Rhythm × Unexpected Visitor

Nara Dan watched Kakashi, who was not rushing to attack but instead circling him to observe.

He chuckled softly.

"Your speed has increased."

"Why aren't you as decisive as before?"

As he spoke, he curled his right index finger and flicked it lightly, sending a materialized ball of Chakra flying out at a speed invisible to the naked eye.

"Bang!"

Kakashi felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder, which immediately knocked him out of his high-speed movement.

"Such predictive ability."

"Teacher Nara's neural reaction speed is definitely far superior to mine."

"The mobility of my left arm has dropped by half!"

"But Teacher Nara didn't attack my right hand."

Kakashi's expression turned serious; he squeezed his trembling left hand and drew the White Fang Blade from his back.

Clearly, Nara Dan was telling him to attack with full force without any reservations.

"Let's go all out!"

What followed was a showcase of Kakashi's personal Kenjutsu.

The previous assessment had been comprehensive in nature, so Kakashi hadn't used much Kenjutsu, relying mostly on it for probing.

After all, using Taijutsu against Teacher Nara on a formal battlefield was no different from seeking death.

Using Ninjutsu from a distance to kite him would at least allow one to survive a little longer.

But this time, Nara Dan's instruction was clearly focused solely on Taijutsu, which was why Kakashi could fight without restraint.

Suddenly, the training ground was filled with the sound of blades, flashes of lightning, and swirling dust.

The short blade in Kakashi's hand turned into a bolt of lightning cutting through the night sky, fast and ruthless.

The sharp aura made the two spectators feel a stinging sensation on their skin.

Ino Rinya watched Kakashi's speed and sharpness with lingering fear, wondering how long he could last against him—probably less than ten seconds.

I would be pierced by Kakashi.

"Hey, Sister Nana."

Ino Rinya tugged secretly at the corner of Hyuga Nana's sleeve.

"If it were you, could you put up a fight against Kakashi?"

Hyuga Nana was currently using her Byakugan to its full extent to observe the battle, the veins on her forehead bulging. She was stunned by the question.

Then, Hyuga Nana frowned.

"Kakashi's speed is indeed..."

"already surpassing the vast majority of Chunin."

"It would be very difficult for me to react in time."

What if she used that technique, Rotation, a move the clan head had personally taught her not long ago?

But Hyuga Nana immediately shook her head.

That wouldn't work either, because Rotation is, after all, primarily a defensive move.

Unless I could perfectly disrupt Kakashi's offensive rhythm,

and make him crash into it himself,

just like Teacher Nara is doing right now.

Meanwhile, Kakashi was still relentlessly attacking Nara Dan.

With various spins, leaps, rises, and crouches, his small frame danced across the training ground, all to land a stronger and faster strike.

But to Nara Dan, it was still useless.

Nara Dan held a standard Kunai, accurately clashing against every one of Kakashi's strikes, sending sparks flying everywhere.

No matter how fast or tricky the angle of Kakashi's strikes were, Nara Dan parried them with ease, the counter-shock force even leaving Kakashi's arm numb.

And what's more...

Hyuga Nana, with her Byakugan activated, could observe even more.

Teacher Nara hasn't moved from his spot this entire time!

And he hasn't even used his left hand!

Caught in the heat of battle, Kakashi was naturally struggling; beads of sweat rolled from his temple into the corner of his eye, yet he dared not blink.

"Completely suppressed."

"This is different from the assessment with Teacher Nara last time."

"It isn't a suppression of strength or speed, meant to devour me whole."

"It's a different type of suppression."

"Even though his strength is about the same as mine and I can see his speed with my naked eye,"

"Every time I attack Teacher Nara, it feels as if I am delivering my blade right to him."

Just as Kakashi was at a loss for what to do, Nara Dan caught another one of Kakashi's strikes and simultaneously kicked out, separating the distance between the two.

"Have you realized it yet, Kakashi?"

Nara Dan spoke suddenly, his tone indifferent as he pointed out Kakashi's flaws.

"I told you last time that you hadn't inherited even half of the essence of White Fang,"

"Did you not go back and think about it properly?"

"Kenjutsu isn't simply about being as fast as possible or having the most devious angles."

"That isn't called Kenjutsu; that's called hacking."

"I have crossed blades with White Fang."

"The brilliance of his blade wasn't in its speed, but in its precision!"

At this moment, the other two also focused their attention, knowing that what followed was the kind of hard-won wisdom that ordinary ninjas would never hear in their entire lives.

"In Kenjutsu, the inferior compete in strength."

"The mediocre compete in speed."

"But the superior compete in rhythm!"

This was the rhythm Hyuga Nana had just mentioned; as a user of the Gentle Fist, she was actually more sensitive to timing and rhythm than Kakashi.

Thus, Hyuga Nana looked as if she had gained some insight, but Ino Rinya looked completely bewildered.

After Nara Dan finished speaking, he moved his body and attacked Kakashi directly.

The roles of attacker and defender had reversed, but Nara Dan did not have that urgent, rapid feeling that Kakashi possessed.

Instead, he swung his Kunai with composure, carving out graceful black arcs; the two spectators on the sidelines could even clearly see Nara Dan's offensive maneuvers.

Yet, at this moment, Kakashi was suppressed to the point where he could only defend arduously, his formidable speed completely unable to be unleashed.

Every one of Nara Dan's strikes landed exactly at the moment Kakashi's moves were shifting, making him feel incredibly stifled.

"So-called rhythm is only produced by moves that are under control."

"Pouring all your strength and speed into every single strike,"

"Is the most foolish approach."

"Not only does it waste stamina, but it also causes your moves to fall into an uncontrollable rhythm."

As he spoke, Nara Dan struck the blade of the struggling Kakashi, and following the force of the recoil, he turned to deliver a slash.

Under the influence of the recoil force and the timing, this turning slash was smooth and natural, like a celestial being descending or an antelope hanging its horns by its hooves, without the slightest obstruction in the transition of the move.

Kakashi panted heavily; with his old strength spent, he could only watch helplessly as the Kunai pressed against his skin at a strange angle.

However, he felt no panic at all; instead, his expression was one of excitement due to the gains he had made.

He hadn't felt this kind of exhilarating sense of progress since his father died.

Blindly engaging in hard Cultivation could lead to progress, but it was too slow.

Once a person is used to cheating, how could they ever adapt to a turtle-crawling leveling speed?

"What you need to do now is not to unleash stronger strikes."

"You are still young, and your room for growth in terms of strength has reached its limit."

"Continuing to train like this will only damage your physical potential."

"You must learn to use only seven parts of your strength, leaving three parts for variation."

"This way, you can not only make more changes to your moves but also reduce the damage to your body."

After Nara Dan finished speaking, he tossed the Kunai aside, and Kakashi hurriedly caught it.

"Thank you for your guidance, Teacher Nara!"

Kakashi bowed respectfully; at this point, he had completely accepted Nara Dan's status as his teacher, and he was entirely convinced.

"Clap, clap, clap, clap."

Suddenly, a round of applause came, and a figure wearing a Red White Fan slowly approached.

Barely made it in time, the third update is here! I'm counting on you all! Let's boost those stats!

Thanks to Heiseimadinglin for the tip!

Thanks to Aifengdanbailu for the tip!

Thanks to the boss! The boss is generous!