His utterly masterful skill with hidden weapons, in particular, was like Cupid's arrow, piercing straight into this weapons expert's heart.
"Now, am I qualified to shop at your establishment?"
At the sound of Lei Dou's slightly teasing voice,
Tenten finally snapped out of her daze, her gaze wavering as she avoided looking him in the eye.
She bit her lip and forced herself to say, "I'll sell it to you, but on one condition. You have to compete with me in hidden weapons. If you win, this blade is yours for free!"
Lei Dou raised an eyebrow. He wasn't particularly interested in ordinary mass-produced goods.
But her challenge had stirred a hint of his competitive spirit.
Although Tenten hadn't received much screen time in the original story, she was unquestionably the best of Konoha's younger generation when it came to hidden weapons.
She was the woman said to "never miss."
Since she had earned that reputation, Lei Dou wanted to see just how his current skills measured up.
"Deal!"
"Follow me out back!"
Tenten briskly gathered her equipment and led Lei Dou through the shop to the Private Training Ground in the Backyard.
Looking at the spacious, fully equipped training ground, Lei Dou couldn't help marveling once again at the power of money.
This was hardly a backyard. It was almost as large as the village's Public Training Ground.
Having a rich dad sure was nice.
"What are the rules?" Lei Dou asked.
Tenten pointed at two targets roughly twenty meters away.
"Three shuriken and three kunai each, six throws in total. Whoever scores the most points wins!"
Lei Dou nodded. "No problem. Ladies first."
Back on her home turf, Tenten's demeanor instantly changed. With confident flicks of her hand, she sent one hidden weapon after another flying as though they had eyes.
Thud, thud, thud!
All six struck home, every single one hitting the bull's-eye!
Tenten dusted off her hands and raised her chin smugly at Lei Dou. "Your turn, junior!"
Lei Dou wasted no words. He held three shuriken in his left hand and three kunai between the fingers of his right.
Both hands snapped forward simultaneously, releasing them in an instant!
"Thunk, thunk, thunk..."
After a rapid series of dull impacts, Tenten stared in disbelief.
Not only had all six of Lei Dou's weapons hit the bull's-eye, they had actually... all squeezed into the same hole!
Like a blooming flower of steel, they were embedded firmly in the center of the target.
At that sight, Tenten felt her entire understanding of the world shatter.
How is that possible...
He can use both hands at once and still be accurate to the micrometer?
This was the first time a boy younger than her had completely outclassed her in the very field she was proudest of.
And to top it off, he was so handsome.
"Shall we call this round a draw?" Lei Dou asked calmly.
Tenten looked at her own target. Although she had scored full marks, her result was clearly less impressive. If they judged by technical skill, she had already lost.
"No! Again!" Tenten's competitive spirit had been fully ignited. "This time, we're trying something harder!"
Lei Dou shrugged. "Whatever you like. What's the challenge?"
Tenten walked over to the Control Panel and slapped a red button.
"In thirty seconds, that Launcher will start firing high-speed moving targets, fifteen in a row. Miss even one, and you lose!"
Moving targets? Interesting.
Lei Dou remained perfectly relaxed. "Sure."
This time, Tenten had learned her lesson and made Lei Dou go first.
Lei Dou didn't refuse. This was the perfect opportunity to test Thought Acceleration in practice.
Great Sage, activate Thought Acceleration mode.
[Great Sage: Understood.]
Lei Dou idly toyed with a kunai. The machine gave a faint hum, and the first Flying Disc was about to launch.
Lei Dou smiled.
Because before the Flying Disc had even fully left the barrel, he had already predicted its launch speed and angle from the rotation of the machine's internal gears and the compression of its spring.
Despite being thirty meters away,
it seemed close enough to touch.
The Flying Disc's angular velocity, the effects of air resistance-all the data instantly took shape in his mind.
His hand rose!
The instant the first kunai left his hand, Tenten froze in bewilderment.
Because she had heard an ear-splitting sonic boom!
A thrown kunai could produce a sonic boom?
Just how terrifying was his explosive strength?
And only when that sonic boom rang out did Tenten hear the machine's click as it launched the Flying Disc.
What did that mean? It meant the kunai was faster than the Flying Disc!
Crack!
The Flying Disc had barely emerged. Before it could embrace the open sky, the kunai blasted it into powder right at the barrel.
At that sight, Tenten was utterly petrified.
Is... is that kind of dynamic vision even humanly possible?
He intercepted the Flying Disc the instant it left the barrel?
Did he not need any reaction time at all?
If it were her, she would at least have to wait until the Flying Disc was in midair and confirm its trajectory before intercepting it.
But Lei Dou was practically cheating...
What followed was nothing short of a massacre. The moment each Flying Disc appeared, Lei Dou mercilessly blasted it apart at the barrel.
Fifteen crisp cracks rang out in an unbroken string.
Lei Dou turned to the dumbstruck Tenten. "Done. Your turn, senior."
Looking at the boy before her, who acted as though he had done something utterly trivial, Tenten swallowed with difficulty.
This was no longer a matter of throwing hidden weapons. It was pure, overwhelming talent.
With such absurd dynamic vision, was there anything in the world he couldn't hit?
"I... I give up," Tenten said dejectedly.
Lei Dou looked slightly surprised. "Surrendering before you even start? That doesn't seem like you."
"There's no point competing. I know my limits. I can't predict and intercept targets like that with my hidden weapons."
The speed and unpredictability of a target just leaving the barrel were simply beyond her current ability to track.
A handsome boy with miraculous hidden weapon skills and such terrifying talent for Taijutsu-it simply wasn't fair.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Tenten's mind.
Wait!
He said he wanted to buy a ninja blade, too?
Does that mean he's also an expert in swordsmanship?
Did God put every attribute point into this guy when he created him?
"You really know swordsmanship?" Tenten couldn't help asking.
Lei Dou nodded. "Of course. What else would I buy a blade for, chopping vegetables?"
"Then... could you show me your swordsmanship? If you're really that good at it too, I'll give you a top-quality ninja blade from my personal collection. A custom-made one, at that!"
A free blade?
"You want to watch me use a sword?"
If you encounter advertisements such as "Are you a real person?", simply ignore and close them. Do not scan any QR codes or send text messages!
Lei Dou was a little baffled. This woman's train of thought jumped around awfully fast.
But the important parts were "top-quality ninja blade" and "free."
Only an idiot would turn down a chance to get a good weapon for nothing.
"What standard do I have to meet to count as good?" Lei Dou asked.
Tenten's eyes darted slyly. "Simple. Last ten seconds under my hidden weapon attacks without a scratch, and I'll admit you're good!"
Ten seconds?
And I have to withstand her attacks?
Lei Dou gave her an odd look. Was this girl trying to settle a personal grudge by using the challenge as an excuse to beat him up?
"You want to fight me?"
Caught out, Tenten blushed, then puffed out her chest. "What? Scared?"
Part of her did want to regain some pride, but she also genuinely refused to believe it.
It was one thing for a kid who hadn't even graduated to be an expert in hidden weapons. If his swordsmanship was just as ridiculous, how was anyone else supposed to compete?
That wasn't genius. That was downright monstrous.
"I don't mind sparring, but as you've seen, I'm a little heavy-handed. If I fail to hold back and hurt you..."
Tenten waved him off confidently. "Don't worry. I'm a ranged ninja. Only an idiot would fight you up close! If you can block my rain of hidden weapons, you win!"
Oh!
So she wants to kite me.
The corners of Lei Dou's mouth lifted slightly. "All right. I'll play along."
"To avoid any accidental injuries, I'll switch to Wooden Hidden Weapons."
"No need."
Lei Dou pointed at the pile of real weapons in front of Tenten. "Use those. It's more exciting with the real things clanging."
No need?
Is this guy really unafraid of death, or is he just putting on a big act?
Looking at Lei Dou's infuriating "do whatever you like" expression, Tenten stopped fussing.
If you end up looking like a porcupine, don't go crying for your mommy.
"Ready?"
Tenten held several shuriken, poised to attack.
Lei Dou didn't even draw his blade. He merely beckoned lazily with a finger.
He hadn't so much as shifted his feet.
That's way too arrogant! You might be handsome, but that doesn't give you the right to look down on female ninja!
Tenten's fighting spirit surged. She was a woman who looked up to Lady Tsunade, and she would never accept such contempt.
"Take this!"
With a flick of Tenten's wrist, a shuriken hurtled straight toward the space between Lei Dou's eyebrows, whistling sharply.
The strike was fast, precise, and vicious. It looked downright lethal!
The instant the weapon left her hand, Tenten regretted it. Oh no, I got too angry and didn't hold back. Please don't let me ruin this handsome guy...
Yet in the next second, Lei Dou merely tilted his head slightly, and the potentially lethal shuriken flew past the tip of his nose.
Under Thought Acceleration, this weapon that looked lightning-fast to ordinary people moved as slowly as an old man strolling through a park.
"An attack that slow doesn't deserve to make me draw my blade, senior," Lei Dou said teasingly.
Tenten's eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Impossible!
Even if his dynamic vision could keep up, his body couldn't possibly react that fast!
Tenten gritted her teeth and pulled out an enormous scroll. "In that case, I won't hold back!"
Poof!
White smoke billowed up. Tenten's hands moved like phantoms as countless hidden weapons erupted from the scroll, sweeping toward Lei Dou in a sky-filling barrage.
It was an impenetrable storm of metal, consisting of dozens of weapons!
Let's see where you can dodge this time!
Watching the weapons fill the air like a shower of petals, Lei Dou's lips curved into an amused smile.
Dodging them would be easy, but that would mean moving his feet.
Today, he didn't want to retreat a single step.
Since you want to see my swordsmanship, I'll give you an eyeful!
Lei Dou's right hand slowly settled on the hilt.
Clang!
With a clear, ringing note, the blade flashed out of its sheath.
Tenten saw only a blur. She couldn't follow the path of Lei Dou's arm at all. In that fleeting instant, his hand seemed to multiply into afterimages like Thousand-Armed Guanyin.
An unbroken chorus of metal striking metal erupted, as dense as rain drumming on broad leaves.
In the blink of an eye, every hidden weapon in that shower of petals was knocked away, falling into the dust without a single exception.
Lei Dou stood proudly with his long blade in hand, his eyes somehow sharper than its edge.
The instant that gaze locked onto her, every hair on Tenten's body stood on end. It felt as though a vicious beast from the abyss had set its sights on her, and cold sweat immediately seeped down her back.
Fear left her hands and feet ice-cold. Her body stiffened in place as though filled with lead.
Before she could even catch her breath, Lei Dou flicked his wrist from ten meters away and unleashed a ferocious slash!
It was not the sound of wind, but a lingering, melodious surge that seemed to rise from the depths of the sea, echoing softly in her ears.
For a moment, Tenten even imagined she could truly hear towering waves roaring as they swept everything away.
A streak of azure light flashed past her side, breathtakingly swift.
BOOM!!!
A deafening blast erupted in an instant.
Tenten's pupils contracted sharply. She lowered her head in horror, staring fixedly at the ground beside her feet.
The solid earth had been ripped open like fragile tofu, leaving a bottomless fissure.
Its edges were as smooth as mirrors, and the terrifying trench stretched straight ahead for three or four meters.
How was this possible?
From so far away, just the pressure wave from a slash could unleash such terrifying destructive power?
This... was this really swordsmanship a human could master?
Was he really still just a student who hadn't graduated from the Ninja Academy?
She had never witnessed such overwhelming power, not even from elite Genin.
They were ten meters apart. How had that razor-sharp wave crossed the distance and struck at her feet in an instant?
"Now you should have no complaints about either the power of that slash or my strength, right?"
Lei Dou's cool voice broke the deathly silence.
As though jolted awake from a nightmare, Tenten reacted before her mind could catch up, nodding mechanically.
"I... I'm convinced. Completely convinced..."
"Then, about my custom Ninja Blade?"
"Don't worry! Give me a few days. Even if I have to go without sleep or rest, I'll forge it for you!"
Watching her nod furiously, Lei Dou's lips curved into a gentle smile. "Then, sorry for the trouble."
The long blade slid back into its sheath with a soft click.
Although the standard-issue Ninja Blade in his hand felt decent enough, he looked forward far more to the personal weapon Tenten would pour her heart into forging. That would be a truly exceptional blade, capable of bearing the power of Water Breathing.
With their business settled, Lei Dou had no intention of lingering. He turned to leave.
Just then, Tenten called out behind him, a hint of urgency in her voice. "Wait! Lei Dou... um, my name is Tenten!"
The sudden introduction made Lei Dou pause and glance back, looking slightly bewildered.
Why was this girl suddenly being so formal?
Still, he reacted quickly, immediately answering her with a sunny smile.
"I'll remember. It's nice to meet you, Tenten."
Out of courtesy, Lei Dou offered his right hand.