“Father, Ren beat me up.”
“My nose was bleeding!”
“And not just me! Half the class has been beaten up by him!”
“He bullies everyone at the Academy! As Hokage, shouldn’t you do something about it?”
Asuma launched into a passionate complaint the moment he entered the room.
To his credit, there was actual strategy behind it.
Rather than focusing solely on his own suffering, he expanded the issue to include his classmates.
Then he widened it further.
Academy discipline.
The future of Konoha.
The responsibilities of the Hokage.
Justice.
Fairness.
Village stability.
A remarkable number of topics for someone whose real grievance was getting punched in the face.
Unfortunately for him, Hiruzen only listened for a short while before raising a hand.
“Asuma.”
The young man immediately fell silent.
“You’ll be graduating soon, won’t you?”
“Uh… yes.”
“Which means you’ll soon become a shinobi.”
“Yes.”
The Third Hokage’s expression hardened.
“Then solve your problems like a shinobi.”
The authority in his voice froze the room.
“Don’t behave like a child.”
Asuma blinked.
For several seconds, he simply stood there.
Then something seemed to click.
His eyes widened.
“I understand now, Father!”
Before Hiruzen could ask what exactly he had understood, Asuma spun around and sprinted out of the office.
Looking strangely energized.
Very strangely energized.
The Third Hokage frowned.
“That reaction doesn’t seem healthy.”
A faint sense of unease crept into his mind.
The village was already dealing with growing tensions from Kumogakure and Iwagakure.
Diplomatic disputes.
Border conflicts.
Military reports.
The possibility of another war.
And somehow, his son had still found time to ask the Hokage to settle an Academy rivalry.
Hiruzen rubbed his forehead.
Then he sighed.
“…Kakashi.”
A masked figure appeared instantly.
“Lord Hokage.”
“Shisui.”
A second figure stepped from the shadows.
“Yes, Lord Third.”
“Follow Asuma.”
Kakashi and Shisui exchanged a glance.
Neither asked for an explanation.
“As you command.”
They vanished without another word.
The next morning.
Ren Akihara arrived at the Academy in an excellent mood.
The fact that he had beaten up Asuma yesterday barely registered in his mind.
The shinobi world wasn’t like his previous life.
Back then, schools discouraged fighting.
Here?
Combat was practically a cultural tradition.
Shinobi were soldiers.
Assassins.
Spies.
Living weapons employed by nations.
Physical conflict wasn’t merely tolerated.
To a certain extent, it was expected.
Children fought.
Genin fought. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Jonin fought.
Sometimes two people tried to kill each other and somehow became best friends afterward.
Compared to that, a friendly beating was practically a greeting.
Besides, Ren considered himself a reasonable person.
After punching someone into the dirt, he always gave them time to recover.
A few days to heal.
A few days to train.
Then he would beat them up again.
A sustainable system.
More importantly, he only targeted talented students.
Children from powerful clans.
Future elite shinobi.
Medical expenses weren’t an issue.
And repeated combat experience helped them improve.
From Ren’s perspective, he was providing a valuable educational service.
The only people who disagreed were the recipients.
As usual.
Most of the names on his regular training list were familiar.
Asuma Sarutobi.
Several Hyuga clan heirs.
The children of prominent shinobi families.
And, of course—
“Obito.”
Ren smiled.
“Let’s spar.”
Obito looked genuinely horrified.
“No.”
“Come on.”
“No.”
“Obito.”
“No.”
“Obito.”
“GET LOST!”
Obito looked moments away from tears.
Yesterday, he had watched Asuma get beaten up.
It had been glorious.
Refreshing.
Like drinking cold water on a scorching summer day.
Now fate had chosen him instead.
Cruel.
Unfair.
Deeply offensive.
Ren sighed.
“You’ve changed.”
Obito blinked.
“What?”
“You yelled at me.”
Ren shook his head sadly.
“Our friendship is clearly in danger.”
He raised his fists.
“I’ll have to repair it through violence.”
Obito wanted to scream.
The problem was that resistance usually made things worse.
The harder someone fought back, the more enthusiastic Ren became.
And an enthusiastic Ren was terrifying.
After a brief internal struggle, Obito accepted reality.
Just survive.
Graduation is close.
After graduation, I’ll avoid him forever.
Several minutes later, a familiar notification appeared before Ren’s eyes.
[System Notification: Defeated Obito Uchiha.]
[Experience Gained: 154]
Ren frowned.
Too low.
Way too low.
Obito hadn’t taken the fight seriously at all.
This was highly inefficient.
Completely unacceptable.
Rin Nohara.
The moment he started walking in her direction, Obito felt a chill crawl down his spine.
A very familiar chill.
“Oh no.”
Meanwhile, Rin looked up in surprise.
“Ren?”
Ren met her gaze.
“Rin.”
His expression became unusually serious.
The entire class instinctively froze.
Several students quietly backed away.
They had seen this exact look before.
It never ended well.
“I’ve liked you for a long time.”
Rin froze.
“Eh?”
A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
Then confusion followed.
“W-Wait.”
She tilted her head.
“Didn’t you say the same thing to Kurenai yesterday?”
“Stop complaining.”
Ren stepped closer.
“Come hug me instead.”
Rin’s brain failed to process those words.
Before she could respond, Ren casually wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
Her face instantly turned bright red.
The scent of sweat.
Sunlight.
And relentless physical training.
Combined with Ren’s confidence and undeniably handsome appearance…
Her thoughts completely short-circuited.
Meanwhile—
There was one person whose brain had become extremely active.
Obito Uchiha.
The boy stared at the scene.
His face slowly turned pale.
Then red.
Then a shade of purple that probably wasn’t healthy.
Veins bulged across his forehead.
Chakra surged through his body.
Something inside him snapped.
“REN AKIHARA!”
Obito pointed at him with a trembling finger.
“LET GO OF RIN!”
Ren’s eyes lit up.
“Yes!”
He pumped a fist.
“That’s the spirit!”
And just like that—
Round Two began.
Several minutes later, Obito was once again lying face-down in the dirt while Ren happily collected experience points.
Nearby, Rin remained bright red and completely flustered.
Then she felt it.
A gaze.
Sharp.
Cold.
Dangerous.
Rin slowly turned her head.
And froze.
Several meters away stood Kurenai Yuhi.
The same Kurenai who had received Ren’s confession the previous day.
The same Kurenai who was now staring directly at her.
The air between the two girls seemed to crackle.
Rin swallowed nervously.
Kurenai narrowed her eyes.
For reasons neither of them fully understood…
The atmosphere had become incredibly tense.
Meanwhile, the source of all their problems was busy beating up Obito and farming experience points.
Completely oblivious.