At Ichiraku Ramen.
Aoi Ren slurped his noodles while reflecting on the issues he encountered during his recent mission.
Even though he now possessed the Glint-Glint Fruit, which granted him incredible speed and decent attack power, and had even developed some healing abilities of his own, the energy consumption was still enormous. He always ended a fight feeling drained.
After all, Aoi Ren had an ordinary physique. Unlike the Uzumaki clan, his chakra reserves weren't naturally vast, and compared to the First Hokage's monstrous chakra, he was nowhere near that level. Since chakra was formed by a combination of physical and mental energy, increasing his reserves meant improving both areas.
Zanpakutō were forged in the image of a Shinigami's own soul. By learning the name of the blade and communicating with it, the wielder could gain power.
When Aoi Ren first drew Hyōrinmaru, the sword fused with his soul and strengthened it significantly, which in turn boosted his chakra.
But now, with no lottery points left and no method to train his spirit directly, he could only improve by focusing on taijutsu.
"Taijutsu training, huh?" Aoi Ren muttered, then suddenly felt a few gazes lock onto him.
He turned around curiously and asked, "Why are you all staring at me? Hmm? Don't tell me you're not hungry?"
Obito: "…"
Kakashi: "…"
Rin: "…"
Obito glanced at the half-eaten bowl in front of him, then looked over at the stack of eight or nine empty bowls piled next to Aoi Ren. He was visibly questioning reality. "Should I not have offered to treat today? Did I fall under a genjutsu?"
He hadn't even finished one bowl, and Aoi Ren was already devouring his tenth. Even the Ichiraku owner, Teuchi, didn't seem surprised. He just kept working as if this was routine.
After all, Ichiraku Ramen was famous throughout the ninja world. Aoi Ren had long been a regular, and Teuchi had seen far greater appetites. Among shinobi, massive food consumption was not uncommon.
Once they finished eating, Obito reluctantly went to pay the bill, still bitter that he had offered to treat.
"Sigh, I swear I'm never treating again…"
Aoi Ren waved goodbye to the three of them and returned home.
That night, lying on his bed, his thoughts wandered.
"If I'm going to train taijutsu… who should I learn from?"
...
The next morning.
Aoi Ren sat up from bed, already having made up his mind about taijutsu training. After pondering through the night, he decided to try his luck with Master Chen. If that failed, he'd turn to Might Guy.
There weren't many pure taijutsu masters in the entire Naruto world.
Everyone knew about the legendary Might Guy who nearly kicked the story to its end with the Eight Gates. Some also remembered Might Duy, the "Eternal Genin" who beat down the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. But few recalled the man once hailed as "Konoha's strongest taijutsu user"—Master Chen.
His name was Chen, and his signature technique was the "Konoha Dragon God." Long before Guy, he was the only one who made it to Jōnin using taijutsu alone. During the Third Ninja War, his disciple was brutally killed due to their inability to use genjutsu or ninjutsu. Wracked with guilt, Chen erected a gravestone and chose to live in seclusion.
In the Fourth Great Ninja War, the reanimated Chen once defeated Might Guy (who wasn't using the Eight Gates at the time). Ultimately, he was moved by Guy and Lee's perseverance and broke free of Edo Tensei, allowing his soul to ascend in peace.
At this point in time, the Third Ninja War hadn't fully erupted yet. That meant Chen was likely still living in the village, not yet secluded.
After washing up, Aoi Ren headed out.
Following a round of inquiries, he finally found where Master Chen lived.
"Knock knock knock."
Creak—the door opened, and an elderly man stepped out.
"Young man, what do you need?"
"Master Chen, hello! My name is Aoi Ren. I came here hoping to study taijutsu under your guidance. Please accept me as your student!"
"I'm sorry, young man. I'm old now. I've already taken a disciple in my life and don't plan to take another. You should leave." With that, Chen shut the door.
Aoi Ren had expected it to be difficult, but not this cold. He hadn't even been given a chance to explain himself.
In the world of shinobi, the bond between master and disciple was far deeper than that between superior and subordinate. Once this relationship was established, their interests would be forever linked.
This is why people of this era treated discipleship with utmost seriousness. Once a disciple was accepted, it couldn't be undone. Even if the disciple later defected, the master would still be held accountable.
Aoi Ren's powers had all come from the system, so he had no need for ninjutsu training. What he lacked was someone who could teach him taijutsu.
Of course, he might draw a powerful taijutsu technique later, like the Eight Gates or Konoha Dragon God. But without a solid body and control over it, he wouldn't be able to use those techniques properly. That's where a teacher came in.
Besides, the lottery was random. Who knew when or what he'd get? With the Third War approaching, the urgent priority was to get stronger as fast as possible.
If he could master the Konoha-style taijutsu, he could fuse it with the Glint-Glint Fruit to develop light-speed martial arts instead of just relying on his single [Light-Speed Kick].
Though Chen had rejected him, Aoi Ren didn't give up. He was more determined than ever to become his student.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have triggered the mission: Path of Training][Path of Training: Every true warrior must find their road to growth. A master is essential on this path. Become Chen's disciple and embark on your journey of mastery.][Mission Reward: 1x God-Tier Lottery Point]
The system's voice echoed in his ears, further strengthening Aoi Ren's resolve.
...
From that day onward, Aoi Ren visited Chen's home every single day, hoping to be accepted.
Meanwhile, he also approached Might Guy and trained with him regularly to build his physical strength.
Guy, thrilled to find a training partner for taijutsu, eagerly welcomed Aoi Ren and even tried to share his iconic green tracksuit—only to be firmly rejected.
Time slowly passed. Over a month went by.
...
Aoi Ren gradually settled into a new routine: daily taijutsu drills and fruit ability development.
Thanks to his superhuman speed and steadily increasing physical power, his taijutsu was now easily at Jōnin level.
Combined with the energy of the Glint-Glint Fruit, he could even go toe-to-toe with Kage-level opponents!
That day, as usual, Aoi Ren arrived at Chen's door.
He expected another rejection, but to his surprise, Chen opened the door and invited him in.
Inside, Aoi Ren looked around curiously and found the home unusually sparse and tidy.
"When you get old, you lose your taste for flashy things. Take a seat," Chen said.
"Why do you want to study taijutsu from me?" he asked. "Do you even understand the meaning of training?"
The questions made Aoi Ren fall into deep thought. He realized that his answers would determine whether he'd be accepted.
Seeing Aoi Ren lost in thought, Chen didn't rush him. He quietly brewed some tea, waiting patiently.
After a long silence, Aoi Ren finally lifted his head, looked Chen in the eyes, and gave his answer.
"I want to study under you because you're Konoha's strongest taijutsu user. You perfected the Konoha-style taijutsu and created the incredible Konoha Dragon God. I believe I can learn a lot from you."
"And training… is about transforming yourself. Turning what you once couldn't do into something you can. It's about growth. It's also about protection—protecting the people and things you care about."
Upon hearing his response, a smile appeared on Chen's face.
"Good. You're an honest, caring young man. I hope you never forget what you've said today."
"These old bones of mine might still be useful. Starting tomorrow, you'll train under me."
"Yes, Master!" Aoi Ren replied with visible excitement.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have completed the mission: Path of Training][Reward obtained: 1x God-Tier Lottery Point]
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