Maruboshi Kosuke

That figure who bore the title of "Eternal Genin," yet whose true strength and experience surpassed that of many Jonin.

"Senior, you flatter me," Shinichi said earnestly. "I've just become a ninja and need to learn from someone as experienced and battle-tested as you. It's an honor to have the chance to team up with you."

"Haha, no need for pleasantries." Maruboshi Kosuke waved a hand with a laugh, his narrowed eyes flashing a sharp glint. "I don't know why the village put us in the same squad, but from now on, we're teammates who'll entrust our lives to each other. This old man needs to get a proper read on you first—relying on rumors alone isn't safe enough. How about this?"

"Let's have a simple spar. Nothing reveals a person better than real combat."

In truth, by Kosuke's usual nature, he couldn't care less who he teamed up with, let alone bother testing a new teammate's mettle.

But this time was special—the Third Hokage himself had sought him out, earnestly urging him that this child was a precious sprout bearing the Will of Fire, and that as a senior, he must guide him well.

"I hear you're a sword genius," Kosuke said, reaching behind him to the iconic iron pot on his back and pulling out an antique-style katana. He held it in his hand, his posture casual yet steady as a mountain. "Coincidentally, I know a little swordsmanship myself. Let's start with that."

"Senior, from what I sense... your strength is far beyond what a Genin's level should encompass."

Shinichi took a deep breath, slowly adjusting his breathing and stance.

His right hand settled firmly and steadily on the hilt of his own blade as he spoke:

"So for this test, I'll go all out."

"Oh?" A flicker of surprise crossed Kosuke's eyes, but then he recalled the rumors about this child's sensory talent and understood.

His kind smile remained unchanged, but his gaze grew heavy. He nodded. "Good. Come at me with the resolve to kill me!"

"Forgive me, Senior!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Shinichi turned into a black blur almost too fast for the eye to track. His blade shot out like a cold lightning bolt, slicing upward from a tricky angle. The air tore with a whimper, and before the edge even struck, a fierce, decisive sharpness rushed forth!

This was... a swift Iaido technique fused with the Body Flicker Jutsu.

And there were traces of the Strong Fist style in it.

The experienced Kosuke saw through the move's essence in a flash.

His response was equally effortless and masterful.

Just as the lethal blade was about to land, Kosuke's sword hand made the faintest motion, and his form suddenly blurred. The light around him seemed to bend and ripple as if stirred by an invisible force.

He vanished on the spot like a reflection dissolving into rippling water!

Shinichi's surefire strike, blending three techniques into one, cut through empty air!

The next instant, a cold, silent sharpness—nearly devoid of killing intent or wind—arrived from the blind spot behind Shinichi's vision and senses, precisely aimed at his back!

Konoha Style: Hidden!

Shinichi's response showed a foundation and split-second judgment far beyond his age!

His body snapped back like a drawn bowstring, pivoting on his left foot as his hips and waist unleashed immense rotational force, spinning his entire body at high speed!

His blade rode that fierce spin, carving a full, dangerous arc from low to high, slashing backward at the cold edge closing in!

Torso Return!

This was a standard counter in swordsmanship against rear attacks, emphasizing sound-based perception and rapid spinning strikes.

Clang!!!

A crisp, deafening clash of metal exploded across the training ground! Sparks flew between the two crossing blades!

The heavy, powerful spinning slash met Kosuke's ghostly thrust head-on!

Yet Kosuke's seemingly unremarkable frame didn't budge an inch under Shinichi's full-force blow—one strong enough to split rock!

His sword arm was as steady as a boulder, absorbing and neutralizing all the force without a tremor.

For the first time, Shinichi's overwhelming strength, boosted by various Traits, failed to gain any advantage in a direct clash.

Shinichi wasn't surprised.

He knew well that this seemingly kind, even comical Genin senior had long stepped into the realm of Jonin—or higher.

In the original timeline, over a decade later, a sixty-something Kosuke, having suffered a broken leg and severe injuries, could single-handedly take out a squad of dozens of Iwagakure Chunin and Genin, then easily defeat an Iwagakure Jonin.

That alone proved his strength ranked among Konoha's top Jonin.

And now, Kosuke might lack the experience and skill of his future self, but at just fifty, without having endured the Third Great Ninja War that would cripple his leg, he was in his prime—body and state at their peak.

His raw power was no less than that future version.

On the field, the two figures kept crossing, separating, and colliding.

A dense, crisp symphony of clashing blades rang out like a sudden rain beating against the training ground's silence.

Though it was a sword duel, their styles were starkly different.

Shinichi's swordsmanship was purer—whether swift Iaido, steady slashes, or precise blocks and counters—all rooted in the blade itself, pursuing the ultimate coordination of power, speed, angle, and timing.

Kosuke's Konoha Style, however, was a perfect fusion of the ninja identity with swordsmanship.

At times, he turned into a streak of light, his form dissolving under Shinichi's blade, then solidifying elsewhere to thrust—his trajectory drifting like a sunset cloud, impossible to track.

Konoha Style: Mist!

At other times, his blade wove with silently thrown Shuriken and Kunai into a net, forming a three-dimensional, lethal composite attack.

The sword was the primary attack, with shuriken sealing off escape routes, forcing Shinichi to split his focus between parrying the blade and dealing with threats from other angles.

Konoha Style: Storm!

The three-dimensional combination of sword strikes and thrown weapons created a tempest of overwhelming pressure.

Faced with these unpredictable sword techniques infused with the essence of a shinobi, Shinichi chose to return to fundamentals, using simplicity to overcome complexity.

He pushed his rock-solid basics to their absolute limit!

Against Mist's phantom feints, he relied on his astonishing keenness and lightning-fast reflexes, always judging the true killing intent at the last moment, neutralizing it with the most concise and effective slash or block.

Against Storm's three-dimensional onslaught, he displayed incredible strength and bodily coordination, his blade forming a curtain of light—deflecting or cutting apart the linked attacks of sword and shuriken, occasionally seizing gaps in the assault to launch fierce counterstrikes.

Their figures closed in at high speed once more, blades howling as they hurtled toward another brutal clash.

Yet, in the split second before the swords were about to collide, Shinichi's right hand gripping the katana suddenly let go!

Not a drop, but an active abandonment of the clash!

Borrowing the momentum of his forward charge, he twisted his waist sharply, spinning through the air like a hunting leopard. His right leg muscles bulged, tearing through the air like a heavy battle axe, sweeping with thousand-jun force toward the side of Maruboshi Kosuke's neck and head!

Konoha Whirlwind!

Faced with this abrupt and ruthless taijutsu surprise attack, a flicker of surprise passed through Maruboshi Kosuke's eyes, but his reaction was astonishingly fast.

He raised his left arm like a shield, blocking to the side.

"Boom!"

A dull thud rang out as leg met arm. Maruboshi Kosuke used the force to drift backward, dispersing the impact.

But Shinichi's body was still midair, not yet landed, and his assault had already resumed!

Using the residual momentum from his spinning kick, his left leg whipped backward like a lash, precisely striking the hilt of the katana that had just been released and had not yet fallen to the ground!

"Whoosh!"

The katana shot forth as if fired from a powerful bow, turning into a straight streak of cold light, speeding toward the retreating Maruboshi Kosuke with even greater velocity than before!

And that wasn't all!

The moment Shinichi landed, his hands blurred before his chest, forming seals with lightning speed.