Naruto: Reborn With An AI Chip

Renjiro darted across the rooftops, his footsteps barely making a sound as he raced against time.

Despite pushing himself to full speed, he still arrived thirty minutes late to the training field. From a distance, he could already see Maemon and Meri waiting for him.

Even from afar, Maemon's irritation was plain as day—his face practically carved with impatience. That wasn't surprising. He had always been obsessive about punctuality.

Renjiro picked up his pace, jogging the last stretch before arriving with an awkward smile: "Sorry, sorry—I'm late." He said, trying to lighten the mood.

"You're way too late…" Maemon snapped, his voice laced with annoyance. He shot Renjiro a cold, cutting glare—but then abruptly paused as his eyes locked onto Renjiro's outfit.

"You… You bastard… Don't tell me…" Maemon's voice faltered, his eyes widening in disbelief.

He knew Renjiro wasn't the type to wear a Chūnin uniform just for fun. If he was actually wearing it, then the meaning was clear.

"C-Chunin…?" Meri gasped softly. Her lips parted slightly, her round, glistening eyes blinking with surprise as she struggled to process what she was seeing.

Renjiro scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin: "Yeah… just like you guessed—I got promoted. I'm officially a Chūnin now."

"Holy hell!" Maemon blurted out, eyes wide with disbelief. He rushed forward and, without warning, grabbed Renjiro by the cheeks, squishing them in frustration: "You've got to be kidding me! How the hell did you get promoted and not me, huh? This is bullshit, you smug little bastard!"

Renjiro slapped his hands away and straightened up with mock arrogance: "Smug? Please. Only someone like Renjiro Takane could make Chūnin this fast." He crossed his arms, smirking: "Know your place, Genin Maemon."

"Tch! You little bastard." Maemon's face fell. Being reminded of his still-Genin status hit him hard. He slunk off to the side and began sulking, drawing sad circles on the ground with a stick.

Meri finally recovered from her surprise and clapped her hands together cheerfully: "Congratulations, Renjiro! Getting promoted to Chunin the same year you graduated… That breaks the record for fastest promotion ever!"

Renjiro paused for a moment, then thoughtfully placed a hand on his chin: "Now that I think about it… she's probably right."

As he sifted through his memories, only one person came to mind who had accomplished something similar—graduating from the Academy, becoming a Genin, and then being promoted to Chunin all within the same year: Nara Shikamaru, in the original timeline.

Still, that comparison didn't mean much.

Being promoted at thirteen was already considered a bit late by prodigy standards. Shikamaru had made Chunin at twelve—still relatively young—but more notably, he was the only Genin from his class to be promoted after the first Chunin Exams that year.

Despite losing his match against Temari, the village higher ups had recognized his strategic brilliance and natural leadership—traits that Hiruzen seemed to see reflected in Renjiro as well.

In fact, when it came to leadership potential, Renjiro's aptitude arguably surpassed even Shikamaru's. After all, the Third Hokage had personally appointed him as a team leader—something even Kakashi hadn't achieved at that age.

Yet in terms of sheer speed and record-breaking progression, no one came close to Hatake Kakashi.

He was in a league of his own.

Kakashi had graduated from the Academy at age five, became a Chunin at six, and reached Jonin by thirteen. Across the entire history of Konoha, no one had matched that meteoric rise.

During wartime, most ninja graduated from the Academy around age eleven or twelve—whether they were ready or not often didn't matter.

Talent usually revealed itself soon after; those with promise typically reached Chunin within three or four years. Those without it... didn't survive long enough to worry about promotion.

Even Might Guy—the fiery Taijutsu fanatic—had graduated at seven, became a Chunin by eleven, and was promoted to Special Jonin at fifteen.

A true genius in his own right—at least when it came to Taijutsu. But because his brilliance was limited to a single domain, he never drew the same kind of attention as all-rounded prodigies like Kakashi or Shisui.

So really… being promoted at fourteen wasn't anything special in Renjiro's opinion. It only seemed impressive because he had just graduated—and already made Chunin. The timing made the difference. And more importantly, he was the first from his class to earn the promotion.

Not to mention, Renjiro was already a year behind his peers. He had graduated at thirteen, while most of his classmates had done so at twelve. His seemingly "outstanding" record was, in truth, a bit of a technicality.

His rapid rise had only begun on the battlefield—before that, he had been painfully ordinary, easily overlooked, and far from exceptional.

As for Maemon and Meri—though they were also thirteen—their timelines told a different story.

Maemon had intentionally repeated two years at the Academy for personal reasons he never fully explained, while Meri had delayed her graduation to devote herself to mastering her family's sword style.

---

Once the initial shock wore off, Maemon adjusted his glasses and raised a brow, his voice thick with sarcasm: "So, Chunin Renjiro Takane… mind telling us why you gathered us here today? You're not just here to gloat—or say goodbye—are you?"

It was a fair concern. Now that Renjiro had been promoted, there was a chance he'd be reassigned to a different unit, leaving them behind.

Meri visibly stiffened at the thought. Her expression darkened with concern, brows knitting as worry flickered in her eyes. She didn't want him to go—not after everything they'd been through together.

Renjiro chose to ignore Maemon's jealous barb. He rubbed his nose sheepishly and cleared his throat: "Actually, I'm not the one who called this gathering. I was sent here… to deliver a new assignment—directly from Hokage-sama."

Maemon's smirk dropped. Meri straightened. That name alone snapped them both to attention.

"A direct order from Hokage-sama?" Maemon echoed, his tone suddenly turned serious.

Renjiro nodded and exhaled slowly: "Yeah. And… it's not just the promotion. I've also been appointed as our team's new squad leader."

"..."

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then came the chorus, perfectly in sync: "Wait—what?!"

Not just promoted—but made their team leader?!

It took Maemon a long moment to recover before he finally managed to say: "You're… not joking, right?"

"Nope." Renjiro replied calmly, with his hands in his pockets: "This is as real as it gets."

"You actually mean it?" Maemon still looked like he was struggling to believe it.

"I'm officially the squad leader. If you don't believe me, you're welcome to ask Hokage-sama yourself." Renjiro said, with a confident smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

Maemon slapped a hand to his forehead and groaned dramatically: "Goodbye, bright future… My path to glory just got nuked."

Renjiro narrowed his eyes and said in a helpless voice: "Hey, don't make it sound like this is some kind of tragedy."

"Isn't it?" Maemon shot back, deadpan.

Renjiro folded his arms and puffed out his chest: "Absolutely not! With me as your squad leader, you should be honored."

"Yeah, screw off." Maemon snorted: "I'd rather go back to the Academy."

"You little punk! You dare insult your captain?!" Renjiro lunged forward in mock outrage.

"Captain my ass!" Maemon shouted, giving him the middle finger.

"Take this!" Renjiro shouted, pouncing like a tiger.

"Bring it on!" Maemon yelled back, rolling out of the way.

The two broke into a full-blown play-fight, chasing each other around the training field like a pair of overgrown kids, laughter echoing between mock attacks and exaggerated moves.

Meri watched from the side, seated on a smooth stone. A soft smile lit up her face as a gentle breeze stirred her hair. The sun filtered through the trees, casting dancing shadows across the field—painting the moment with quiet joy and a sense of peace.

---

Eventually, the two wore themselves out and collapsed side by side on the grass, panting and laughing. Their mock battle ended as the wind settled.

Renjiro was just starting to relax, ready to doze off beneath the afternoon sun, when a sudden realization struck him upright.

"Arkain, what time is it?" He asked inwardly.

[Current time: 3:09 p.m.]

"Three-oh-nine?" Renjiro muttered, blinking at the sky: "It's already that late?"

In one fluid motion, he sprang to his feet and began scanning the area with sharp eyes.

Still lying on the ground, Maemon tilted his head curiously: "What's up? You looking for something?"

Renjiro scratched his head, a sheepish look on his face: "Right… I nearly forgot. Hokage-sama didn't just promote me to squad leader—he also assigned someone new to our team to fill my old spot. But they were supposed to meet us here… and they're late."

He let out a sigh, silently cursing himself for getting so caught up teasing Maemon that he'd completely forgotten the new team member was even coming.

"Wait—a new member?" Meri had walked over, her eyes narrowed with interest.

Renjiro nodded: "Yeah. Since I'm no longer just a teammate, we're short one member. The Hokage said someone would be joining us today. We were supposed to meet him—or her—at 2 p.m."

Maemon sat up and frowned: "But it's way past that…"

"Yeah…" Renjiro glanced around, puzzled: "Where the hell is the new guy?"

"Aruuunnngh~"

A lazy, yawning voice suddenly echoed from the edge of the forest.

All three snapped to attention, instinctively shifting into combat-ready stances.

"Who's there?!" Renjiro called out sharply.

"Whoa, whoa! Chill out, will you?"

A tall figure stepped casually out from between the trees at the far end of the training field.

He wore standard shinobi gear, but his posture was relaxed to the point of careless. Red war paint streaked both cheeks, and sauntering beside him was a massive, brown, bull-headed dog—its muscles rippling beneath its fur, and jaws wide enough to crush a man's thigh in one bite.

---

Author's Note:

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