Uchiha Shiraha and the Blade

In the world of Naruto, at an abandoned training ground on the outskirts of Konoha.

"9998, 9999..."

A young boy wearing a Konoha forehead protector and dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and trousers swung the long sword in his hand, his sharp-featured face covered in sweat.

The boy was not old, around thirteen years of age, standing about 1.6 meters tall, holding a one-meter-long sword.

"10000!"

The boy silently counted to himself, finally completing ten thousand draws of his blade.

"Congratulations to host Uchiha Shiraha, novice mission complete, Sword Saint Cultivation System fully activated! Reward: Basic Draw Technique."

A crisp system notification echoed in Uchiha Shiraha's mind, and a brilliant smile bloomed across his exhausted face.

Five years had passed since he transmigrated into the Naruto world, and Uchiha Shiraha had become a war orphan of the Uchiha clan.

Both his parents had been Jonin, having died in the Third Shinobi World War before Shiraha arrived.

Three years after his transmigration, a system prompt appeared in his mind—the system had arrived!

Iai is a school of Japanese swordsmanship, also known as the draw-slash in China; it was a technique that had existed for thousands of years, though it was adopted by the Japanese and renamed Iai.

Because it was popularized by the Japanese, the system named it Iai Slash.

However, Shiraha habitually referred to it as the draw technique.

The system divided the practice of the Iai Slash into three stages.

The primary stage consisted of these ten thousand draw motions.

Every single draw had to meet two standards: the blade and the motion. Only a draw that met both criteria was recognized by the system.

The draw motion consisted of the koiguchi-no-kiri, nukitsuke, kiritsuke, chiburi, zanshin, and noto.

Very few ninjas in the village used long swords, so they generally had to be custom-made.

After becoming a ninja, Shiraha spent his savings to forge a special long sword, about one meter in length, which met the system's requirements.

The standard motion required drawing the long sword from the scabbard at his waist with maximum speed to perform a horizontal slash, all while ensuring the scabbard did not fall.

Iai-do emphasizes both drawing and sheathing, but the system initially only required the draw to meet the standard.

When he first began training, Shiraha was just over ten years old.

Including the time spent studying ninjutsu, it took him a total of three years to graduate from the Ninja Academy.

In his second year after transmigrating, Shiraha mastered the single-tomoe Sharingan awakened by his predecessor.

Relying on this ability, he managed to graduate from the academy a year early.

Originally, Shiraha had intended to practice ninjutsu; after all, upon arriving in this world, he had been curious about those flashy techniques.

But despite his innate talent, when it came to practicing ninjutsu... the results were disastrous.

He ultimately chose to abandon the path of ninjutsu and focus solely on the system's swordsmanship.

After completing the system mission, the rewarded Basic Draw Technique merged into Shiraha's mind.

Countless days and nights of training! This draw feels like it has been etched into my very bones.

A common katana now possessed a soul in Shiraha's hands.

Shiraha's gaze turned intense; he gripped the hilt with one hand and steadied the scabbard with the other.

"Clack!"

A flash of cold light flickered, and the giant tree over three meters wide in front of him toppled over amidst the sound of the blade returning to its sheath.

This system reward seems to have integrated my training experience... my strength has leveled up because of it.

Is this a breakthrough of a bottleneck?

"Ding-dong, introductory mission: draw the blade one hundred thousand times, reward: Thunder Breathing Method."

The system's voice rang out once more.

The second stage of the mission had arrived.

Through constant practice, the draw had become increasingly proficient.

In the process of continuous training, the time required for a successful draw had evolved from minutes to tens of seconds, then to a few seconds, and now, he could perform a draw in a single second with great effort.

Eventually, he would complete the standard techniques and gradually master them, allowing him to draw and slash from any position!

At this moment, one draw per second included the time for drawing, sheathing, and preparing for the next draw.

Drawing the blade was not merely about completing the motion; it involved a shift in mindset, as only a calm state of mind could deliver a sharp strike.

For a single strike, it was the calculated power that mattered, not just the speed.

By pushing his speed to the limit, Shiraha could draw his blade in under 0.1 seconds.

But the subsequent strike would inevitably become sluggish.

This was a major taboo in combat, a problem that absolutely could not occur.

From a boy who knew nothing to a qualified swordsman, three years was not a long time at all.

If calculated at the current rate of one strike per second, 100,000 seconds equals 1,666.6 minutes, which is 27 hours.

It seems like it would only take a little over a day.

But!

This strike is the fastest he can currently complete a draw and sheath, not accounting for the energy expended or the physical fatigue that would accumulate.

"It's difficult, sure! But isn't it just a matter of persistence? I've reached 10,000, so how far away can 100,000 be?"

Uchiha Shiraha looked at the indicator on his system task bar, secretly encouraging himself.

10,000 (Completed) / 100,000 (Total)

"The road is long and the burden is heavy!"

Uchiha Shiraha muttered. After three years of ninja academy and two years as a ninja, he had completed the transition from student to genin, and finally to chunin.

Some time had passed since the end of the Great Ninja War, and the various villages were recuperating, with no major conflicts in sight.

Uchiha Shiraha had passed the chunin exam yesterday, becoming a qualified piece of cannon fodder for the village.

Given his status as an Uchiha, he was assigned to work in the Military Police Force immediately after his promotion.

The clan leader, Uchiha Fugaku, had arranged for him to join a squad.

The next day, while the sun was still slumbering, the village was silent.

Uchiha Shiraha opened his eyes and glanced at the jonin wearing the village's green flak jacket standing in his room.

"Don't jonin ever knock on doors?"

Uchiha Shiraha stood up and released his tight grip on the hilt of his sword, complaining.

It was his first time encountering a Konoha jonin, and his stealth technique had given him quite a scare.

Silent and soundless, he had appeared by his side without any warning.

Upon sensing the anomaly, Uchiha Shiraha had gripped his sword hilt in the first instant.

The slight sense of pride he had felt due to his recent growth in strength was wiped clean in that moment.

A drop of cold sweat rolled down his forehead.

Only after Uchiha Shiraha tightened his grip on the hilt did his mind finally settle.

Through years of training, Uchiha Shiraha had developed the habit of never letting his sword leave his side.

"Good alertness. Your performance doesn't match the rumors in the clan; you aren't as incompetent as they say."

The jonin evaluated, his tone gentle. He didn't sound like an arrogant Uchiha clansman, but rather like a big brother from next door.

"Let's get acquainted. I am the captain of the Clan Seventh Squad, Uchiha Shisui!"

Uchiha Shiraha was stunned for a moment upon hearing that name, and he looked at the man again with curious eyes.

The strongest genius of the Uchiha, the current number one powerhouse, Body Flicker Shisui?

From before he transmigrated to after, he had heard people whispering this name constantly.

Within the Uchiha, he was a legend.

Alive, he was the legend of the Uchiha.

Dead, he was the lament of the Uchiha.

The rise and fall of the Uchiha were all tied to him.

This man ran through the entire history of the Uchiha clan's destruction.

"Uchiha Shiraha, chunin."

Uchiha Shiraha released his right hand from the hilt, stood up straight, and introduced himself.

Uchiha Shisui possessed the legendary ocular jutsu of the Uchiha and was currently the strongest ninja on the surface.

In the village and within the clan, everyone was spreading the name of Uchiha Shisui.

Uchiha Shiraha was two or three years younger than Uchiha Shisui, but their statuses were worlds apart.

However, after acquiring the Basic Draw Technique, he had an intuition.

As long as he caught Uchiha Shisui in a moment of inattention, he could slice through any part of his body with a single strike.

The confidence of a draw-strike.

When facing an enemy, one strike decides the outcome.

Even if the opponent's strength is several realms higher, it can be compensated for with speed.

Iai Sword Technique emphasizes two things: speed and surprise.

More importantly, it requires the user's confidence.

If one lacks the courage to even draw their sword when encountering an enemy, then the battle is already decided.

Uchiha Shiraha, with his soul from another world and the experience of having died once, would never harbor such thoughts in his heart.

A swordsman, the moment they grip their hilt, has already prepared themselves for death.

"Is that what you're relying on?"

Shisui muttered inwardly, carefully observing Baiyu's movements and seeing through the meaning behind the action at a glance.

The rank of Jonin represents more than just raw strength.

It also encompasses the insight and combat experience that come with it.

Uchiha Shisui, in particular, is a paragon of exceptional intellect, though his overly gentle nature, indecisiveness, and naive character would ultimately lead to his tragic end.

Baiyu knew in his heart that Uchiha Shisui was strong, but he was not the future of the Uchiha clan.

He had no intention of clinging to anyone's coattails.

He knew very clearly that the only thing he could rely on was the long blade in his hand.