Ren stood in the center of his soulscape, looking up at the Shinigami Branch.
It was pulsating with a steady, rhythmic light. The first major branch was fully illuminated, humming with power.
[Quincy Compatibility: 75%]
Ren ran his hand over the bark.
'Seventy-five percent,' Ren thought, feeling the immense Reishi pressure radiating from his core. ' have unlocked all the Pureblood basics. Blut is mastered. Hirenkyaku is effortless.
He looked up at the darkened upper canopy where Shinigami branch was slightly glowing.
'Soon, that one will light up too. And when I reach 100%... that's when the real game begins. The Quincy Vollständig (Monk of Destruction: Complete Holy Form). And perhaps... a Schrift.'
Ren clenched his fist, feeling the potential energy coiling inside him like a spring.
Ren closed his eyes, exhaling slowly, and faded out of the inner world.
One Day After the WarKonoha Temporary Medical Ward
The smell of antiseptic and burnt flesh hung heavy in the air. The war was officially over, but the groaning of the wounded was a grim reminder that the cost had been paid in blood.
Ren Uchiha walked through the rows of cots, checking charts. He looked out of place—his uniform was pristine, his skin unblemished thanks to Blut, and he looked more like a bored auditor than a war hero.
He stopped at a curtained section reserved for high-ranking officers.
Inside, the three newly named "Legendary Sannin" were gathered.
Jiraiya lay in the bed, looking like a mummy wrapped in bandages. Tsunade sat on a chair, aggressively peeling an apple with a kunai. Orochimaru leaned against the tent pole, his golden eyes tracking Ren's every movement like a predator watching prey.
"Ren-kun," Tsunade greeted, though she looked exhausted. "Thanks for the tags. If not for the Type 2, Jiraiya would be dead."
"I'd be fine!" Jiraiya protested, trying to sit up and immediately wincing. "I have the vitality of a toad!"
"You have the brain of a toad," Orochimaru hissed softly.
Ren checked Jiraiya's vitals calmly. "Heart rate is stable. Chakra levels are recovering. You'll live to peep another day, Jiraiya-sama."
Jiraiya grinned, ignoring the insult. He looked at the boy—the boy who had defeated Chiyo and captured her alive.
"Hey, kid," Jiraiya's tone turned serious. You sense Natural Energy, don't you?"
Ren didn't look up from the chart. "Maybe. The air tastes spicy sometimes."
"It's not spice, it's nature," Jiraiya said, leaning forward. "Look, I'm not going to beat around the bush. You're talented. Wasted on the Police Force. I'm offering to take you as my student."
Tsunade stopped peeling the apple. Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. This was a massive offer. The student of Jiraiya. The grand-student of the Hokage. It was a golden ticket to the top of the ninja world.
"I can take you to Mount Myoboku," Jiraiya continued, his voice swelling with pride. "You can sign the Toad Contract. I can teach you Sage Mode. The ultimate power of the hermit."
Silence filled the room. Most ninja would kill for this chance.
Ren finally looked up. He looked at Jiraiya. He looked at the imaginary contract floating in the air.
"No thanks," Ren said flatly.
Jiraiya blinked. "Hah?"
"I said no thanks."
"Do you know what you're refusing?" Jiraiya sputtered, his face turning red. "Sage Mode! Infinite power! The Toads are the wisest creatures in—"
"They have warts," Ren interrupted, making a face of mild disgust. "And they're slimy. I don't do slime."
"Slime?!" Jiraiya shouted. "That's oil! Sacred oil!"
"Also," Ren continued, lying as naturally as he breathed, "my Summoning Animal is a Cat. A very jealous, very high-maintenance cat. If I come home smelling like a Toad, she'll scratch my eyes out. It's a territorial thing."
"A cat?"
"It's... a Nekobaa thing," Ren waved his hand vaguely. "Very exclusive. Very claw-y. So, I must decline. But thank you for the offer."
Jiraiya slumped back against his pillows, defeated by a hypothetical cat. Orochimaru let out a low, raspy chuckle.
Just as Jiraiya was nursing his wounded ego, the tent flap opened again.
Hiruzen Sarutobi walked in, holding his pipe. He looked at the scene—Ren standing casually, the Sannin looking baffled.
"I see you are checking on the patients, Ren-kun," Hiruzen smiled, the grandfatherly mask firmly in place.
"Just doing my rounds, Lord Hokage," Ren bowed slightly.
"Good, good," Hiruzen nodded. "Ren, I have been thinking. Your medical talents are too valuable to be wasted on the front lines or in a patrol unit."
Hiruzen placed a hand on Ren's shoulder, his grip firm.
"I am officially assigning you to the Konoha Hospital. You will work directly under Tsunade. Together, you can revolutionize our medical corps. It is a safe, honorable position where you can serve the village best."
Ren looked at Hiruzen.
'Here it is. The leash. He wants to stick me in the hospital where Anbu can watch me 24/7 and keep me away from the Uchiha clan politics.'
Ren stepped back, gently removing Hiruzen's hand.
"That sounds wonderful, Lord Hokage," Ren said, his voice dripping with polite regret. "But I'm afraid I'm swamped."
"Swamped?"
"The Police Force," Ren counted on his fingers. "My father and Fugaku-san just promoted me to Squad Captain. I have duties."
"We can reassign—"
"And the Tags," Ren cut him off sharply. "You ordered 2,000 tags a week, remember? That requires my personal supervision. If I'm busy performing surgeries at the hospital production may stop.
Ren looked at the Hokage with innocent, concerned eyes.
"Unless... you want me to stop making the Healing Tags? I could work at the hospital, but the supply chain would crumble. It's your choice, sir."
Hiruzen needed the tags more than he needed Ren in the hospital.
Hiruzen's smile twitched. He knew he was being played, but the logic was sound.
"I... see," Hiruzen sighed, defeated for the second time in twenty-four hours. "The tags are the priority. Very well. You may remain with the Police Force."
"Thank you for your understanding," Ren bowed again. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go count... I mean, go mediate a dispute."
Ren turned and walked out of the tent, leaving the Hokage and the Sannin staring at his back.
"He's slippery," Orochimaru commented, a hint of admiration in his voice. "Like a snake."
Ren walked out into the fresh air of the camp. The sun was shining. He touched his pocket, where the IOU from the village was safely tucked away (before his mom could confiscate this one too).
He took a deep breath.
'Sage Mode? Hospital duty? Peanuts,' Ren thought, scoffing. 'Why would I spend twenty years eating bugs with Jiraiya or doing paperwork for Tsunade?'
He looked toward the direction of Konoha.
'I have 5.5 million Ryo. I have the monopoly on the world's best medical item. I have a factory that prints money.'
A wicked grin spread across his face.
'Why should I build relations to become Hokage?'
He flexed his hand, feeling the Quincy power humming in his veins. He was already strong enough. He just needed to unlock the other two branches.
'I'll just get rich. Filthy rich. I'll buy the land under the village. I'll fund the Academy. I'll sponsor the Jonin Council's.'
Ren laughed, a sound that startled a passing nurse.
'In a democracy, votes are just another commodity. I don't need the Will of Fire. I need a Lobbying Firm.'
He cracked his knuckles.
'Just you wait, Konoha. By the time I'm twenty, I won't just be the Hokage. I will control the whole of Konoha.'