Chapter 30 – Promotion
Two months had passed since Danzō's return to Konoha. Autumn had given way to winter, and the village was blanketed in pure white snow.
During this time, Minamoto Ren had finally acquired his first sealing technique after a long period of study. The jutsu itself was simple—akin to writing a "Hello World" program on a computer in his previous life.
Its name was Single Seal.
Derived from the Three-Pronged Seal, the Single Seal was a weaker variant. It required the caster to physically place their hand on the target's body to activate it. Once triggered, the enemy's chakra flow would become momentarily disrupted, and their body would seize up for a brief instant.
From a practical standpoint, the jutsu wasn't all that impressive. In close quarters, Ren could swing his blade twice in the time it took to perform this seal—making it largely unnecessary in real combat.
Still, the technique held symbolic value: it marked his official entry into the art of sealing.
On the other front, Ren's training in two A-rank jutsu—Super Strength and Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song Release Technique—had stalled due to strict physical requirements he hadn't yet met. However, he did gain other skills along the way.
First, to improve his chakra control, he had mastered the Healing Technique, a B-rank jutsu considered a weaker substitute for the Mystical Palm Technique. Its healing was limited to surface-level injuries, but it was still a valuable tool.
Second, under Orochimaru's tutelage, Ren had pestered his teacher into teaching him a long-desired ninjutsu—Lightning Style: False Darkness.
Some jutsu simply outclassed others, and False Darkness was one of them. Lightning release was already exceptionally fast, with destructive power just shy of fire release. But Ren knew well that in a ninja battle, speed of execution was often the deciding factor—you couldn't still be weaving hand seals while your opponent's blade was already at your throat.
As luck would have it, False Darkness was also B-rank. Since crossing over into this world, Ren had finally evolved beyond being a one-trick shinobi who only knew Water Release: Wild Wave.
Lastly, he had begun learning how to dispel genjutsu under Yūhi Shinku.
Without the benefit of a dōjutsu, Ren's resistance to illusions was poor. Once, Shinku had caught his gaze and trapped him in Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death, holding him for a full two minutes before he broke free.
On an actual battlefield, he could have killed him hundreds of times over.
When he finally escaped the illusion, Shinku explained the key to breaking genjutsu: illusions manipulate the target's five senses through spiritual energy. To counter them, you either overpower your opponent's spiritual energy—or deliberately disrupt your own senses, leaving them with nothing stable to manipulate.
It was an oddly logical theory.
Executing genjutsu required precision, like pulling two identical wires from an electric meter and swapping their sockets to cause a fault. But if the wiring was already a tangled mess, there was nothing left for the caster to sabotage.
Thus, the trick was to disturb your own chakra flow in any way possible.
"Hannya."
The call of his codename snapped Ren out of his thoughts. Wearing his crimson fox mask, Shinku stood before him.
"What is it, Captain?" Ren replied, turning toward him while driving his blade into the body of the enemy operative in front of him.
"Aah!" The spy let out a strangled cry before going still.
Such was the ANBU's daily routine—identifying, capturing, and eliminating infiltrators, all to ensure the safety of Konoha.
"Your merit points should be enough for a promotion to squad captain, right?" Shinku asked casually.
"Hmm? I haven't really kept track. I've been saving them up since I don't have any particular jutsu I want to redeem. Everything I need, I've already learned from my teachers."
Ren sheathed his blade and thought for a moment. Over the past few months, he had probably earned enough merit points for the promotion.
War made accumulating ANBU merits quick. In peacetime, earning enough for even a B-rank jutsu could take half a year of steady work—and that still wasn't guaranteed.
More importantly, unlike Shimura Yū, Ren didn't have any bad habits. He let his merits sit unused, to the point where he sometimes forgot he even had them.
Some might wonder—why not trade them in for new jutsu?
Ren's answer was simple: Ninjutsu is infinite, but human focus is limited.
To make the most of his learning, Ren spent every day after ANBU duty either at Orochimaru's home or at the Senju compound. With all three of the Legendary Sannin currently in Konoha, he had to seize every opportunity to learn from them.
And so, sleeping only four hours a night, Minamoto Ren had pushed through several relentless months—finally mastering the techniques mentioned above.
That they still wanted him to trade for more jutsu? Give him a break—he wanted to live a few more years.
But come to think of it, without realizing, he had already accumulated enough merit for a promotion to ANBU squad captain.
"Since you've earned it, go see the Hokage and get promoted. With your current ability, leading a squad on your own won't be a problem."
"Besides, I've got nothing left to teach you."
With those words, Shinku vanished in a blur.
Minamoto Ren chuckled at his remark—it was basically his way of kicking him out. He remembered that during the Second Great Ninja War, Yūhi Shinku was considered the 'Illusion Arts Instructor of Konoha's Eight Thousand Elite Troops', tasked with training newcomers. Now that he had mastered his teachings, it was only natural for him to go out and hold his own.
In that case, time to get promoted.
After burning the enemy spy's body to ash, Minamoto Ren turned and left. This time, he didn't head to Orochimaru's place or the Senju compound as usual, but went straight to the Hokage Building.
After confirming his identity, the ANBU guards—long familiar with "Hannya"—let him pass without delay.
"Hokage-sama," Ren called out as he knocked and entered the office, his voice preceding him.
"It's you. Come, have a seat," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, smoking leisurely, no paperwork in sight—this was his break time.
Hiruzen's gaze swept over this highly controversial ANBU rising star, his emotions complicated.
On one hand, what Danzō had told him had indeed planted a seed of doubt. On the other, Minamoto Ren's image was almost too perfect.
Perfection wasn't inherently a bad thing, but Hiruzen believed that Konoha only needed one shining Hokage; any other ninja who shone too brightly should learn to dim their own light.
Ren was smart—he should have understood this. Yet he hadn't.
"Hokage-sama, I'm here today to request a promotion to ANBU squad captain. Over the past few months, I've completed my missions well, my merits are sufficient, and Captain Shinku recommended I take command as a jōnin-squad leader," Ren said, his voice as gentle as ever.
Hiruzen set down his pipe and flipped through Ren's recent mission reports—almost no failures. The enemies that needed to be eliminated were eliminated, those that needed capture were captured, and even patience-heavy assignments had been completed flawlessly. His ANBU merits were undeniable.
Hiruzen hesitated for a moment but then relaxed. As a leader of his stature, he still had the capacity to tolerate such talent.
"You know the promotion process, correct? Shinku explained it to you?"
"He did."
"Nawaki has passed the chūnin exam, and Hyūga Haining has been transferred into ANBU, currently training in the Hyūga compound with his father on the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. It seems to be going well." Hiruzen mentioned two seemingly unrelated things.
"I understand," Ren nodded. "I was planning to bring them into my squad, but I still need one more member."
"Shimura Yū—what do you think of him?" Hiruzen's tone carried a subtle implication.
Ren froze briefly, then quickly replied, "Chūnin Shimura executes missions effectively. I have no problem adding him to my squad."
"Good. Then go complete the paperwork. Starting the day after tomorrow, your team will be known as the 'Hannya Squad.'" Hiruzen smiled warmly and waved him off.
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Ren bowed, took the document Hiruzen handed him, and left the office.
The moment he stepped outside, a bead of sweat slid down from his forehead protector… Hiruzen was suspicious of him! Bringing in Shimura Yū meant that Danzō had swayed him!
No—he needed to strengthen his ties with Konoha's key figures immediately. Tsunade alone might no longer be enough to dispel Hiruzen's doubts…
Ren's mind was heavy. He had expected Danzō's influence to be significant, but not this swift. He had maintained close contact with all three of the Sannin; Hiruzen could learn of his movements and mindset anytime from Orochimaru or Tsunade. And yet, he still harbored suspicion!
Politics is a self-fulfilling prophecy—once the seed of doubt is planted, it will eventually break through the soil and grow into a towering tree.
[Your enforcement authority in Konoha has increased. Your influence has risen.]
[Current Power Index: 5]
[Tangible Power Reward: One-Tomoe Sharingan]
After months of silence, the Power Game System came alive again. Upon becoming an ANBU squad captain, it granted Minamoto Ren a most unexpected reward.
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