Ring

Hizashi and Ruri had finished their Gentle Fist sparring session a little while ago.

Hizashi looked at Ruri's face and said gently, "It's getting late. Let's call it a day! Neji and your Aunt Meiling are waiting for me at home. Come have dinner with us. Come to think of it, you haven't met Neji since he was born!"

"How about tomorrow? I still need to buy a few things in town!" Although Ruri really wanted to see the newborn Neji, he had something important to do today. Besides, he still hadn't figured out why he had been able to use Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms earlier.

"All right, but you have to come tomorrow. Your Aunt Meiling has been asking about you for ages. Don't spend all your time shut up at home training. You need to get out for some fresh air now and then!"

Hizashi's wife, Mei Ling Hyuga, was very fond of little Ruri and cared deeply about him. She often invited him over for meals and took good care of him in his daily life.

"All right, all right, I get it! I'll definitely come tomorrow. Honestly, I really want to meet Neji too!"

Whenever Ruri thought about how his twenty-something soul was housed in a little boy's body, and how Meiling, a young married woman, kept pinching his cheeks, he felt utterly helpless.

After a quick goodbye, Hizashi left Ruri's little courtyard.

Once Hizashi had left, Ruri looked at the Ring in his hand. He had had it ever since he arrived in the Hokage world, but he had no idea what it did.

"What exactly is this Ring? I've had it ever since I transmigrated, but I still don't know what it's for! Huh? There's a bit sticking out here. Looks like I can press it!" Curious, Ruri pressed it.

The instant he pressed it, the Ring turned purplish-black, and waves of pain shot through his head.

A little while later, the pain gradually faded. Ruri slowly opened his eyes and discovered that he was no longer in his little courtyard, but somewhere unfamiliar.

"What the hell? What's going on? Where am I?" Ruri said, looking around.

Ruri was now in a place that looked like a secluded paradise. Peach trees surrounded a small pavilion in the middle, and the whole scene was remarkably soothing.

"Huh, where exactly is this? How strange! All I remember is pressing the bit sticking out of the Ring. Could this be..." Ruri slowly walked toward the pavilion.

Just as Ruri was about to reach the pavilion, several lines of virtual text appeared before him.

Welcome. This is the interior of the storage Ring. You may train here. Once you reach a certain level or complete an objective, you may leave! You will also receive a reward!

"Holy crap, it's that amazing? So my cheat has been right here in my hand all along! How did I only just discover it? I really stumbled onto it by pure accident!"

Ruri saw a fruit and a book on the stone table inside the pavilion and immediately asked, "What's that fruit? Can I eat it? And what's that book?"

Yes. Those are your rewards for this visit. That is a Devil Fruit, the Flame-Flame Fruit. Beside it is a Ninja Technique Encyclopedia.

"Holy crap, seriously? Looks like reaching the top is just a matter of time now! Can I eat it right away?" Ruri asked with a delighted grin.

Of course.

With a ding, the barrier around the pavilion dissipated!

Ruri stepped inside, looked at the Flame-Flame Fruit on the stone table, and said, "So this is a Devil Fruit? I've only ever seen one on TV before. Now that I'm seeing one with my own eyes, I can hardly believe it!"

Then Ruri reached out and picked up the Flame-Flame Fruit. Looking at its patterns, he smiled and said, "I remember Devil Fruits supposedly taste awful. Now it's finally my turn to try one! I wonder if they really taste that bad!"

Ruri ate the palm-sized Flame-Flame Fruit in three or four bites. Afterward, waves of heat began spreading through his abdomen, followed by pain, and his expression stiffened.

"Damn it, tasting awful is one thing, but now my stomach hurts too! Becoming a Devil Fruit User really isn't easy!"

About ten or fifteen minutes later, the pain in Ruri's abdomen gradually subsided. By then, his forehead was drenched in sweat. He sat down on a bench and looked at the Ring in his hand.

"Good thing I could bear that pain. I wonder what abilities this Flame-Flame Fruit gives me. Can I take the Ninja Technique Encyclopedia with me?" Ruri asked.

Sorry, you cannot take it with you. However, you can improve your strength. When you do, a set of ninja techniques will be randomly selected from the Ninja Technique Encyclopedia and given to you as a reward. The stronger you become, the more powerful the techniques you receive.

This is your first visit to the Ring's interior. There are two modes of entry. One is rest mode, in which you enter to rest and recover your stamina.

The other is training mode, in which you must reach a certain level before you can claim your reward and leave.

Rest mode offers no rewards. It simply allows you to rest inside the Ring and recover your stamina.

"Okay, understood. Oh, right, why was I able to use Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms earlier?"

The reason has nothing to do with the Ring. You possess a superhuman ability to learn. Developing a ninja technique takes you only an instant, and improving your strength is no difficulty either. You will gradually come to understand this ability!

After that, Ruri returned from inside the Ring to the real world.

Although Ruri now had the Ring and the Ninja Technique Encyclopedia, he still had to attend the Ninja Academy next year. Otherwise, he would have no way to accept missions. Every ninja had to study at the Ninja Academy, and skipping it would be difficult to explain.

Back in the real world, Ruri thought, In the original story, Neji Hyuga stunned so many people with the Taijutsu he only displayed at thirteen during the Chunin Ninja Exams. I'm only five, and I've already mastered such advanced Taijutsu. Just thinking about it feels great.