"When I appear on the battlefield, that alone is enough to make people remember me and make the enemies in my way fall to my Wind Taming Sword Technique.
You're jealous of my wind wall, the strongest defense.
There's a sharpness in my eyes I can't hide. I've never chosen to run away.
I can close in within a second and put an end to any conflict."
Unable to see any trace of it, Baiyu closed his eyes and felt the wind flowing over him.
If you couldn't catch the wind, how could you hope to tame it?
As he stood dumbly atop Uchiha Madara's head, Yasuo's various cocky boasts kept coming to mind.
He had such a strong sense of putting on airs.
Putting on airs like the wind, always by my side.
"The strongest defense, a wind wall that can block all projectiles. Once you truly master it, you can practically become immune to most ninjutsu attacks!"
Baiyu mimed the sword swing that created the wind wall, trying to find the wind's path in the air.
Wood Blade Arc Light carved an invisible path through empty space.
But the scene before him didn't change in the slightest.
"If I use the secret technique of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, cutting through the air at high speed to create a vacuum..."
Baiyu tried swinging the wooden sword in his hand, performing the first form of Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki.
The air before him split open, forming a vacuum that released a suction force. A gale gradually gathered around him.
"This only creates wind. It doesn't let me truly control it. A failure..."
Baiyu stopped before performing the second form, intending to fuse the wind barrier into it.
The suction force created by Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki remained unchanged.
"Hissagi!"
Baiyu murmured, thrusting the wooden sword out in an instant and drawing a straight line through the air.
Empty space remained as it was...
The void ignored you...
"I should try it on someone! Maybe I need a target."
After experimenting for a long time without making progress, Baiyu decided to try it on the tagalongs who had followed him.
"The three Anbu closest to me. You'll do."
Baiyu, standing atop Uchiha Madara's head, suddenly moved. After entering a blind spot in their surveillance, he approached the three ninjas concealed in the shadows at astonishing speed.
The Anbu Ninja keeping a close watch suddenly said,
"Captain, the target's disappeared!"
"Disappeared? He's gone! What happened? This mission really isn't simple!"
Hearing his subordinate's report, the Anbu Captain's expression changed. He immediately ordered the other two to search for the target.
But even after looking around, the three of them couldn't find a trace of him.
"Where did he go? How did we not notice at all? What kind of speed is that? What's going on?!"
The Anbu Captain exclaimed in surprise, leading his subordinates around as they searched for Baiyu.
When they first heard Lord Hokage's assignment—to monitor a Uchiha Chunin—they had been taken aback.
Aside from the clan head, who else in the Uchiha clan was worth assigning an Anbu squad to monitor?
An Anbu squad captain was usually at the Jōnin level, and even the weakest subordinates were Special Jōnin. Only a few were elite Chunin.
Taking Lord Hokage's assignment seriously, the three of them hadn't let their guard down for a moment. They hadn't expected to fail anyway!
"Who are you looking for?"
Suddenly, a puzzled voice came from behind them.
"Who else would we be looking for? Uchiha Shiraha!"
The Anbu Captain answered without thinking.
Then he realized the voice was wrong. It wasn't one of his teammates. The Anbu Captain hurriedly turned around.
"Why are you looking for me?"
Baiyu rested his left hand on his wooden sword, a playful smile on his lips.
The Anbu Captain stepped back, preparing to attack, when the subordinate beside him suddenly said,
"We're Konoha Anbu. We just happened to be passing by while carrying out a mission."
"Just happened to?"
Baiyu glanced at the Anbu. That was a quick excuse.
The Anbu felt uneasy under his gaze. An immense pressure weighed on him, and the person before him seemed like a demon.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
While they were talking, another Anbu used the Body Flicker Technique to appear on the lakeshore.
Empowered by the lake's water, the Water Dragon Bullet stretched nearly five meters in both length and width, its force immense.
No more talking. Straight to fighting.
Baiyu's smile grew wider. He'd been hoping for a chance to fight.
If he used them to test his sword, then they went home and told their superiors, it would be a headache.
Since they had attacked first, Baiyu had no reason to hold back.
Dealing with the Third Hokage was troublesome.
Baiyu didn't want to get too involved with the Third Hokage. The man only knew how to brainwash people with the Will of Fire.
"Steel Tempest!"
Baiyu swung his wooden sword in an instant, thrusting it forward.
The Water Dragon Bullet flew past his side, barely missing his clothes. Without him noticing, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan had activated.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
Switching into Thunder Breathing, his entire presence changed in an instant. His cells sensed the thunderous energy within him and began to tremble faintly.
As the energy circulated, it gradually affected his lower body, and his speed steadily increased.
After a single breath, his speed had increased by nearly half, surpassing the Body Flicker Technique outright.
He'd surpassed a ninjutsu with nothing but his physical speed.
His incredible speed left his enemies no chance to fight back. He drew his sword and thrust.
He completed two sword draws in two seconds, spending one second on the thrust.
"Steel Tempest isn't enough either."
Baiyu shook his head, then stepped back, deciding not to continue the fight.
All these actions had taken place in the space of a few breaths. The Anbu Captain had barely reacted before he noticed two bloody holes in his body.
The holes weren't large. They had just cut through his white armor and undershirt, leaving two nail-sized red wounds on his chest.
Blood was pouring steadily from them, and his white armor would soon be stained red.
"Go back! Tell your superiors not to send anyone else. Next time, you won't get away with just two holes."
Baiyu spoke softly, but his tone turned abruptly cold, brimming with killing intent.
The quick-witted Anbu shuddered, forgetting even to help his captain.
The Anbu who had used the ninjutsu returned to their side and walked silently over to the captain.
Their mottled cat masks concealed their expressions, but the sweat running down their necks and their trembling arms revealed their fear.
For that brief moment, they had felt how close death was.
Just one step away.
After the Anbu Captain and one of his subordinates left with the other's support, the remaining Anbu stared intently at Baiyu, trying to etch his face into his memory.
Baiyu looked at him curiously and smiled. "You're interesting. What's your name?"
"I'll be going."
The Anbu gave a brief reply without answering. He didn't remove his mask and vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.
What a character!
Watching the Anbu leave, Baiyu turned and looked toward a spot in the rock wall with his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
It was where the clan's watcher had been hiding.
"If you weren't an Uchiha, you'd be dead."
"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm Uchiha Dojoma. The clan head wants to discuss something with you. He sent me to find you. I didn't see anything."
Uchiha Dojoma spread his hands and stepped out of the rock wall's shadow.
What he had just witnessed had shattered his understanding of Taijutsu.
Against an opponent like that, if he belonged to another clan, there might still have been a chance.
But the moment Baiyu revealed his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Dojoma knew he had no chance at all.
So he obediently came out and surrendered to Baiyu.
"The clan head wants to see me? Lead the way!"
Baiyu put away his wooden sword and returned to normal breathing, relaxing all at once.
The guy bringing money had arrived.
At the scent of money, Baiyu abandoned his attempts to figure out the Wind Taming Sword Technique.
Being a wind swordsman was fun, but spending money was even more fun.
Before you continue