clang
The blade and sword clashed again, their crisp ring echoing all around them.
Fallen leaves drifted lazily through the air. Just as they were about to reach the ground, the gusts stirred up by the clashing weapons lifted them once more.
So it really was true?
Sakumo Hatake watched Yueshu retreat and face him again.
It wasn't an illusion.
Sakumo's first impression—that Yueshu's swordsmanship was beginning to catch up to his own—hadn't been wrong.
It was truly frightening, and Sakumo could feel it more keenly than anyone.
The boy was only a little over eight years old. Just a short while ago, he hadn't been anywhere near this good. At least then, Sakumo could easily keep him in check with a blade.
But who would have thought that after only a few days apart, the boy would already be catching up to a master swordsman like him?
It was practically unheard of. Skill with blades depended on talent, of course. Some people spent their entire lives striving and still never reached the level of a master.
But Yueshu had astonished Sakumo more than once.
His swordsmanship at just over eight years old had already been enough to make him a prodigy beyond compare. Now he had reached a level that few in the entire Ninja World could attain.
Sakumo wanted to say something—and, sure enough, he did.
"You little brat, are you some kind of monster?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
Yueshu was a little bewildered. He couldn't figure out why Sakumo had suddenly started acting crazy.
"Nothing. It just slipped out. Come on, let's keep going."
Sakumo gave an awkward laugh, swung the Ninja Blade in his hand twice, and let his gaze turn cold again.
Yueshu was just as confused, but for now, he had no choice but to put his whole mind into the fight.
Sakumo sensed the aura radiating from Yueshu. It was unmistakably the level of a master, with not a trace of exaggeration.
I'm counting on you, partner.
Sakumo glanced at the Ninja Blade in his hand. It was the Hatake Clan's heirloom, passed down only to the head of each generation.
The Hatake Clan was a family of swordsmen, and under Sakumo, it had reached its peak. Sakumo's skill alone was enough to make the White Fang of the Leaf stand among those at Kage Level.
As if it had sensed Sakumo's gaze, the Ninja Blade in his hand gleamed even more keenly.
They said blades and swords had spirits. Perhaps every weapon cherished by its wielder held a soul of its own.
Their breathing was quiet. The next moment, Yueshu and Sakumo moved at the same time.
Their light footsteps touched the ground without making a sound. It was as if someone had pressed the mute button, leaving only the wind to be heard.
clang
Blade met sword, and sparks flew.
clang
clang
clang
In just a moment, the weapons in Yueshu and Sakumo's hands were shifting through one attack after another.
Slash, chop, thrust, parry.
The most basic techniques of swordplay flowed effortlessly through Yueshu and Sakumo's hands.
Sparks flashed along their blades as the speed of their exchanges grew faster and faster.
The overlapping clangs of metal joined into a symphony, singing of the romance and passion of blades and swords.
"White Fang!"
Yueshu's eyes widened as the sword in his hand swept toward Sakumo with a rush of wind.
Sakumo wore a faint smile, his face alight with the joy of battle.
"Yueshu!"
Sakumo's blade snapped back in an instant, blocking Yueshu's sword.
"Hey!"
Yueshu grinned as their weapons locked together.
"How about I show you something cool?"
Something cool?
Sakumo paused, his eyes fixed on Yueshu as they strained against each other.
Their skill with blades was almost evenly matched. Sakumo might have had the edge, but a slight difference like that wouldn't matter much in the moment.
"Watch closely!"
Yueshu's aura kept rising, and the wind around them began to howl.
The wind roared as Yueshu's sword energy gathered.
"Focus it into one point!"
Yueshu shouted. The growing sword energy gathered and surged toward the Kusanagi Sword in his hand.
Like chakra, the sword energy flowed from Yueshu's body into the Kusanagi Sword. A faint glow began to spread along its blade.
"Ha!"
Yueshu let out a roar.
Sakumo felt danger closing in.
Though Yueshu was physically weaker than him, he forced Sakumo back a little.
Sword energy burst from the faintly glowing Kusanagi Sword, even cutting Sakumo's arm.
A powerful force kept pressing against Sakumo's hand, and he felt himself being driven back step by step.
More than anything, Sakumo had no way to counter it. He could only let himself be pushed back.
"It's over!"
Like a streak of light, the Kusanagi Sword sent Sakumo flying backward, leaving him wide open for an instant.
Seizing that brief opening, Yueshu redirected the Kusanagi Sword he had just thrust forward and slashed at Sakumo.
The Kusanagi Sword drew closer and closer to Sakumo. Victory seemed to be within Yueshu's grasp.
clang
A faint metallic ring sounded. Sakumo's white hair fluttered before Yueshu's eyes, and Yueshu's eyes widened.
Sakumo had lightly deflected the Kusanagi Sword with his Ninja Blade, using the force to turn his body as he let go of the weapon.
In an instant, Sakumo adjusted his posture. His Ninja Blade seemed to hang frozen in the air, utterly motionless.
But it wasn't. It had all happened in a split second. Gravity hadn't even had time to take effect.
Snap.
At that moment, it was as if the whole world had stopped. Only the world in Yueshu's eyes kept moving.
In those bright eyes, a strand of white hair drifted through the air.
Sakumo reached again for the Ninja Blade suspended in midair, the weapon that symbolized him.
Move!
Move!
In Yueshu's eyes, Sakumo's figure slowly drew closer.
It was like slow motion in a movie. Sakumo's eyes still gleamed with a sharp, cold light.
Yueshu gritted his teeth, the veins standing out on his hand as he gripped the Kusanagi Sword in the middle of its swing.
The flash of Sakumo's blade swept through his vision. At that very instant, Yueshu turned the Kusanagi Sword around as well.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind passed by, lifting a few strands of hair from his forehead.
"I win."
Sakumo's Ninja Blade had reached Yueshu's neck. Yueshu hadn't managed to thrust his Kusanagi Sword forward in time; it had only made it halfway.
There was no doubt about it. Yueshu had fallen a little short, and Sakumo had won.
"Damn it!"
Yueshu wasn't someone who cared much about winning. He just tried his best in every way, and if that wasn't enough, then so be it.
But when it came to swordsmanship, he couldn't accept losing.
Yueshu couldn't explain it, but he simply loved the feeling of holding a blade in his hand. Maybe it had something to do with the wuxia stories that were popular when he was a child.
After all, what man didn't have a martial arts dream?
Yueshu wouldn't claim that he fully understood the romance of the sword, but he liked the feeling of it.
"Well, I still need more practice."
Sakumo lowered his Ninja Blade and gave him a smile as warm as Minato Namikaze's.
Come to think of it, they were both kind people, like little suns. It was a shame that they shared such similar fates: both were geniuses, and both died young.
"Next time, I definitely won't lose!"
Yueshu sighed, then declared it with resolve.
"Mm. I'll be waiting."
Sakumo smiled too.
Before you continue