Dinner at Wildfire Outpost was quieter than usual, but the silence did not feel peaceful. The large wooden room used by Team Minato was lit by dim lamps, and outside the window, patrols passed by at regular intervals, their shadows sliding across the walls like ghosts. Everyone had grown used to eating quickly and keeping their ears open. On the front line, even a meal could be interrupted by alarms, explosions, or a messenger bringing orders no one wanted to hear.
Minato Namikaze set down his chopsticks and looked toward Ren. His expression was gentle, as always, but there was a seriousness beneath it that immediately caught everyone's attention. "Ren, Inoichi's work is finished. Pakura has been transferred to a safer individual cell, and the sealing restrictions on her have been reinforced. If you want to see her, use my name or Jiraiya-sensei's name. The guards will let you through."
Ren nodded. "Understood. Did Senior Inoichi recover anything useful from her memories?"
"There was some information about Sunagakure's troop deployment and logistics," Minato said with a small smile. "It will help our frontline arrangement quite a bit. Since you captured Pakura, that contribution will also be counted under your record. As for the specific details, you do not need to worry about them for now. If there are related missions, I will inform you separately."
Minato's tone was calm, but Ren could tell there was more behind those words. He did not ask further. On the battlefield, knowing too much too early was not always a good thing. If Minato chose not to explain, then the information was either above their current authority or too dangerous to spread through ordinary conversation.
In truth, what Inoichi Yamanaka had found inside Pakura's mind went beyond ordinary battlefield intelligence. There were fragments, scattered impressions, and half-heard phrases suggesting that Sunagakure and Kumogakure might be in secret contact. Pakura herself did not know the full situation, but even a hint of a possible military alliance was enough to make Jiraiya and Shikaku Nara tense.
Kumogakure was not a minor threat. Its military strength stood far above Sunagakure's, and its grudges with Konoha ran deep. The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had died after conflict involving Cloud shinobi. Years ago, Kushina Uzumaki had nearly been kidnapped by Kumogakure, which could have robbed Konoha of its Nine-Tails jinchūriki. Even the destruction of Uzushiogakure, Konoha's old ally, had threads tangled with the ambitions of other great villages.
If Sunagakure and Kumogakure truly coordinated an attack from two directions, Konoha would be forced into an extremely dangerous position. The southwest front was already bleeding resources. If the northeast ignited at the same time, the Land of Fire could be stretched thin enough for enemies to drive knives into its heart.
Because of that, Jiraiya had immediately written a secret letter and sent it back to Konoha through a messenger toad. The final decision would rest with Hiruzen Sarutobi and the village's upper command. For Team Minato, however, that storm remained far away. They were stationed on the southwestern battlefield. Even if Kumogakure opened a second front, it would likely be handled by forces from northern Konoha territory and the village itself.
After discussing Pakura briefly, Minato shifted the topic toward everyone's training. He asked about their recent progress, injuries, chakra control, and whether they had encountered any difficulties that could not be solved through self-practice. Obito immediately launched into an excited explanation about his Sharingan, while Kakashi corrected him twice with cold precision. Rin spoke about the Super Strength Technique and her medical chakra control. Ren summarized his sword training, medical research, and combat experiments.
Minato listened carefully to each of them. Only after everyone finished did he nod. "It seems all of you have accumulated quite a few questions during this period, but your progress is also obvious. Since there is time this afternoon, I will spar with you after dinner and see how much you have grown."
Obito's eyes lit up instantly. "Really? That's great!"
Rin also looked pleasantly surprised, while Kakashi's gaze sharpened with quiet expectation. Ren smiled as well. It had been a long time since Team Minato had sparred properly with their teacher. Back in Konoha, Minato was often away on missions. After reaching the front line, everyone had to preserve chakra and stamina for real battles, so full training sessions became rare. A direct spar with Minato was an opportunity none of them wanted to waste.
After finishing dinner, they washed their lunch boxes, rested briefly, and followed Minato back to the training field near the edge of the outpost. The sky had begun to darken, and the evening wind moved through the trees with a dry whisper. Minato walked to the center of the field, casually tossing several Flying Thunder God kunai toward the four corners. Each blade sank into the ground with a soft thud.
Then he turned back, his smile gentle but his presence suddenly becoming immeasurably sharp.
"Well then," Minato said, "let's begin."
The spar did not last long, but every second felt like standing in front of a storm. Minato did not rely on overwhelming force. He did not need to. His speed, timing, and control were enough to make all four of them feel as if they were trying to strike a reflection on water. Obito's Sharingan could barely track his movements before Minato changed direction. Kakashi's blade was deflected before he completed his swing. Rin's medical positioning was exposed and corrected with one light tap. Ren managed to predict a few movements with his sword sense, but even then, Minato's next step always seemed to arrive from an angle that should not have existed.
By the end, all four students were breathing heavily.
Minato remained calm.
Afterward, he offered guidance one by one. For Obito, the focus was the Sharingan. Although Minato was not an Uchiha, he had fought and trained against several Sharingan users, including Fugaku Uchiha. His understanding was more than enough to instruct Obito, whose eyes had only just awakened.
"The Sharingan is not only a tool for seeing," Minato told him. "It increases the amount of information entering your mind. If your body cannot respond, or your judgment is poor, then seeing more will only confuse you faster. Do not rely on it blindly. Train your fundamentals first."
Obito nodded seriously, rare silence settling over him.
For Rin, Minato adjusted her chakra release when using the Super Strength Technique, reminding her not to imitate Tsunade's explosive style too early. Her body was still growing, and forcing output beyond control would damage her own muscles before she struck the enemy.
For Kakashi, Minato gave only a few short comments on the transition between sword technique and ninjutsu. Kakashi absorbed them silently, but his eyes kept drifting toward Ren's blade.
Ren had hidden several abilities during the spar, including Crazy Gamble and Overload Pulse, partly to avoid exposing too much information and partly because this was training, not a death match. Even so, the level he displayed was enough for Minato to praise. Minato pointed out minor flaws in the connection between Ren's movements and reminded him not to let prediction become dependence.
One more thing changed quietly that day.
Ren's Hatake Sword Style finally broke through to a new level.
After repeated battlefield baptism, sparring with Kakashi, and direct guidance from Minato, Ren felt something in his blade technique settle into place. The rhythm of the Hatake style became clearer in his hands, no longer just something copied from Kakashi and the White Fang's legacy, but something reshaped through his own body. His Heart Blade Domain expanded, the invisible range of sword perception doubling from a little over two meters to more than four. His ability to sense and predict movement within that space became sharper, almost like a second instinct.
It also meant one awkward thing.
Ren's mastery of the Hatake Sword Style had officially surpassed Kakashi's.
Kakashi realized it before anyone else. He stood at the edge of the field, silent beneath his mask, looking at Ren's short blade with a rare trace of confusion in his visible eye. For a moment, he seemed unsure who the true heir of the Hatake blade was supposed to be. He was the son of the White Fang, yet the white-haired boy in front of him looked more and more like the successor to that terrifying sword style.
Ren could not explain it.
So he simply let Kakashi suffer through that confusion alone.
Over the next few days, Team Minato remained stationed at Wildfire Outpost. After Chiyo's defeat, Sunagakure became noticeably more cautious. Their patrols pulled back, their probing attacks decreased, and their forward units no longer acted with the same confidence. Team Minato had also earned repeated military achievements, so their workload was temporarily reduced. For once, they had enough time to train, recover, and deal with side matters.
For Ren, that meant the medical laboratory.
The frontline laboratory at Wildfire Outpost could not compare with Konoha Hospital, but it had the basics—microscopes, blood separation tools, preservation equipment, special dyes, chakra reaction plates, and a few instruments Ren had personally helped send over earlier. By assisting the stationed medical ninja in treating wounded shinobi, Ren earned the right to use the lab more freely.
His main research subject was, of course, Pakura.
Senior Kaede, the medical ninja who had once written a recommendation letter for Ren, helped several times. He leaned over one of the microscopes, adjusting the lens as he examined a stained cell section from Pakura's tissue sample. "This is from the Scorch Release user? The cellular activity is remarkable. Look at the mitochondria and cytoplasm. The energy turnover is far higher than normal."
Ren stood beside another microscope, writing notes. "The blood sample analysis shows that her basal metabolic rate is more than 1.8 times higher than an ordinary person's. Externally, that would explain faster chakra recovery and a larger usable reserve. Several hormone and enzyme levels are also significantly elevated."
Kaede nodded. "That may relate to how her body tolerates extreme heat output. If an ordinary shinobi tried to circulate chakra like this, their tissues might damage themselves before the jutsu even formed."
"There are also a few chakra-mediated proteins with unusually complex structures," Ren said, tapping the page of his notebook. "They may be key to the Scorch Release transformation process."
"They may be," Kaede agreed. "But analyzing them properly is difficult. This is a bloodline limit, after all. If we could unravel one so easily, Konoha would have bloodline users everywhere by now."
Ren did not deny it. Static samples could reveal clues, but only clues. Blood, tissue, and cell sections were like footprints left behind after a battle. They could show that something had happened, but not always how.
After a long silence, Ren looked up. "Then what if we observe her dynamically?"
Kaede turned toward him. "Dynamically?"
"If static analysis cannot reveal enough, we observe Pakura while she releases Scorch Release. We record her chakra flow, hormone fluctuations, cell activity, body temperature, and physical response in real time. That should give us more useful data."
Kaede stared at him for a moment, then slowly nodded. "In theory, yes. It could work. But Pakura is a Sunagakure shinobi and a highly valuable prisoner. You will need permission from Minato or Jiraiya. You will also need security measures strong enough to prevent escape or suicide tactics."
"I will handle it," Ren said.
Minato agreed more readily than Ren expected.
Inside the command tent, Minato listened to the proposal, thought for a moment, then nodded. "Pakura is your prisoner to begin with. If you can uncover even part of the mystery behind Scorch Release, that would benefit the village. I can help set up seals and personally oversee the safety of the experiment."
Ren waited, knowing there would be a condition.
Minato's gaze became serious. "But are you sure she will cooperate? Even if I suppress her chakra and prepare a sealing barrier, if she chooses to use a suicidal jutsu the moment we loosen the restrictions, I may not be able to stop her in time. A Scorch Release self-destruction may not reach the level of a forbidden explosion technique, but destroying a laboratory would be easy."
Ren thought for a moment, then smiled faintly. "I'll persuade her."
"Persuade?" Minato repeated.
"If she truly wanted to die, she would not have remained obediently imprisoned until now," Ren said. "Pakura is proud, but pride is not the same as a death wish. I will make her an offer she cannot refuse. That will keep the experiment safe and controllable."
Minato studied him quietly for a few seconds. Then his smile returned. "Very well. Since you are confident, try it. I will support you."
That afternoon, Ren returned to Pakura's cell.
The room was small, clean, and heavily sealed. Pakura sat on the simple bed against the wall, her complexion much better than when she had first arrived from Ryūgetsu Outpost. The injuries on her body had mostly stabilized, though iron chains still restricted her ankles, and the Five Elements Seal continued disrupting her chakra. Her eyes were closed, but Ren knew immediately that she was not sleeping.
The moment he pushed the door open, Pakura opened her eyes.
The chains gave a soft clatter as she shifted. "What are you here for this time, hateful white-haired brat from Konoha?"
Ren did not answer immediately. He walked to the bed and placed four scrolls neatly on the wooden board in front of her.
Pakura's eyes moved despite herself.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.
Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.
Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique.
Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique.
Three C-rank Fire Release techniques and one B-rank technique. To Konoha, they were valuable but not irreplaceable. To a Scorch Release user from Sunagakure, they held much greater meaning.
Ren looked at her calmly. "Let's make a deal."
Pakura frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"I told you before that I'm interested in your Scorch Release. I want you to help me complete several sets of experiments. The process is simple. You release Scorch Release under controlled conditions, and we record the changes inside your body."
Pakura sneered before he could continue. "Dream on. You want me to help Konoha study my bloodline limit? Ren, did my Scorch Release burn your brain during our fight?"
"Do not refuse too quickly." Ren raised three fingers. "First, your understanding of Fire Release is naturally beyond ordinary shinobi because of Scorch Release. Konoha's Fire Release system is also very developed. These scrolls will give you reference material that Sunagakure may not have."
Pakura's gaze flickered toward the scrolls.
Ren continued, "Second, all experimental data and analysis results regarding Scorch Release will be shared with you."
Her eyes narrowed.
"That data may help you understand your own power more deeply," Ren said. "It may help you break through your current bottleneck and find a direction to strengthen Scorch Release."
Pakura's fingers tightened slightly.
"Third," Ren said, his voice becoming colder, "even if you refuse, Konoha still has ways to continue researching Scorch Release. The process will simply be slower, rougher, and less beneficial to you. You may gain nothing. You may even die."
Pakura's eyes flashed with anger.
Ren did not stop. "You said you would make me pay one day. If you die here, that day will never come. If you do not die, the war may still drag on for a long time. You will remain imprisoned, your body will weaken from lack of real combat, and I will continue moving forward. Eventually, I will leave you so far behind that you will not even see my back when you look up."
"You—!"
Pakura shot upright as much as the chains allowed, fury burning in her amber eyes. But Ren's words had struck the deepest place in her heart. Being captured was humiliation. Being studied was humiliation. But being left behind, becoming weak, rusting away in a cell while the boy who defeated her grew stronger day by day—that was far worse.
The room fell into heavy silence.
Only the faint sound of breathing and the occasional clink of iron chains remained.
After a long time, Pakura forced out each word between clenched teeth. "You said all research data will be shared with me."
"I keep my word," Ren said.
He extended his hand. "Happy cooperation."
Pakura looked at his hand as if it were a snake. She did not touch it. Instead, she stared at him coldly and asked, "When do we start?"
"This afternoon. If it is inconvenient, tomorrow also works."
"Then this afternoon," Pakura said sharply. "I do not need your consideration."
"The scrolls are yours to read first," Ren said, withdrawing his hand without embarrassment. "Perhaps they will give you some inspiration before the experiment."
He turned and walked toward the door. Just before leaving, he paused as if remembering something important.
"One more thing," Ren said. "You seem to have misunderstood me from the beginning. My name is not Hatake Ren. It is Ren Mikami. I only practiced a little bit of the Hatake Sword Style."
He turned back and raised two fingers, making a tiny gap to show "a little."
Pakura stared at him.
For the first time since his arrival, her anger cracked into pure confusion.
Outside the cell, Ren closed the door with a faint smile.
The deal had been made. Pakura had not surrendered, but she had taken the bait. And once Scorch Release entered the laboratory, the secrets of one of Sunagakure's proudest weapons would begin to unravel—one experiment at a time.
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