If you were to ask why Rin was so driven—so desperate to train, even in secret—it all boiled down to the era she lived in.
She was born in Konoha Year 37, just under two years after the end of the Second Great Ninja War. At first, she'd been relieved that she'd missed the war entirely.
But then she remembered—the Third Great Ninja War would begin in Konoha Year 45. That was just six years away.
And if her memory served, many children had been thrown onto the battlefield during that war.
The thought that she might be dragged into battle at just eight years old, to die as cannon fodder, filled her with suffocating pressure—worse than any stress she'd ever felt in her past life from missing a deadline. After all, missing a report never cost anyone their life.
That urgency to survive made her crave strength, and after discovering she had a unique ability, that urgency only grew stronger. After all, being a "genius" in Konoha wasn't exactly easy—you either had to shine so brightly that no one could suppress you, rising at breakneck speed… or you'd end up as a political pawn or, worse, an experimental subject.
"Sigh… life is hard," Rin muttered.
---
In an abandoned training ground on the outskirts of the village—
Thud!
A kunai struck the center of a training dummy with a sharp, forceful impact, the tip embedding deep into the wood.
"Phew—"
Rin exhaled, admiring her handiwork before walking up to retrieve the weapon.
Twirling the kunai between her fingers, she began heading home while mentally tallying up her recent progress.
First, her physical condition. For the past four years, she'd stuck to regular herbal baths and grueling daily workouts—running, frog jumps, push-ups—all in a relentless effort to become a "miniature iron Barbie." She firmly believed that nothing beat a strong body. Even if she couldn't compare to the Senju clan's legendary stamina, she at least aimed to match Rock Lee's physique during the Chūnin Exams.
Then there was her chakra. Possibly due to the lingering memory and willpower from her past life, her spiritual energy was unusually high—even exceeding most adults. And as her physical strength improved, so did her chakra reserves. It had finally grown to the point where she could actually call it "chakra" with a straight face.
And with better chakra and a stronger body came the chance to develop her special abilities.
The first of those was one she had dubbed Sange no Mai—meaning Falling Petals—a chakra-drain technique. When she landed a hit on an opponent—either physically or via jutsu—it left behind a flower-shaped mark,"petal seals" or "Sange-in." Each mark siphoned chakra from the enemy and fed it back to her. Once three layers of the mark were applied, she could choose to detonate them for additional damage. It was a bit like a mix of Diao Chan and Bian Que from her previous world's games.
Rin had a feeling this ability would become the cornerstone of her future strength.
Then there was her mobility technique, which she called Getsuei Shunpo—Moonlight Flash Step. It allowed her to instantly blink a short distance in a chosen direction, similar to the Flying Thunder God Technique—but unlike that, it required no seals or markings. It also left behind an afterimage at her original location, which could confuse the opponent's aim. Paired with Sange no Mai, she could become a terrifying melee assassin on the battlefield of the Third Great Ninja War.
However, Getsuei Shunpo came with a major drawback: chakra consumption. Each use drained one-fifth of her chakra reserves. That meant that even at full power, she could only use it five times in a row before collapsing like a dry well.
Of course, with Sange no Mai restoring chakra with every hit, she had some sustainability—but she'd still need to plan every move with surgical precision.
"So the top priority is still chakra reserves…" she sighed. "If only I could get my hands on a Tailed Beast."
Unfortunately… that wasn't exactly an option.
As for ninjutsu? She wasn't worried about that—for now.
---
"I'm home!"
"Ah, Rin's back! Good girl. Quick, take off your shoes and come eat. You must be starving after all that training."
Grandma greeted her with a warm smile. The table was already full of food.
Rin swapped her shoes for slippers and padded over to her grandmother, letting her ruffle her damp hair.
Feeling the moisture, Grandma quickly led her to the table. "Come, eat first. Then we'll get you bathed. You're all sweaty again—and with the wind blowing like that, you'll catch a cold."
"Mm," Rin replied, and immediately began devouring her meal.
Over the years, to keep up with the cost of her herbal baths and weapon wear, Kenichi had taken on an insane number of missions. A year ago, he finally earned promotion to Jonin, which improved his income—but also kept him even busier. That's why Grandma had moved in with them full-time to help around the house. Rin adored her; to her, she was truly like a second grandmother. They were family now, through and through.
After dinner, Rin slid back into her herbal bath.
"Ahhh…"
She let out a long sigh, feeling the warmth of the water seep into her sore muscles, washing away fatigue. She'd gotten so used to the herbal baths that the pain was gone—only a deep comfort remained.
---
"I'm home!"
"Oh, Kenichi! Was the mission difficult this time? You were gone for ages. Rin kept asking about you."
"Hahaha, no wonder I felt someone thinking about me! Where is she?"
"Upstairs."
"Rin! Come down—look what Daddy brought back for you!"
Rin rolled her eyes. "So loud. Who missed him anyway?"
She rinsed off the herbs with clean water, changed into her rabbit pajamas, and headed downstairs. Truthfully, she was curious what Kenichi had brought back this time.
Now six years old, Rin had grown taller than most girls her age—thanks to all her training and years of herbal baths. She stood at 145 cm, a full head taller than her past-life self at that age.
She came hopping down the stairs in her slippers—tap tap tap—just as Kenichi caught sight of her. His eyes lit up.
In a blink, he used Body Flicker to appear at her side, scooped her up from under the arms, and began aggressively rubbing his stubbly face against hers.
Like a cat owner pouncing on their pet.
"My little baby is too cute! Daddy's been gone so long—did you miss me, huh?"
"Let go of me! You stink!" Rin shouted, flailing her limbs and pushing against his face.
Finally, under her ferocious protests, Kenichi released her.
Rin dropped to the floor—then sprang up with a leap, jumped onto Kenichi's head, and started smacking him.
"Stinky Dad! What do you think you're doing?! I just took a bath and now I smell like you!"
Kenichi pretended to flee in defeat, hands over his head. "My bad, my bad! Hahaha—"
Grandma watched them play-fight, her eyes full of joy.
If only these peaceful days could last forever…
After the chaos settled down, Rin collapsed onto the sofa, occasionally sniffing herself and then throwing disgusted glares at Kenichi whenever she caught a whiff of sweat.
Unbothered, Kenichi pulled out his ultimate weapon: a surprise gift—the perfect way to win his daughter's favor once again.
---