"Who goes there?! How dare you trespass in the Isshin Dojo!"
"Hey, silver-haired guy—wipe that arrogance off your face!"
"Brothers, drive them out!"
Dozens of apprentices in white training uniforms surged forward, bamboo swords raised, their auras aggressive and heated. Most of them had never read today's newspapers. In their eyes, this dojo was sacred ground of the sword—hallowed soil that even kings treated with respect. How could outsiders be allowed to run wild here?
Facing these ants who didn't know the depth of the waters, Tobirama didn't even bother to take his hands out of his pockets.
Hancock, about to step forward, was stopped by a single glance from him.
"It's noisy."
He spoke softly—just three words.
His ruby-colored eyes narrowed.
Conqueror's Haki.
Buzz—
An invisible wave of will spread outward from Tobirama, sweeping across the courtyard like a gentle breeze.
There was no sound.
Yet to ordinary people, it felt as though the sky had collapsed and the earth had caved in.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The apprentices who had been shouting only moments ago toppled over one after another like harvested wheat, foam spilling from their mouths as they lost consciousness.
Silence fell.
"Hmph. Useless."
Tobirama stepped over the fallen bodies and walked straight toward the corridor of the dojo.
There stood Koushirou, cold sweat soaking his forehead.
This seemingly gentle swordsman was fully conscious—and he knew exactly who the silver-haired man before him was.
The Uchiha Emperor.
The man who had slain Celestial Dragons, crippled an admiral, and carried a bounty of one trillion.
"…Hah."
Koushirou drew a deep breath, suppressing the instinctive terror of standing before an apex predator. He adjusted his glasses and bowed deeply.
"To think the legendary Uchiha Emperor would grace my humble dojo with his presence."
"I was blind to your arrival. May I ask what brings Your Majesty here?"
He was a smart man.
There was no point resisting a monster capable of destroying the world. All he wanted was to protect this place—and these children.
Tobirama stepped closer, his gaze settling on the white scabbard at Koushirou's waist.
"I don't like wasting words."
He extended his hand, palm up.
"That sword. Wado Ichimonji."
"I've taken a liking to it."
"Hand it over."
His tone was calm, but it carried unquestionable authority—like a ruler demanding tribute, leaving no room for refusal.
Koushirou's body stiffened.
That blade was one of the Twenty-One Great Swords. His family's legacy. More importantly… it was meant for his daughter.
"Y-Your Majesty…"
Koushirou hesitated, fingers whitening around the hilt. "This sword is a family heirloom. It holds deep meaning to us. Could you perhaps—"
"Meaning?"
Tobirama chuckled softly, cutting him off.
"Before me, the weak have no right to speak of meaning."
"I'm informing you, not negotiating."
"Either you hand over the sword."
"Or I kill you, level this place, and take it anyway."
"You choose."
A chilling killing intent locked onto Koushirou's throat.
If he refused, his head would hit the ground in the next instant.
Koushirou forced a bitter smile. His eyes swept across the unconscious children scattered through the courtyard, and at last he let out a long sigh.
Dying for honor was easy. Dragging innocents into it was not.
"I understand."
With trembling hands, he untied Wado Ichimonji and raised it with both palms, preparing to offer it up.
"Stop!"
A clear, furious shout rang out from within the dojo.
A short-haired girl burst forward, her eyes sharp and stubborn like a young wolf's.
Kuina.
The prodigy who dreamed of becoming the world's greatest swordsman.
She grabbed her father's arm, shielding the sword, her gaze blazing with anger as it locked onto Tobirama.
"That's my sword!"
"It's the pride we're sworn to protect!"
"You thief! How dare you take it just because you say so!"
"Kuina—stop!"
Koushirou's face drained of color. Panic seized him.
"This man is—"
"I won't!"
Kuina shook off his hand, drew a bamboo sword, and pointed it straight at Tobirama.
"So what if you're an emperor?! If you want this sword, you'll have to step over my body first!"
Tobirama studied the girl—no more than eleven or twelve, yet burning with pure battle intent.
"…Interesting."
He raised a hand, stopping Hancock, and also halting Koushirou as he tried to rush forward.
"Little girl," Tobirama said calmly, stepping closer. The pressure rolling off him made it hard for Kuina to breathe.
"Do you know why?"
"Because I'm stronger than you."
"In this world, truth always rests in the hands of the strong."
"If you're not convinced…"
He clasped his hands behind his back, eyes filled with detached mockery.
"I'll give you a chance."
"Attack."
"If you can make me take even half a step back, I'll leave the sword."
"Arrogant!"
Kuina's pride ignited.
"I'll become the world's greatest swordsman!"
"Take this!"
She lunged forward, bamboo blade slicing through the air toward Tobirama's throat—fast, precise, ruthless, already carrying the rudiments of true cutting power.
To Tobirama, it was unbearably slow.
Clang!
The bamboo sword stopped mid-air—not blocked, but halted by invisible chakra. The force vanished instantly.
"Too weak."
Without moving his hands, Tobirama's chakra pulsed.
Boom!
Kuina was sent flying, her grip torn open, her body crashing hard onto the wooden floor several meters away.
"Cough—!"
Pain brought tears to her eyes, but she gritted her teeth and refused to cry out.
"Kuina!"
Koushirou's heart twisted as he tried to rush forward.
"Don't come closer!"
Kuina pushed herself up, trembling, dust and blood staining her uniform—but her eyes still burned.
"It's not over…"
"I can still fight!"
She charged again.
Slash. Chop. Thrust.
Every strike was everything she had.
Bang—repelled.
Bang—repelled again.
Bang—the third time, Tobirama extended a finger and flicked the blade.
Crack!
The bamboo sword shattered. Kuina was blown through a paper door and rolled into the room beyond.
This wasn't a battle.
It was an adult playing with a child.
"Enough," Tobirama said, looking down at the battered girl still struggling to rise.
"Your talent is good. But before absolute power, skill is meaningless."
"And…"
His gaze hardened, his words deliberate and cruel.
"You are a woman."
"In this world, women are born with weaker bodies than men."
The words struck like a blade, cutting straight into Kuina's deepest wound.
"No… no…"
Her eyes reddened. Tears finally spilled over.
She clenched the broken handle until her palm bled, then turned toward her father, despair and fury twisting her face.
"Father!"
"Do you think so too?! That I'm not good enough?!"
"Just because I'm a girl… because I'll grow weaker than Zoro someday… does that mean I can never be the best?!"
"You said it yourself—girls can't be number one!"
"I don't believe it! I hate this world!"
Her cries echoed through the empty dojo.
Koushirou turned away, unable to meet her gaze.
It was a cruel truth.
Yet—
Tobirama laughed.
Not in mockery, but in interest—like a craftsman discovering a rare gem buried in stone.
You hate it?
You refuse to accept it?
He stepped before Kuina and looked down at her tear-streaked face.
"Then break it."
He extended his hand. White light gathered in his palm—Yang Release chakra, the power of life and physical evolution.
"Little girl."
"If you're willing to submit to me…"
"I will grant you power that surpasses all men."
"I'll keep this sword for you."
"And if you nod your head…"
"I will make you the only female sword goddess this world has ever known."