The Uchiha Clan's Blind Swordsman

"Yugao... weren't you defeated by Chiba last time, to the point where you couldn't even hold a sword for a long time? How can you still speak up for him?"

Kurenai Yuhi was astonished.

"I'm just stating the facts!"

"Besides, I'm actually grateful for the blow Chiba dealt me that day!"

"Because of that fight, if you could even call it that, he pushed me to take another step forward."

"And precisely because of that, I believe he won't lose when it comes to swordsmanship!"

"You wouldn't understand unless you faced him as a swordsman yourself!"

"That aura of someone reigning at the pinnacle of the world of swords does not lie."

Hearing this, Kurenai Yuhi was even more shocked.

Could Yugao Uzuki have some kind of masochistic streak?

To be so devoted after being crushed, becoming his loyal fan?

"You must be infatuated with him, right?"

"Didn't you tell Hayate Gekko that you didn't have any such thoughts?"

"He's only five years old!"

"Five years old!"

Faced with Kurenai Yuhi's questioning, Yugao Uzuki looked speechless.

"Kurenai, what on earth are you talking about?"

"No, nothing... let's keep watching!"

At this moment, although Chiba's Observation Haki had already picked up on Kurenai Yuhi and Yugao Uzuki, he had no spare time to pay them any mind.

Right now, he only wanted to devote his entire being to dealing with the opponent before him.

Without a doubt.

Uchiha Shisui would be the first formidable enemy Chiba had faced since arriving in this world.

Before this, those Chiba had crossed blades with could basically be considered his peers.

However, Uchiha Shisui transcended the scope of this generation.

After all, being recognized by the entire ninja world and earning the title of Body Flicker Shisui already spoke volumes.

He wanted to know just how far he could push a fight against a powerhouse like Uchiha Shisui.

He didn't know if Shisui had awakened his Mangekyou at this point in time.

In all likelihood, he hadn't.

Otherwise.

Given Shisui's loyalty to Konoha, he would have long since reported the Mangekyou's abilities to the Konoha high command.

And the Konoha high command certainly wouldn't have let a god-tier technique like Kotoamatsukami remain with Shisui for so long.

"Come!"

Chiba's fighting spirit surged.

The moment he drew his blade, he moved.

This was the first time Chiba had decided to strike first against an opponent.

Because in the past, Chiba knew his opponents were no match for him.

No matter what moves they threw at him, he could handle them with ease.

But Uchiha Shisui was different.

Striking first to gain the advantage was an eternal truth.

Only by seizing the initiative could he gain the upper hand in the ensuing battle.

Especially when there was already a gap in strength between the two sides.

There was no heart-wrenching shout.

Only the fighting spirit poured into his cane sword.

And then—

Chiba swung his first strike toward Uchiha Shisui.

Facing Chiba's fierce assault.

Uchiha Shisui was also taken aback.

The fighting spirit unleashed in that instant was more ferocious than any enemy he had fought in the Land of Mist.

The speed wasn't particularly fast, and the power shouldn't be too great either.

This was Shisui's rough assessment of Chiba's first strike.

However—

He was wrong after all.

The moment Shisui caught Chiba's blade.

The pressure transmitted through the blade into his palm was astonishingly heavy.

Masterful swordsmanship.

Almost instantly, Shisui made his judgment.

This came from his combat experience and superior analytical ability.

No matter how unconventional Chiba might be.

His five-year-old body would ultimately limit his strength.

Speed and power would be Chiba's greatest weaknesses.

This was absolutely unavoidable.

And the weight of this strike could not possibly be delivered by a five-year-old child.

The only thing that could compensate for this was, and could only be, swordsmanship.

Swordsmanship that had reached the pinnacle.

Wasting no movement, focusing the strike on a single point to maximize power.

Is this Uchiha Chiba, the genius acknowledged by the Hokage?

The moment Uchiha Shisui looked up.

His eyes turned blood-red.

Sharingan, three tomoe.

He wanted to see the trajectory of Chiba's strike clearly; he wanted to see this masterful swordsmanship clearly; he wanted to know Uchiha Chiba's strength, his true... strength!

Itachi also watched this scene in shock.

Both Chiba's preemptive strike and this masterful slash.

Were things Itachi was seeing for the first time.

In just this instant, he knew the gap between himself and Chiba.

Setting aside speed, power, and chakra, the gap in swordsmanship alone was like a chasm!

And merely watching the battle made Itachi's hands tremble.

Not from fear, but from excitement.

Am I... actually looking forward to Chiba-kun's true strength this much?

It was not just Shisui and Itachi who were excited by Chiba's swordsmanship.

The girl obsessed with the sword, who was observing all of this from the shadows, felt the same.

Once techniques are learned.

Improvement in swordsmanship becomes incredibly slow.

This is true for every swordsman.

Because one can only progress by mastering techniques and incorporating one's own understanding and extensions.

This is called a realm, a bottleneck.

That Chiba could break her bottleneck just by his aura had already shocked Yugao Uzuki.

But—

The moment Chiba began to swing his sword, she felt as if she had gained a new understanding.

This was nothing more than a simple sparring match.

However—

Yugao Uzuki was watching, completely mesmerized!

Beneath the cherry blossoms.

Two beautiful figures strolled through the sea of flowers.

The slowly falling cherry blossoms marked the most beautiful time of the year for the Uchiha clan.

On this day, everyone in the village would envy the cherry blossom trees of the Uchiha clan.

"Your Uchiha clan... is still so beautiful!"

She raised her slender wrist to gently catch a cherry blossom petal.

A red cherry blossom petal, the same color as her hair.

Perhaps it was because of her hair color.

Kushina Uzumaki had a deep fondness for cherry blossoms.

Although she was somewhat displeased that her husband could not accompany her to view the flowers on this most beautiful of days.

However, considering the current situation on the front lines was far from optimistic.

Even she, known as the [Bloody Habanero], could only express her understanding toward Namikaze Minato.

With no man around.

A best friend became the perfect companion.

Uchiha Mikoto even neglected her own husband, carving out time to stay with her on the day the cherry blossoms were in their most magnificent bloom.

Guests are to be welcomed, especially one's best friend.

"If you like them, you can come over anytime!"

Mikoto smiled, her expression very gentle.

"I'd love to, but because of my status, I'm restricted from leaving the house, and I can't even go to the battlefield... Even though if they sent me to the front lines, I could beat back both Iwagakure and Kumogakure."

Kushina Uzumaki was, after all, special.

Tailed Beasts, in this ninja world, were equivalent to nuclear weapons.

Their true value never lay in their actual use.

Deterrence was the only way to truly unleash the value of a Tailed Beast.

It was precisely because of Kushina Uzumaki's existence.

That Iwagakure and Kumogakure dared not deploy their own Tailed Beasts on the front lines to launch a devastating assault.