Just Luck

"Get ready. Here I come!"

Uzuki Yugao said, holding her katana.

"Konoha-Style Swordsmanship: Hazy Moonlit Night..."

With that, she...

Uzuki Yugao leapt into the air and swung her long blade. The blade then created a full-moon-shaped blur that circled in front of her.

The countless afterimages made it impossible to tell which one was the real blade.

"Whoa!"

"That's incredible! If I ran into a move like that, I'd definitely lose."

The other four watched Uzuki Yugao's technique from the sidelines and couldn't help exclaiming in awe.

In an instant, the countless afterimages closed in around Uchiha Matsuzaki.

As a highly experienced ninja, she would never lose control of her strike.

Besides, as an excellent swordsman, she would certainly keep her blade under control and make sure she didn't hurt Uchiha Matsuzaki.

Uchiha Matsuzaki looked at the countless afterimages before him and activated his Sharingan.

Then he ran forward, holding the short sword in his hand, though he was still extremely unpracticed with it.

He watched for an opening.

He turned his wrist.

The short sword sliced through the air.

In just two seconds, Uchiha Matsuzaki had already countered her technique.

Swish!

After landing, he sheathed the sword.

"Haha, you really are impressive."

"Without my Sharingan, I'd probably be covered in wounds by now!"

Uchiha Matsuzaki clasped his hands behind his head and said with a smile.

Uzuki Yugao still held her sword as she looked at Uchiha Matsuzaki, utterly baffled.

Then...

A purple strand of hair slipped from her temple and drifted slowly to the ground.

"I didn't expect this to be the person the Fourth Hokage had his eye on. At such a young age, he really is a genius among his peers!"

Uzuki Yugao looked at the hair on the ground and murmured.

"All right, Senior Yugao. Thanks for showing me how formidable a swordsman can be."

"Don't mention it. More accurately, I got a clear look at your abilities."

Uzuki Yugao gave Uchiha Matsuzaki a wry smile.

He had broken her technique with a single strike and even cut off a lock of her hair. Someone like him was either a genius or a total cheat.

"All right, in that case, I should go take care of other things. If you don't want to stay here, feel free to go for a walk. We don't have much to do today anyway."

"Starting tomorrow, you'll need to show up here on time for training."

"I'll be here every day, too, to witness your growth."

With that, Uzuki Yugao sheathed her sword and left the training ground.

"All right, let's head out, too!"

"We're only here to pick up our gear today. Our hellish life starts tomorrow."

Uchiha Matsuzaki walked over to the others and spoke to them.

"Matsuzaki, I really admire you."

"You beat Senior Yugao so easily."

Yamamoto Takeshi said with a grin.

"It was just luck! Besides, Senior Yugao held back!"

"And my Sharingan lets me see a lot of things clearly. That's what helped me win."

Uchiha Matsuzaki said with a smile.

After that, the five of them slowly walked out.

Uchiha Matsuzaki finally understood the Fourth Hokage's intentions, and he had also found out where the person who killed his father was.

Now he had to grow stronger and walk the path of revenge.

Their team was still quite weak. Although they had an attacker, a support ninja, and a medic, they were too weak to be safe on the battlefield.

Uchiha Matsuzaki didn't want anyone on his team to lose their life on the battlefield.

Over the next three months, he would improve Chestnut Snow and the others' abilities, even if the training was brutal.