepared.”
He nodded.
The logic was flawless.
At least to him.
Then he looked toward Rin.
A familiar smile appeared.
“Rin.”
“Yes?”
“Heal him again.”
The smile widened.
“I need one more round.”
The entire training ground fell silent.
Including Orochimaru.
Who was beginning to suspect that Ren’s brain operated according to rules completely unknown to the rest of humanity.