“I thought you were sneaking around for something important.”
Ren glanced at the shattered brick lying at Asuma’s feet.
Then at the bent steel pipe.
Then at the splintered remains of several wooden clubs scattered across the training ground.
His disappointment deepened.
“That’s it?”
Asuma stood frozen.
His mind simply refused to process what he’d just witnessed.
“Why…”
His voice trembled.
“Why aren’t you hurt?”
“Because I invest in Constitution.”
Ren answered as if the explanation were completely self-evident.
To him, it was.
Feast was, at its core, a durability-focused ability.
The increases to strength and speed were merely bonuses.
The true value lay elsewhere.
Durability.
Endurance.
Recovery.
Resistance.
The complete strengthening of the body.
The ability to endure what others couldn’t.
Ren had noticed Asuma and the others sneaking toward him long before the attack began.
He simply hadn’t bothered moving.
After all—
Strong people stood still and attacked.
Weak people dodged.
That was common sense.
At least, according to Ren.
Asuma stared blankly.
“Then… why did Father tell me to do this?”
His voice sounded hollow.
Broken.
The Third Hokage was the strongest shinobi in the village.
A man respected throughout the entire shinobi world.
So why had following his advice ended with a brick exploding in his hand?
Ren blinked.
“Following Lord Third’s advice?”
“What are you talking about?”
Asuma recounted everything.
His complaint.
The lecture.
The order to solve his problems like a shinobi.
The ambush.
The attack.
The spectacular failure.
By the time he finished, his faith in the shinobi way looked visibly shaken.
Ren nodded thoughtfully.
“Oh.”
“I understand now.”
Asuma’s eyes lit up.
“You do?”
“Of course.”
Ren placed a hand on his shoulder.
“You misunderstood what Lord Third meant.”
“What did he mean?”
“Simple.”
Ren spoke with complete confidence.
“A shinobi is someone who endures hardship.”
“Someone who withstands suffering.”
“Someone who bears pain without complaint.”
Asuma nodded slowly.
That actually sounded reasonable.
Then Ren smiled.
“So when I’m beating you up, you’re supposed to endure it quietly.”
“That’s the true shinobi way.”
Silence.
Asuma’s jaw slowly dropped.
What?
That can’t possibly be what Father meant.
Unfortunately, Ren had already reached a conclusion.
Asuma had challenged him.
Asuma had produced almost no experience points.
Therefore, Asuma needed further training.
The logic was flawless.
“Don’t worry.”
Ren cracked his knuckles.
“I’ll help you understand.”
Asuma’s eyes widened. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“Wait—”
BAM!
A fist buried itself in his face.
WHAM!
Another followed immediately.
THUD!
Asuma hit the ground.
Thus began a practical lesson in perseverance.
“STOP!”
A voice thundered across the training field.
Two figures appeared.
One tall.
One short.
Obito looked up.
Then his eyes widened.
“Kakashi?!”
The shorter figure was instantly recognizable.
Kakashi Hatake.
The greatest prodigy the Academy had ever produced.
Son of the legendary White Fang.
Graduated at five.
Promoted to Chunin at six.
A living legend among students.
The second newcomer wore the Uchiha crest on his back.
Obito immediately recognized him as well.
“Shisui!”
Unlike Obito, who was infamous for causing trouble, Shisui was regarded as one of the brightest talents of the Uchiha Clan.
A genuine genius.
“What are you two doing here?”
Kakashi shrugged.
“Mission from Lord Third.”
Then his gaze landed on Ren.
A muscle twitched beneath his mask.
“Wait.”
“Why are you still hitting him?”
The question was directed at Ren.
Unfortunately, Ren completely ignored him.
Another punch landed.
Asuma bounced slightly.
Kakashi’s eye twitched.
So did Shisui’s.
Neither of them particularly cared about Asuma.
But they had been assigned to monitor him.
And regardless of anything else, he was still the Hokage’s son.
Watching him get beaten unconscious felt a little irresponsible.
Especially since Ren appeared to be gaining momentum.
At this point, Asuma’s face had swollen so much he barely resembled a human being.
He looked more like an unfortunate melon.
“I said stop.”
Kakashi vanished.
A blur crossed the field.
An instant later, his hand closed around Ren’s wrist.
“Hmm?”
Ren finally looked up.
“Kakashi.”
“It’s me.”
Kakashi nodded.
“What are you doing here?”
Ren asked casually.
“You seem awfully interested in my business.”
Then he paused.
“Oh right.”
“You were standing over there earlier.”
Kakashi froze.
The students immediately perked up.
Earlier?
Standing there?
Several heads slowly turned toward Kakashi and Shisui.
The implication was obvious.
Kakashi sighed.
“We were carrying out a mission from Lord Third.”
His gaze flicked toward Asuma.
Everyone understood.
The atmosphere instantly became strange.
Several students looked at Kakashi and Shisui differently.
With suspicion.
As if they’d suddenly transformed into secret police.
“Wow.”
“I didn’t expect Kakashi to be that kind of person.”
“Seriously.” The source of this chapter is g.com.
“I thought he was cool.”
“Compared to Ren, he’s disappointing.”
Kakashi’s eye twitched violently.
Then he noticed Kurenai and Rin.
The disappointment on their faces somehow hurt even more.
He didn’t even know why.
“Enough.”
His tone became firmer.
“Don’t hit Asuma anymore.”
“He’s learned his lesson.”
“You’re classmates.”
“Don’t take it too far.”
Ren stared at him.
Then tilted his head.
“Interesting.”
“When Asuma ambushed me earlier, why didn’t you say any of that?”
Kakashi and Shisui both stiffened.
That was unfair.
They hadn’t chosen to ignore the attack.
They simply hadn’t reached the scene in time.
Everything had happened too quickly.
Unfortunately, trying to explain that now sounded suspiciously like an excuse.
Especially beneath the judgmental gazes of the students.
Kakashi decided to stop arguing.
“Regardless.”
His voice hardened.
“Stop hitting Asuma.”
Ren considered that for a moment.
Then he grinned.
“Fine.”
Kakashi relaxed slightly.
Then Ren added:
“If I can’t hit him…”
His smile widened.
“I’ll hit you instead.”
The punch came without warning.
Straight.
Direct.
Simple.
Kakashi almost laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was absurd.
He was Kakashi Hatake.
The greatest prodigy in Academy history.
A Chunin at six.
A genuine shinobi who had fought real battles.
Ren was still a student.
Talented?
Absolutely.
Strong?
Without question.
But this punch?
There was no feint.
No setup.
No hidden angle.
No strategy whatsoever.
It couldn’t possibly—
BOOM!
The punch landed squarely in his stomach.
Kakashi’s eyes widened.
For a brief moment, his brain stopped functioning.
Then the world vanished.
The ground disappeared beneath his feet.
The sky spun.
Trees blurred past.
Students flashed by.
Common sense ceased to exist.
Thirty meters later, Kakashi crashed into the earth.
The impact kicked up a cloud of dust.
Silence swallowed the training field.
Every student froze.
Every jaw dropped.
Even Shisui’s eyes widened slightly.
Far in the distance, Kakashi slowly pushed himself upright.
His expression was completely blank.
For perhaps the first time in his life—
The legendary prodigy of Konoha looked genuinely confused.