Only This Much

Uchiha's ill fame still came in handy.

Mifune relented.

If a chubby little Akimichi had come to negotiate, Mifune would've taken even the harshest threats as a joke.

But two little brats with Red Eye were another matter.

Body Flicker Shisui went without saying. Judging by Uchiha Sora's words, actions, and the details of his musculature, Mifune's experience told him the boy was also a master of swordsmanship.

They looked no older than ten, yet Mifune got the sense they were as strong as A-rank samurai.

A-rank samurai were roughly equivalent to jonin.

And that was without considering their Sharingan...

If it came to a fight, Mifune wasn't even sure the Land of Iron could take them down.

Even if they could, he wouldn't dare make a move.

Why did the Hyuga need the Caged Bird Seal to protect their Byakugan, while the Uchiha had no such seal?

There were many reasons. For one thing, the Byakugan was easy to awaken and compatible with ordinary ninja. It was also more useful than the Sharingan in large-scale battles.

But most of all, it was because of the Uchiha Clan's fearsome reputation.

During the Warring States period, any shinobi clan that dared lay a hand on an Uchiha would be wiped out to the last member!

According to an uncertain rumor, the feud between the Uchiha and Senju began when the Uchiha tried to exterminate a certain clan, which then sought help from the Senju.

Even so, the Uchiha Clan had fought through enormous losses and managed to destroy that clan!

For a thousand years, the Uchiha had been known throughout the Shinobi World as hardheaded fighters who never let a grudge go.

Only in the past few decades had the Uchiha's influence begun to wane.

Even so, the great nations had all established a rule: no one of comparable rank was to fight an Uchiha one-on-one.

Uchiha Sora didn't want to fall out with the Land of Iron. It wasn't in his interests.

The Land of Iron was even less willing to provoke the Uchiha.

As the Land of Iron's Admiral, Mifune understood that when faced with two evils, one should choose the lesser.

After several hours of back-and-forth, the two sides reached an agreement.

Mifune would transfer to Uchiha Sora the trade shares originally allocated to small nations like the Land of Snow and the Land of Demons.

In return, if those small nations came looking for trouble with the Land of Iron, the Land of Iron would pin the blame on the Uchiha.

They'd already crossed Kumogakure. The Uchiha didn't mind having a few more lice.

The negotiations over, Mifune sighed helplessly and gazed at Uchiha Sora.

The brat had no political savvy at all. He only knew how to play good cop and bad cop.

But the trick had worked on him.

Whenever Mifune made a proposal they didn't like, Shisui would start shouting that they should wipe out the Land of Iron.

If both of them had shouted like that, Mifune's samurai pride might really have made him declare war in a fit of anger.

And yet Uchiha Sora was there to smooth things over...

The whole thing reminded Mifune of a relative's brat asking for a red envelope. He'd make a fuss if you didn't give him one, and make a fuss if it wasn't enough. There was no room for bargaining.

Thump!

Uchiha Sora pulled a box from a storage scroll and opened it, showing Mifune the silver inside.

Fugaku had given him half the clan's liquid funds for this trip. If that number reached a certain green-eyed man's ears, the man would hunt him down to the ends of the earth.

"I trust your character, Admiral Mifune. I'll settle the payment for this batch of goods directly with you."

"I hope you'll trust the Uchiha as well. There's no more reliable partner than us. I'm still young, and you're hale and hearty. We have a long time ahead of us."

So that meant he had plenty of room to grow, while Mifune was already old and should behave himself?

Mifune nodded and said gravely, "I'll get the ore ready. Will you wait here to take it, or send someone to collect it later?"

"We'll send someone to collect it later. We won't wait."

"Very well... It's getting late. I've had dinner prepared. Please, both of you, come to the dining hall."

Uchiha Sora smiled faintly. "We'll certainly have dinner, but before that..."

"Admiral Mifune, you're renowned for your legendary Iaijutsu. You're one of the few in the Shinobi World to have survived an encounter with Hanzo."

"I'd like to ask you to teach me a thing or two. Would that be all right?"

He wasn't mocking him.

As far as people in the Shinobi World were concerned, surviving Hanzo was proof of strength.

After all, that was how the Konoha Sannin had made their names.

Uchiha Sora genuinely wanted to learn swordsmanship. He'd never had a proper teacher; he'd developed his Taijutsu by brawling with Ninja Cats in the Cat Village.

It lacked the Uchiha's characteristic elegance and was especially practical.

But that wasn't how Mifune heard Uchiha Sora's words.

Mifune had been forced to accept the terms of the negotiations, and he was already in a bad mood.

To him, Uchiha Sora was testing his strength—a brash young upstart showing off.

Fine...

The old man wanted to teach him a lesson, too, in return for the "lesson" he'd given Mifune's subordinates.

Mifune stood. "The training ground is right outside. After you."

--

The vast, circular training ground was covered in deep snow.

The dusk light filtering through the clouds reflected off the snowflakes, making them sparkle like scattered points of light. It was a hazy, dreamlike sight.

"Chosuke, lend him your sword."

At Mifune's words, a tall samurai removed the sword from his waist, walked over, and presented it to Uchiha Sora with both hands.

"Her name is Ryuzuki... Be careful with her. She's made with thirty percent Chakra Metal. Remember to channel chakra into her before you cross blades, or she won't be as hard as a steel sword..."

"There's a bad example in Konoha. I heard the son of the Hatake Clan ruined Lord White Fang's treasured sword. His sword came from the same batch as my Ryuzuki... Anyway..."

Uchiha Sora gave him a strange look.

Wait, was he introducing his wife?

He'd heard that a first-rate swordsman should treat his blade like a lover, but that was just a figure of speech. Was this guy serious?

Smack!

Uchiha Sora snatched the sword and turned toward Mifune. "All right, all right. I'll be careful."

Swish—

As he spoke, he drew the long sword and tossed its scabbard into the snow.

The blade was about three feet long and pure white. On closer inspection, faint lines ran along it, like snowflakes and moonlight.

"Oh! You..."

In the snowy field, Uchiha Sora walked toward Mifune step by step, steadying his breathing as white vapor escaped his lips.

Three Tomoe slowly appeared in his eyes, staining them crimson.

Another Three Tomoe at such a young age... The Uchiha Clan really was...

Mifune lowered his stance slightly, one hand resting on his sword hilt.

"Good."

"Steady your breathing. Focus completely. Be ready to give it your all from the start. It seems you understand that I'm not someone you can take lightly."

"I hope your sword isn't as talkative as you are."

Uchiha Sora gripped the sword with both hands. Flames spread from his palms along the blade, and gorgeous sparks bloomed across its snow-and-moon-white surface.

Feeling how efficiently it conducted chakra...

This really was in a class of its own compared with ordinary ninja tools.

"Here I come!"

"If your eyes can't follow me, sense me through the air!"

Mifune called out a warning, instinctively treating Uchiha Sora like one of the subordinates he sparred with every day.

Swish!!

In an instant, his figure darted forward like a startled bird.

A gleaming blade flashed from its sheath like a dragon surging out of the abyss, its keen whistle slicing through the air!

He shifted into position, drew, and struck.

Three movements, completed in a single breath!

Clang—

The clash of metal rang through the training ground.

The two blades locked together.

Uchiha Sora held his sword in both hands and firmly caught the Iaijutsu strike.

The Tomoe turned in his eyes as he spoke softly.

"This is all you've got? How could my eyes possibly fail to follow you?"

"Don't underestimate the Uchiha, old man."