After he finished speaking, the two who had originally wanted to follow also nodded. Kushina was training in Tsunade's Strength Fist; combined with the Uzumaki Clan's already terrifying physique, a single punch from her might one day be even more terrifying than Tsunade's.
As for Mikoto, her talent truly was not very high. However, girls had finer control over Chakra, making Medical Ninjutsu perfect for her.
After watching the two train for a while, Ren ran toward a forest beside one of the training grounds. ...
Over the years, Ren had trained here many times and had long since explored every inch of the place.
Not long after, Ren appeared by a river and looked at someone. "Duy... you're still training?"
A man dressed entirely in blue, with somewhat gleaming hair, appeared.
The man turned around, his teeth flashing brightly. "Yo... thanks for the compliment. But the beauty of morning is just right for training, isn't it? Ren... let's train together!"
A smile appeared on Ren's lips. The person before him was Might Duy, the future father of Might Guy.
Thinking of the future Might Guy, of the powerful Eight Gates that had even beaten Madara Uchiha in Six Paths Mode into a miserable state...
And the Eight Gates had been created by the Might Duy standing before him. It really was somewhat unbelievable.
Ever since Ren had confirmed that Might Duy had created the Eight Gates, he had specifically searched for him. Who would have thought that this man was a Genin, someone hardly anyone knew?
If Ren had not accidentally discovered Might Duy at this training ground, finding him would truly have taken some effort. After all, Might Duy was still a Genin and had not yet created the Eight Gates. He had not entered the higher-ups' notice, so virtually no one knew of him. Ren had also gained quite a bit of friendship from getting to know Might Duy. At the very least, Ren's presence had given Might Duy a place to live and enough food to eat. Before that, Might Duy could only live in the forest within the training grounds.
At that moment, Ren landed directly and said, "All right... today, I'll test out some Fire Release ninjutsu here! But Duy, have you come up with any ideas for your taijutsu?"
After he spoke, a serious expression appeared on Might Duy's face. Unlike the uncle-like appearance he would have in the future, Might Duy was still very young, and his eyes were filled with determination. "I already have an idea. I've created a preliminary version. Once this taijutsu is perfected, I'll be able to defeat that person!"
Ren nodded. "Oh... that guy you consider your lifelong rival!"
The Terrifying Flames
"That's right... we're in the same year. He's a genius, while I'm dead last, but I've always wanted to surpass him. Even if he's a genius and I'm an idiot, I've always worked hard. Once I finish creating this taijutsu, I'll have the ability to challenge him!" Duy spoke with great seriousness, and his eyes were filled with determination.
Ren chuckled. "Then I'll look forward to your taijutsu. As for me, I'll test out Fire Release. I keep feeling a scorching heat inside me that wants to burst out."
He stepped forward, staring at the river before him as his hands rapidly formed seals. Perhaps it was because his spiritual power had greatly increased, or perhaps because his physique had been extraordinary since childhood, but his sealing speed was incredibly fast.
At that moment, Chakra surged within Ren, flowing along with his hand seals. "Fire Release—Fireball Jutsu!"
Terrifying flames spread out, forming a massive fireball three meters in diameter. The oval fireball shot rapidly toward the water before him.
The calm river surface was instantly scorched red by the terrifying fireball. It was as though the water had suffered an intense incineration, and the water level continuously fell.
Excitement appeared in Ren's eyes, but then he noticed that the fireball was no longer its usual fiery red. It now carried a faint purple tint. Overall, it was still fiery red, with purple merely forming a faint halo around it. Yet that halo alone was enough to leave one shocked.
That faint purple halo had raised the fireball's temperature to a terrifying level. The river water was continuously burned away, and the water level kept dropping. Only a Jonin proficient in Fire Release could achieve something like this, yet Ren had done it so easily. It was clear just how terrifying these flames were.
Ren knew that this was definitely related to Devouring the Amethyst Winged Lion King's flesh and blood. The Amethyst Winged Lion King's flesh contained some of Beast Flame's scorching heat, and it was precisely this heat that had improved Ren's Fire Release so much. Ren believed that if he ever had the chance to transform his Fire Release into the Beast Flame of the Battle Through the Heavens World, the flames he unleashed would surely be incomparably terrifying. Compared to that, Ren wanted to know even more how terrifying his flames would become if he fused them with a trace of a Heavenly Flame from the Battle Through the Heavens World.
Unfortunately, that was merely wishful thinking. Ren knew how terrifying Heavenly Flames were. Even a trace of one could reduce a person to ashes.
Not long after, the scorching flames slowly faded away. Might Duy was left dumbfounded as he said, "A genius really is a genius. You're truly extraordinary!"
Might Duy worked very hard and had even managed to create the Eight Gates. However, he had once been dead last, so he was inevitably shaken when facing geniuses.
Since Ren had found him, his livelihood had at least been secured. With food and shelter, he could properly study ninjutsu.
Yet when faced with Ren's terrifying Fire Release, he still looked utterly horrified.
As the flames dispersed, Ren looked toward the water's surface. Flowing water had already filled it again, but the faint steam and the somewhat vitrified ground along the riverbank made the terrifying temperature of those flames obvious.
Ren smiled. "Good... my Fire Release has improved so much!"
Filled with delight, he sensed the heat within his body and slowly extracted Chakra to replenish what he had just consumed.
Perhaps because he had eaten the Amethyst Winged Lion King's meat, even the Chakra he extracted now carried a terrifying heat.
Ren narrowed his eyes and extended his left hand. Chakra slowly began to rotate.
"Rasengan!"
Ren released the Chakra he had just refined, forming it into a Rasengan.
The Rasengan spun continuously, radiating a faint blue light. Unlike its previous blue color, this one carried a purple gleam.
Ren said, "No way! I only ate some of the Amethyst Winged Lion King's meat, and it actually changed my Chakra too."
Ren could clearly sense the scorching heat contained within the Rasengan, a faint heat that seemed to come from inside his body.
Might Duy stared at the Rasengan, instinctively looking horrified. After all, this was the first time Ren had used the Rasengan before him. In fact, it was the first time Ren had used the Rasengan in front of anyone else. When Ren was six, he had spent a month mastering the Rasengan, then stopped training it and instead devoted his time to training Chidori.
As for adding nature transformation to the Rasengan, Ren knew that it was still something beyond his reach.
Therefore, it was only natural for others to be surprised upon seeing the Rasengan.
Just as Ren was pondering the Chakra within his body, two figures ran over from the distance.
Kushina ran over, waving a scroll as she called out, "Ren... we have a mission!"
Ren dispersed the Rasengan and looked at Kushina. "A mission? Has Sister Tsunade arrived?"
Mikoto shook her head. "No... Lord Naruto summoned Sister Tsunade for something, so she had someone deliver the mission scroll. Sister Tsunade selected this mission for us and wants us to carry it out ourselves. She also said that she believes in Ren's strength."
Hearing that, Ren gave a slight smile. "Is this slacking off in broad daylight? Still, she was summoned by Naruto right after returning from the battlefield. It seems like it isn't anything small!"
Ren took the scroll and scanned it, the corner of his mouth twitching. "An investigation mission. Various mysterious noises have recently appeared within ten kilometers of Konoha. Investigate the source of these noises. If you obtain any information, you will receive a reward!"
"What? It's actually an investigation mission? I thought it would be some major mission!" Kushina said disappointedly.
Mikoto, on the other hand, spoke gently, "It's best if there's no danger!"
Ren narrowed his eyes. "An investigation mission? It looks like there's no danger, but once we leave Konoha, how could there be no danger?"
Ren thought for a moment, then looked at Might Duy standing there. "Duy... come with me. You happen to have experience carrying out missions!"
Might Duy smiled honestly. "Yeah... I have plenty of experience carrying out missions!"
That was true. In the past, forced by life's hardships, Might Duy had continuously taken on low-level missions. Unfortunately, because he was a Genin, he could only carry out missions within Konoha, and the rewards were far too little.
If the rewards had been greater, giving him plenty of food and training funds, Might Duy likely would not have needed to spend so many years mastering the Eight Gates. Moreover, the Eight Gates he mastered were still much weaker than Might Guy's. One person opened the Eight Gates and nearly beat Madara in Six Paths Mode to death. The other opened the Eight Gates and only killed four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. That was the difference, and it was also a matter of foundation.
After all, Might Guy had trained since childhood, possessed a solid foundation, and had sufficient funds for training. Unlike Might Duy, whose foundation was unstable, even though he opened the Eight Gates, both his explosive power and endurance were inferior to the future Might Guy's!
Roshi
Before you continue