Three months passed.
Winter quietly gave way to spring.
The abandoned Kensei Estate no longer felt abandoned.
Every morning...
Before the first rays of sunlight touched the village...
The sound of steel echoed through the old dojo.
Shing!
Shing!
Shing!
Ryuu's katana cut through the air with clean, disciplined movements.
Each slash flowed naturally into the next.
His breathing remained calm.
His footing never wavered.
Nearby...
His mother observed in silence.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"The Sword Sense has become part of your instincts."
Ryuu slowly sheathed the katana.
Click.
"It still isn't enough."
His mother nodded approvingly.
"A true swordsman is never satisfied."
"But remember..."
"Never confuse humility with self-doubt."
Ryuu bowed.
"I'll remember that."
Mission: The Way of the Sword
Progress: 4,286 / 5,000 Perfect Swings
Only a few hundred swings remained.
Yet Ryuu felt no excitement.
He simply continued training as he always had.
One swing.
One improvement.
That was enough.
...
After breakfast...
His mother led him deeper into the Kensei Library.
Unlike the main reading room...
This section had remained locked until today.
She unlocked an old wooden cabinet.
Inside were dozens of scrolls marked with different symbols.
A flame.
A wave.
A gust of wind.
A mountain.
A bolt of lightning.
Ryuu immediately recognized them.
"The five basic chakra natures."
His mother nodded.
"Every shinobi has a natural affinity."
"Some possess one."
"A rare few possess two."
"And an exceptionally gifted individual may be born with three."
Ryuu's heartbeat quickened.
He already knew the answer.
But Ryuu Kensei...
Did not.
His mother retrieved three small pieces of special paper.
"This is chakra paper."
"It reacts to your chakra nature."
She handed him the first sheet.
"Channel a small amount of chakra into it."
Ryuu obeyed.
A gentle stream of purple chakra flowed from his fingertips.
The paper instantly split cleanly into two.
His mother smiled.
"Wind."
She handed him the second sheet.
This time...
The paper crackled violently before wrinkling and darkening around the edges.
"Lightning."
Ryuu took a slow breath.
One more.
He infused chakra into the third sheet.
The paper gradually became damp.
Tiny droplets of water formed across its surface.
His mother stared silently.
"...Water."
The room fell quiet.
Ryuu looked at the three transformed sheets.
"Wind..."
"Lightning..."
"And Water."
His mother slowly sat down.
"Incredible..."
Ryuu blinked.
"Is it really that unusual?"
She gave a bitter smile.
"Most shinobi spend their entire lives mastering a single chakra nature."
"Two affinities are already considered a blessing."
"But three..."
She looked at him with pride.
"I've never seen anyone with three natural affinities."
Ryuu lowered his gaze.
"So these are my elemental affinities..."
His mother nodded.
"The Kensei Clan has always produced swordsmen with exceptional chakra control."
"But your talent..."
"...surpasses even our ancestors."
Ryuu remained silent.
He refused to let those words inflate his ego.
Talent meant nothing without effort.
That was something both his previous life and this one had taught him.
...
His mother carefully rolled up the scrolls.
"Don't misunderstand."
"Having an affinity doesn't mean you can use elemental ninjutsu."
"It only means learning those elements will be easier."
Ryuu nodded.
"I still have to train."
"Exactly."
She smiled.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
She placed the three elemental scrolls before him.
"From today onward..."
"You'll begin learning the theory behind your three chakra natures."
"No techniques."
"No hand seals."
"Only understanding."
Ryuu tilted his head.
"Again with the foundation."
His mother laughed.
"And once again..."
"I'm glad you noticed."
...
The rest of the afternoon passed in study.
Wind.
The sharpness of movement.
The freedom to flow.
Lightning.
Explosive speed.
Instantaneous power.
Water.
Adaptability.
Patience.
Continuous flow.
Ryuu carefully memorized every principle.
Not because the system demanded it.
But because he genuinely wished to understand them.
As the sun began to set...
His mother closed the final scroll.
"There is one more thing."
Ryuu looked up.
"The Kensei Clan's sword arts are divided according to the five basic chakra natures."
"But..."
She smiled mysteriously.
"That lesson will have to wait until you're ready."
Ryuu's eyes lit up.
Sword techniques.
His first true glimpse into the clan's legacy.
He couldn't help but feel excited.
...
That evening...
Ryuu returned to the dojo.
The plain black katana rested in his hands.
He slowly infused a thread of purple chakra into the blade.
Then...
He imagined the feeling of wind.
Nothing happened.
He imagined lightning.
Still nothing.
Finally...
He pictured the calm flow of water.
The chakra flickered before dispersing.
Ryuu chuckled.
"So it's not that easy."
He sheathed the katana.
"Good."
"If it were easy..."
"It wouldn't be worth learning."
The familiar system window appeared.
New Information Recorded
Elemental Affinities Confirmed
- Wind
- Lightning
- Water
Recommendation:
Develop a solid foundation before attempting elemental manipulation.
Ryuu smiled.
"For once..."
"I completely agree with you."
The system disappeared.
Outside...
The moon rose above the quiet Kensei Estate.
Beneath its gentle light...
The last heir of the Kensei Clan continued to walk the endless path of the sword.
Step by step.
Swing by swing.
Without realizing it...
He was already forging the future legend that history would one day remember as...
The Dragon Sword Saint of Konoha.
End of Chapter 15