Gentsu woke up.
Then immediately refused to fight.
Absolutely refused.
Losing once was embarrassing.
Losing twice was humiliating.
There was no universe in which he would allow himself to be knocked unconscious a third time by an Academy student.
Besides, evaluating Ren wasn’t some critical S-rank mission.
There were other ways to judge the boy’s abilities.
As an elite Jonin, Gentsu still possessed a shred of dignity.
Remaining on the field was painful enough.
A third round?
Not happening.
Ren spent several minutes trying to persuade him.
Patiently.
Reasonably.
Logically.
Unfortunately, Gentsu proved stubborn.
So Ren solved the problem the way he solved most problems.
He punched him.
Again.
[System Notification]
Defeated Elite Jonin Gentsu
Experience Acquired
Three victories.
Maximum efficiency.
A perfect Triple Clear.
Ren nodded in satisfaction.
Now that was proper resource management.
Turning away from the unconscious Jonin, he looked toward the supervising examiner.
“Sensei.”
The Chunin immediately tensed.
“Yes?”
Ren pointed at Gentsu.
“I accidentally attacked an examiner.”
The instructor blinked.
“So…”
Ren folded his arms.
“Shouldn’t my score be invalidated?”
The examiner suddenly had a very bad feeling.
“Maybe I should retake the exam.”
Silence.
The instructor stared at him.
Then at Gentsu.
Then back at him.
The corners of his mouth twitched violently.
A retest?
Absolutely not.
No chance.
None whatsoever.
The Academy was not financially prepared to replace another elite Jonin.
The final result was announced immediately.
Perfect score.
Maximum marks.
No discussion.
No appeals.
No possibility of a rematch.
Pass the lunatic and move on.
Kurenai and Rin received perfect scores as well.
Technically.
Kurenai had spent most of the examination cheering.
Rin had spent a significant portion healing the enemy.
Neither detail was mentioned in the official evaluation.
They were part of Team Ren.
Team Ren had achieved a flawless victory.
Therefore Team Ren received a flawless score.
The two girls were ecstatic.
Passing had never worried them.
Achieving a perfect evaluation was another matter entirely.
And accomplishing it this easily?
Now they truly understood the value of choosing the right teammate.
Then something even more shocking happened.
“Interesting.”
A calm voice drifted across the training grounds.
The surrounding chatter vanished instantly.
Everyone turned.
Orochimaru was approaching.
The atmosphere changed immediately.
Kurenai and Rin straightened so quickly they nearly snapped in half.
“Orochimaru-sama!”
The Legendary Sannin stopped in front of Ren.
Golden eyes studied him carefully.
“You are a very interesting boy.”
Ren grinned.
“Thanks.”
Orochimaru ignored the interruption.
“The old man’s plan should be able to proceed.”
Although the battle had been brief, he had seen enough.
Ren unquestionably possessed strength comparable to participants in the Chunin Exams.
Possibly more.
With proper guidance, his development over the next few months could be extraordinary.
The difference between an average teacher and an exceptional one could determine an entire future.
And Orochimaru already knew the perfect candidate.
His gaze shifted toward Minato.
Strong.
Reliable.
Trusted by the village.
A disciple of Jiraiya.
Currently searching for promising students.
An ideal mentor.
Minato noticed the look and smiled knowingly.
The arrangement seemed obvious.
Then—
“Lord Orochimaru.”
Ren suddenly stepped closer.
“I need to tell you something.”
The boy leaned in and whispered a few words.
At first, Orochimaru listened casually.
Then his expression changed.
The amusement vanished from his face.
His pupils contracted sharply.
For the first time since arriving at the Academy, genuine shock appeared in his eyes.
“Are you certain?”
The question came out immediately.
Ren smiled.
“It’s easy enough to verify.”
Orochimaru fell silent.
That was true.
What Ren had told him could be confirmed without much difficulty.
Which meant—
If the boy wasn’t lying…
This information was important.
Extremely important.
Several moments passed.
Then Orochimaru finally spoke.
“If what you’ve told me is true…”
Everyone nearby instinctively leaned closer.
The Sannin looked directly into Ren’s eyes.
“I will personally take you as my disciple.”
The training grounds exploded.
“What?!”
“Orochimaru-sama is taking a student?”
“Seriously?”
“When was the last time that happened?”
Even Minato looked surprised.
A moment earlier, Orochimaru had seemed ready to hand Ren over to him.
Now he was keeping the boy for himself?
What exactly had Ren said?
Before anyone could recover, Ren spoke again.
“Since shinobi teams have three members…”
He casually draped one arm over Kurenai’s shoulders.
Then another over Rin’s.
Both girls instantly froze.
Their faces turned bright red.
“Why not take them too?”
The crowd nearly fainted.
Take them too?
Did he think becoming a disciple of a Legendary Sannin was some sort of promotional package?
Kurenai and Rin were talented.
No one denied that.
But they weren’t on Ren’s level.
The audacity of the request was unbelievable.
Everyone waited for Orochimaru to refuse.
Instead—
“Very well.”
The answer came instantly.
The entire training ground forgot how to breathe.
Orochimaru glanced at the stunned girls.
“Report to me the day after tomorrow.”
Then he vanished.
No explanation.
No negotiation.
No further discussion.
Simply gone.
Leaving behind hundreds of stunned witnesses.
Kurenai stared blankly.
“Did that actually happen?”
Rin looked equally dazed.
“Am I dreaming?”
Becoming a disciple of one of the Legendary Sannin…
That kind of opportunity could change everything.
Their future.
Their careers.
Their entire lives.
The news was almost impossible to process.
Ren observed them thoughtfully.
Then raised both hands.
Smack.
Two crisp sounds echoed across the field.
The girls jumped.
Their faces immediately turned scarlet.
“You idiot!”
“Ren!”
Both clutched their rear ends while glaring at him.
Ren calmly lowered his hands.
“There.”
“What there?”
“You felt pain.”
He nodded wisely.
“So obviously it isn’t a dream.”
The girls froze.
Technically…
That logic made sense.
Which somehow made it even more infuriating.
“Anyway.”
Ren stretched lazily.
“We’re still teammates.”
A grin spread across his face.
“Want to celebrate over dinner later?”
For several seconds, neither girl responded.
Then reality finally sank in.
This was real.
They had actually become Orochimaru’s disciples.
Excitement exploded.
“Ren!”
“Ren!”
Both girls launched themselves at him.
They wrapped him in a tight hug, laughing and shouting his name.
Unable to contain their happiness.
Some distance away, Obito watched the scene.
And suffered.
Emotionally.
Spiritually.
Existentially.
“Is Ren really that amazing?”
His voice carried profound sorrow.
“I want Rin to hug me too…”
Still…
Thinking about everything that had happened today…
The graduation exam.
The elite Jonin.
Orochimaru personally accepting Ren as a disciple.
Even Obito had to acknowledge reality.
Ren was absurd.
Completely absurd.
He lowered his head.
“I guess… maybe I really can’t compare to him.”
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Beside him, Asuma glanced over.
“Obito.”
“Yeah?”
“Have some confidence.”
Obito blinked.
Then slowly smiled.
Right.
Why was he getting depressed?
Everyone lost sometimes.
And sure, he’d never beaten Ren.
Not even once.
But that wasn’t important.
He was an Uchiha.
One day he’d awaken the Sharingan.
One day he’d become stronger.
Much stronger.
A surge of gratitude filled his heart.
Maybe Asuma wasn’t so bad after all.
Sure, he liked showing off.
Sure, he occasionally made terrible decisions.
Sure, he’d once tried ambushing Ren with a brick.
But perhaps…
Deep down…
He was actually a good friend.
Touched, Obito turned toward him.
“Thanks, Asuma.”
Asuma nodded solemnly.
“No problem.”
Then he pointed toward Ren.
“Just remove the words maybe and compare.”
Obito blinked.
“Huh?”
Asuma sighed.
“Stop saying maybe I can’t compare to him.”
“Have confidence.”
“You definitely can’t.”
Obito:
“…”
Their friendship ended on the spot.