Chapter 16 – The Birth of a Sword Demon
Ren collapsed onto his bed the moment he returned home, arms spread wide as he stared at the ceiling. The date had been fun—more than fun—but utterly exhausting.
"Sigh… taking girls shopping is really tiresome," he muttered dramatically.
A familiar chime echoed in his mind.
{Ding! Host, you still haven't used your 3rd Talent Draw.}
Ren blinked and sat up halfway. "I've been busy, okay? Between that madman Obito, Danzo's schemes, creating new seals, and modifying Konoha's barrier, I haven't exactly had free time."
He rubbed his temples and sighed. "Fine. Do it. I already have the talent to reach Six Paths level, so even if it's trash—"
He froze.
{Congratulations! You have obtained:}
{Yoriichi Tsugikuni's Swordsmanship Talent}
Ren's pupils trembled.
"No… freaking… way."
For a long second, he simply stared at the notification, his mind blank. Then he exploded internally.
"HELL YES!"
Yoriichi Tsugikuni—the absolute peak of swordsmanship. The strongest being in the Demon Slayer world. Ren understood one crucial truth: Yoriichi's limits were never his own. They were the limits of his world's power scale.
"If Yoriichi had been born in Naruto… One Piece… Bleach…" Ren whispered, grinning wildly. "He would've been unstoppable."
He clenched his fist. "System, integrate the talent."
{Integration processing…}
A strange heaviness overtook him.
{Integration processing…}
{Integration processing…}
His vision blurred, and he fell into deep sleep.
---
Ren woke at dawn, sunlight filtering through the curtains. He stretched slowly, feeling… different.
It wasn't raw power. It wasn't chakra expansion. It was something deeper—something refined.
After washing up, he made his way to the Senju compound's private training grounds. The morning air was crisp, dew still clinging to the grass.
He reached for a wooden training sword.
The moment his fingers wrapped around the hilt, the world changed.
Ren inhaled sharply.
The sword no longer felt foreign in his grip. It felt like an extension of his arm, as natural as breathing. He swung once—then frowned slightly.
The angle was off.
Without thinking, he corrected the motion instinctively. The blade cut through the air with a perfect arc.
He paused.
"I see…"
For the next hour, he moved through strikes and forms he had never consciously learned. His body adjusted stances, refined footwork, eliminated inefficiencies. Every wasted motion vanished.
When he finally stopped, sweat clung to his skin, but his breathing was calm.
Ren grinned.
He dashed toward Tsunade's quarters and burst through the door.
"Hey, big sis! Can you get that lazy guy Kakashi and the ANBU girl—Konoha's best swordswoman?"
Tsunade looked up from her stretch, one brow arching. "Why?"
"I want to train my swordsmanship," Ren replied honestly.
She studied him for a moment, sensing something different in his posture. Then she shrugged. "Fine."
He grinned and hugged her, planting a quick kiss on her cheek. "Thanks!"
Throughout breakfast, Tsunade wore a faint smile.
Shizune leaned closer to Ren and whispered, "What happened to her?"
Ren explained about the wanting to learn Swordsmanship in brief. Shizune blinked, then nodded slowly. "So now you're adding sword mastery to your insanity."
"Basically," Ren said proudly.
---
Tsunade later strode toward the Hokage Tower to summon Kakashi Hatake and Yugao Uzuki.
Kakashi attempted to disappear the moment he sensed her chakra.
"You," Tsunade's voice rang lazily but dangerously, "are coming with me."
Kakashi appeared upside down from a branch. "Ah… Lady Tsunade. I have very important reading to—"
She cracked her knuckles.
He sighed. "I see. My fate is sealed."
Yugao appeared in a swirl of leaves. "You summoned me, Lady Tsunade?"
"Yes. Ren wants sword training."
Kakashi groaned. "Sigh… Yugao could train him. Why do I have to be here?"
"Because," Tsunade smirked, "you're durable Traning dummy."
---
Back at the Senju compound, Ren stood waiting.
"Yo, smut-reading guy—your kidney still ali—"
Kakashi lunged to cover his mouth. "Don't say that out loud!"
Ren slipped past him effortlessly and appeared beside Tsunade.
Kakashi blinked.
How?
Before he could process it, Ren vanished.
A wooden sword rested against Kakashi's neck.
Silence.
Yugao's eyes widened slightly. Shizune gasped. Tsunade's lips curled upward.
Kakashi's visible eye sharpened. "FTG…?"
Ren smirked. "So, ready to have a sword fight, Mr. Pervert?"
Kakashi sighed and grabbed a wooden blade from the rack. His posture shifted instantly, lazy demeanor evaporating.
"That brat learned Flying Thunder God at eleven," he thought. "Even Minato-sensei needed years…"
He attacked first, flowing into Hatake-style kenjutsu. His strikes were sharp and efficient, each angle designed to pressure and test.
Ren began defensively, reading patterns through instinct alone. His Six Eyes activated briefly—then he deactivated them.
"No crutches," he muttered.
Within minutes, he began identifying flaws purely through movement perception. Yoriichi's talent guided his body, not his chakra vision.
He parried. Slipped. Countered.
Wooden blades clashed again and again, echoing across the compound.
Five minutes passed.
Ten.
Kakashi's eye widened slightly.
"He's… matching me?"
Yugao exhaled softly. "Monster."
After a short break, Yugao stepped forward.
"My turn."
Her Konoha-style swordsmanship was sharper, more disciplined. She was better than Kakashi in pure blade combat.
Ren smiled.
This time, he completely deactivated his Six Eyes and fought purely through instinct and skill.
The duel intensified.
Their swords moved faster, cleaner. Each exchange forced adaptation. Yugao's normally calm expression shifted into something fierce—battle joy.
She hadn't had someone push her in pure swordsmanship in years.
Kakashi watched, mouth twitching.
Their smiles—full of battle lust—reminded him of a certain green-clad man constantly challenging him.
"Gai would love this," he muttered darkly.
Tsunade observed silently.
"He's not just copying," she thought. "He's evolving mid-fight."
Ren's footwork adjusted to Yugao's rhythm. His counters became sharper, more precise. Every clash refined him further.
After nearly half an hour, they separated.
Yugao lowered her blade, breathing steady but eyes shining. "You… are terrifying."
Ren grinned. "That was fun."
Tsunade turned away thoughtfully.
"It's time," she decided.
---
She vanished in a Body Flicker and appeared inside the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up from his paperwork. "Tsunade."
"I'm taking my granduncle's sword."
The two advisers stiffened immediately.
"That artifact is under village protection," Homura snapped.
Koharu nodded. "It requires approval."
Tsunade's eyes darkened.
"You old bastard," she said flatly to Hiruzen, "that's my granduncle's sword. Not yours."
The temperature in the room dropped.
"Why would I need your permission to retrieve my clan's heirloom?"
Hiruzen exhaled smoke slowly. "Tsunade, it is also a historical weapon of Konoha."
"And Ren," she replied sharply, "is the heir of the Senju. Or did you forget who built this village?"
The advisers bristled.
"You cannot simply walk in and—"
The floor cracked under Tsunade's heel.
"I can," she said coldly. "And I will."
Hiruzen studied her expression carefully. Then he sighed.
"…Very well."
The advisers protested, but he raised a hand.
"If Ren can truly wield it," Hiruzen said quietly, "then perhaps it belongs in his hands."
Tsunade smirked.
"Good choice."
As she turned to leave, she added over her shoulder, "Next time, don't pretend Senju relics are village property."
The door shut behind her.
And somewhere in the Senju compound, a future Sword Demon waited for the blade of the Second Hokage.