On the Ninjutsu Codex, the familiar categories of jutsu appeared in his mind again. Aside from the techniques he'd already learned, several new entries had been added this time.
Fire Style (B-rank): Fire Dragon Flame Bomb
Earth Release (B-rank): Great Mud River
A-rank: Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique
Taijutsu: Gentle Fist Pressure Point Strikes
—
"Good. It recorded everything properly. So all that effort wasn't wasted," Uzumaki Renka thought, his gaze drifting downward.
"Now it's just a matter of time and repetition. I need at least some results before the Chunin Exams."
But as his eyes continued to move, two more new jutsu suddenly appeared.
"B-rank Water Style… Water Dragon Bomb and Water Dragon Biting Explosion? That's Mist Village jutsu—those were the techniques those guys used! Why are they in my Codex?"
His pupils shrank.
"Wait—there's even an A-rank medical ninjutsu… Mystical Palm Technique?! What is going on?"
He was certain of one thing.
"I've never seen jutsu like these before, and I definitely don't know their underlying principles. So this can't be some sudden 'epiphany.'"
"Which means… it's the Codex function."
His mind raced.
"What is this thing, exactly? Why does it have an ability like this?"
He caught himself and forced his thoughts back on track.
"No. That's not what I should be obsessing over right now. If I want to get stronger, I have no choice but to rely on it. Looking at it positively… I just discovered another function."
He began brainstorming it in his head.
"First function: it records jutsu, then I train them. The higher the proficiency, the more solid my mastery becomes. In other words, as long as my own limitations don't stop me, I can learn any jutsu."
"The second function… still unclear. Does it 'steal' techniques on its own? But that doesn't fully make sense. Even the jonin-level Water Dragon Biting Explosion was recorded.
Renka lay there, full of questions.
After a long while, he let out a breath.
"Forget it. I don't need to solve the Codex today."
"What matters right now… is training."
He'd rested enough. His goal was clear. Renka snapped up with a sharp motion, springing to his feet.
"A month is way too tight… so I'll have to train like I'm using a cheat."
He suddenly remembered Naruto's training method back when he developed the Rasenshuriken—then a plan clicked into place. His lips curled, and he crossed his index fingers into a seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof!
Ten shadow clones appeared in a line, each one cracking knuckles like they were about to tear the world apart.
"Ten is the limit for now, huh?" Renka muttered. "Someday I'll learn Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu. Then 'one man fighting a nation' won't just be a dream."
He steadied his breathing, assigned each clone a specific task, and then began training the Eight Gates himself.
Unlike other techniques, the Eight Gates trained the body. Shadow clones were useless for that—muscle strength and conditioning wouldn't carry back to the original. So he dumped the ninjutsu workload onto them instead.
"Warm-up first. One thousand push-ups, one thousand squats, and a thousand jump-rope swings!"
He clapped his hands once, dropped to the ground, and started.
"1, 2, 3… …879…"
…
Meanwhile...
Clone No.1 went to a riverbank, staring at the flowing water. His hands flew through seals.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb!"
It looked impressive at first… but the result was laughable. A few sparks popped out, white smoke drifted away, and anyone who didn't know better would've thought someone was starting a cookfire.
"Again! Fire Dragon Flame Bomb!"
This time he managed to spit out a long, thin, worm-like flame.
"…Dragon Flame Bomb… Dragon Flame Bomb…"
…
Clone No.2 headed to a reed-filled lake.
"Earth Style: Great Mud River!"
He shouted, and the lake surface trembled—bubbling, rolling, turning murky.
But it didn't last. After a minute, the water cleared again as if nothing had happened.
"Again. Great Mud River. Great Mud River…"
…
Clone No.3 worked on medical ninjutsu.
"Got you—hehe!"
A triumphant laugh echoed through the forest. He'd caught a rabbit, tied it to a tree with wire pulled from his pouch, and only then began.
Both palms filled with chakra. He pressed them toward the rabbit's injured hind leg, and a faint green glow struggled to seep into the wound—slowly knitting it closed.
…
Clone No.4 returned to Renka's usual shuriken practice ground—an open field ringed by towering trees, targets plastered onto trunks.
He flicked a shuriken.
Whoosh!
He immediately formed seals.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
The spinning shuriken split in midair—two blades striking the target together.
"Only one extra? Still nowhere near enough! Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique…"
…
Clone No.5 went back into the village, bought a human anatomy dummy, and compared it to the scroll—mapping the chakra pathway system, memorizing key tenketsu points.
…
Clone No.6 went to a cliff, wind whipping hard.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bomb!"
Clone No.7: "Water Style: Water Dragon Biting Explosion!"
Clone No.8: "Wind Style: Vacuum Blast!"
Clones No.9 and No.10:
"Fire Style: Hiding in Ash Jutsu!"
"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
…
Time flowed like a river—never stopping, day or night.
For a full month, Renka maintained ten clones under brutal training intensity. His raw physical stats didn't jump dramatically, but his control and familiarity with ninjutsu sharpened day by day.
The techniques he got from the Third Hokage were now basically under control.
His progress in the Hyūga Gentle Fist pressure point method was significant too.
But what made him happiest—
He'd learned the Mystical Palm Technique.
"Dragon Flame Bomb!"
Over the rushing river, a crimson fire dragon roared through the air. The heat wave evaporated much of the water, thick white steam exploding outward as the temperature spiked in an instant.
Then—
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique."
A black swarm of shuriken blanketed the sky and rained down like a storm.
BOOMBOOMBOOM—!
The impact never stopped—like some beast gnawing and tearing. In moments, an entire stretch of forest was shredded into splinters and dust.
"Proficiency isn't maxed yet," Renka said, staring at the battered rock and ruined trees, "but seventy percent is enough for now."
He could feel it—something vast coiled inside him, ready to be unleashed.
"I wonder where I stand now… Have I reached jonin level?"
He exhaled, then shook his head.
"Forget it. The Chunin Exams start in three days. I'm going to rest properly."
For the past month, he'd kept ten clones running nonstop. Money vanished like water—soldier pills treated like meals. The main body kept a normal sleep schedule, but the overall intensity was insane. Every day he pushed until the curse mark grew restless, and if he misstepped even slightly, he could've damaged his body.
And because of that…
In just one month, he'd grasped almost everything. The Codex's B-rank techniques—aside from the newly added ones—were trained to completion.
He was confident. Completely.
"Even if I can't beat a jonin… among chunin, I should be in the top tier."
Renka clenched his fist, calm and steady.
"Anko… just watch."
"I will join your team."
"Chunin Exams—I'm ready. Let's roll."