Neji forcibly pushed his thoughts down, took a deep breath, and continued watching the two fight.
Even if it hurt, he had to endure it.
If he lacked talent, he would make up for it with hard work!
One day, he would stand alongside true geniuses like Gua and Itachi!
He had ambitions too!
Clang!
After a dull clash of blades, Gua and Itachi both sprang apart.
Each retreated several dozen paces.
Gua stared at the short sword in Itachi's hand, then looked at his own.
*...*
How should he put it? His sword simply wasn't in the same league as Itachi's.
Before, Gua had thought a sword was a sword. As long as it could kill someone, what did quality matter?
But now, faced with a truly fine blade, Gua finally realized that the difference between a good sword and a lousy one was like heaven and earth.
Every time Itachi struck, it felt as though the entire blade lent him its strength.
His own sword, meanwhile, was merely an extension of his arm whenever he swung it. It wasn't even particularly maneuverable.
As for sharpness, Gua hadn't noticed any difference there.
What he could feel, however, was that Itachi's sword was much heavier than his.
Otherwise, with Gua using half his strength just now, the collision should have sent Itachi's sword flying.
Yet it hadn't.
Instead, their blades had met on equal terms.
Of course, it was also possible that Itachi's recent hard work, combined with his exceptional talent, had greatly increased his strength.
Gua didn't know.
But next, he would use sixty percent of his strength!
The short sword turned in Gua's hand. He shot forward like a blade leaving its sheath, trailing a razor-sharp flash of cold light as his sword arrived.
Scarlet flashed in Itachi's