A gentle breeze rippled through the air, and the lush green sea rolled like waves. Branches and leaves collided, producing a soft rustling sound.
Boom!
A massive roar like furious thunder rang out. Billowing dust surged into the sky, breaking through the green canopy like a gray python twisting through the air.
"Damn it, Nawaki, take it easy! That strength of yours is insane—cough, cough!" Katsuki rushed out of the dust cloud, coughing loudly. Covered in grime, he looked like a miner who had just crawled out of a shaft.
"Cough, cough. I didn't expect it either. Teacher used Earth Release to soften the ground here, so I normally couldn't pull off something like that. Teacher really went all out."
Nawaki followed close behind Katsuki, charging out of the dust with his entire body coated in dirt.
"Two idiots."
Otome stood atop a treetop and cast the two of them a cold glance. Her dark eyes swiftly swept the surroundings. She held a Wakizashi in her hand, its blade long and narrow, its edge gleaming like snow and marked with regular patterns. It was clearly the work of a master craftsman.
Besides Fire Release, the Uchiha were equally skilled with ninja tools. This did not merely refer to Shuriken techniques. Shuriken techniques were compulsory training for every Uchiha clansman; beyond that, they also trained with their primary weapons, such as kunai, Wakizashi, greatswords, and even all kinds of unusual weapons.
Otome had chosen the Wakizashi, and her swordsmanship was exceptionally sharp. Katsuki had sparred with her several times, and in terms of swordsmanship alone, he had gained no advantage.
His blade was also inferior to Otome's. Sakumo had said that he would give Katsuki a sword after he became a genin, but Sakumo was still on the front lines. Who