Full Name
Haruno Ren
(春野 レン)
Alias
...
Gender
Male
Age
10
Rank
Genin
Nature
Wind
Parents
Haruno Hideki
Haruno Kazuha
Appearance
At four foot three, it doesn't help that Ren's lean build only makes him seem even smaller than he already is, with a fair complexion that only reinforces his 'bookworm' image as he's most often spotted in Konohagakure's only library. He also looks nothing like his twin sister, Aoi. Rather, he's almost a splitting image of his father, Hideki—especially the messy jet-black hair—except the emerald green eyes he has inherited from his mother, Kazuha. Often seen in dark-colored garbs that reflect his mysterious, quiet nature, though some may say it's a way to keep himself out of sight—and in turn, out of unnecessary troubles. His short height and baby face would contribute to cases of gender crisis, causing him to be mistaken as a girl at times. Not helping when Kazuha used to doll him up in female clothes when the twins were much younger, and he actually looked good in them. (Of course, when Hideki found that out, he's completely unimpressed with his wife's antics.)
Personality
A stoic boy for his age, Ren takes after his father more than mere looks: diligent in his studies and training, efficient in clearing his tasks and getting the work done properly. While Ren has a lot of self-discipline, he's ultimately still a human—a ten-year-old kid—and obviously there are things that can break his cool demeanor. He doesn't like to get involved in situations he perceive as 'bothersome', even less when it's built on stupid impulses. His low tolerance for inconvenience also extends to his habit of calling people by names based on his first impression of them, where he clearly doesn't bother with their real names at all unless he feels truly attached to them (which would probably take years for him to acknowledge the person).
As such, Ren is often seen as aloof and sardonic to the people around him: hard to approach, and one needs to have the quiet patience to break the ice around the secretive young shinobi. Though, if you do manage to get past the invisible barrier he often puts around himself, you'll see a mild-mannered soul with a dry sense of humor. His insightful observations and meticulous analysis are great assets to any team; his thirst for knowledge and limitless curiosity are the main drives pushing the young boy to pick up and learn almost everything he can to add to his arsenal of growing potentials.
However, the above-mentioned is the Ren under normal circumstances: an awkward boy who falters at socializing with people, and a quiet shinobi who is more content with watching the crowd from a distance than being the center of attraction. When he's being pushed to the edge, Ren's apathetic nature becomes more prominent. He has no qualms of negating his emotions in favor of cold logic, going as far as disregarding the feelings of others or sacrificing their well-being if he deems them necessary to achieve the end goal effectively and efficiently. Even when Ren makes an observation about someone, it's hard not to notice the underlying indifference he has towards people from the way he views them as mere study subjects—even if there are no malignant intentions behind them.
Personal History
One would expect that children born after the end of the Great Shinobi War to grow up peacefully in the new era, but that didn't extend to the individual problems within the four walls of the respective clans. Not even minor clans like the Haruno were spared, especially through Ren's eyes.
For one, he was born as a fraternal twin to his childhood nightmare in the form of his younger sister, Aoi. He spent most of his time before his debut at the academy with her, even training hard together under their mother. The twins were quick to learn that Kazuha was no forgiving sensei, sparing to effort to impart the basic of the basics in the Haruno clan: chakra control. To them, it was a means for the family's survival in the village (given their unimpressive chakra pool) and to condition themselves for unforeseen grim situations. This is largely due to their genre of business—trading, from business with the Hatake to even secrets with ANBU—and also how some of the members work for ANBU, partaking dangerous missions that require their hard-wired chakra control expertise while being more expendable than the noble clans.
Ren had given up trying to escape from the clingy Aoi and simply concentrated on his training without much care for the eyes and attention from all around him. By the time he was enrolled into the academy, he already had above-average chakra control for a kid of his age. Beneath his laid-back, disinterested facade, Ren was a closet hard worker, where his efforts were later paid off through his excellent results in the academy ranking. Even so, he continued to ignore the shock—mixed with admiration and jealousy—from his peers at his surprising potential thanks to his natural-born talent, which was further polished with years of hard work. On the surface, most people would think that he was a prick with a standoffish attitude; however, the true reason was to minimize the unnecessary casualties among his schoolmates—the handiwork of Aoi's unreasonable violence.
Of course, Ren didn't completely quarantine people from his sad life. It's still too early to call them 'friends'; rather, just some acquaintances he could hold a conversation or two with. While he would be glad to be separated from Aoi once he's sorted to a genin team, there was another issue: he could no longer enjoy those days of solitude at his own pace, but he'd have to learn to work together with his new team—whether he'd like them or not.
"Go. Away."
—to anyone and everyone who gets too close to him, or disrupts his quiet moments
"Not interested."
—to things that he deems as a waste of his time, or an insult to his intellect
"See no evil,
Hear no evil,
Speak no evil."
—on his attitude
"Silence is gold,
Knowledge is power,
Love is responsibility."
—on his beliefs
Tactician / Strategist
Ren is an intelligent boy wise beyond his young age, but where will his smarts be of use in his road as a ninja of Konohagakure? His general dislike for troublesome situations have propelled him to use his brain to find better solutions to get things done and over with quickly and efficiently. Rather than charging head-first into a fight like most of his hot-blooded peers, he prefers to observe and analyze his surroundings and opponents, then formulate a plan in his mind before he finishes his enemies with quick, decisive strikes to their weak points. This trait is also extremely important to the next bit—or else he'd end up killing his own people by mistake.
Ranged Specialist
It's to no one's surprise that Ren is a shinobi who aces the art of ranged battles. The following traits discussed below are key skills to his repertoire, enabling him to turn typical close-combat weapons into maneuverable projectiles. It also works well with his fighting style and chakra nature, allowing him to perform stealth and sneak attacks with ease, and manipulating the speed and force of his projectiles with Wind Release jutsu.
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Refined Chakra Control
Under the strict tutelage of his mother, Kazuha, Ren counters the downside of his small chakra pool with extremely precise control, allowing him to perform jutsu with maximum efficiency and little to no wastage. It's possible that he's on par with those from the Hyuga clan, but it's difficult to determine given his secretive nature. This trait also gives Ren an edge to resist against generic genjutsu; to a much lesser degree, a crude application of Chakra-Enhanced Strength, which he still can't control well at his current age (as he doesn't specialize in CES like his twin, Aoi).
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Chakra Flow / Chakra Thread Manipulation
While Ren may not have the same mastery in this compared to the aforementioned, you still shouldn't underestimate him. For starters, he can use wind jutsu to further sharpen the projectiles to increase their lethalness. This also forms the basis of other jutsu techniques he employs, which requires the use of Chakra Threads to manipulate the trajectory course of the thrown shuriken or kunai. Besides using chakra threads to throw and control projectiles, he can use the threads as extended arms to grab any weapons around him—or even off his opponents—and maximize the arsenal of projectiles he can get his hands on. However, he still requires more training to be able to fully suppress the threads and make them completely invisible. Alternatively, to conserve his small chakra pool, he may opt to use the metal wires provided in standard ninja tool packs, but they are slower and less versatile in maneuverability compared to chakra threads.
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Ninjutsu
A no-brainer to Ren that he has to excel in this to truly show the full potential of his fighting style and techniques. Although wind may not be the strongest nor fastest elemental nature, he spares no effort to master its use, combining with his outstanding chakra control for maximum utilization with what he's capable of.
(Potential) Jack of All Trades
With Ren's boundless curiosity for the unknown, and the rapid rate he's able to absorb new knowledge and apply them quickly and accurately, there is so much to be desired from the young shinobi to acquire vast amount of techniques and add to his skill repository. With decent guidance, he has the capability to learn just about any jutsu that isn't a kekkei genkai or hiden, expanding his elemental sets beyond those that are common within his clan (excluding clan- or region-specific elemental combinations, obviously). His small physique and (currently) limited chakra pool are the only limitations hindering this potential.
S Rank
-
A Rank
-
B Rank
-
C Rank
Wind Release: Gale Palm
Manipulating Attack Blades
D Rank
Dynamic Entry
Manipulated Shuriken Technique
Temporary Paralysis Technique
E Rank
Academy Techniques
Trivia
- Ren appears to be left-handed, but he's actually ambidextrous.
- Other than reading non-fiction books such as military records and encyclopedias to keep his mind active, he also plays strategic board games such as shogi and Go with his uncle, Naoki.
Behind the Name
Ren (蓮): Japanese for "Lotus". In Eastern flower language, lotus generally symbolizes purity, devotion, and resilience. In Hinduism and Buddhism, it's also related to spiritual enlightenment—including patience, self-awareness, and emptiness from desires.
Tropes
Badass Bookworm: Ren tops the class in the written exams and is a huge nerd for tactical books, but he is also capable of applying his vast knowledge in actual combat quickly and efficiently.
Brainy Brunette: Gender-flipped.
Brilliant, But Lazy: Ren is definitely brilliant—given that he is one of the youngest (the other being Aoi) to graduate from the shinobi academy in his year—but he is never seen showing much enthusiasm in school. He is also often ignored mainly by the
noble clan students because of his
unimposing appearance. Well, he doesn't care enough to work up a
hot-blooded declaration to show them his
hidden badassery, and simply ignores them in return.
