Chapter 18: Precarious Balances

Dawn found Ren completing his 500th meter of walking on his hands around the perimeter of the lake. He had not yet adjusted to the weight gain in training, and drops of sweat trickled down his forehead to his hair as he maintained controlled breathing as Tatsumi had taught him.

"What the hell?"

Ren maintained his concentration despite the surprised voices. A group of older students had stopped to observe him, their faces betraying a mixture of derision and disbelief.

'They are really testing my patience,' he thought, 'they are brats in my eyes but I really want to teach them a lesson.'

"It's that kid from 3-B," said one of them. "The one who ranked 33rd."

"Looks like someone is compensating," laughed another. "Hey baby! The academy is on the other side, and people usually go there using their feet!"

'All right, I get it.'

Ren paused, returned to a standing position, and asked in a calm voice, "Do you have a problem with that?"

The tallest of the group, a boy with a scar on his cheek, stepped forward. "Oh, the little guy can talk! How about showing us if you can do more than walk like a clown?"

'I have to be careful,' Ren thought. 'I can't show too much, but a little lesson...'

The first attack came quickly but predictably. 'The training is paying off,' Ren noted, 'they are slow in my eyes.'

He merely shifted sideways, letting his fist brush the air where he stood a moment before. Training with his father, he knew exactly where to strike to quickly end the confrontation, but he held back, opting instead for a calculated clumsiness, as if he were trying to replicate moves seen but not fully assimilated. A "lucky" kick sent the first boy to the ground.

"You little bastard!" The second attacker lunged forward, this time more cautiously.

Ren allowed himself to show a flash of his true skill-just enough to make it clear that he was not easy prey, but not so much as to arouse suspicion. A series of basic academy moves, executed with just enough precision.

But just as he was about to end the confrontation, a familiar voice interrupted the scene.

"What's going on here?"

Yukiko had emerged from the morning mist, her presence as sudden as a gust of icy wind. Her clear eyes studied the scene with an eerie calm.

"Just a little morning workout," the scarred boy said, trying to save face.

Ren took the opportunity to stagger slightly, as if exhausted from the confrontation. "They were ... helping me practice," he said, inserting a note of breathlessness in his voice.

Yukiko watched them for a long moment. "Really? Because from here it looked more like three against one."

The older boys exchanged nervous glances. The Yuki clan's reputation was well known, and no one wanted trouble with one of the academy's top students.

"We were just joking around," murmured one of them, backing away. "See you around, little guy."

When they were gone, Yukiko turned back to Ren. "You were holding back the shots," she said. It was not a question.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ren replied, keeping his expression confused. "They almost beat me. If you hadn't come along..."

A thin smile appeared on Yukiko's face. "Sure," she said. "As you wish." He turned to leave, then added, "Nice moves though. For someone who ranked 33rd."

As he watched her walk away into the mist, Ren sighed internally. 'Hiding one's abilities is more difficult than expected. I will have to be more careful in the future, but how satisfying to hit those imbeciles!'

He resumed his walk on his hands, this time making sure he looked more uncertain in his movements, before heading toward the academy.

Later, in class, Fujimoto-sensei was explaining the basic principles of chakra elements. His voice filled the classroom as he drew the five elemental symbols on the blackboard.

"Every ninja has a natural affinity," he explained. "But in Kirigakure, we expect everyone to develop at least one basic skill in the water element."

'With the water element I'm already well on my way,' Ren reflected, 'too bad I don't have Kage Bunshin no Jutsu yet, with that I could improve my progress more quickly.'

"Mizutani-kun," Fujimoto's voice almost made him wince. "Could you repeat what I just said?"

"You explained how the water element is particularly versatile because it can adapt to any form," Ren replied without hesitation, "And how this reflects Kirigakure's ninja philosophy."

Fujimoto nodded, apparently satisfied, as Jun'ko gave him an impressed look.

During the lunch break, the usual group gathered under a tree in the courtyard. Aoi was enthusiastically explaining how chakra affected the body's meridians when they were interrupted by a loud splash.

Hiroshi had just "fallen" into his liquid form, splashing Jun'ko from head to toe.

"Oops," he said with a smile that was not at all displeased. "I still have to check this form properly. It's so...unstable, like a jellyfish."

Jun'ko stood up slowly, her black hair dripping. "You know," she said with a sweet smile, "I read that jellyfish can be frozen and survive. Can I ask Yukiko to check if it works for you too?"

"Please, not again," moaned Aoi.

The afternoon was devoted to taijutsu practice. Fujimoto divided the class into groups, and Ren again found himself face to face with Yukiko.

"Don't hold back," she said as they got into position.

"I won't if you don't," Ren replied.

The sparring that followed drew the attention of the entire class. Yukiko was incredibly agile, but Ren seemed to be able to keep up with her, although he was using awkward and fortuitous movements. Eventually, one of Yukiko's punches found its target, sending Ren to the ground.

"Interesting style," she commented with a slight smile after Fujimoto called an end to the round. "Maybe you're not as crazy as you look."

That evening, Ren stopped by his mother's store on his way home. As he helped arrange a new delivery of kunai, fragments of a conversation between two chunin caught his attention:

"...four of the seven swordsmen fell in battle..."

'So we are in the period when Mighty Dai sacrificed himself...' reflected Ren. 'Soon there should be Rin's incident.' After a moment's pause, he mentally added, 'However, I couldn't have changed that episode, not only would I have had to face a Madara who, though aged, is an insurmountable obstacle for now, but I would have created a butterfly effect too great to predict.'

He rounded out his day with a moonlit hand-walking session. As he practiced, he noticed a familiar figure watching him from the shade of a tree.

 It was his father, his gaze thoughtful as he watched his son's practice.