Battle with the Stalker

Jiraiya was startled when he heard that. Instinctively, he wanted to turn around, but Hoshi hurriedly stopped him.

"Don't turn around. The moment you do, he'll know we spotted him. Let's lure him into that alley ahead and ambush him. We'll see what he's really after."

Hoshi was bold because he knew that he and Jiraiya were just children who had recently enrolled in school. They were poor as dirt and had no way of offending anyone important.

Besides, this was Konoha. Since Hoshi had noticed the man, if the stalker had any ulterior motives, all Hoshi had to do was shout, and Police Force officers would immediately come and bring him to justice.

With that in mind, he and Jiraiya walked into the nearby alley, chatting and laughing. Unaware that it was a trap, the man followed them in.

At the corner by the entrance, Jiraiya crouched with a broken brick raised in his hand, waiting for the man to come over. The instant the man's shadow appeared before him, Jiraiya sprang up and swung the brick at his head.

The man was startled as well, but his reaction was incredibly fast. With a flick of his wrist, he struck Jiraiya's wrist with something like a short staff slung across his back.

Pain shot through Jiraiya's hand, and his grip loosened. The raised brick fell from his hand and smashed against the ground. The "short staff" in the man's hand spun, then stabbed toward Jiraiya's stomach.

However, he seemed to recognize Jiraiya's face the next instant and held back considerably. The "short staff" poked Jiraiya in the stomach, but because he had pulled his strength, it did not cause Jiraiya much harm.

At the same time, Hoshi and Jiraiya got a clear look at the newcomer. It was none other than their classmate, Hatake Sakumo!

The poke made Jiraiya bare his teeth in pain. Squatting on the ground, he shouted at Sakumo irritably, "Hey! What's wrong with you? Why were you following us?"

Sakumo gave him an indifferent glance and ignored him. Instead, he pointed the still-sheathed White Fang at Hoshi. "Where's your sword?"

Furious at being ignored, Jiraiya stomped his feet.

"Are you crazy? What's with you? What sword? Hoshi doesn't have a sword on him."

Hoshi awkwardly rubbed his nose. So Sakumo had mistaken his movements during the earlier placement test for a provocation. Still, that suited Hoshi just fine.

Hoshi pulled Jiraiya up and signaled for him not to get worked up before saying to Sakumo, "Jiraiya's right. I didn't bring a sword to school. If you want to spar with me, come to my house. We can have a match in the yard."

Sakumo hesitated upon hearing this, but eventually nodded. He could sense something from Hoshi that felt like himself, and it made him faintly excited. Over the years, he had yet to encounter a worthy opponent his own age.

With Sakumo interrupting them like this, their ramen plans were ruined. Hoshi simply brought Jiraiya along to his house.

Familiar with the place, Hoshi picked a shorter Ninja Blade from his father's collection and hung it at his waist. Then he turned to Sakumo. "Let's begin."

Seeing that both of them were about to use real blades, Jiraiya's face went pale. "Hey, are you two serious? Those are real swords. Even a light scratch will draw blood. Wouldn't Wooden Swords be enough?"

Sakumo glanced at him without speaking and merely drew White Fang. Jiraiya immediately knew there was no reasoning with this madman, so he hurriedly turned back to Hoshi. "Hoshi, are you going crazy with him too?"

Hoshi smiled and reassured Jiraiya. "Don't worry. Sakumo and I have practiced with blades for a long time. We know our limits."

"He knows shit about limits! If he did, would he have stabbed me after recognizing me?"

Sakumo said flatly, "That was a lesson for you."

Without waiting for Jiraiya to react, he charged straight at Hoshi. Hoshi's eyes lit up when he saw Sakumo move.

That guy had indeed been holding back during the placement test. With that thought, Hoshi raised his guard. Standing still, he placed his hand on the hilt and fixed his eyes on Sakumo's every movement.

Sakumo closed the distance in no time. White Fang flashed with white radiance through the air as it shot toward Hoshi. At that very moment, Hoshi drew his Ninja Blade, and it collided directly with Sakumo's White Fang.

The two blades struck with a light clang. Jiraiya stared blankly at their movements, unable to say a word. Only now did he realize how vast the gap between himself and these two was.

He had once believed his speed was among the best of his peers. But after seeing Hoshi and Sakumo's speed, he understood just how laughable that thought had been.

If he had been their opponent, either Sakumo's speed or Hoshi's quick draw just now would have been enough to take his life.

Jiraiya fell silent. His eyes remained fixed on their movements, afraid of missing even the smallest detail.

After facing off for a moment, Hoshi and Sakumo quickly separated again. Both could see a trace of shock in the other's eyes, along with excitement hidden beneath it.

The moment they broke apart, they accelerated and charged at each other once more. This time, it was no simple contest of strength. Their true match had begun. The sounds of the Ninja Blade and White Fang clashing rang out continuously as they tested the limits of each other's Swordsmanship.

Since they had agreed to a contest of Swordsmanship, neither used ninjutsu or taijutsu. They fought almost entirely with the blades in their hands.

Sakumo tried several times to close the distance and use White Fang's advantage in close combat to gain the upper hand, but Hoshi gave him no such opportunity. His control of distance was excellent. Whenever Sakumo drew closer, Hoshi would quickly pull away during his counterattacks.

But Sakumo was no easy opponent either. To be honest, in terms of sword techniques alone, the two were indeed at the same level. However, Hoshi was at a disadvantage in physical ability.

He had only trained seriously for one year, and there was an obvious gap in strength between him and Sakumo, who had undergone grueling training since childhood.

Sakumo's attacks failed to land several times, but he was not discouraged. Instead, he grew even more excited. He had never encountered such a troublesome opponent in fights against those his own age.

With that thought, Sakumo tightened his grip on White Fang and closed in on Hoshi again. This time, he erupted with Chakra, driving White Fang straight toward Hoshi's throat. The sudden burst of speed and fierce assault made Hoshi's hairs stand on end.

However, his beginner-level Swordsmanship still allowed him to block the thrust in time with the flat of his Ninja Blade.

But Sakumo's assault did not stop. While locking blades with Hoshi using one hand, his other hand suddenly struck. Catching Hoshi off guard, he threw a punch into Hoshi's shoulder.

Pain flared in Hoshi's shoulder, and he instinctively stepped back. Sakumo seized the chance to press in close, attacking Hoshi with one slash after another like an unending tide.

Hoshi's injured shoulder affected his swordplay. Sakumo's relentless barrage drove him into a miserable state. If he could not break the assault, he would likely be completely defeated within three moves.

Seeing that Sakumo had no intention of stopping, Hoshi's competitive spirit was stirred as well. I'm a transmigrator with cheats. Could I really embarrass myself this badly in my very first fight? Unwilling to admit defeat, Hoshi hardened his resolve. At this point, if he wanted to turn things around, he would have to use his ultimate move.