Swordsmanship shows its might

"Don't worry. Trust me. Until I become a ninja like my father, I won't lose!"

Chihane looked at Hyuga Namikaze, who had already stepped into the arena, a fire seeming to burn in his eyes. He firmly believed that his relentless daily efforts would not let him down.

With that, Chihane turned and walked forward calmly, leaving Kurenai Yuhi standing rooted to the spot.

"Chihane, you can do it!" Watching Chihane enter the arena, Kurenai Yuhi suddenly felt certain he would win, though she couldn't explain why. His opponent was a ninja whose fighting style was a perfect counter to his.

Of course, Chihane knew the Chunin instructor had done this deliberately. When he first enrolled, everyone had placed high hopes on him, believing he could carry on the glory of the Hatake Clan. Especially this admirer of the White Fang!

Yet his younger brother, Kakashi Hatake, had already become a Chunin, while he was still the dead last at school.

The greater the hopes, the greater the disappointment. This was especially true of the Chunin instructor, a ninja who had retired from the battlefield. He had projected his admiration for Konoha's White Fang onto the two Hatake brothers. Every practical assessment, he hoped to see Chihane defeat his opponent and prove that the children of the Hatake Clan were all born strong.

"Chihane, would you like to forfeit now? It wouldn't be good if you got hurt."

The Chunin instructor looked at Chihane, deliberately adopting that tone.

In his opinion, as a child of the Hatake Clan, Chihane would never forfeit in front of the whole class!

If he really did surrender, then he wouldn't waste another ounce of effort on Chihane.

After all, if someone had already given up on himself, what could anyone else do to help?

Chihane said nothing, merely shooting him a fiery look.

Stare!

Looking at the child before him, whose eyes seemed to burn with flames, the Chunin instructor's heart gave an inexplicable jolt.

Though this child was the class's dead last, his intense fighting spirit stirred excitement in the instructor as well.

"No need. We can begin."

Chihane turned to face Hyuga Namikaze.

In the arena, Hyuga Namikaze regarded Chihane with cold arrogance. Seeing that Chihane wasn't going to forfeit, a trace of contempt appeared on his face.

That dead last who can't even practice ninjutsu thinks he can beat me? Doesn't he know Gentle Fist counters taijutsu? Does he think that lousy, unsharpened wooden sword can defeat me?

Since he dares to fight me, I'll teach him a lesson he'll remember. Next time he hears the name Hyuga, he'll surrender on the spot.

"All right, begin!"

Seeing the intense fighting spirit in Chihane's eyes, the Chunin instructor immediately announced the start.

The instant the Chunin Instructor finished speaking, Hyuga Namikaze activated his Byakugan and charged straight at Chihane, intending to finish him off quickly.

The Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist had always been the bane of taijutsu specialists. Most opponents chose to keep their distance and fight with ninja tools or ninjutsu.

Yet as Hyuga Namikaze rushed toward him, Chihane merely tightened his grip on his wooden sword and assumed an iai stance.

Watching from below, Kurenai Yuhi broke into a cold sweat for him. Instead of creating distance and using ninja tools, Chihane intended to defeat Hyuga Namikaze with a wooden sword.

One-Sword Style: Iai-Lion's Song! Chihane shouted inwardly.

The wooden sword flashed out, striking Hyuga Namikaze before he could react. Though it was only an unsharpened practice sword, the blow was powerful enough to cleave a wooden post. Even with Hyuga Namikaze's instinctive attempt to dodge, Chihane's strike tore through his clothes and sent him flying several meters. When he hit the ground, he could no longer get up.

The entire arena fell silent.

Everyone present, including the Chunin instructor, was stunned.

The Chunin instructor was utterly astonished. Had Chihane been hiding his true strength all along?

Is this his real strength? Has he inherited the Hatake Clan's swordsmanship? The Chunin instructor was finally the first to recover. "Hurry, take Hyuga to the infirmary! Chihane Hatake wins."

Ding!

Congratulations, host, on earning the achievement "First victory over an opponent." Reward: One Sword Style-Thirty-Six Pound Phoenixes.

The system's voice arrived right on cue, and hearing the reward filled Chihane with excitement.

Host has not yet mastered Flying Slash. Reward delivery postponed.

Postponed? Chihane's feelings were mixed. Mastering sword energy meant becoming a Swordmaster, yet he had only just set foot on the path of the sword. He had no idea how far he still had to go, or when he would finally obtain this powerful sword technique.

Watching Chihane standing in the arena, a strange glint flashed through Makoto Uchiha's eyes.

He hadn't expected this dead last to defeat Hyuga Namikaze of the Hyuga Clan. Namikaze had already awakened his Byakugan. Though it wasn't as powerful as his own Uchiha Clan's Sharingan, it was still a formidable kekkei genkai, especially effective against taijutsu.

After this exam, Chihane Hatake instantly became the talk of the entire Ninja Academy.

Many wondered why he had never displayed such powerful swordsmanship before.

Chihane explained that he had been training in swordsmanship all along. The previous assessments had simply tested ninjutsu, so he had never had a chance to use it.

The explanation was airtight. Most previous assessments had indeed focused on ninjutsu, and even in the occasional practical assessment, Chihane had always performed quite well at taijutsu.

After the initial shock, things soon settled down.

Night.

The Hatake Compound, Konoha.

For the first time, Chihane had held his head high. But he knew he had only defeated Hyuga Namikaze because the boy specialized in taijutsu, hadn't expected his sword to be so fast, and had underestimated him. Winning might not be so easy a second time.

So Chihane could only work harder at his swordsmanship and physical conditioning.

To gain even a basic ability to protect himself in the Shinobi World, he would have to become a Swordmaster at the very least.

"Three hundred eleven, three hundred twelve."

"Four hundred ninety-eight, four hundred ninety-nine."

Ding!

Congratulations, host, on completing the weekly goals: draw your sword five thousand times and swing your sword five thousand times.

Reward: famous sword, Wado Ichimonji.

The system's voice arrived right on cue. When Chihane heard that his reward was Wado Ichimonji, his heart settled. At last, he had his first famous sword.

"System, retrieve Wado Ichimonji."

Holding Wado Ichimonji, Chihane drew it from its scabbard. Looking at the pattern on the blade and sensing its keen edge, he couldn't resist testing its sharpness.

He walked up to a wooden post, raised Wado Ichimonji, and slashed downward. The post split neatly in two.

Though he had expected a famous sword to be sharp, he hadn't imagined it would be this sharp. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to use it at school.

Congratulations, host, on completing the weekly goals. Please complete next week's goal: practice Three-Sword Style swordsmanship.