As his words fell, the lightning coiled around the Flame Sword suddenly flared.
Boom!
Blue lightning erupted with a thunderous roar.
Before Sasuke could let go, the lightning blasted him away. He spun several times in midair, then slid back several meters after landing.
His soles dragged two clear tracks across the riverbank.
Cangyue remained where he stood, the Thunder Sword hanging low in his hand.
Offense and defense in one.
First, he bound his opponent's weapon with lightning, then launched a counterattack through the point of contact.
From beginning to end, he had not moved so much as half a step.
The riverbank fell silent for a moment.
Naruto was the first to jump up.
"That was so cool!"
"All that lightning just blasted Sasuke away!"
Ino pursed her lips.
"The move was impressive, but the name was way too over the top."
Despite her words, her eyes remained fixed on Cangyue. Clearly, she was not nearly as unimpressed as she sounded.
Tenten looked at the Thunder Sword in Cangyue's hand.
"No hand seals."
Neji nodded.
"There was almost no gap between defense and counterattack. He must have released his chakra directly through that sword."
The surprise in Iruka's eyes deepened.
Chakra control at this level was already far beyond what a Ninja Academy student could manage.
[Valor Points +25]
"Tch..."
Sasuke pushed himself off the ground and stood again.
Cangyue had controlled the lightning's power, so Sasuke had suffered no serious injuries. Still, a lingering numbness remained in both his sword-wielding hands.
What Sasuke found hardest to accept was that, even after he had demanded that Cangyue stop dodging, Cangyue still had not drawn his second sword.
He had even dismantled Sasuke's attack head-on with a single move.
Sasuke refused to accept it.
He did not believe there could be such an enormous gap between them.
Under the stimulus of his intense emotions, a special chakra suddenly surged into his eyes.
Sasuke's black pupils rapidly turned scarlet.
A single black tomoe slowly appeared in each blood-red eye.
"The Sharingan!"
Iruka's expression changed.
Neji's attention also shifted to Sasuke's eyes.
Sasuke no longer had any attention to spare for the others' reactions.
Once his Sharingan awakened, everything around him seemed to slow down.
Cangyue's breathing, his movements, and even the chakra flowing across his body all became much clearer than before.
"Again!"
With a low shout, Sasuke charged at Cangyue once more.
This time, his speed had noticeably increased.
He held the Flame Sword close to his waist, using his body to conceal its line of attack.
Only when he closed in on Cangyue did he abruptly twist his wrist and slash diagonally upward.
His Sharingan tracked Cangyue's movements intently.
Sasuke was certain that Cangyue no longer had time to use Heavenly Guardian Calamity again.
Yet just as the blade was about to strike, Cangyue's body suddenly blurred.
The Flame Sword passed through an afterimage.
Sasuke's pupils abruptly contracted.
To the right!
His Sharingan had caught Cangyue's position.
But seeing him did not mean his body could keep up.
Smack!
The flat of the Thunder Sword struck Sasuke's side.
Cangyue had not used the edge. The force transmitted through the flat alone sent Sasuke flying sideways.
Sasuke gritted his teeth and forced his body to twist in midair.
But when he looked down, Cangyue had already vanished.
A fine crackling of electricity came from above.
Sasuke snapped his head up.
At some point, Cangyue had appeared above him, the Thunder Sword in his hand tracing an elegant arc of light.
"Flying Bird Breaks White Plum."
Blue sword light suddenly blossomed.
Several senbon formed from lightning shot out.
Suspended in midair, Sasuke had nothing to push against.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The lightning senbon grazed his body, pinning his sleeves, trouser legs, and hem firmly to the riverbank.
The final senbon landed beside his ear, blasting a small scorched patch into the ground.
Sasuke lay flat on his back, with no room left to move.
Fine threads of lightning spread through his clothes, briefly paralyzing his body.
Cangyue drew his sword back in midair and slowly descended.
His hem fluttered in the wind.
When he landed, he stirred only a thin veil of dust and sand on the riverbank.
[Valor Points +38]
After a brief silence, Naruto threw both hands up and cheered.
"He won!"
"Cangyue won!"
Sakura hurried over to Sasuke to check his injuries.
The spots struck by the lightning senbon were slightly scorched, but his body had not actually been hurt.
Clearly, Cangyue had precisely controlled the reach of his attacks from the start.
Ino looked at Sasuke sprawled miserably on the ground, then at Cangyue, who had landed so gracefully.
"He certainly looks cool."
"But those move names are still so weird."
Tenten cupped her face in both hands, her eyes full of curiosity.
More than the outcome of the fight, she cared about the Flame and Thunder Swords themselves.
Weapons that could directly channel nature-transformed chakra and work with their wielder to unleash special sword techniques were exceedingly rare even in the Shinobi World.
Rock Lee clenched his fists, his expression grave.
The speed Cangyue had just displayed was already far beyond what a Ninja Academy student should possess.
Neji, meanwhile, studied the footprints on the riverbank.
Whether dodging Sasuke's successive attacks or counterattacking afterward, Cangyue had made no unnecessary movements.
His distance, angles, and force had all been astonishingly precise.
Might Guy folded his arms, his thick brows furrowing slightly.
He had already known that Cangyue had found his own path of training.
But now, it seemed he had still underestimated him.
Cangyue's understanding of the sword, his use of lightning release chakra, and his judgment in battle were all far beyond those of an ordinary student.
Especially in the first half.
He clearly had the strength to end the battle instantly, yet he had chosen to keep dodging Sasuke's attacks.
Rather than a sparring match, it had been more like Cangyue observing Sasuke's swordsmanship and offering him guidance.
[Valor Points +32]
"How was that sparring?"
Lying beneath a tree, Shikamaru offered his assessment lazily.
"That was clearly an old man toying with a naughty child."
Sasuke's face instantly darkened.
"Get lost!"
Shikamaru shrugged, turned, and went over to Choji, picking up a skewer of grilled meat.
His commentary was over.
Eating was more important anyway.
As the lightning senbon dissipated, Sakura helped Sasuke up from the ground.
Sasuke moved his arms as feeling returned to them. After a moment of silence, he finally gave a cold snort.
"I admit it. You really are strong."
Cangyue smiled faintly.
"The fact that you can recognize the gap means pride has not yet blinded you."
"There is no shame in today's defeat."
Sasuke lifted his eyes to him.
Cangyue looked composed, his tone utterly matter-of-fact.
"Because falling to my sword is itself an event worth remembering."
A vein twitched on Sasuke's forehead.
He suddenly felt that he had conceded a little too soon.
[Valor Points +14]
Cangyue raised his empty left hand, his palm facing Sasuke.
The Flame Sword lying nearby trembled gently.
Sasuke instinctively looked over.
The next moment, the Flame Sword lifted off the ground on its own and flew back into Cangyue's hand as a streak of dark purple light.
Cangyue raised his arms slightly.
Clang! Clang!
The Flame Sword and Thunder Sword slid into their sheaths at the same time.
The cutting aura and lightning that had filled the riverbank dissipated with them.
Naruto was the first to rush over.
"Cangyue, can you teach me those two moves?"
Cangyue glanced at the word "sword" on his forehead, then at the wooden stick that still had leaves attached.
"We'll talk once you learn the difference between a sword and a tree branch."
Naruto lowered his head to look at the stick and sank into thought.
A moment later, he asked tentatively, "Then if I pick off the leaves, does it count as a sword?"
Cangyue did not answer.
He suddenly felt that dealing with Sasuke earlier had been less troublesome than this.
Before you continue