Naruto : Crimson wood

Several second-level psychics stood no chance against Ryoji Takahashi. With a few lightning strikes, they were reduced to charred corpses.

"Dad, that was awesome!" Renji Takahashi gave him a big thumbs up.

"Of course! Who do you think your father is?" Ryoji grinned, revealing his familiar crooked smile.

Renji was about to relax when he suddenly thought of something. "Wait, what about the others? Are they still in danger?"

"Don't worry," Ryoji said calmly. "The Academy already sent people to rescue them. They'll be fine."

Hearing that, Renji finally let go of his tension. The exhaustion overwhelmed him, and his body gave out.

Ryoji quickly caught him before he collapsed completely, gently carrying him on his back. His eyes showed a mix of relief and fatherly concern.

Then Ryoji turned to Yuna Hoshizaki, finally noticing her condition.

"You must be Classmate Hoshizaki, right? Are you alright?" Ryoji asked kindly.

Yuna gave him a weak smile. "Just drained too much spiritual energy. Thank you for helping us, Master Takahashi."

At that moment, over a dozen masked figures appeared from the surrounding forest—members of the Azure Dragon Academy's Executive Department.

"Master Takahashi, the other students have been rescued. No casualties reported from our side."

"Good. Let's return to the city," Ryoji nodded. But then, his calm face darkened.

"I'm going to have a serious talk with Principal Michihiro Watanabe. If I hadn't rushed back in time, my son wouldn't be standing here today!"

A Painful Awakening

Renji's entire body felt like it had been crushed by a stampede of wild beasts. His bones ached as if they might collapse at any moment.

"It hurts so bad…"

The pain snapped him awake. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

Above him was the familiar ceiling of his bedroom.

Memories of what had happened came flooding back—the beast tide, the overwhelming monsters, and the strange enemies who had ambushed them.

If his father hadn't shown up when he did, he probably wouldn't have made it out alive.

Ding!

A mechanical voice echoed in his mind.

[Congratulations! Mission Completed: Successfully Escaped the Beast Tide and Survived the Siege.]

[Reward: 100 Energy Points. One Free Lottery Spin Earned!]

Renji's eyes lit up. Even though his body ached, the excitement of the reward dulled the pain.

"Open the lottery system!"

A glowing prize wheel appeared before him, covered with legendary skills and techniques:

Flying Thunder God Technique

Sage Mode

Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu

Eight Trigrams Seal

Reaper Death Seal

Four Symbols Seal

Mangekyō Sharingan (Basic)

Illusion: Jag-Hang Technique

Wood Release: Wood Clone

Wood Release: Cutting Technique

Seeing this dazzling list, Renji's heart raced.

Normally, each spin cost 5,000 energy points, but today—he had a free spin.

Swallowing nervously, Renji started the spin with trembling hands.

The pointer spun wildly, the items on the wheel hidden beneath a golden glow.

"Please… anything but the Reaper Death Seal. Anything else is fine!"

The wheel gradually slowed down.

Renji held his breath as the pointer stopped on a golden square.

The light began to fade, revealing the words hidden beneath it.

A brilliant golden flash blinded him momentarily.

"Golden rarity? No way…!"

As the glow faded, the words finally appeared:

Sage Mode

"Yes!" Renji shouted, instantly regretting it as the sudden movement triggered his injuries. He winced but couldn't stop grinning.

Sage Mode.

The legendary technique that let Naruto defeat Pain. The power behind summoning the Thousand-Armed Buddha.

This was the jackpot.

[Congratulations! You've obtained Sage Mode!]

[Note: This is the Perfect Sage Mode, a fusion of the Myoboku Mountain, Ryuchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest versions. You can enter Sage Mode instantly and absorb natural energy while fighting.]

[Note: The maximum natural energy you can absorb at once is twice your current spiritual energy limit.]

Renji was stunned.

"Instant activation… natural energy absorption during battle… this is broken!"

If he could absorb energy while fighting, that meant he could almost maintain Sage Mode indefinitely.

The only downside was the limit on how much energy he could absorb at once. If his spiritual energy limit was 100, then Sage Mode could draw in 200 more for a total of 300.

That was powerful—but it also meant he couldn't recklessly spam large-scale Wood Release techniques like the Tree World Birth or Thousand-Armed Buddha just yet. Those drained too much energy.

His strength would grow as his spiritual energy increased.

"System, open my stats."

A translucent panel appeared before him:

[Character Profile]

Name: Renji Takahashi

Age: 18

Spiritual Energy: 200

Abilities: Wood Release, Spirit Eye (Sharingan)

Talent Grade: S

Mastered Techniques:

Sage Mode

Sharingan (Illusion)

Sharingan (Insight)

Sharingan (Copy)

Illusion: Jag-Hang Technique

[More expandable]

Realm: First-Level Intermediate

"Huh? Since when did I reach First-Level Intermediate?" Renji blinked.

His spiritual energy had doubled from 100 to 200.

In this world, leveling up was straightforward—battle experience built strength. The more intense and life-threatening the fight, the faster your spiritual energy and realm advanced.

There were two other ways to improve:

Absorbing beast cores (risky and unstable)

Absorbing spirit stones (safe but extremely rare)

Renji's breakthrough was pure combat experience—a high-risk, high-reward gamble.

This time, he survived—and his power soared.

With Sage Mode unlocked, Renji was now far stronger than before.

What started as a disaster had turned into his greatest opportunity yet.

His journey was far from over. But now, at least, he had the power to fight back

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