Fearless!

Having decided to train hard, Genma stopped going to Obito's house to visit his grandmother.

Still, he never hesitated when it came to financial support. Whether Obito could repay him or not, Genma had money anyway.

After Kurenai Yuhi had forced him into confessing that day, Kurenai also cherished the time she spent with Genma at school.

Every evening after school, the two would silently pack up their things and head to the training ground.

Now that he had a girlfriend, Shiranui Genma could no longer train without restraint.

Eye-catching exercises like Tai Chi were all moved to the mornings and nights.

The time after school in the afternoon was naturally reserved for looking cool while swinging a blade.

Of course, there was no need to deliberately try to look cool. In a place like Konohagakure, where there were relatively few blade experts, anyone who knew how to use a sword looked pretty cool.

Genma practiced basic blade techniques. Thanks to his remarkably skilled and solid fundamentals, he often drew exclamations from plenty of onlookers who knew nothing about swords.

Kurenai naturally did not spend all her time idly watching Genma work hard. She had her own ideas and her own persistence.

However, she seemed especially fond of swords. After finishing her own training, she would watch Genma practice.

But good times did not last. The bursts of admiration that had belonged to Genma shifted elsewhere, and even Kurenai's gaze often drifted away.

Genma was not worried that Kurenai had fallen for someone else. After all, she still stuck close to him instead of the guy next door wielding a Black Blade.

Coincidentally, the boy using the Black Blade was also their classmate. His name was Namiashi Raidō.

In terms of looks, Namiashi Raidō could only be considered ordinary. However, the strange mask that covered only his nose and that eye-catching Black Blade had drawn plenty of attention to him.

Genma happened to have reached a bottleneck in his basic blade training. Continuing to practice mindlessly would only make him rigid, so when Namiashi Raidō sheathed his sword, Genma stopped him.

"Hey, Raidō. Since we're both training in blade techniques, how about a duel?"

Seeing Genma waiting with his sword held before him, a flash of delight crossed Namiashi Raidō's eyes. He pointed his blade straight at Genma.

"Heh, I noticed you practicing over there a long time ago. You've hit a bottleneck, haven't you?"

Genma had not expected Namiashi Raidō's eye to be so sharp, seeing his problem at a glance. But rather than making him back down, it made him even more excited.

"You're right, but fighting is the best way for both of us to grow stronger, isn't it?"

Namiashi Raidō deeply agreed. He nodded and replied, "That's right. Then let's do it!"

Both of them raised their swords and assumed fighting stances.

"Whoa, those two are finally going to fight! Look, look!"

"Hoh, isn't that the Black Blade kid and the White Blade kid? Two guys who are always showing off are actually going to fight. This is going to be exciting~"

"So that's the person Father acknowledged. He should be strong, right?" Might Guy, his Watermelon Head bobbing as he relentlessly did push-ups, raised his head and looked toward Genma.

After throwing her last Shuriken, Kurenai Yuhi wiped away her sweat and looked toward Genma with concern. "He's only trained in basic blade techniques. How can he fight someone from a blade technique family? This is way too reckless~"

At that moment, Genma and Namiashi Raidō moved, charging at each other at high speed.

Clang!

The two blades collided, sending sparks flying.

"I didn't expect your reaction to be that fast. I practiced that strike for a long time!" Namiashi Raidō praised him with satisfaction.

"Hah, I just got lucky. And didn't you notice? I deliberately slowed my steps and kept adjusting my stride length. I did that so you would strike first."

Clang!

Namiashi Raidō forced Genma back first, then swiftly slashed at him. The attack was blocked again.

"You adjusted your footing again? Your ability to calculate is impressive, but are you only going to defend?"

When his blade was blocked once more, Namiashi Raidō forcefully pushed Genma back again.

"This time was different. Even if I blocked that attack just now, I might still have been knocked down. I actually used Chakra in my heels."

After missing twice, Namiashi Raidō did not lose heart. He shot forward in a single step, his blade chopping directly toward Genma's right arm.

Just as Genma prepared to block horizontally, Namiashi Raidō's blade abruptly dipped, aiming for Genma's feet.

But before the blade could reach him, Genma darted backward.

"You never fight me head-on. You only respond after seeing what move I make. That makes things really difficult for me~"

Namiashi Raidō gritted his teeth. He truly could not stand Genma's slippery tactics anymore.

But Genma had no choice. He did not have any specific moves, only basic blade techniques.

Still, those earlier exchanges had allowed him to grasp some of his opponent's style.

Namiashi Raidō seemed to be following the same path as in the original story, putting immense effort into the speed of his sword draws.

It was said that Aoba Yamashiro's Genjutsu, combined with the ferocious speed of Namiashi Raidō's Black Blade, was nearly unbeatable.

Even now, Raidō seemed to possess an unstoppable momentum. That likely had a great deal to do with how he would earn the title of Black Blade in the future.

Str had once said that everyone who trained in blade techniques would develop a combat style that felt natural to them. After being toyed with twice by Genma, Namiashi Raidō looked genuinely aggrieved.

But if the fighting style that suited Namiashi Raidō was to charge forward without hesitation, then what should Genma's blade technique be?

Come to think of it, Str had always taught Genma the basics. As for practical application, Genma had only chopped vegetables and changed the angles of his swings.

Genma's blade technique was basically fragmented. As for actual moves, there was nothing to speak of. Whenever he fought with a sword, his mind turned into a complete mess, and he relied entirely on instinct.

Yet his intuition told him that fighting Namiashi Raidō now was an opportunity. After all, Raidō had a complete set of habits for sword combat, and his temperament was very different from Genma's.

Since he did not understand, he would temporarily immerse himself in his opponent's style. By using his body to comprehend its mysteries, he could naturally analyze its deeper meaning.

Once he understood that, all hesitation vanished from Genma's eyes. He raised his sword and pointed it straight at Namiashi Raidō, looking exactly like their initial standoff—except their roles had been reversed.

Namiashi Raidō could not understand Genma's change, but he could feel the sharp edge emanating from him, and it thrilled him.

"Come on! You're finally getting serious now, huh!?"

The moment he finished speaking, he rushed at Genma.

The blade duel became filled with lethal intent. Neither of them let a single strike pass without turning it into an attack. Aside from narrowly dodging at certain critical moments, they were attacking the rest of the time.

Wounds gradually appeared on both of them, but their evasions were perfectly timed. Since they were classmates, neither of them truly struck to kill.

After a fierce exchange, both of them had gained many cuts.

"Now this is what a blade duel should be. Genma, you're strong. Hiss~"

"If I weren't a few years older than you and physically stronger, I might have lost long ago."

"Eh, isn't that exaggerating a little? After all, you only used basic blade techniques, and today was your first real fight, right~"

Genma nodded. "It really was my first time, so I was a little afraid to fight you at the beginning."

"Hah, it's fine. We can do this a few more times in the future. But next time, I'll bring two wooden swords. Fighting with real blades is still too much. Getting injured will affect our training~"

Namiashi Raidō had been through plenty of real fights, but there had not been proper conditions today. Still, once his fighting spirit was stirred, how could conditions stop him? Only when pain shot from his wounds did he calm down. Genma, on the other hand, had not thought anything of it at all. Even after the fight, he did not find it strange and simply assumed injuries were normal.

Only after hearing Namiashi Raidō say that did Genma realize it. He slapped his forehead. "I really don't understand anything. I dragged you into this today."

"Hey, even an old hand like me didn't think of it beforehand. How could that count as you dragging me down?" As he spoke, Namiashi Raidō took a small box from his pocket and tossed it to Genma. "Here, this medicine is specially for blade wounds. Apply it, and the wounds will scab over today. You should be mostly healed in three days."

"Then thanks. Let's fight again next time~"

"Next time!"

After saying goodbye, the two turned and left.

They really had no choice but to leave. Whether it was their sword wounds or the embarrassment of doing something foolish while being watched by so many people, neither could keep their face.

When Genma hurried back to Kurenai, he saw glistening tears flowing from her eyes.

"Um... Kurenai, just now..."

"Don't talk. Treat your wounds first!"

Before Genma could explain, Kurenai stopped him and pulled him toward the washbasin.

After cleaning his wounds and applying the medicine, Kurenai, who had remained silent the whole time, fiercely pinched Genma.

"Hiss, that hurts..."

"You know it hurts?" Kurenai glared fiercely at Genma and continued, "Can't blade technique sparring be done with wooden swords? Why did you duel someone like that? You even traded wounds for wounds?"

"Well... maybe my brain suddenly stopped working~" Genma scratched his head awkwardly, his face full of apology. "I promise it won't happen again. After learning from this, both that guy and I realized our mistake. We agreed to use wooden swords next time."

Afraid that Kurenai would not be satisfied with that promise, Genma hurriedly explained all his thoughts before, during, and after the duel, as well as the entire course of events.

"Eh, so stupid~" After hearing Genma's detailed explanation, Kurenai suddenly laughed through her tears. "How could you be so foolish? Luckily, you two idiots didn't suddenly get hotheaded and decide to fight to the death. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Perhaps Genma's foolish actions had truly frightened her. Kurenai looked at him seriously. "Next time you want to do something dangerous, tell me first. If you act that recklessly again, I'll have to seriously consider whether my brain was broken that day for me to insist on marrying you. You can work as hard as you want, but I absolutely will not allow you to disregard your body in the process. You belong to your parents, and in the future, you'll belong to me too. Do you understand?"

Faced with Kurenai's sudden domineering declaration of ownership, Genma felt as if his heart had melted. He looked at her as though she were the most precious treasure in the world.

"Haha, hearing you say that makes me feel like my wounds don't hurt at all~"

Though the road ahead might be extremely rough and difficult, he would never allow himself to retreat even the slightest bit.

After living two lives, this was the first time anyone had made such a resolute promise to marry him. As a man, Genma felt that no matter what, he had to accept that promise.

For the sake of this deep love, he would be fearless!

"Hiss~"

"Doesn't it hurt?"

"Oh, it hurts, it hurts! Kurenai, don't—don't be angry~"

Eh, this chapter was a little mushy. I'm really not that good at writing romance scenes, so if you think it's filler, you can skip it.