The training ground rang with the sharp, unending clash of steel.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Blades flashed like streaks of lightning, slicing through the air in blinding arcs.
Even after their earlier exchange, the residual intensity of the duel lingered heavily in the atmosphere, as if the ground itself still remembered the ferocity of their clash.
Both fighters—
Ren and Shisui Uchiha—
were not even ten years old yet.
Their bodies were still in development, their strength far from its peak.
And yet…
The level of swordsmanship they displayed was already far beyond what their peers could comprehend.
At a glance—
It didn't look like a sparring match between academy students.
It looked like a duel between masters.
"…Amazing…"
Rin Nohara murmured unconsciously.
Her eyes sparkled as she watched, her hands clenched together in front of her chest.
Beside her, Kurenai Yuhi was no better.
Her usually calm expression had softened, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
The elegance of the swordplay.
The rhythm.
The danger wrapped in beauty.
It was mesmerizing.
Even Asuma Sarutobi—who had never cared much for swordsmanship—
was completely captivated.
---
"…Maybe…"
He muttered to himself, eyes locked onto Ren.
"…maybe I should switch paths."
---
Swordsmanship.
Forget whether it was strong or not.
It looked incredible.
Every movement—
Sharp.
Fluid.
Deadly.
The visual impact alone was overwhelming.
---
And then—
A bold idea formed in Asuma's mind.
---
"If Ren can fight like that with a blade over half a meter long…"
"What if I use something even shorter?"
His eyes lit up.
---
"An extra inch of length is an extra inch of strength…"
"But an extra inch of shortness…"
"…is an extra inch of danger!"
---
What if—
He used a blade only twenty centimeters long?
An ultra-short weapon.
Fast.
Unpredictable.
Close-range dominance.
---
Asuma's imagination began to run wild.
He could already picture himself darting through enemies, cutting them down before they even realized what happened.
Cool.
Deadly.
Unique.
---
"…Yeah."
He nodded to himself firmly.
"That's it."
---
"I'll go talk to the old man tonight."
---
If he could get his hands on a chakra metal blade…
Then give it a cool name…
---
Heh.
---
When the time came—
He would shock Ren.
And Kurenai…
---
His gaze unconsciously drifted toward her.
---
"…will definitely look at me differently."
---
A faint grin appeared on his face.
---
Meanwhile—
On the field—
The duel had reached its natural conclusion.
---
After one final exchange—
Clang!!
The two figures separated.
---
Ren and Shisui each took several steps back.
Their breathing was uneven.
Their chests rose and fell as they tried to steady themselves.
Sweat slid down their temples.
---
For a brief moment—
Silence fell over the training ground.
---
Ren exhaled slowly.
Then—
He lowered his blade slightly.
---
"Let's stop here."
---
His tone was calm, but firm.
---
"Call it a draw."
"We'll fight again next time."
---
Inside his mind—
A familiar voice immediately complained.
---
[Hatake Sword Style: Why stop now?]
[Tch… whatever.]
[You're still a beginner. I'll tolerate it this time.]
[Next time we meet that 'Uchiha Style Swordsmanship'…]
[I'll make it lose completely.]
---
Ren's lips twitched slightly.
---
"…Yeah, yeah."
---
He silently responded in his mind with exaggerated sincerity:
---
"Of course."
"How could Uchiha swordsmanship possibly compare to our peerless Hatake style?"
"Among all the sword arts I've seen…"
"I, Ren, recognize you as the strongest."
---
A brief pause.
---
Then—
---
[Hatake Sword Style: Hmph…]
[You've barely seen any sword styles…]
[And who's 'our family'? Don't get familiar.]
[But… at least you have some taste.]
---
[Favorability +2]
---
Ren suppressed a smile.
---
"…That actually worked."
---
On the other side—
Shisui slowly sheathed his blade.
The sharp battle intent in his eyes faded, replaced once again by the gentle, slightly shy demeanor he usually carried.
---
"…As expected of a senior who has already become a Genin."
---
His tone was sincere.
No arrogance.
No resentment.
Only respect.
---
"You had already fought multiple matches before facing me…"
"…and weren't at your peak."
---
He paused.
Then continued:
---
"Yet even so…"
"Your swordsmanship is incredibly profound."
---
A faint gleam appeared in his eyes.
---
"It's almost as if…"
"…you can predict the future."
---
Ren blinked.
---
"…That obvious, huh?"
---
Shisui smiled lightly.
---
"I learned a lot today."
---
Ren nodded.
---
"Same here."
---
He rolled his shoulders, loosening the tension in his muscles.
---
"To reach your level at this age…"
"…that's the truly amazing part."
---
A slight grin appeared.
---
"Let's spar again when we get the chance."
"Exchange more."
"Improve together."
---
Shisui nodded without hesitation.
---
"Alright."
---
Their exchange was simple.
But sincere.
---
Inside Ren's mind—
He was already calculating.
---
The favorability of the Hatake Sword Style had jumped significantly.
Normally—
It only increased by one or two points per day.
Even slower than the Eight Gates.
But faster than some other techniques.
---
Yet after this battle—
It had increased by five points in one go.
---
"…Interesting."
---
Ren's mood improved instantly.
---
"If sparring against other sword styles stimulates it…"
"…then…"
---
A thought formed.
---
"Should I find more sword users?"
---
Konoha Style Swordsmanship.
Secret sword techniques.
Different styles.
Different approaches.
---
If he fought them one by one—
Would that accelerate growth?
---
"…Worth testing."
---
And if he needed help finding suitable opponents—
There was one obvious person.
---
Minato Namikaze.
---
As a Jonin—
Minato would definitely know experts in this field.
Arranging a few sparring sessions shouldn't be difficult.
At worst—
He'd just treat them to a few packs of cigarettes afterward.
---
"…Yeah."
---
"Good plan."
---
For now—
Ren turned his attention back to reality.
---
"Asuma."
He called casually.
"Still want to fight?"
---
Asuma hesitated.
Then shook his head.
---
"…Nah."
---
"You just fought that guy and burned through a ton of stamina."
"I'm not taking advantage of that."
---
He crossed his arms.
---
"Next time."
---
Ren shrugged.
---
"Alright."
---
"Same place, same time."
---
He glanced at Shisui.
---
"You're joining too."
---
Shisui nodded.
---
"I will."
---
---
The encounter with Shisui—
Though intense—
Was ultimately just a brief interlude.
---
After resting for a while—
Ren, Asuma, and the others reviewed their training.
Discussed their mistakes.
Analyzed their movements.
---
Then—
As the sun began to set—
They each headed home.
---
---
The following days settled into a steady rhythm.
---
Every morning—
Ren would run several laps around the village.
Strengthening his body.
Building endurance.
---
After that—
He would head to the hospital.
---
Under the guidance of Tsunade—
He attended medical lectures.
Occasionally—
He even worked as free labor.
Helping treat injured patients.
---
In the afternoons—
He returned to the training ground.
---
Practicing.
Refining.
Improving.
---
Sometimes—
He sparred with Kakashi Hatake.
Other times—
With Shisui.
Or Asuma.
---
In between—
He also completed missions.
---
Several D-rank tasks.
And even—
A C-rank mission.
---
This time—
No unexpected chaos.
No overwhelming enemies.
---
Just a straightforward encounter with hostile ninja—
Quickly resolved.
Clean.
Efficient.
---
Ren didn't know if Obito Uchiha had spoken to Kakashi about the White Fang incident.
But—
Their dynamic hadn't changed much.
---
Still arguing.
Still clashing.
---
Though—
Obito's tone…
…had softened.
Just a little.
---
Meanwhile—
Rin had begun learning new techniques.
---
Water Clone.
Water Release: Chaos Wave.
---
All taught by Ren.
---
And she trained diligently.
---
As for Ren—
His focus remained clear.
---
Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique.
Phoenix Flower Technique.
Hatake Sword Style.
---
Each one—
Progressing steadily.
---
But—
His greatest challenge—
Lay elsewhere.
---
The "Instant Hell Shadow Kill Formation."
---
He had tested it multiple times.
And quickly discovered—
Two major problems.
---
The first—
Chakra consumption.
---
The moment the Phantom Stage activated—
Chakra began draining continuously.
Even standing still—
It would only last eight to ten minutes.
---
And if he used high-consumption techniques—
Like the Great Fireball—
---
"…It drops even faster."
---
At worst—
Shorter than a certain giant's transformation time.
---
Ren sighed.
---
"This is… annoying."
---
But—
Not unsolvable.
---
His body was still developing.
His chakra reserves would grow.
And—
The technique didn't necessarily require ninjutsu.
---
It could be combined with—
Swordsmanship.
---
Which led to the second problem.
---
Reaction speed.
---
As pointed out before by Hiashi Hyuga—
Even if the Three Basic Techniques were perfectly chained—
Ren's neural response still had limits.
---
Substitution Jutsu:
Activation time — 0.2 seconds.
---
In theory—
That meant five actions per second.
---
But in reality—
---
Every reposition required adjustment.
Balance.
Distance judgment.
Recalibration.
---
"…So I can only manage two… maybe three actions per second."
---
In a one-on-one fight—
That was enough.
---
But in a one-versus-many scenario—
Every enemy's position.
Every possible attack angle.
Every landing point.
All had to be calculated.
Simultaneously.
The mental load—
Was terrifying.
Ren exhaled slowly.
"…No wonder."
That someone like Minato—
Could eliminate fifty enemies in seconds.
"…How much processing power does that even require?"
He rubbed his temples.
"…At this rate…"
A thought formed.
Clear.
Inevitable.
"I need to talk to Minato-sensei."
"To see if…"
"…there's a way to train reaction speed."
Because if he couldn't solve this—
Then the true potential of the Instant Hell Shadow Kill Formation—
Would never be fully realized.
And Ren—
Had no intention of stopping halfway.
--------------------------------
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