A brief standoff,
Uchiha Sora lowered his body, letting Mifune's blade take the high ground.
Using the force transmitted down the blade, he took a wide step forward with his left foot. Ryuzuki in his hand slid along the spine of the blade as he viciously slashed at Mifune's waist.
Mifune pressed down on the hilt with his hand, blocking Uchiha Sora's attack.
Clang—
Clang!!
In an instant, the two figures crossed like ghosts.
The cold gleam of their blades and the scorching sparks wove a web across the snow and dusk, while the clashing of metal rang out without pause.
Clang!!
Before the flying sparks had even touched the ground, the two had already exchanged seven attacks and defenses.
Mifune held his sword in one hand and pressed two fingers against its back with the other. "I underestimated you, young man. In that case..."
"Be careful. This old man is going to use swordsmanship!"
What he meant was that he hadn't used any sword techniques in their previous exchanges at all; he'd merely been swinging his blade!
Mifune was known to the outside world as...
A powerful samurai against whom ninjutsu was useless.
Under his superb swordsmanship, a ninja wouldn't even have time to form Hand Seals!
Screech—
A streak of white light burst from the blade, tearing through Uchiha Sora's field of vision.
Sky-Splitting Slash!
By concentrating chakra along the blade and swinging, it produced an effect similar to a Wind Release slash.
During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Mifune had used this technique to cut off a small portion of the God Tree's branches, which showed just how sharp it was.
Of course, Mifune knew his limits and hadn't put all his strength into it.
Samurai simply couldn't use ninjutsu; that didn't mean they had no chakra.
The Sage of Six Paths had originally spread chakra so people could connect with one another's hearts.
Thus, skilled ninja could sense their opponents' intentions when they fought. Some could even reach deep into their hearts.
Just as Hanzo had once seen Mifune's resolve and chosen to give him an Antidote.
At that moment, Mifune sensed Uchiha Sora's thoughts.
Utterly pure.
He wasn't testing Mifune or showing off. He simply wanted to learn swordsmanship, just as he'd said.
Mifune saw how this young man pursued strength.
That was...
Loyalty!
Not loyalty to someone else, but loyalty to himself.
Young man...
Did the pursuit of strength bring you such joy?
Mifune wasn't as stubborn as he seemed.
During Naruto's time as Hokage, he realized there were problems with the Land of Iron's system. He sent his disciples to Konoha to learn from them, hoping to change the Land of Iron.
Once he realized how serious Uchiha Sora was, and that he couldn't go back on his deal with the Uchiha, he quickly adjusted his attitude and sought to befriend them.
After Sky-Splitting Slash sent Uchiha Sora flying, Mifune rushed after him, speaking as he swung his blade.
"In a duel between swordsmen, don't watch your opponent's sword. Watch his shoulders and feet, and look for openings in the rhythm of his breathing."
"You can see the direction of my sword, but your body can't keep up with your perception."
"When facing an opponent faster than you, you must reach the realm of Pre-preemptive."
"That means recognizing your opponent's attack before he makes his move, then striking first to counter it."
"It takes years of training and great reflexes."
"This old man hasn't reached that level. I'm still working toward it. Of the people I know, only Hanzo has."
Uchiha Sora pondered.
Pre-preemptive was somewhat like prediction, but there was a difference between them.
Pre-preemptive placed more emphasis on actively creating the conditions and letting oneself shape how things unfolded.
Prediction relied more on reacting to what was happening, making adjustments based on the information already available.
There was a good example.
The clash between Namikaze Minato and Obito was a classic case of Pre-preemptive against prediction.
Namikaze Minato had created the conditions for victory. Obito had been completely drawn into his rhythm, and that was why he lost.
Taking Mifune's advice, Uchiha Sora focused more of his attention on Mifune's body, trying to predict his next move by watching his muscles.
He already knew how to predict. It was a basic manifestation of the Sharingan's keen perception.
The fight didn't let up. Mifune noticed the change in Uchiha Sora and couldn't help thinking with a sigh,
Could it be that the Sharingan is naturally endowed with a skill that ordinary samurai have to struggle so hard to attain?
In his eyes,
Uchiha Sora would probably find it much easier than he had to reach the realm of Pre-preemptive.
What an enviable bloodline.
Mifune gradually picked up speed, his figure racing through the snow like a gale.
Faced with slashes coming at him from every direction, Uchiha Sora was hard-pressed to defend himself. His clothes had already been torn in several places by the blades' gleams.
He was just like Sasuke against Rock Lee at the beginning of the Chunin Ninja Exams.
He could see the attacks, but he couldn't keep up.
If this had been a fight to the death, Uchiha Sora would have retreated eight hundred meters and bombarded an opponent like Mifune with ninjutsu long ago.
But this was a rare sparring match. He could tell Mifune was teaching him as they fought, so he wasn't about to play dirty.
Although he was fighting Mifune, the opponent Uchiha Sora imagined in his mind was the Raikage.
What goes around comes around.
If you want to cut someone down, you have to be ready to be cut down yourself.
Uchiha Sora had given Shisui a long explanation, but deep down, he knew the truth.
The Raikage would find him sooner or later. It was only a matter of time.
He'd challenged Mifune to a match so he could get used to fighting powerful opponents in Close Combat ahead of time.
Thinking back on the Raikage's attacks, Namikaze Minato was faster than him, while Tsunade was stronger. In other words...
Both his speed and strength were at an extremely high level, second only to the strongest in the Shinobi World!
Uchiha Madara... that time didn't count.
Those two monsters weren't part of the everyday comparisons.
It wasn't realistic to match the Raikage's physical abilities in a short time. The man was a genius who'd trained hard for decades, after all.
Pre-preemptive...
It was a very useful concept. He could study it when he had time.
But I wasn't really a swordsman, so there was no need to rush after it.
I needed to work with my own strengths and solve the problem in front of me...
Screech—
A sword beam cut across Uchiha Sora's forehead. Blood from the wound ran past his eye, but he didn't even blink. He swung his long blade at top speed, batting away the slash.
Ryuzuki in his hand glowed red from the flames. Patterns that had been hard to make out before bloomed like flowers, breathtakingly beautiful.
Flames covered more and more of his body. The snow across the entire training ground melted, and puddles reflected the youth wreathed in fire.
A massive blade of light slashed toward Uchiha Sora, its force overwhelming.
Click—
Mifune sheathed his sword.
That should do it. After taking this slash, young Sora ought to be too exhausted to keep fighting.
Suddenly, Uchiha Sora lowered the sword he'd raised.
Mifune's pupils shrank. He cried out, "What are you doing? Raise your sword!"
Shisui, watching from the sidelines, tensed as well. He put a hand on his hilt, bracing himself to rush in and save him at any moment.
As the slash roared toward him, Uchiha Sora's lips curved into a smile. He turned his blade around and took the stance for Iaijutsu.
Whoosh!!!
Flames surged upward, forming a blazing, spiraling pillar. The sudden heat vaporized the moisture in the air.
Uchiha Sora swung his sword.
Fire Style Chakra Mode...
Kanzaki Kaori!!
—
Crimson Ryuzuki came slashing down!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!!!
The pillar of fire exploded in an instant. Its spreading grid of flames covered an area dozens of meters wide, and the air crackled like shattering glass wherever it passed!
Streams of fire surged like countless giant serpents, swallowing the entire training ground in a roiling sea of flames!
The massive blade of light was overwhelmed by the flames, but their force didn't let up. The scorching air sent Mifune's long hair whipping wildly.
What incredible...
Monstrous talent!
Mifune bent low and drew his sword. The clear, keen flash of his Iaijutsu cut into the flames rushing toward him.
Once everything had settled down.
Mifune sheathed his sword. A closer look showed wisps of smoke rising from the tips of his mustache, and even his eyebrows had curled where they'd been singed.
"That's enough... any more and this won't be a sparring match."
"Let's eat."
Whoosh—
A gust of wind swept past, carrying away the last of the flames on Uchiha Sora's body.
He grinned. "For dessert after dinner, I'd like Snow Mountain Apple Jam Shaved Ice."
"I asked around. It's the best dessert you have."
Before you continue