Chapter 13: Mifune's Kenjutsu Scroll
"What exactly does the Vortex Elixir do? Is it related to the Uzumaki clan's unique physiology? …Oh, and what about this Random Kenjutsu/Ninjutsu Scroll—explain both while you're at it."
Unlike the Shikotsumyaku that had directly fused into his body upon acquisition, this time Minamoto Ren received two external items. That meant he had to consult the system for answers.
[The Uzumaki clan possesses unique physical traits: red hair, exceptional vitality, and enormous chakra reserves. Their bodies are so resilient that others can bite them to heal injuries. The Vortex Elixir provides a temporary surge in vitality and chakra. It is a top-tier formula developed by Orochimaru in the future.]
Ren's eyes lit up at the explanation—this was exactly what he needed!
His greatest bottleneck right now wasn't technique or combat instinct—it was chakra reserves. The Shikotsumyaku didn't consume much chakra, but his overall pool hadn't even reached the level of an average chunin, which severely restricted his combat sustainability.
Without hesitation, he popped open the vial and downed the contents in one go.
An icy rush spread through his body like drinking ice-cold soda on a sweltering summer day. A chill rippled down his spine, and for a moment, Ren shuddered in delight.
Only now did he truly grasp the gap between elite clan shinobi and ordinary people.
One vial of this stuff, and it felt like his body had entered a new era.
The density of his Shikotsumyaku bone structure had thickened noticeably. The Uzumaki vitality coursing through him also counteracted the natural overdraw that came with using his bloodline limit. That alone defused a hidden ticking time bomb.
But even more importantly—his chakra reserves had skyrocketed. By his estimation, he now had at least one chakra card's worth of power!
His face, originally pale and delicate, was now flush with youthful energy. He even seemed a bit taller and leaner. Not a bad set of side effects—thanks to that Uzumaki vitality boost.
[Random Kenjutsu/Ninjutsu Scroll: You will obtain a legacy technique at random from one of the shinobi world's legendary swordsmen. Unroll the scroll to reveal your inheritance.]
"Why all the mystery?" Ren muttered to himself.
He wasn't a fan of gacha-style rewards. Probably because he had notoriously bad luck—always drawing the minimum guaranteed prize.
Still, he unrolled the ancient brown bamboo-paper scroll.
The first line was written in powerful, deliberate calligraphy:
"For forty years I have roamed the world, sword in hand. Though I have faced countless battles and even tasted defeat, I record here the totality of my swordsmanship. Let it be a guide to future warriors."
As he peered into the scroll, an image materialized—an older samurai with a goatee, clad in bamboo armor and wearing a white headcloth. The man held his blade at the ready, eyes narrowed in fierce focus.
It was Mifune, the legendary samurai of the Land of Iron.
So this must've been his memoir—written after his crushing defeat at the hands of Hanzo the Salamander. Funny how fate kept tying Ren to that particular name.
"I have faced many shinobi and studied their ways. Their strength lies in speed and overwhelming power. To counter them, only Iaijutsu can suffice."
That was the second line—Mifune's distilled insight from decades of combat with shinobi. Ren watched scene after scene unfold—Mifune adapting to different enemy types, gradually perfecting his own sword style.
He had to admit: Iaijutsu was no gimmick.
It served as both a defensive stance and an instant switch to offense—drawing and striking in one seamless motion. Not flashy, but devastating when mastered.
"Only these two techniques remain. Let them be my legacy."
Ren leaned forward. The real meat of the scroll was coming now.
"First: Iaijutsu. A method of immediate response in combat. It demands keen eyesight, extreme patience, and an unguarded opponent. Should the enemy bombard you with ninjutsu—flee."
That line made Ren chuckle. Mifune, for all his samurai pride, clearly knew when to cut his losses. Smart old man.
Still, Iaijutsu had real merit. It was all about compressing your stance—transitioning from passive to lethal in a split second. The technique wasn't mystical, just brutally effective. But it required discipline and long hours of training.
"Second: Yokozuna. A finishing strike in direct battle. It requires a sharp blade, divine speed, and overwhelming force. Nothing more, nothing less."
Now this was the dramatic sword draw you always saw in movies—the quick-draw strike that ended fights in one flash.
It involved subtle techniques: wrist tension, timing, the angle of entry. Things that only came with life-or-death practice.
But thanks to the scroll, Ren didn't need to spend forty years learning. The knowledge had already been inscribed into his memory. He now carried the combat experience of a master swordsman.
At that moment, the characters on the scroll ignited and burned away like dry leaves. In seconds, it was gone—absorbed into him completely.
From a novice in taijutsu to a swordmaster of forty years… all in a single night.
Letting out a deep breath, Ren picked up the ninjatō that once belonged to Yoru Kurayami.
Without thinking, he casually spun the blade, performing a few clean kata.
Apparently, anyone who truly mastered the sword couldn't resist showing off with some flashy flourishes.
His stance shifted slightly—his weight balanced on his back foot, blade held loosely at his side. Ren's eyes locked on a sleeping owl perched quietly in the trees.
Mifune, despite being a samurai, had possessed a small amount of chakra. He used it to enhance speed and durability.
But Ren was no samurai. He was a shinobi—and a devious one at that.
He suddenly released a torrent of chakra through the soles of his feet, chaining together multiple rapid dashes. Shunshin no Jutsu in action.
Mifune's scroll had taught him how to unleash greater power in a strike. Yokozuna was the perfect blend of charge and Iaijutsu precision.
Ren locked onto the owl's most vulnerable muscle group—and swung.
The Three Pillars of Yokozuna: A Good Blade, Blinding Speed, and Raw Power!
All three—skills that a shinobi can absolutely achieve.
A streak of steel shimmered through the moonlit night like flowing water. In the blink of an eye, the startled owl was shredded by the slicing wind—gone without a trace. Along with it, seven or eight tree branches were cleanly severed, scattering into the shadows.
"That was fun! Looks like I finally got lucky with a blind box!"
Minamoto Ren grinned as he sheathed his ninjatō with a satisfied snap.
And it wasn't just a feeling—he had gotten lucky. There were many master swordsmen in the shinobi world, but few whose styles truly suited him.
Take Mifune, for example: a civilian samurai with limited chakra. His Ninpō Scroll didn't provide flashy jutsu or broken techniques, but what it did offer was far more valuable to Ren at this stage—battle-tested insights and swordsmanship experience.
And that was exactly what Ren lacked most: real combat experience against powerful foes.
Now, sure—if he had drawn the Kenjutsu Scroll of someone like Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of Konoha, that would've been incredible too. But Sakumo's style relied on a fusion of taijutsu, ninjutsu, and ninja tools. His blade was just one part of a complete package. Even if Ren had drawn that scroll, it wouldn't have focused on pure swordsmanship insight.
Mifune's scroll, by contrast, was a specialized inheritance—an art form devoted solely to the blade.
For Ren, it was a perfect upgrade.
"Wait… Mifune was in his forties when he wrote that scroll, right? Didn't he live all the way up to the Five Kage Summit? Does that mean I could draw another scroll from his sixties later on?"
Greedy now, Ren couldn't help but wonder. After all, Mifune had later gone on to defeat Edo Tensei Hanzo the Salamander—surely his swordsmanship had reached its pinnacle by then?
The system, of course, didn't respond.
But by its logic, rewards were granted to help Ren shore up his weaknesses. So the moment he became a little hexagon-shaped monster of balanced stats, he'd likely be eligible for more Kenjutsu scrolls.
"Now I can actually hold my own against jonin."
Ren chuckled to himself as he assessed his situation.
Sure, he only knew one ninjutsu technique—and he still wasn't great at the Basic Three Techniques. But swordsmanship alone could elevate someone to jonin status. If nothing else, he could now cosplay as a full-fledged elite.
And it wasn't an exaggeration.
Take Uchiha Shisui, for instance—nicknamed "Shunshin no Shisui." His reputation was built almost entirely on three things: the Sharingan, Fire Style, and the Body Flicker Technique. Those three abilities alone had earned him a place among Konoha's elite Anbu.
If that was enough for Shisui to shine, then Ren—with his newly enhanced kenjutsu and a burst of chakra from the Vortex Elixir—was more than justified in punching above his weight class.
---
Back at the mountain cave, Ren set a thin chakra tripwire across the entrance—just in case.
Then, planting his ninjatō deep into the earth beside him, he sat cross-legged and began to focus on drawing out his chakra.
In just one month, Minamoto Ren had leapt through three layers of identity:
From a nameless, powerless genin...
To the publicly recognized "study companion" of the Senju Clan Prince...
To a shinobi with both name and strength—power made tangible.
Now that he possessed both title and ability, his next goal was clear.
Once he returned to Konoha, he could begin manipulating things in earnest.
And this time—it wouldn't just be for survival.
It would be to rise.
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