The Charm of That Sword

The katana and short sword locked for a moment before springing apart. The Second Leader needed to gather his strength, and Kaede should have released a ninjutsu at this moment, but since he had made up his mind to test his blade, he wouldn't bully his opponent with techniques.

He had already stopped the rapid flow of Lightning-natured Chakra within his body, relying solely on his physical strength and skill to fight the Second Leader.

Even so, in his eyes, the bandit Second Leader's speed was still far too slow.

The short sword spun in his hand before he gripped it anew. He had lost interest in continuing this fight with this man. He hadn't even used his full strength, and his opponent was already nearing his peak—this was an unequal battle. Since that was the case, he might as well seek a stronger opponent. The one fighting Tong seemed promising.

"[Lightning Sword: Condensed Light]"

He executed this swordsmanship technique once more. The Second Leader had already prepared his defenses, but he was still struck directly. Condensed Light was far too fast—how could a mere mortal dodge it?

"So this is the power of a Konoha ninja... truly different from the Rain Ninja's strength!"

His body already severed by Condensed Light, he stubbornly clung to life. With only his upper half remaining, his unwilling eyes, bloodshot, stared at Kaede. Even in death, he did not release the blade in his hand.

"Rain Country? He must have been driven out by the Akatsuki and the Rain Ninja."

At this moment, the Akatsuki should still be under Yahiko's leadership, striving for the dream of peace—an organization full of love. But that was about to change.

Yet he was too far away to meddle in those affairs. He hadn't even sorted out his own matters.

Kaede's body flickered again, heading toward the other side of the cliff to help Tong, and also to test the bandit Chief Leader. His head was the proof of this mission.

"Little girl, looks like you don't have any powerful ninjutsu! Then I won't hold back." The vicious bandit leader, his face marked with several scars, grinned with nothing but cruelty.

He curled his lips into a savage smile, swinging his katana in wide, sweeping arcs. His strength was definitely at the Chunin level. Tong was only a Genin, and she had been focusing more on learning medical ninjutsu lately. Her combat ability wasn't outstanding, and under his assault, she struggled to hold her ground.

"Dammit, I didn't expect such a formidable enemy. I was too careless." She had been the one to scout the enemy this time, and overlooking this powerful swordsman was her fault.

Dodging another attack, Tong leaped backward, forming hand seals rapidly in midair.

"[Fire Style: Fireball Technique]"

A fireball shot from her mouth, attacking the bandit leader. From the ninja tool pouch at her thigh, she pulled out a kunai and threw it. Just as she completed these actions, a sharp flash of blade light flickered and vanished, cleaving the fireball in two. The momentum undiminished, the blade light cut Tong in half.

"Puff"—smoke scattered, leaving only a severed log in place.

It was the [Substitution Technique].

Sensing the powerful attack closing in on her, Tong quickly completed her counterattack, then without hesitation used the Substitution Technique to escape into a tree.

She had barely dodged that lethal strike.

"Pant... pant..."

The intense battle had drained much of her stamina and Chakra. Although her heart disease had been cured, years of suffering from that illness had left lingering effects.

Her Chakra reserves were very small, just barely meeting the threshold to become a ninja. To pursue her dream, she had to focus her efforts on the [Chakra Sensing Technique] and [Medical Ninjutsu], becoming an indispensable member of the team.

Her [Medical Ninjutsu] was learned from none other than the renowned Tsunade, one of the legendary three—it was the technique she treasured most. All of this was the result of Kaede's efforts for her, so she cherished it deeply and studied with exceptional diligence.

A faint green medical Chakra appeared in her hand as she applied it to her ankle, where a thin wound had formed. Though she had avoided the fatal danger, she had been too slow to fully escape the blade's edge.

Taking advantage of the time when the bandit leader was injured by the kunai with an Explosive Tag she had thrown afterward, she quickly healed herself, restoring her condition to uninjured.

"You're hurt." A dark figure suddenly appeared beside Tong, followed by a concerned voice.

"Kaede, I'm sorry. It's my fault."

Tong quickly stood up, meeting Kaede's gaze, wanting to explain the unexpected situation.

"It's fine, Tong. No need to apologize." Kaede placed his hand on her long hair, gently comforting her.

Then his sharp gaze fixed on the bandit leader emerging from the explosion's smoke. Unscathed by the Explosive Tag, he was merely disheveled, his face smudged with black ash, his once-tight clothes now tattered.

He raised a hand and wiped his blade, seemingly irritated.

"Another brat looking for death, huh? Heh, let me send you both to hell together."

His right hand rested on the hilt, and he drew and slashed in a single motion.

A streak of white, like a pouring Milky Way, emerged from the blade. Kaede shoved Tong aside, raising his short sword horizontally to block the [Draw Cut Technique]. He had seen this skill before and was prepared.

"Hah, you think that can block my attack, brat? Ninjas aren't so impressive." He spun his body, rotating the blade with it, using the powerful inertia to gain a strike beyond his own strength.

Kaede leaned back to dodge the sweeping blade, then kicked the leader in the back. Using the recoil, he gained rapid speed, retreating out of the leader's attack range.

The bandit leader curled his lips into a sly, scheming grin. He knew ninjas always liked to create distance and release ninjutsu—this brat was no exception.

Now, with his body still airborne and no foothold, it was the perfect time to unleash his secret technique.

"Secret Technique: Swallow Return"

The bandit leader, who had been facing away from Kaede, suddenly flew backward at high speed, like a swallow skimming low across the sky. His katana extended behind him, and he was about to collide with Kaede midair. If they met, the protruding blade would pierce straight through his body.

This secret technique was both fast and unexpected.

"Watch out!" Tong urgently called out to Kaede, warning him.

"An impressive technique. You're the first swordsman I've seen with a skill I can respect. But... are you all underestimating ninjas?"

Who said that without a foothold in midair, one couldn't launch an attack? Kaede would never believe such a notion. Lightning flickered behind Kaede, and an identical Kaede emerged from his back—this was a [Lightning Clone], a clone technique only possible with a high-level understanding of the nature and form changes of Lightning-natured Chakra.

It was a solid clone, similar to the [Shadow Clone Technique].

"Watch closely. In your final moments, dance with me!"

The two Kaedes stood back-to-back in midair, assuming the starting stance of [Lightning Sword: Condensed Light]. As the bandit leader closed in, he moved. The clone and the original responded to each other, spinning and swapping positions, while their blades continuously slashed out Lightning Sword sword energy, like a blooming flower unfurling its petals.

For a moment, blades flashed and killing intent flooded the space around Kaede, sword aura completely enveloping his body with no gaps. This assault lasted only a short while.

The two landed back-to-back at the same time.

"What swordsmanship is this?" the Bandit Leader asked in a low voice.

"I call it [Thunder Sword: Round Dance]. Remember, the one who killed you is Uchiha Kaede of Konoha's Uchiha Clan."

"Hahaha... pfft—" The Bandit Leader burst into laughter.

A mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips. His sword planted into the ground to keep him from collapsing immediately, but blood threads began seeping from all over his body. Wounds slowly appeared across his flesh, until his body shattered completely into small pieces.

The trees within ten meters began to split apart, their severed ends perfectly smooth—proof they had been cut cleanly by an incredibly sharp attack.

Kaede swung his sword backward, flicking the Bandit Leader's head onto the blade, then stored it in a sealing scroll. From start to finish, he never once looked at him.

"Let's go."

He walked over to Tong, his voice gentle.

"Kaede, I'm hurt."

"Then I'll carry you on my back."

"Mhm~"

Tong beamed a radiant smile and climbed onto Kaede's back.

Growing older by the day, they were now practically little adults. In just over a year, all their classmates from the same year would graduate.

Time was catching up to them faster than they could handle.