Ren guessed that since Orochimaru had shown him that scroll so casually, the man probably possessed other updated versions as well—different sections corresponding to the missing limbs and organs required to complete the Nerve Activation Technique.
The problem was obvious.
Getting those materials from Orochimaru would be incredibly difficult.
And even if Ren somehow managed it, the technique in Orochimaru's hands was probably still incomplete anyway. Unless the snake sannin personally continued the research all the way to its final stage and then decided to share it without holding anything back…
Which was the sort of treatment Orochimaru would probably reserve for someone like Sasuke in the future—not for Ren.
Ren rubbed his forehead and let out a long breath.
"…Forget it. I'll think it through myself first and ask Lady Tsunade later."
There was no need to panic.
In any case, it would take time to raise the incomplete technique's favorability to the current cap of twenty-five. Since that was the case, he might as well focus on unlocking the first-stage traits before worrying about the rest.
That was the most practical path.
After making up his mind, Ren carefully rolled up the dark green scroll and returned it to its place on the shelf. Then he looked around one last time at the silent underground archive—at the towering shelves, the sealed rooms, the hidden barriers, and the countless secrets buried beneath Konoha's surface.
This place held far more than knowledge.
It held ambition.
Madness.
And dangers that could swallow people whole if they reached too deeply.
Ren turned and left.
---
When he emerged above ground, the world felt completely different.
It was noon.
The sun blazed high over Konoha, pouring harsh summer light across the village rooftops. The training ground on the southern side of the village shimmered in the heat, dust rising in faint waves from the earth.
Then came the sound.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The rapid collision of metal echoed across the open field like a rainstorm of steel.
At the center of the training ground, two figures blurred through the air.
One was a streak of white, darting in and out of vision with startling speed. The other stood like a golden axis in the middle of the storm, calm and unmoving despite the frenzy around him.
The white figure was Ren.
The golden figure was Minato Namikaze.
Ren had activated the Instant Hell Shadow Kill Formation, and now his body seemed to flicker from angle to angle, each movement sharp, sudden, and merciless. His short blade cut through the air again and again, launching relentless ambushes from blind spots—slashes from the flank, reverse strikes from behind, low cuts aimed at the ribs, sudden thrusts toward the throat.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The blade screamed through the air.
After more than a month of special training, Ren's growth was obvious. His stamina had improved. His explosive power had improved. His speed, his balance, even his ability to adjust his center of gravity during rapid movement had all risen to a new level.
At his current level, Ren could already deliver three to four strikes per second while maintaining the deceptive footwork needed to create openings. By flashing from impossible angles and attacking immediately with ruthless precision, he could overwhelm most ordinary opponents before they even had a chance to react.
If the people standing in front of him right now were Obito or Rin, Ren was confident they wouldn't last ten seconds.
But Minato was different.
From beginning to end, Minato remained composed.
He held only a single kunai, yet every one of Ren's attacks was stopped cleanly. His feet moved in tiny, economical steps, never straying beyond a narrow area no more than three square meters wide. It looked simple, almost casual—but that simplicity hid something terrifying.
Perfect judgment.
Perfect timing.
Perfect reactions.
Even while blocking Ren's storm of attacks, Minato still had the spare attention to speak.
"Ren!"
His voice was clear and steady, cutting through the metallic ringing without any strain.
"Your Instant Hell Shadow Kill Formation has improved a lot!"
Another strike came. Another clean block.
Clang!
"But it still isn't enough."
Ren's blade flashed toward Minato's left shoulder.
Minato tilted slightly and knocked it away.
"For average opponents, this style is more than enough to tear apart their defense in a short exchange."
Ren vanished to the side and reappeared behind him.
A downward slash.
Blocked again.
"But if you face an enemy with fast enough reactions—or someone who uses ninjutsu to reinforce their body—then as long as they can endure your first wave…"
Minato's eyes sharpened.
"…they'll catch the opening in your rhythm and counterattack."
The moment the words left his mouth, a particularly crisp sound rang out.
Ding!
Minato suddenly twisted his wrist and used his kunai to deflect a strike Ren had launched from directly behind his blind spot. The force of the parry sent numbness shooting through Ren's hand.
Before Ren could recover, Minato disappeared with a burst of speed.
A heartbeat later, he was already behind him.
The blunt end of the kunai touched the back of Ren's neck.
"Just like this."
Ren froze.
Then he gave a helpless smile and dispersed the momentum of his stance.
Minato stepped back, lowering the kunai.
"I have a technique called Spiraling Flash Super Round Dance Howl Stage Three," he said. "Its concept is somewhat similar to your Instant Hell Shadow Kill Formation. Both rely on high-speed movement and precision strikes to produce a layered, multi-hit effect."
Ren listened attentively.
Minato continued, his tone calm but serious.
"But techniques like this are most effective when you're surrounded, or when you need to rapidly thin out a group of enemies."
He raised the kunai slightly as if illustrating an invisible battlefield.
"Once your opponent is strong enough to withstand the initial assault, too much movement starts working against you. The more often you shift positions, the more chances you create for them to read your pattern."
Ren's expression grew thoughtful.
Minato nodded faintly, seeing that he understood.
"So when that happens, you need to change your approach. Stop thinking only about speed. Look for weakness. Force a flaw. Then close in at the right moment and finish the fight with a decisive strike."
He paused, and a hint of praise appeared in his expression.
"That attack you used against the scar-faced chunin during the Land of Tea mission—that was a very good move."
Ren's eyes flickered.
Minato smiled faintly.
"That should be some kind of explosive secret technique, right? Without prior information, even some jonin would struggle to deal with it."
"…That's true."
Ren nodded and deactivated the Phantom Stage completely.
Minato's advice was extremely precise.
As someone who had mastered the Flying Thunder God, Minato understood high-speed combat at a level very few people in the entire ninja world could match. If he said there was a weakness in the Instant Hell Shadow Kill Formation, then there was no point denying it.
The technique was incredible for mowing down weaker enemies. In battles against ordinary shinobi, its burst speed and sudden attack angles were practically unfair.
But high-level fights were different.
Even if there weren't many people with Minato's absurd reflexes, shinobi at jonin level and above usually had a few methods for dealing with close-range assassination.
Earth Release hardening techniques.
Substitution and clone techniques.
Genjutsu traps.
Instant body flicker counters.
And in the future, there would be monsters like the Raikage's side with their Lightning Release Chakra Mode, where brute speed and reinforced defense turned them into walking nightmares.
Against opponents like that, the pure Instant Hell Formation lacked killing power.
If Ren wanted it to remain dangerous in high-end combat, he needed more than speed.
He needed stacked lethality.
He needed a stronger finisher.
Something like the Sonic Blade, or a way to combine his swordsmanship with ninjutsu or other support systems.
That was exactly why Minato himself had gradually moved away from ordinary ninjutsu and begun developing techniques like the Rasengan, along with close-range combat styles strengthened by Wind Release.
Ren fell silent for a moment, sorting through his thoughts.
Then something clicked.
"By the way, Minato-sensei…"
Minato looked over. "Hm?"
Ren lowered his practice blade slightly.
"I heard you're very skilled in sealing techniques?"
Minato smiled modestly. "I know a little."
A little, Ren thought, was a wildly humble way to describe it.
Still, he didn't call him out.
"What are you thinking about?"
Ren organized the idea in his head before speaking.
"I was wondering… what if I engraved a sealing formula onto the blade?"
Minato's eyes sharpened with interest.
Ren continued, speaking faster as the thought took shape.
"If the weapon could trigger a seal the moment it hit the opponent, then maybe it could instantly interfere with their chakra flow—or directly restrict their movement."
He raised the blade and imagined the sequence in real time.
"Even if the effect only lasted for a moment, that moment might be enough to turn the Instant Hell Formation from a harassment technique into a real killing move."
Minato didn't interrupt.
Encouraged, Ren went further.
"And if I take it one step beyond that…"
His voice grew more serious.
"I could apply toxins or anesthetics to the blade as well. A sealing formula, poison, and sword wounds all working together—three layers of weakening. Even against a jonin, as long as I create a fraction-of-a-second opening, a one-hit kill might not be impossible."
For a second, the training ground fell silent.
Then Minato raised a brow.
After thinking it through, he slowly nodded.
"…Theoretically, what you described is possible."
Ren's eyes lit up slightly.
Minato went on, "There are indeed sealing techniques that can produce similar effects. For example, the Binding Seal Technique, the Finger Carving Seal, and even some more advanced curse-related sealing methods."
He twirled the kunai lightly between his fingers.
"If the formula is correct, and if it activates properly on contact, then yes—you could interfere with chakra or momentarily restrict movement."
Ren immediately caught the most important part.
"If the formula is correct?"
Minato gave him a helpless smile.
"That's the hard part."
He crouched slightly and drew a few abstract lines in the dirt with the tip of his kunai, as though sketching the invisible logic of a seal.
"Engraving a functional sealing formula onto a ninja tool is not the same as writing on paper. The formula has to remain stable. It has to endure motion, impact, chakra disruption, blood, environmental interference, and the weapon's own material limitations."
He stood up again.
"And if you want it to trigger in real time during combat, the required mastery is even higher. Most people simply can't do it."
Ren clicked his tongue inwardly.
So the idea was valid.
But the technical threshold was brutal.
Just as he was wondering whether he would have to shelve the concept for now, Minato's expression softened.
"But…"
Ren looked up immediately.
"If it's Kushina," Minato said, "then it definitely won't be a problem."
Ren blinked.
Minato nodded with confidence now.
"My Flying Thunder God kunai were made with her help."
For half a second, Ren stared at him.
Then his mouth curved.
"Oh?"
Minato already sensed danger.
"You mean… Shimu?"
Minato nearly choked on air.
"Ahem—cough, cough—don't say nonsense!"
His usually graceful composure cracked in an instant as he waved both hands in denial, looking unusually flustered.
"She isn't—well, not yet—I mean…"
Ren looked at him with an innocent face that was far too innocent to be real.
Minato coughed several more times before barely regaining control of himself.
His ears looked just a little red.
After straightening his expression, he returned to the topic with forced seriousness.
"Anyway. I'll help you ask Kushina about it."
Ren wisely chose not to tease him any further.
Minato pointed at the short sword in Ren's hand.
"However, that blade was borrowed from Kakashi, wasn't it?"
Ren nodded.
"In that case, if you plan to engrave sealing formulas onto it, you should ask the owner's permission first. Don't decide on your own."
"That makes sense."
"And one more thing," Minato added. "Even if someone else helps engrave the formula, that doesn't mean the weapon will automatically work perfectly for you."
Ren listened carefully.
"You still need to understand sealing techniques yourself. At least enough to know how the formula functions, how chakra is guided through it, and how activation conditions affect performance. Otherwise, even a good seal won't feel natural in your hands."
That, Ren understood immediately.
A weapon was never just a tool.
If he wanted to use it at high speed, under combat pressure, in conjunction with assassination movement and burst attacks, then he needed to understand every part of it—not just trust someone else's craftsmanship blindly.
Minato smiled.
"How about this?"
"I'll bring you two books later. Take them home and read them first."
Ren's expression brightened.
"And after that," Minato continued, "I'll try teaching you sealing techniques properly. Then we can see whether you actually have talent in this field."
For a moment, Ren simply stared at him.
Then a grin spread across his face.
This trip to the archive had given him one problem after another—an incomplete conquest target, missing body parts he had to "assemble" himself, and an Orochimaru-shaped threat hanging over everything.
But now?
A new path had just opened in front of him.
If swordsmanship alone lacked enough killing power, then he would make the blade smarter.
If speed alone couldn't decide high-level battles, then he would add seals, poison, and control effects until every hit became fatal.
And if he really did have talent in sealing techniques…
Then the future possibilities were enormous.
Ren tightened his grip on the blade and looked down at the faint scratches already etched into its surface from training.
A sword that cut flesh.
A seal that blocked chakra.
A toxin that weakened the body.
Three layers in one strike.
Just imagining it made his blood stir.
Maybe this was it.
Maybe this was the next step he had been looking for.
He raised his head and looked at Minato.
"Minato-sensei," he said seriously, "I want to learn."
Minato smiled.
That warm, sunny smile of his seemed completely out of place in a world of hidden dangers and bloodstained battlefields.
But perhaps that was exactly why it felt so reliable.
"Good," Minato said. "Then let's start from the basics."
The wind swept across the training ground, carrying away the last sharp echoes of steel.
Under the blazing noon sun, teacher and student stood facing each other—one already a genius shining at the peak of Konoha's younger generation, the other still growing step by step, gathering every possible weapon for the battles ahead.
And somewhere in Ren's mind, another thought quietly settled into place.
Orochimaru's incomplete technique.
Tsunade's warning.
Minato's guidance.
Kushina's possible help.
The road ahead was becoming more complicated.
But it was also becoming clearer.
He didn't need to walk only one path.
If ninjutsu, swordsmanship, medical theory, and sealing techniques could all be woven together—then one day, he might create something entirely his own.
Something fast enough to appear like a phantom.
Something precise enough to strike like lightning.
And something deadly enough that even a jonin would fear giving him a single opening.
For the first time that day, Ren felt a genuine sense of anticipation.
The next stage of his growth—
Had begun.