Meanwhile.
Mifune, along with Chūsuke and Rikaku, followed Xia Le with profound reverence, attending to his daily needs.
The original camp had been dismantled, and everyone had returned to the Land of Iron.
Compared to other countries, this nation was steeped in the spirit of the samurai. Many people on the streets were samurai with swords at their waists.
Everyone respected and revered Xia Le, without exception.
To the rest of the Ninja World, he was a powerful ninja. But to the samurai of the Land of Iron, he was a supreme god.
"I saw that slash with my own eyes!"
"He split the mountain and the ground!"
"What incredible swordsmanship! He's practically a god of the sword!"
"With the power of that slash, he could easily cleave even a tailed beast in two!"
As Xia Le and the others walked down the street, everyone began talking excitedly.
When word of his duel with Mifune spread, people from across the Land of Iron flocked to the site to see it for themselves.
The sight of that unbelievable slash left them all stunned.
A short while later, Xia Le entered the courtyard Mifune had personally arranged for him.
The courtyard was large, with a spacious sword-training ground at its center.
"If you want to learn my swordsmanship!"
"You need to understand what the way of the sword truly is!"
Xia Le spoke softly.
"The way of the sword?"
Mifune looked thoughtful, while Chūsuke and Rikaku froze for a moment before growing excited.
They realized he was about to teach them swordsmanship.
"As for the way of the sword..."
"I have a theory of my own."
Xia Le smiled as he spoke.
Mifune and the others pricked up their ears and listened closely.
"When you first begin to grasp swordsmanship, you can