39: THE CONSTANT
The next day, Tsunade and Kakashi had arrived on a training ground—with the sole purpose of testing Ren.
"To become a ninja was a rather simple process," a smile adorned Kakashi's face. He didn't trust this man completely—but worrying would do no good. "To become a ninja…you simply need to be strong."
"And for that reason, you shall be tested by one of our personnel." The voice of Tsunade cut through abruptly. Her eyes held a glare as she directed it towards Kakashi. "I didn't come all this way for chitchat."
Her words caused Kakashi to scratch the back of his head as a sweatdrop flowed down his face.
"So who will I be facing?" the words of Ren broke through the childish exchange.
"Me."
A figure walked out through the forest. Clad in a Jonin vest and pants, the Uchiha symbol rested cleanly on his back—he was…Sasuke Uchiha.
Recognizing him instantly, Ren simply nodded in affirmation.
"If you're ready, we can begin immediately," Sasuke's voice held a cocky undertone as his lips curved upwards—a smirk forming.
Even if this guy managed to kill Deidara, it was a lucky shot on an unsuspecting opponent. He was confident in his ability to beat him.
Ren simply nodded once more—and the battle started immediately. Kakashi and Tsunade jumped back to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
The bottom of Sasuke's foot tapped the ground in a condescending manner.
"You're not gonna attack?" he asked but didn't receive an answer. A tick mark formed on the edge of his forehead. "Fine then, I'll attack for you."
His foot gripped the ground tightly as he blasted off. His blade gripped tightly in his grasp as he attempted to slice Ren in two.
As Ren's fist began to rise to counter Sasuke's blow, the Uchiha vanished mid-attack.
'Above me,' Ren thought.
The body of Sasuke descended upon him with his blade raised—determined to strike him down.
As he inched closer and closer to Ren, the latter simply lifted his palm into the air—causing Sasuke to mock him.
"Do you think you can stop my sword with just your palm?"
But as the blade finally touched Ren's palm, its descent stopped instantly. The force behind the blow cratered the ground in which they stood.
The palm of Ren had successfully stopped Sasuke's sword—with only slight blood dripping down from the cut.
Sasuke's fingers gripped his blade even tighter as he tried to retract it. But the force Ren exerted was far too powerful.
As Sasuke was forced to stare into Ren's blank, emotionless eyes—he felt a dark sensation well up in his chest. Fear crept up through his body as he froze, his control over himself slipping.
A great chakra was expelled from Ren's body and coursed through Sasuke's veins—paralyzing him as his body recoiled—spiraling backward into a wall.
His pupils dilated completely as his eyes widened. The last thing he saw before fading into black was…the vision of a black sun.
He saw the sky around him darken.
A black sun hung overhead, swallowing all light.
Around it, the world felt quiet—not peaceful, but suppressed.
A glimpse could barely be made before his body faded into unconsciousness.
Kakashi caught his student's falling body with a mild expression. He didn't even know what happened, but regardless, they had seen all they needed to.
Tsunade moved forward, the confidence in her stride unmistakable as her team-green eyes stared into Ren's.
"From today onward, Ren Takumi shall be appointed as a Jonin of the Leaf," Tsunade declared. "But don't try anything, we are watching you."
Once his new uniform and duties had been laid out, his personal information was requested.
All her questions were answered with short and abrupt responses that really got under her skin. If not for Kakashi, she might've actually attacked the brat.
His monotone voice really seemed to annoy her for some reason.
Ren Takumi, an orphan from the Mist Village due to the bloodline purge. He became a bounty hunter at the tender age of twelve years old. Given the moniker, "Child of Death," he performed odd jobs throughout the ninja world to make money. Currently, at the age of seventeen.
That was the identity of the man Benimaru had killed once reappearing in the human realm—he planned to steal his identity and use it for his own gain.
The sound of a book closing echoed through the room. A tired sigh escaped Tsunade's lips as she finished documenting everything. But a thought struck through her.
"Wait a minute. You said you were orphaned because of the bloodline purge—that means you possess a kekkei genkai," Tsunade's voice remained cautious even as she speculated what it could be.
Ren's head simply shook—confirming her thoughts.
"Well…what is it?" Her tone was getting rather impatient. Like a child waiting to get their first toy.
No response came from Ren. Instead, his palm simply raised to meet her level, urging her to lift her own hand. She did so.
As their fingers inched closer, a stark realization crossed through the mind of the female Hokage.
"I can't push any closer," a soft mutter left her lips. "What is this?"
For the first time since their meeting had begun, words finally left the lips of Ren.
"This is…the constant."
The Constant, an ability created by Ren, was a permeable barrier of sorts. By manipulating the chakra molecules in the atmosphere, he could gain a form of space manipulation.
By extending the space around him and an object without increasing the distance—an incomprehensible wall could theoretically be built.
The object was constantly coming closer to Ren, but since the space in between them kept extending—they would never fully come into contact.
The idea had first struck him during his first meeting with Astra, where her time manipulation granted her the ability to freely modify distance.
The understanding hadn't reached him at that point. But as of now, after training with her abilities for six months—he had grasped the basics of time.
This ability came with its fair share of drawbacks, however. The constant drain of chakra was nothing for Ren—as his reserves surpassed even Zeldris in quantity.
But the mental strain took its toll. His perception was constantly being warped by his manipulation of distance. Even though he was aware of it, a part of his brain couldn't grasp why their physical distance didn't increase or decrease.
The ability also required conscious thought, as it couldn't be activated or maintained without it.
Tsunade pondered deeply, and so did Kakashi. Never had they seen or heard of such a peculiar kekkei genkai.
"With your kekkei genkai…what would you like to do?"
The options were numerous. With a kekkei genkai, one could be put in the Clan Restoration Program (CRA) and have a large number of women waiting for them.
He would also be entitled to large funds and housing from the village—a starter pack of sorts to help develop his clan.
But Ren already knew what he wanted. His response was quick and decisive—almost planned with how mechanical it sounded.
"I wish for a seat on the council."
Tsunade could feel a headache coursing through her nerves. This kid was full of surprises.
Kakashi claimed he was stronger than him. He one-shotted Sasuke—who, albeit, was holding back. And now he wanted a council position.
But she had no right to deny him; granting him the position wasn't hard.
'It's what will come after if he isn't strong-willed,' she thought solemnly.
She granted Ren the position and a council meeting was abruptly held.
The Hyuga, Inuzuka, Yamanaka, Nara, Aburame, Akimichi clan heads were all in attendance, with Sasuke acting as the clan head for the Uchiha clan.
The civilian side consisted of businessmen and women who contributed to the overall economy of the village.
Both sides took their respective seats and sat down. Sasuke gazed at the expressionless form of Ren who stood beside Tsunade.
His previous loss echoed in his mind, but he paid it no mind—although his ego was stung a bit—he could accept when he lost.
An ANBU appeared in the room holding a chair—earning the confused stares of the others in the room.
Without a second thought, the chair was carefully placed on the floor—with the ANBU vanishing.
Ren's purposeful stride caused his steps to echo through the room—eliciting the gazes of all in the room.
His body descended upon the chair slowly as he sat down. Almost instantly, a procession of shouts followed.
"WHAT GAVE THIS BRAT THE GUTS TO SIT DOWN ON A COUNCIL SEAT?"
"WHY IS THIS CHILD EVEN HERE?"
"TRASH LIKE HIM DOES NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE IN OUR PRESENCE!"
"WE SHOULD HAVE HIM EXECUTED FOR EVEN COMING HERE!"
"YES, YOU'RE RIGHT!"
Shouts and threats overflowed from the civilian side. A problem Tsunade knew would occur.
Her fist almost slammed into the table in outburst. But a cold, chilling feeling crept up her spine.
A foreign chakra flooded the room. The imagery of frozen, cold waste was etched into their psyche.
The civilians could barely stay conscious, or even stand properly. The clan heads could see visions of their own death—each vision more terrifying than the last.
Their senses were on high alert. But a sound broke through their thoughts.
Ren's finger gently tapped against the wooden table. His tone cold as ice—leaving no room for argument.
"My name is Ren Takumi, the new head of the Takumi clan. If you can't handle that, then it's better I kill you now—because I will not tolerate disrespect. Have a good day."
With that, he left the room calmly. The second the door closed behind him, the oppressive force vanished instantly.
A continuous wave of gasps and heavy breaths followed. A fearful look was engrained on all their faces.
But Tsunade's was even worse. He had threatened her, promised to watch her. If he liked, he could have killed her right then and there.
A cold chill filled her body as the thought flowed through her brain.
'I have no doubt that you could've killed both me and Kakashi together.' Her gaze lingered on the roof above her. 'Ren Takumi…who are you?'
…
At the other side of the door, Ren began to walk away when Astra's voice cut through.
"Good morning," a tired yawn escaped her lips.
'It's almost nighttime. Where have you been?' Ren asked.
'I've been sleeping. I sleep for most of the day. Haven't you noticed?' Her voice exasperated.
'Not really.'
Astra almost face-fell at his rude statement. A dry cough escaped her—a smug grin on her face, like she won the lottery.
'Benimaru, I thought you said you would become emotionless. But anger is an emotion—and you seemed pretty angry to me.' The cute chuckles flowing from her laughter descended into manacle laughter—like she decrypted nuclear launch codes.
Her words did strike a chord in Ren. He had decided to forgo emotions as they would only hold him back.
"But not showing emotions restricts my dialogue and would limit me," he muttered softly, weighing his options.
'You are right, but I prioritize efficiency above my own whims. Attachment, love, hope, friendship are all emotions which serve no purpose and I have effectively exterminated. But anger and hate help fuel drive, which grants adrenaline, which aids to my strength making me stronger.'
He continued, analyzing each and every detail. He would fix his mentality here and now.
'You have outlined a flaw in my thinking, which I will correct. If I wish to dominate the ninja world, then I must mask my intentions perfectly.'
An almost perfect, near-genuine smile appeared on his face—it looked so good it could fool an angel—but it was nothing but a fake.
'I will create a persona which enables me to act freely without exposing too much, thank you.'
Seeing that she had no way to refute him, Astra sighed. She could never convince him normally, so all she could do was find flaws he had.
But she had been unsuccessful.
'One day, Benimaru…I'll bring you back.'
CHAPTER END
Happy New Year, guys. I hope we can keep this consistency in 2026 and be even better than we once were.