"Interested in sparring?"
The invitation came from the man known as Body Flicker Shisui.
Before Chiba could react, Koizumi beside him pouted.
She didn't say it outright, but her displeasure was plain to see.
Wasn't this just picking on him?
After all, this was the legendary Body Flicker Shisui, a monster who had made a name for himself in the Mist Village.
Noticing Koizumi's displeasure, Shisui gave an apologetic smile.
"It's okay. Let me borrow your boyfriend for a little while!"
"W-What boyfriend!?"
Koizumi stuck her tongue out at Shisui, her little face bright red.
That silly face seemed to be her way of desperately hiding her embarrassment.
She stopped complaining, which seemed to mean she accepted Shisui's teasing—and perhaps even liked it.
Once he'd gotten Koizumi's approval, Shisui turned back to Chiba.
"Well?"
"Sure, I don't mind."
As it happened, Chiba wanted to test how well he could hold his own against a true expert.
After all, his previous sparring partner had been Itachi Uchiha.
And Itachi's growth hadn't been enough to keep pace with his system's progress.
Asuma and Uzuki Yugao were even less of a challenge.
"Then how about we go to the Uchiha Clan training ground?"
Shisui gave Chiba a meaningful look.
Chiba stood up, leaning on his cane.
Itachi followed along and spoke quietly in Chiba's ear.
"Chiba, be careful. Shisui is... really strong!"
Itachi's incredible shuriken technique had been taught to him by Uchiha Shisui.
With Asuma no longer bothering her, Kurenai Yuhi had been enjoying a lot more free time lately.
During a peaceful stretch with no missions, she'd wanted to enjoy the bustling streets.
But one of her teammates had dragged her along against her will.
Uzuki Yugao—the girl who had challenged Chiba and been utterly defeated last time.
"Yugao... I don't think we should go."
"Wouldn't it be bad for us to just sneak into the Uchiha Clan's territory?"
The Uchiha Clan might not mind, but people in the village couldn't help feeling some degree of awe toward them.
"No. It has to be today. I've had a new insight into swordsmanship during my recent training. This time... I'm going to challenge Chiba again!"
"Today is the Uchiha Clan Ceremony. People from the other clans are coming too, so it'll be fine."
The girl knew that the person at the Ninja Academy was Chiba's Shadow Clone.
The only way to find Chiba was to go to the Uchiha Clan's territory.
Kurenai hadn't brought up what happened that night with Uzuki Yugao.
But the day after her crushing defeat at Chiba's hands, Yugao had clung to her and cried her heart out.
Kurenai felt guilty.
She believed that Yugao had challenged Chiba and been defeated because of her.
So she couldn't find a reason to refuse Yugao now.
"W-Well, all right..."
Kurenai sighed.
The two headed for the Uchiha Clan's grounds.
Because of the ceremony, the Uchiha Clan had invited friends from the other clans to attend.
To avoid being noticed, the two deliberately entered from the direction of the training ground.
After all, the Uchiha weren't likely to be training on a day like this.
Every now and then, they caught sight of cherry blossoms in full bloom, and the two girls couldn't take their eyes off them.
Flowers, like sweets, had a powerful appeal for girls.
And the cherry blossoms only bloomed once a year.
"The Uchiha Clan's grounds are really beautiful..."
But Yugao had no time to admire the blossoms. All she could think about was finding Chiba and challenging him again.
This time, she wouldn't end up in such a sorry state as she had the other day.
She wouldn't!
But as they approached the training ground, they saw figures moving around before they'd even entered.
Kurenai quickly knocked Yugao to the ground, afraid they'd be spotted.
"How is that possible?"
"Someone's training even on the day of the Uchiha Clan Ceremony?"
Parting the grass, the two saw a figure whose back had left a deep impression on them.
"Is that... Uchiha Chiba?"
"I can't believe he's training even on the day of the ceremony."
"W-Wait. Who's the person facing him?"
"C-Could that be... Body Flicker Shisui?"
The two were startled.
They hurriedly ducked into the grass, afraid of being discovered.
Kurenai clamped a hand over Yugao's mouth, terrified she might do something reckless.
After all, she was a girl with nothing but swordsmanship on her mind.
Who knew what she might do?
"What are Chiba and Shisui... going to do?"
Yugao couldn't help peeking out.
The drawn Tachi and the overwhelming fighting spirit they unleashed made one word spring into Yugao's mind.
—Sparring.
But when Kurenai peeked out, she noticed a girl standing outside the training ground, watching Chiba.
"Is that... Izumi Uchiha, the girl Chiba mentioned?"
Chiba and Shisui stood facing each other.
At that moment, all their attention was on one another.
But Chiba's Observation Haki had picked up on two onlookers who didn't belong there.
"What are those two doing here?"
Itachi was also quietly watching the sparring match.
Though this sort of sparring was commonplace for him and Chiba, Itachi knew that Chiba had never shown his true strength.
He had no idea where Chiba's limits lay.
No matter how much he improved, Chiba always managed to stay a step ahead.
It looked as if Chiba was simply improving faster than him.
But Itachi knew the truth: Chiba had simply gone further—much further.
He had no idea just how much further.
Today, he'd finally get an answer.
When Chiba drew the sword hidden inside his cane,
even the Uchiha prodigy who had earned the name Body Flicker Shisui during the Third Shinobi World War was taken aback.
The sensation sent a chill down his spine, yet somehow reminded him of the excitement he'd felt the first time he went to battle.
No wonder Lord Hokage thought so highly of him.
"Come on, Chiba!"
Chapter 32
"Isn't he just picking on him...?"
Kurenai whispered.
His opponent was a celebrated Jonin and the Hokage's trusted subordinate.
A prodigy renowned throughout the Shinobi World as Body Flicker Shisui.
For someone like him to face Chiba in battle—
What else could you call that but picking on him?
And Chiba couldn't even see.
"Hong, we don't know how this'll turn out yet!"
Yugao murmured, staring intently at the training ground.
"If it's just a swordsmanship match, I don't think Chiba will lose to Shisui!"
Kurenai stared at her, dumbfounded.
Had you been brainwashed or something?
That was Body Flicker Shisui! How could Chiba possibly have a chance?
Even in a simple swordsmanship match, it would be tough.
After all, Uchiha Shisui was good with a sword too.
The Tachi strapped to his back wasn't just for show.
Noticing Kurenai's astonishment, Yugao glanced at her.
"What? What's there to be surprised about?"