Chapter 8: Small Steps

Two weeks had passed, and Ren's routine had evolved. His morning runs had lengthened: he could now complete two full laps of the lake before switching to swimming. The hand exercises were yielding amazing results - he could keep his balance long enough to cross the entire back yard of the store.

'My arms aren't shaking as much as before,' he reflected as he completed his daily series of exercises. 'And the weight distribution is becoming more natural.'

After physical training, Ren devoted an hour to chakra practice. The leaf now remained attached to his forehead for almost a full minute. It wasn't much, but for a four-year-old it was a remarkable achievement.

He had also started a new exercise: adhering a drop of water on his finger, then turning it downward without dropping it ' this exercise my father gave me should be the equivalent of the leaf exercise for Kirigakure.'

"Concentration..." he murmured, staring at the drop on his finger.

One day, browsing in his mother's store, he had finally managed to find a Chakra leaf.

' Finally!!!' With his heart pounding, he had picked it up and hidden it in his room.

That evening, after making sure he was alone, he had channeled his chakra into the sheet. The result had surprised him: the paper had broken in half, but one of the halves had also moistened slightly.

'Main affinity wind, with a weak secondary affinity to water,' he had realized. 'Not bad, a double affinity is a good starting point, I wonder if it was the influence of the leaf exercise.'

'A good initial combat style could involve using mist and wind techniques to disorient the enemy before striking with a Rasengan... no, I should keep the Rasengan hidden for now. Well, I'll think about it later - it's still too early anyway.'

The lessons with Tatsumi were progressing slowly but steadily. The Sealmaster was impressed by the precision with which Ren drew the basic lines.

"Your hand is still uncertain," he had told him during the last lesson, "but your strokes have a natural rhythm. It's rare to see this fluidity in someone so young."

' You should know how many hours I'm practicing, I've never written so much in my life!'

"Your ink is well balanced," Tatsumi had commented that day, examining a mixture Ren had prepared.

"Although..." he had added with a smile, noticing some stains on Ren's sleeves, "your pouring technique still needs practice."

' Of course, i'm still in a child body'

In the store, Ren had begun to notice details in the seals that had previously eluded him. How the patterns repeated with subtle variations, how the lines flowed into each other creating complex but harmonious structures.

One morning, while helping his mother arrange a new delivery of scrolls, he had found himself commenting, "This one has a different conservation seal than usual."

Yuki had raised a surprised eyebrow. "How did you notice it?"

"The outer lines form a circle instead of a hexagon," he had replied, pointing to the pattern. "And there's an extra symbol here."

His mother had smiled, but in her eyes was a spark of concern... "You're learning fast," she had said after a pause. "Maybe too fast."

' Too fast? And if you knew about the Fourth Hokage, what would you say?'

' She's right, though, I must remember to keep a low profile,' he thought as he practiced his lines that evening.

 'Although it is frustrating to have to artificially slow down...'

His thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock at the door. It was his father.

" Time for bed" Toshiro said, entering the room. "But... I have something to show you tomorrow. A new chakra exercise."

Ren's eyes lit up, but he tried to contain his enthusiasm. "What kind of exercise?"

"You'll see," smiled his father. "For now, just rest. You'll need it."

That night, Ren fell asleep thinking about the possibilities that lay ahead. He was making progress, slow but steady. And perhaps, this very controlled slowness was the key to growing truly strong in this dangerous world.