Border Skirmish (2)

The moment Uesugi Shinji and Shirokumo Hayama clashed, Kisame immediately took off after the two Konoha jōnin as they retreated.

Seeing this, Shirokumo Hayama pulled several kunai from his left hand and was about to throw them at Kisame, hoping to delay his pursuit of his teammates for as long as possible.

But Uesugi Shinji, standing before him, wasn't about to give him the chance. One of Shinji's hands had already caught the wakizashi he'd just thrown, and he swung it hard in a horizontal slash.

Shirokumo Hayama couldn't spare another thought for Kisame. He immediately raised his sword to block, and the weapons in their hands crashed together. Both men were incredibly strong; the collision sent a gust of wind sweeping around them, whipping their hair and the hems of their clothes.

Looking at Shirokumo Hayama's unassuming build, Uesugi Shinji was secretly taken aback. He hadn't expected his opponent to match him strength for strength.

Although taijutsu was a required subject for ninjas, most considered it merely a supplement until they reached the highest levels, focusing the bulk of their training on ninjutsu instead.

Uesugi Shinji, however, placed great importance on taijutsu, regarding it as the foundation of a ninja's combat strength.

Using the analytical capabilities of his Light Brain, he had devised the most intensive training plan possible without damaging his health. He'd also spent countless hours completing every exercise in the plan that ordinary ninjas would have struggled to keep up with.

As a result, Uesugi Shinji had reached an exceptionally high level in strength, speed, and reflexes. That was why he was so surprised that Shirokumo Hayama's strength was no weaker than his own.

What Uesugi Shinji didn't know was that Shirokumo Hayama, standing across from him, was just as surprised. He, too, couldn't believe that someone as young as Uesugi Shinji could match him.

Shirokumo Hayama thought this way because he shared Uesugi Shinji's exact views on the importance of taijutsu.

Though he had no Light Brain to aid his training, Shirokumo Hayama had an exceptional physique and had maintained an intense taijutsu regimen for years.

And now, nearing thirty, he was at the peak of his physical abilities!

(Ninjas should be able to maintain their physical fitness better than athletes in modern society; their bodies wouldn't start declining so early, at just twenty.)

I have to eliminate a ninja like this as soon as possible. If war breaks out in the future, who knows how many of our comrades will die at his hands!

Taking Uesugi Shinji's apparent age and demonstrated strength into account, Shirokumo Hayama immediately judged him to be a major threat to Konoha and became even more determined to eliminate him.

There was no question of right or wrong in such a thought. It was simply a matter of perspective—and that was what made times of war so helplessly cruel.

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Shirokumo Hayama suddenly noticed frost spreading across his sword, creeping rapidly along the blade toward the hilt.

Looking closer, he saw a faint, piercing chill coiled around his opponent's wakizashi.

Shirokumo Hayama didn't dare keep their weapons locked. He swung his arm hard, trading a slash with Uesugi Shinji, then used the recoil to retreat.

That single step backward cost Shirokumo Hayama the initiative. Uesugi Shinji pressed forward at once, launching a fierce assault. His wakizashi repeatedly slashed toward vital points, every strike aimed to kill.

Fortunately, Shirokumo Hayama was first-rate in both swordsmanship and taijutsu. Though he was temporarily on the defensive, he guarded himself flawlessly and didn't fall to his opponent's barrage.

What unsettled him was how formidable Uesugi Shinji was—and how the blue-skinned monster who had chased after his teammates looked just as dangerous. He worried that something might happen to them.

The only thing to do now is finish off my opponent as quickly as possible and go help them!

With his plan set, Shirokumo Hayama's gaze suddenly sharpened. He had been defending all along, but now he launched a counterattack.

His right hand's sword blocked another of Uesugi Shinji's slashes. Then, with a nimble twist of his wrist, he reversed his grip, guiding the blade along the back of his opponent's wakizashi toward his wrist.

Uesugi Shinji reacted quickly. He immediately lifted the wakizashi, knocking Shirokumo Hayama's sword aside.

Just as Uesugi Shinji was about to press his attack, a chill suddenly rose in his heart. He'd only felt that sensation before during life-or-death moments in extremely dangerous missions.

He hurriedly pulled back his weapon and retreated, raising the wakizashi upright in front of him. It barely managed to stop a wind blade composed entirely of air currents, almost impossible to see with the naked eye.

The upright wakizashi split the wind blade in two, sending the halves flying to either side. They sliced through the trunks of the trees behind Uesugi Shinji. If he hadn't abandoned his attack and defended himself in time, he would have been the one cut in two!

This wind blade was Shirokumo Hayama's secret, self-created technique, which he had named "Konoha Style: Vacuum Sword."

The technique required him to hold his sword in a reverse grip and use a special slashing motion to combine it with Wind Release chakra, creating a wind blade. In his past battles, Shirokumo Hayama had always used it by surprise. Almost no opponent had ever escaped this deadly technique when fighting him at close range.