Ten samurai stood before Hiruzen Sarutobi in a row. They were in their prime, with sharp eyes and powerful physiques, undoubtedly elites among the samurai. They bowed to Hiruzen in silence, then drew the swords at their waists and pointed them at him, slowly shifting their footing.
Hiruzen quietly watched the men before him. He was not particularly worried about defeating them. The past had already proved that few samurai could compare with ninja in single combat. Most had moved to the Land of Iron, leaving even fewer in other countries. Even if these ten were military elites, they could not compare with a jonin like him.
However, Hiruzen's purpose was not to finish them off, but to test their fundamental abilities as samurai. Although few samurai could face a ninja alone, if they assembled a small squad and led it with sufficient personal strength and strong command skills, even a jonin would have to be careful.
Now, Hiruzen was testing these ten men's basic abilities. In the battle to defend the Land of Whirlpools, they would serve as captains leading those three hundred soldiers. Without sufficient strength, they might not be able to shoulder that responsibility.
"I look forward to learning from you," Hiruzen said politely.
The samurai nodded and glanced at Lord Miyamoto, who stood to one side. He cleared his throat and brought his hand down sharply, signaling the start of the fight. In that instant, the ten samurai charged, surrounding Hiruzen from different angles. Samurai excelled at fighting together in large groups; the greater their numbers, the greater the threat. For ninja teamwork, however, the ideal arrangement was currently considered to be a four-person unit consisting of a leader and three members, allowing a squad to bring out its full strength.
Hiruzen formed just one hand