The man known as the "Eternal Genin," whose true strength and experience were enough to surpass many Jonin.
"Please, you flatter me, sir." Shinichi's tone was sincere. "I've only just become a ninja, so I have a lot to learn from experienced, seasoned ninja like yourself. It's an honor to have the chance to team up with you."
"Ha ha ha, no need for all that polite talk." Maruboshi Kosuke laughed and waved a hand. His narrowed eyes flashed sharply. "I don't know why the village put the two of us together, but from now on, we're teammates who'll have to entrust each other with our lives. This old man needs to get to know you properly first. Rumors alone aren't enough to be sure. How about this?"
"Let's have a quick spar. You learn the most in a real fight."
Truthfully, given Maruboshi Kosuke's usual temperament, he didn't care who he was paired with, and he was even less inclined to go out of his way to test a new teammate's abilities.
But this time was different—the Third Hokage had personally sought him out and earnestly instructed him that this child was a precious young sapling who carried the Will of Fire, and that, as his senior, Kosuke had to make sure to teach him well.
"I hear you're a swordsmanship genius," Maruboshi Kosuke said, reaching for the signature iron pot on his back. To Shinichi's surprise, he drew an old-fashioned samurai sword from it and held it loosely, yet with the steadiness of a mountain. "As it happens, I know a little swordsmanship myself. So, let's start with that."
"Sir, from what I can sense... you're very strong. Far beyond what someone at the Genin level should be capable of."
At his words, Shinichi took a deep breath, slowly adjusting his breathing and stance.
His right hand settled firmly on the hilt at his waist as he said:
"So for this test, I'll be using my full strength."
"Oh?" A flicker of surprise crossed Maruboshi Kosuke's eyes, but then he remembered the rumors around the village that the boy had a talent for sensing others, and immediately understood.
His kind smile remained, but his gaze grew more serious. He nodded. "Good. Come on, then. Attack me as if you're determined to kill me!"
"Forgive me, sir!"
Before the words had even left his mouth, Shinichi became a black blur, almost too fast for the eye to follow. His blade flashed like cold lightning, slashing upward from a tricky angle. The air shrieked as it split, and before the blade even reached its target, its ruthless edge was already bearing down on Kosuke!
This was... a swift-draw strike combining the Body Flicker Technique with iaijutsu.
There was even a hint of Steel Fist Style in it.
In that split second, the experienced Maruboshi Kosuke saw through the nature of the strike.
His response was effortless, executed with astonishing precision.
Just as the fierce blade was about to reach him, the wrist of the hand holding Kosuke's sword seemed to move only the slightest bit. Yet his figure suddenly turned indistinct, and the light around him seemed to bend and ripple, gently stirred by an invisible force.
It was as if he had melted into a wavering reflection on water—and vanished from the spot in an instant!
Shinichi's sure-to-land strike, which combined the essence of three techniques, slashed through empty air!
The next instant, a cold, silent sharpness—almost entirely devoid of killing intent or sound—appeared from the blind spot behind and to the side of Shinichi, beyond the reach of his sight and senses. It stabbed precisely toward the vital point in his back!
Konoha Style: Concealment!
Shinichi's response likewise revealed a solid foundation and split-second judgment far beyond his years!
His body snapped back like a drawn bowstring. Pivoting on his left foot, he unleashed tremendous twisting force from his hips and waist, sending his entire body spinning at high speed!
Riding the momentum of the rapid spin, the blade in his hand traced a full, perilous arc from below, slashing back toward the cold, sharp attack coming from behind!
Reverse Body Turn!
This was a standard swordsmanship counter against attacks from behind, relying on the ability to locate an opponent by sound and swiftly turn to strike.
CLANG!!!
The crisp, deafening clash of steel rang out across the training ground! Sparks burst between the crossed blades!
The powerful spinning slash collided head-on with Maruboshi Kosuke's elusive thrust!
And yet Kosuke's seemingly unassuming frame did not move an inch beneath Shinichi's full-force counter, a blow powerful enough to cleave rock!
The arm holding his sword was as steady as a boulder. It didn't tremble at all as it effortlessly absorbed and dispersed the force.
For the first time in his life, Shinichi's extraordinary strength, bolstered by his various Traits and far beyond that of an ordinary person, had gained him no advantage in a direct clash.
Shinichi wasn't surprised.
He knew full well that this seemingly amiable, even somewhat comical Genin senior had long since reached the Jonin level of strength—and perhaps even surpassed it.
More than a decade later in the original timeline, Maruboshi Kosuke was already over sixty and had suffered a severe injury that left him with a crippled leg. Yet he could still take on a force of dozens of Iwagakure Genin and Chunin by himself, then easily defeat an Iwagakure Jonin.
That was proof enough that even among Konoha's Jonin, he was one of the very best.
The Maruboshi Kosuke of today might not have had the experience and skill of his future self, but he was only fifty and had yet to suffer the injury that would leave him crippled in the Third Great Ninja War. His body and condition were at their prime.
His raw strength was certainly no less than that of his future self.
On the training ground, their figures clashed, separated, and clashed again.
The rapid, crisp clang of their blades ran together like a downpour beating against the silence of the training ground.
Though they were sparring with swords, their styles were sharply different.
Shinichi's swordsmanship was more straightforward. Whether he was using a swift iaijutsu draw, a measured slash, or a precise block and counter, he relied on the sword itself, striving for perfect coordination of strength, speed, angle, and timing.
Maruboshi Kosuke's Konoha Style, on the other hand, was a perfect blend of a ninja's identity and swordsmanship.
At times, he became a streak of light, his figure abruptly vanishing beneath Shinichi's blade before reappearing to one side, his sword thrusting along a drifting, elusive path like a rosy cloud on the horizon.
Konoha Style: Mist!
At other times, his blade and the shuriken and Kunai he threw without a sound intertwined into a web, forming a layered and lethal attack.
The sword delivered the main assault while the projectiles cut off escape routes, forcing Shinichi to split his attention between blocking the blade and fending off threats from other angles.
Konoha Style: Storm!
The combination of sword strikes and thrown weapons created a crushing barrage like a raging storm.
Faced with these unpredictable sword techniques, infused with the essence of ninja combat, Shinichi chose to return to the fundamentals and overcome skill with simplicity.
He brought his exceptionally solid basic skills to their utmost limit!
Against the phantom attacks of "Mist," his astonishing perception and lightning-fast reflexes let him pinpoint the true danger at the last possible moment, then deflect it with the simplest, most effective slash or block.
Against the layered assault of "Storm," he displayed astonishing strength and bodily coordination. His blade formed a curtain of light, deflecting or cutting through the sword and projectiles one by one. Every so often, he even seized a gap in the assault to launch a fierce counterattack.
Their figures closed in again at high speed, blades howling as they prepared for another head-on clash.
But in the split second before their swords collided, Shinichi's right hand suddenly loosened its grip!
He hadn't lost hold of the sword—he had deliberately given up the clash!
Using the momentum of his charge, he twisted his waist sharply and spun through the air like a leopard. His right leg bulged with muscle and tore through the air like a heavy battle-axe, sweeping toward the side of Maruboshi Kosuke's neck and head with tremendous force!
Konoha Whirlwind!
Surprise flashed through Maruboshi Kosuke's eyes at the sudden, vicious Taijutsu attack, but his response was astonishingly fast.
His left arm shot up like a shield, blocking his side.
"Thud!"
A dull impact rang out as leg met arm. Maruboshi Kosuke drifted backward with the force, neutralizing the blow.
Shinichi was still in midair, not yet having landed, but his attack had already continued!
Riding the momentum of his spinning kick, he snapped his left leg backward like a whip, striking the pommel of the samurai sword he had just let go of, which had yet to hit the ground!
Whoosh!
The samurai sword shot out like an arrow from a mighty bow, a straight streak of cold light hurtling toward Maruboshi Kosuke as he was still retreating—faster than before!
And that wasn't all!
The moment Shinichi landed, his hands were already a blur in front of his chest, forming Hand Seals as fast as lightning.
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