Three years later, at the gate of Konoha Ninja Academy
Kurozawa Ren stood quietly at the gate, dressed in a black outfit with a long blade strapped to his back — shaped like an unreleased asauchi, the standard form of a Zanpakutō. Behind him stood Uchiha Fugaku. Today marked his official entrance into the Ninja Academy.
Now six years old, Ren had collected several system rewards over the past three years: Zanjutsu training (swordsmanship), a Shinigami training uniform from the Shiba clan, and two powerful Zanpakutō: Nakaichi Maruyin's Zanpakutō and Shinso (the Sharp Spear).
Added to the system's prior compensation, Ryujin Jakka (Flowing Blade Like Flame), he now possessed two fully-fledged Zanpakutō. However, these two had been fused into one sealed form, resembling an ordinary asauchi. By reciting different Shikai incantations, he could alternate between their abilities.
Previously, he had concealed Ryujin Jakka, fearing that Konoha would associate him with the mysterious figure who appeared during the Nine-Tails' attack—a connection that could lead to unwanted complications.
But now, with a new, merged Zanpakutō, its sealed appearance made it indistinguishable from a regular long blade, offering perfect cover.
With a mere thought, Ren summoned his system interface:
---
Host: Kurozawa Ren (Body of Sasuke Uchiha)
Reiatsu: 24,690
Chakra Reserves: 1,546
Zanpakutō: Ryujin Jakka / Shinso (fused as sealed)
Kido Proficiency: Moderate
Hakuda (Hand-to-Hand): Skilled
Shunpo (Flash Step): Adequate
Zanjutsu (Swordsmanship): Average
Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan (Unawakened)
---
> With this level of power, even if I ran into a Jonin, I might not be completely overpowered... Ren thought calmly.
Because he hadn't fought much yet, his actual ranking in the shinobi world was still uncertain.
His strategy was to stand out immediately in the Academy and, like Itachi, gain early promotion to Genin.
In this timeline, Itachi hadn't joined Anbu yet, but had already become a Jonin, and was rumored to be assigned a team next year.
> "Wow! The Fourth Hokage!"
> "Really? Lord Fourth looks so calm and reassuring—and he's so radiant!"
> "Isn't that Naruto with him? What a talented boy! Ota, make sure you become friends with him in school, okay?" a parent urged their child.
Ren raised his eyes and saw Minato Namikaze, dressed in his Hokage robes, walking up with Naruto Uzumaki beside him, smiling and waving warmly at the villagers.
This version of Naruto resembled the original, except the whisker marks were gone from his face.
Ren found the contrast ironic—these were the same villagers who, in the original timeline, had ostracized Naruto. Now they were full of admiration.
"Lord Hokage," Fugaku greeted politely, bowing his head slightly.
"I'm just a parent today—call me Minato," he replied warmly.
Naruto soon stood before Ren. As their eyes met, Ren felt a sudden jolt—an impulse to challenge him.
> Must be the Indra reincarnation effect... Ren thought, suppressing the rising tension.
"Hi! I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto said brightly, flashing his trademark grin and holding out his hand.
Ren blinked, then reached out slowly.
"I'm Uchiha Sasuke. But just call me Ren."
Though he'd lived in this world for six years, Ren had kept to himself during training. He'd seen Naruto around, but never interacted much.
"Hey~ Are you really Uchiha?" Naruto asked curiously.
Ren's forehead twitched slightly.
"Obviously. My name is Uchiha Sasuke. Don't you see the Uchiha clan crest—the fan—on my clothes?"
Ren had assumed that with Minato alive, Naruto might be smarter. But clearly, his IQ was still the same.
"Oh, right! It's just… you don't act like the other Uchihas. They're kinda cold." Naruto scratched his head, sheepish.
Ren glanced at Naruto, curious what strength he now possessed under Minato's guidance. He was clearly ahead of the original version of Naruto from the same age.
Just then, Minato and Fugaku wrapped up their conversation.
"Alright, this is where I leave you. Listen to your teacher and make friends, okay?" Fugaku told Ren.
"I will." Ren nodded.
Minato echoed similar advice to Naruto. The boys walked into the school together.
As in the original, their homeroom teacher was still Iruka Umino, and their classmates were the same familiar faces from canon.
Ren found a seat near the back corner. Naruto sat further up front.
He scanned the room—Shikamaru was dozing ahead of him, with Choji beside him. Hinata, Kiba, and Shino were also present, forming the standard generation of Konoha 11.
After a few glances, Ren grew bored and laid his head on the desk, slipping into silent meditation. Power still took priority.
His current Reiatsu was barely halfway to the 48,000 threshold—the system's mark for captain-level spiritual pressure. It remained unclear whether reaching that value would grant the raw combat ability of a Gotei 13 captain.
> Even if I doubled my Reiatsu now, I'd still fall short of the likes of Captain Zaraki… I can't even use Bankai or emit a crushing aura yet…
Ever since receiving his Zanpakutō, Ren had tried calling out to it daily—but there had been no response. Why?
Just as he sunk deeper into thought, a sudden noise stirred him.
He looked up. A group of girls, cheeks flushed, were clustered nearby, whispering.
"He's so cool…"
"Right? Does anyone know his name?"
"He's Uchiha—see the fan crest?"
"Then he must be strong…"
Ren could hear most of their comments clearly—they were gushing about him.
For a moment, Ren thought—maybe this wasn't so bad.
> So this is why I got dropped into Sasuke's body… Makes sense. This is kind of fun. Who needs to graduate early?
Naruto seemed to be enjoying similar attention. Without the whisker marks, his appearance mirrored Minato's charm, and he quickly became a heartthrob among the girls.
Riiiiiing!
The bell rang suddenly, and Iruka stepped into the room.
"Everyone, quiet down! Back to your seats. Class is starting!"