Sparring Match

After accepting the mission, Hiruzen Sarutobi headed with his companions, as well as Torikaze and Chisato, to their usual training spot atop the Hokage Rock Faces.

"Torikaze, are you really sure you want to spar with me?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked again. Even now, he could not understand why this kid was being so stubborn.

But he did not believe Torikaze could truly fight him to a draw. Hiruzen Sarutobi admitted that his talent was exceptional, but Torikaze was only six years old.

"Hiruzen, I'm serious."

Torikaze replied calmly. Both sides were tense, and battle could break out at any moment.

Koharu tugged on Danzo's sleeve from the side, asking whether he could stop this fight.

"Hiruzen's already interested in this battle. You know it—we can't stop him now."

Danzo said flatly.

Hearing that, Koharu said no more. If even Danzo said there was nothing to be done, then she could only hope Hiruzen would not get carried away during this spar.

"You make the first move. I'll give you one free attack," Hiruzen said confidently.

Torikaze nodded. Since the other party was giving him an opening, there was no need to hesitate. He attacked immediately.

With a quick burst, he leaped before Hiruzen, crouched rapidly, and swept his left leg at Hiruzen's lower body.

But such a basic move was nowhere near enough to trouble Hiruzen Sarutobi. With a single jump, he easily avoided it.

Then, seemingly from nowhere, he produced an iron staff. Just as he was about to land, he planted the staff against the ground and launched himself back into the air.

Gripping the iron staff with both hands, he spun once in midair and brought it crashing down at Torikaze.

Torikaze immediately rolled aside. The iron staff smashed down heavily, cracking the ground beside him with countless fractures.

"You're pretty nimble, Torikaze."

Torikaze did not respond to Hiruzen's teasing. He had now gained some understanding of Hiruzen Sarutobi's strength.

I need to get serious. This is the first time I've faced a ninja of this caliber. One moment of carelessness, and I'll lose.

Without hesitation, he sprang up from the ground and widened the distance between himself and Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Crystal Release—Hexagonal Shuriken Wild Dance!"

Countless hexagonal crystals shot forth from Torikaze, attacking Hiruzen Sarutobi from every direction and reflecting dazzling light beneath the sun.

One or two would not have mattered much, but there were countless crystals now. The nearly blind-spot-free assault, combined with the glaring reflected light, was why Torikaze liked this ninjutsu so much.

It might not have been particularly powerful, but it could force an opponent to reveal an opening. Even one second would be enough to prove fatal!

Facing the crystal shuriken filling the sky, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not panic.

He grinned, thrust the iron staff into the ground beside him, then threw out several shuriken of his own. But those alone were nowhere near enough to contend with Torikaze's ninjutsu.

"Shuriken—Shadow Clone Technique!"

But once Hiruzen finished forming his hand seals, the handful of shuriken instantly multiplied to more than ten times their original number!

The shuriken collided with the crystals, spraying countless sparks and fragments. When the dust settled, neither side had been harmed.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was growing increasingly curious about the child before him, wondering whether he ought to get a little more serious.

Torikaze was not surprised by this outcome. He had simply not expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to have already developed the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique at this point.

Since his interest had been piqued, Hiruzen Sarutobi no longer wanted to waste time. He grabbed his staff and swung it down at Torikaze.

Torikaze swiftly pulled a scroll from his pocket, released its seal, and took out his family heirloom—the Crane's Cry Sword!

The moment the treasured sword left its sheath, a clear and resonant crane cry rang out. Torikaze had no time to admire it before swinging his sword to block Hiruzen's attack.

But to everyone's surprise, the moment the iron staff struck the Crane's Cry Sword, it seemed to turn to clay and snapped cleanly in two.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned as well. Why had his staff broken? The old man had paid a hefty price to have it forged!

"What kind of sword is that? It's so sharp!"

Torikaze replied calmly, "The Windcloud Clan's Crane's Cry Sword!"

With that, he thrust his sword at Hiruzen. Having lost his weapon, Hiruzen's offense abruptly weakened, and the situation gradually fell under Torikaze's control.

But being suppressed constantly made Hiruzen increasingly irritated. Unable to bear it any longer, he bit his right thumb and smeared the blood across his left hand.

"Summoning Technique!"

With a bang, white smoke burst from beneath Hiruzen's feet. When it dispersed, a small monkey wearing clothes stood in the field.

"Enma! Let's show him what we can do!"

The little monkey did not yet know what was happening, but upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's command, he immediately answered.

Then his body twisted, transforming into a massive black staff with yellow segments at both ends.

The teammates watching from the side could not help worrying when they saw that Hiruzen had even summoned Enma. They could only hope he knew where to draw the line.

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's Summoning Beast made Torikaze itch to get one himself, but there was nothing he could do. Finding a high-quality Summoning Beast was far too difficult.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's Summoning Beast belonged to a family that had contracted exclusively with the Sarutobi Clan. They possessed extraordinary intelligence and strength, and it was simply impossible for anyone else to form a contract with them.

While Torikaze was thinking, Hiruzen had already charged in with the staff. The Adamantine Staff could extend and retract freely, growing long or short at will, making it difficult for Torikaze to find a safe position.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's attacks grew fiercer and fiercer. Torikaze could only barely fend them off with the Crane's Cry Sword. Hiruzen Sarutobi's strength had risen dramatically compared to before with Enma assisting him.

"Give up, Torikaze. I admit you're quite capable, but carrying out missions is still too dangerous for you."

Torikaze's expression remained calm. Though he was at a disadvantage, he was not flustered in the slightest. Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi attacked once more, Torikaze's eyes suddenly narrowed!

He said faintly, "I haven't even started trying yet."

Torikaze suddenly poured a massive amount of Chakra into the Crane's Cry Sword, and sword light immediately spilled in every direction.

With Torikaze's breathing, vast clouds and mist emerged around him, swirling about his body.

"Cloud Sword Style—Crane's Cry!"

Grasping the hilt with both hands, he slashed out a tremendous wave of sword energy. The clouds surrounding him followed the sword energy as it shot forth!

This was the Cloud Sword Style, a sword art specially designed by the Windcloud Clan to complement Cloud Release! Torikaze had only barely grasped the basics of its first form.

Under the influence of the sword energy, the clouds transformed into a soaring Cloud Crane. In an instant, it struck Hiruzen Sarutobi, while the crane-shaped clouds all poured into Hiruzen's body at that very moment.

The enormous sword energy carried Cloud Release Chakra with it. After Hiruzen Sarutobi was sent flying, his entire body stiffened, leaving him unable to move. He crashed heavily to the ground.

Although the frozen sensation quickly faded, a lingering chill remained in every joint of Hiruzen's body.

Using the Adamantine Staff for support, he rose from the ground. His gaze toward Torikaze had become much more solemn.

It was his first time seeing such a strange sword style, and the clouds that had entered his body must have been the Cloud Release his father had mentioned.

That feeling of nearly freezing to death was truly awful. Even now, his body still felt cold.

"I admit you're strong. You can come with us!"