Swordsmanship of the Warring States Era

"Uchiha Yu, this tofu you made has pleased this old man very much. I know some swordsmanship, and I'll teach it to you."

"Great! Thank you, Uncle Nobutada."

"What's there to thank me for? I don't have much longer to live. Being able to pass this swordsmanship on to you means it won't have gone to waste."

Uchiha Nobutada walked to the middle of the courtyard and produced a longsword from who knew where. In an instant, his aged, stooped body straightened ramrod stiff. The old man actually radiated intense killing intent, and it carried a heavy scent of blood.

The bloody smell was not real. Uchiha Yu could tell as much, but Shisui only felt a chill run through his body. He could not help backing away several steps, retreating beyond the range of the killing intent.

Uchiha Nobutada sighed. "I'm old. Just picking up a sword, and I can't even control my killing intent anymore."

Only then did Uchiha Yu notice that the old man's sword was double-edged. His heart leaped with joy. This straight sword, suited for thrusting, was precisely the kind of weapon he liked—not the curved katana that was popular everywhere.

The katana's popularity was not without reason. When neither side wore armor, or when they wore only light armor, a katana's slashing and bleeding effects were enough to inflict fatal wounds.

But Uchiha Yu knew that the greatest advantages swords had over blades were their manufacturing and training costs. Yet in a one-on-one fight, a sword had far more methods of attack than a blade, and thrusting attacks were far deadlier than slashes.

Receiving guidance from a ninja who had fought his way through the Warring States Era was already a fortunate thing. That this ninja's fighting techniques happened to suit his preferences was an enormous stroke of luck.

Uchiha Nobutada slowly moved the longsword in his hand, performing one motion after another. Uchiha Shisui watched in utter confusion, while Uchiha Yu was somewhat bewildered as well.

So he raised his right hand and tapped his forehead with his index finger, casting a simple Genjutsu to conceal his Three-Tomoe Sharingan. He carefully copied every movement the old man made while analyzing every detail of those movements.

The more he analyzed, the more confused he became. These movements did not seem particularly lethal.

But could an old man in his eighties, dragging around a frail body and panting heavily, really be joking while demonstrating swordsmanship for him?

Impossible. Absolutely impossible.

This was an Uchiha—a Uchiha ninja from the Warring States Era.

Pride was etched into their bones. They might joke around with their children and grandchildren while drinking, having some fun, but after such a formal handover, they would never joke again.

Suddenly, inspiration struck Uchiha Yu. When he viewed the old man's entire body as a whole, those slow movements began to reveal a different flavor.

All swordsmanship ultimately led to the same destination by different paths.

Uchiha Nobutada performed many movements, but when classified by how force was applied, there were only eight: tap, thrust, chop, sweep, intercept, wipe, lift, and block. Tapping and thrusting were used the most, with fierce thrusts and light taps delivered from different angles at different heights. All other movements served these two, either linking two thrusts together or transitioning into a thrust or tap after defending against an enemy attack.

This was completely consistent with the basic movements of Huaxia Swordsmanship. It simply had fewer techniques, while being excessively aggressive.

His advanced age had damaged Uchiha Nobutada's memory. Sometimes, he would stop to think before continuing to wield the longsword. Sometimes, he made an incorrect movement and then repeated one movement. Shisui watched with a blank expression, completely unable to understand the old steward's swordsmanship.

The old man slowly completed every movement, breathing heavily as he asked, "Did you remember them all? Did you understand them?"

Shisui nodded, then shook his head, indicating that he remembered the movements but could not understand them at all.

The old man rubbed his head. "It's fine if the young master can't understand them now. You're still too young. Just remember them, and you'll slowly understand in the future."

When Xin Yin's gaze turned to Uchiha Yu, Yu nodded and said, "I remembered all the movements, and I roughly understand them too. I just didn't see the transitions between the movements at the beginning clearly."

"You really understood them." Uchiha Nobutada was delighted and praised him with satisfaction, "Good, very good. You were just a little short, so I'll demonstrate them once more."

"Watch carefully. I don't have the stamina to demonstrate them a third time."

"Mm. After going through them once just now, I remembered quite a few more things. I should be able to demonstrate them better this time."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Shisui watched with even greater concentration. But he was shocked to discover that the old steward's movements were completely different from before. Every movement looked similar, yet they were all different, and the sequence of movements had changed entirely from beginning to end. Shisui watched until his head spun, as though his brain had turned to mush. In the end, he could only force himself to memorize them.

Uchiha Yu was memorizing them as well, but with the Sharingan's Three-Tomoe copying ability, it was much easier for him than it was for Shisui. He could relax and think, analyze, and verify the idea he had just formed.

Thinking of the sixth set of school radio calisthenics in elementary school and the seventh set in middle school in his previous life, when it took him weeks just to barely memorize the movements, Uchiha Yu felt that the Uchiha clan was pretty great. Forget about the handsome face and excellent physique—even just the Sharingan's abilities were enough to make people from other clans die of envy.

Well, there was a reason the Uchiha clan got along so poorly with other clans.

Overpowered people around you were the most annoying.

The meal had been delicious, the swordsmanship had been learned, and the afternoon training was finished by sunset. Uchiha Nobutada was about to take Shisui home.

Before leaving, the old man told Shisui to go outside first, then turned back to say a few words to Uchiha Yu. "Yu, this old man hopes that after little Shisui awakens his Sharingan, you'll teach him this set of swordsmanship."

"Of course." Uchiha Yu could tell that the old man had confirmed he possessed the Sharingan. He asked, "Was there a problem with my Genjutsu?"

"No, there was no problem with the Genjutsu. But this swordsmanship can only be learned quickly after awakening the Sharingan."

"Ah, that was my oversight."

"Haha, it's good that you know to hide your strength. You still need to pay attention to such details. Besides, your ocular power is too strong. Even when using the simplest copying ability, it causes quite a disturbance."

"So ocular power can leak too. I understand."

His surging spiritual power had nourished his eyes, causing part of his ocular power to exceed the limits of his control and leak out unconsciously. That was no minor issue. He had to solve it immediately.

If someone else discovered it—especially a Root ninja—it would be trouble.

Fortunately, it was old Nobutada who had noticed this. His lips were very tightly sealed, and Yu's secret would not be exposed.

With that thought, Uchiha Yu bowed to the old steward and thanked him. "Thank you. I'll keep my promise. Besides, I like little Shisui too, so naturally I'll look after him."

"Good. Hearing you say that puts me at ease."

"This child Shisui is just like his grandfather—too kind, too innocent. I'm worried he'll end up like Kagami, dying without ever knowing why."

"Kagami Uchiha was so young, yet he was stronger than even this old man. On the battlefield, he swept through all opposition, yet..."

Looking at the dejected old man, Uchiha Yu finally could not help sighing. "People's hearts... have always been a more dangerous pla—damn!"

Before he could finish speaking, Uchiha Yu noticed that something was wrong with Uchiha Nobutada when he raised his head.

The old man's eyes were filled with smugness, and there was not the slightest trace of sorrow on his face.

I got played!!