I sighed

At the center of the riverbank, everyone stepped aside.

Cangyue and Sasuke stood a dozen paces apart.

A breeze blew across the river, stirring the hems of their clothes.

The noisy riverbank gradually quieted. Even Tenten, who was holding the tabby cat, turned her gaze toward them.

Everyone wanted to know what was so special about the two long swords Cangyue had kept sheathed all this time.

Cangyue placed both hands on his sword hilts.

Shing!

A clear ring of steel echoed across the riverbank.

The Flame Sword and Thunder Sword left their sheaths together.

The Flame Sword was dark purple from end to end, as though an undying black flame lay sealed deep within its blade.

The Thunder Sword gleamed with a cold, deep-blue light. Fine arcs of electricity danced along its edge, crackling softly in the air.

The moment the twin blades were revealed, they drew everyone's eyes.

Naruto's eyes widened. He could barely resist rushing over to touch them.

Although Ino had already seen Cangyue use his sword techniques, admiration still flashed in her eyes at the sight of the twin blades.

Tenten instinctively took half a step forward.

Having worked with ninja tools for years, she could tell at a glance that these two swords far surpassed ordinary weapons in their materials, craftsmanship, and chakra conductivity.

Neji's gaze lingered on the swords, his expression growing serious.

Even Might Guy's smile faded.

The aura these swords gave off alone was enough to prove they were anything but ordinary.

[Valor Points +18]

The same question arose in everyone's minds.

Where had Cangyue gotten weapons of this caliber?

Still, every ninja had secrets.

Since Cangyue hadn't offered an explanation, they couldn't very well pry.

They soon set their curiosity aside and found places to watch the spar.

Sasuke glanced at the Flame and Thunder Swords, then silently drew a kunai from his ninja tool pouch.

Its edge shone brightly, carefully maintained.

In an ordinary fight, this kunai would have been more than adequate.

Compared with the swords in Cangyue's hands, however, it looked rather shabby.

Sasuke looked down at his kunai, then back at the Flame and Thunder Swords across from him, and suddenly fell silent.

Fight those weapons with a kunai?

Before they had even begun, his equipment was already several grades below his opponent's.

Sasuke even began considering whether to postpone the spar and return to the clan compound for a proper sword.

Just then, Cangyue flicked his wrist.

A streak of dark-purple light shot out.

Sasuke's pupils contracted, and he instinctively twisted aside.

Thunk!

The Flame Sword sank into the riverbank in front of him. Its blade trembled slightly as a wisp of black-purple flame slowly crept along its spine.

Cangyue held the Thunder Sword in one hand, his expression calm.

"There's no point in defeating an unarmed opponent."

A muscle twitched at Sasuke's temple.

He hadn't intended to accept the weapon Cangyue had offered.

But those words immediately sparked anger in his chest.

What did he mean, unarmed?

Was the kunai in his hand cutlery?

If he insisted on using the kunai and lost, Cangyue might even say it hadn't been a fair victory.

That would be truly infuriating.

Sasuke gritted his teeth, put away his kunai, and grabbed the Flame Sword's hilt, pulling it from the riverbank.

The instant he held the Flame Sword, he froze.

There was none of the awkwardness that usually came with an unfamiliar weapon, nor the weight he had expected.

The hilt fitted his palm perfectly, and the blade's balance was just right.

It felt as though this sword had been made for his hand.

Deep within the Flame Sword, the black-purple flames flickered, seeming to respond faintly to the chakra inside him.

Surprise and doubt flashed in Sasuke's eyes.

What was going on?

Why did this sword suit him so well?

After that brief lapse, he quickly suppressed the strange feeling.

However good the weapon was, it wasn't his.

If someone else's weapon could shake his resolve, how could he even speak of revenge?

Sasuke looked at Cangyue again, his gaze sharpening.

"Here I come!"

Before his words had faded, he pushed off hard.

Holding the Flame Sword in both hands, Sasuke charged straight at Cangyue and brought the dark-purple blade down.

Cangyue stood still until the edge was nearly upon him, then took a small step aside.

The blade brushed past the hem of his clothes and struck empty air.

Cangyue glanced at Sasuke's grip and sighed softly.

"Sigh."

Sasuke frowned slightly and immediately turned his wrists into a horizontal slash.

Cangyue shifted half a step, moving just beyond the blade's reach.

The Flame Sword missed again.

"Sigh."

Another sigh.

Sasuke's eye twitched. He lowered his body and swept his sword toward Cangyue's waist.

As though he had known the attack's path in advance, Cangyue slid one foot backward and effortlessly avoided the edge.

"Sigh."

After missing three attacks in a row, Sasuke's expression had turned ugly.

He had thought Cangyue relied solely on the special abilities of the Flame and Thunder Swords.

But once they actually fought, he realized Cangyue wasn't even using the Thunder Sword to block.

His opponent had avoided every attack through footwork alone.

And each time, the margin was tiny.

Never too much or too little, just enough to let the Flame Sword brush past him.

That effortless dodging was more infuriating than having his attacks blocked head-on.

"Why does Cangyue keep sighing?"

Naruto asked in a low voice.

Shikamaru glanced at the fight.

"Probably because he thinks Sasuke's swordsmanship has too many openings."

The corner of Ino's mouth twitched.

"Fine, he gets it. Does he have to sigh every time he dodges?"

"Maybe that's just how swordsmen communicate," Tenten said thoughtfully.

Kiba grimaced.

"How is that communicating? He's obviously trying to wind Sasuke up."

Akamaru barked in agreement.

"Woof!"

Their comments reached Sasuke's ears, making his expression even darker.

He changed his footwork and closed in on Cangyue again.

Chops, sweeps, thrusts, rising cuts.

The Flame Sword struck again and again, each attack faster than the last.

Cangyue still didn't fight back.

He knew the Flame Sword in Sasuke's hands far too well.

No one knew better than he did how long its blade was, where its balance lay, or what path it would follow during an attack.

Combined with the perception and footwork granted by level-two swordsmanship, every one of Sasuke's attacks was crystal clear to him.

Cangyue turned aside or stepped back, sometimes merely tilting his head slightly to let the blade pass.

The Flame Sword couldn't so much as touch him.

"Sigh."

"Sigh."

"Sigh..."

Only the sound of the blade slicing through the air and Cangyue's repeated sighs remained on the riverbank.

[Valor Points +16]

Naruto's initial nervousness gradually gave way to excitement.

"Cangyue's amazing!"

"He hasn't even swung his sword once, and Sasuke can't touch him at all!"

Sakura wanted to cheer Sasuke on. She opened her mouth, but couldn't figure out what to shout.

Was she supposed to yell, "Come on, Sasuke! Try to touch Cangyue's clothes"?

That would be far too demoralizing.

Might Guy watched the fight intently.

An untrained observer would only see Cangyue constantly dodging.

But he could tell that every evasion was extraordinarily precise.

Half a step less, and the sword would hit him. Half a step more, and he would waste energy and disrupt his rhythm.

It wasn't simply a matter of speed.

It was absolute command of attack range, weapon trajectories, and the rhythm of combat.

Neji had clearly noticed this too, and his expression grew increasingly grave.

Sasuke missed yet another strike.

That familiar sigh immediately reached his ears.

"Sigh."

"Enough!"

Sasuke abruptly stopped, a vein bulging faintly on his forehead.

"What can you do besides dodge?"

Holding the Thunder Sword, Cangyue looked at him calmly.

Sasuke's chest rose and fell slightly as he demanded through gritted teeth, "Do you dare stand there and take one of my strikes head-on?"

An odd look appeared in Cangyue's eyes.

What kind of request was that?

This was the first time he had ever heard someone ask an opponent not to dodge during a fight.

But since that was what Sasuke wanted, he certainly wouldn't refuse.

Cangyue held the Thunder Sword upright at his side and spoke evenly.

"I was dodging because I wanted to see what was so special about the Uchiha Clan's swordsmanship."

"Unfortunately..."

He shook his head slightly.

"It seems your training is still far from sufficient."

[Valor Points +12]

Another vein bulged on Sasuke's forehead.

"Stop acting like you're some great master!"

He tightened both hands around the Flame Sword, channeling all his strength into this strike.

"Don't dodge this time!"

Sasuke lunged forward.

He was faster than before, and his strength was more focused.

The dark-purple edge tore through the air, slashing straight toward Cangyue.

This time, Cangyue indeed stayed still.

Sasuke's gaze sharpened.

He would see just how Cangyue planned to block this strike head-on!

In an instant, the Flame Sword was right in front of him.

Cangyue remained utterly composed, merely channeling lightning release chakra into the longsword in his hand.

A blue arc of electricity leaped from its edge.

Then more and more lightning erupted from his body, winding around the incoming Flame Sword like countless tiny chains, locking its dark purple blade firmly in midair.

Sasuke's arms suddenly tensed.

It stopped!

The Flame Sword was less than half a foot from Cangyue, yet it could not advance another inch.

No matter how much force he exerted, the blade did not budge.

He could not even pull it back.

Cangyue stood amid the lightning, the current gently lifting the hem of his clothes.

Only then did he speak calmly.

"Heavenly Guardian Calamity."