The Battle

Although he was unsure of his master's intentions, since she had made such a request, Qiancao naturally would not hold back.

Senju Arashi gave a wry smile and said to Ayako, "Hey, hey, hey! If I don't hold back, I won't be responsible if the dojo floor gets ruined!"

"Rest assured, this is a specially crafted floor," Ayako said. "As long as you don't use Earth Style ninjutsu, it won't cause any damage."

After saying this, she turned to Qiancao and added, "Remember to make good use of your Sharingan; only then will this sparring session have any meaning."

Qiancao agreed and turned to face Senju Arashi, who smiled, bent over, and assumed a defensive stance.

Unlike the days when she wore her tightly fitted Senju clan ninja uniform, today Senju Arashi wore a loose martial arts robe, which, due to her leaning posture, revealed a generous amount of cleavage.

Having spent the previous night sleeping in Wuming's arms, Qiancao dared not look too long and shifted his gaze slightly.

Yet, this was exactly the effect Senju Arashi wanted; she had intentionally exposed a bit of skin to distract him.

Seeing him look away, Senju Arashi instantly lunged from her spot, concentrating chakra into her palm as she struck toward Qiancao.

Unexpectedly, Qiancao seemed to have anticipated her move. Taking advantage of the moment her technique was only halfway through, he raised his left hand from below to strike her arm, altering the direction of her attack.

The palm that had been aimed at Qiancao was deflected toward the sky, and her body became slightly off-balance. Seizing this opportunity, Qiancao clenched his right fist and struck toward Senju Arashi's chest.

Gazing into Qiancao's blood-red pupils, Senju Arashi set aside her initial contempt. She pushed off with her left leg to leap backward, dodging his fist, and used the momentum to kick toward him with her right leg.

The Sharingan accurately predicted Senju Arashi's movement. Qiancao also pushed off with both legs to leap back, dodging the kick, and formed hand seals in mid-air: "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A stream of flame erupted from Qiancao's mouth. Thanks to the subtle modifications from the [Seven Generation God] over this period, the power of Qiancao's ninjutsu could now be considered decent.

"Oh my! Are we getting serious now?" Senju Arashi complained, though her hands did not stop forming seals: "Water Style: Water Wall Technique!"

She spat out a wall of water that enveloped her entire body. Upon contact with the Great Fireball, a massive amount of steam was instantly generated.

Under the cover of the steam, Qiancao completed his second set of seals: "Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

He opened his mouth and spat out seven small fireballs simultaneously, all shooting toward Senju Arashi.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" Senju Arashi, not idle within the mist, formed seals and exhaled a violent gust of wind, scattering all the Phoenix Sage fireballs like a hurricane.

Ayako, watching from the side, couldn't help but remark, "It would have been better if you'd used Wind Style earlier; using Water Style just makes me have to clean the dojo."

Qiancao hadn't expected the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique—which had never been effective in Naruto—to defeat his opponent.

He understood clearly that with the ninjutsu he could currently perform, defeating Senju Arashi was a fantasy.

His only hope was to force her to use more techniques so he could copy them with his Sharingan, which might give him a slim chance of victory.

Thus, he continued to form seals from a distance: "Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"

A more domineering flame erupted from Qiancao's mouth. Senju Arashi quickly formed seals and clapped her hands together: "Wind Style: Gale Palm!"

Using the clap as a catalyst, Senju Arashi compressed the wind in front of her, transforming it into a violent gale that blew toward Qiancao's fire technique.

The powerful chakra of the Senju clan gave the gale infinite power, and it sliced through the flames like a heavy broadsword.

The gale did not stop its momentum, blowing Qiancao away entirely.

Senju Arashi did not miss the chance to pursue, her speed as she lunged toward Qiancao seemingly even faster than the gale itself.

Before Qiancao could land, Senju Arashi jumped above him and struck his stomach hard with her elbow.

In mid-air, Qiancao struggled to look up, staring straight at Senju Arashi. His eyes were no longer the three-tomoe of a moment ago, but had transformed into blade-like Mangekyo Sharingan.

Struck by the gaze of those eyes, a thought suddenly surfaced in Senju Arashi's mind: "If I hurt him with this hit, what will I do if Qiancao ignores me in the future?"

"It's so hard to find a male ninja who is easy on the eyes; I should be nicer to him."

Influenced by the [Seven Generation God] Mangekyo, Senju Arashi couldn't help but soften the force of her elbow.

Although Qiancao's stomach still took the heavy blow, he only felt his vision go black for a moment before he forcibly endured the strike she had slightly pulled.

Before landing, Qiancao copied the seals Senju Arashi had just used, clapped his hands together, and unleashed the same technique: "Wind Style: Gale Palm!"

Caught at close range, Senju Arashi was blown away, while Qiancao was slammed hard into the ground by the recoil.

Fortunately, the floor was made of some unknown material, and Qiancao felt as if he had landed on cotton, suffering no injuries.

Senju Arashi, blown back, landed steadily after a backflip. Her long hair, previously tied in a ponytail, fell loose, and combined with her slightly disheveled martial arts robe, she exuded a faint, alluring charm.

Qiancao discarded all distracting thoughts, leaving only one: "I want to become a master ninja!"

A steady stream of power surged from his eyes, silently strengthening his entire body, and he took the initiative to charge at Senju Arashi.

He used the same technique as Senju Arashi had just now, concentrating chakra in his palm to strike at her.

Senju Arashi found it amusing and countered with the same move. Wuming and Ayako, watching from the side, felt as if they were seeing two Senju Arashis attacking each other in a blur.

Qiancao stopped thinking about how to attack or counter; he simply repeated his desire to become a master ninja like Senju Arashi in his heart, and his limbs moved automatically as if controlled by the Sharingan.

The more they fought, the more alarmed Senju Arashi became. At first, Qiancao was merely repeating the taijutsu moves she had used, but later, he was able to use other techniques she had used in the past to catch the openings in her own style.

It didn't feel like fighting her reflection in a mirror; it felt like fighting a copy of herself.

The two traded blows for fifty rounds until Ayako, watching from the sidelines, finally spoke up: "Alright, alright, you can stop now."

Hearing his master's command, Qiancao's mind filled with distractions, and his movements immediately slowed significantly.

Senju Arashi, having no heart for the fight, slid away like a loach.

Losing its target, the Mangekyo slowly closed. Having exhausted a vast amount of ocular power, Qiancao's vision went black, and he fell backward.

The intimate contact with the floor that Qiancao had anticipated never came; he fell into a warm, soft embrace, his head resting against two soft mounds.

It turned out that Ayako had caught him from the side and produced a vial of medicine she had prepared in advance, dripping it into his eyes.

The sensation of swelling and pain in his eyes was immediately relieved.