"Relax, this is just sparring. Neither of us will use chakra or ninjutsu. We'll compete purely on swordsmanship!"
Oh?
Now this was interesting.
If they weren't competing over mana reserves or ninjutsu, but just swordsmanship, Lei Dou was genuinely eager to try.
With all the bonuses his skill panel provided, it was about time he tested his actual combat strength.
Lei Dou tightened his grip on the wooden sword, fighting spirit flaring in his eyes. "In that case, please show me what you've got!"
"Come on!"
They moved ten meters apart and stood facing each other.
Both wooden swords rose simultaneously as they assumed identical opening stances of Konoha Style: Swordsmanship.
At that very moment!
Inside the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage had just started work when he suddenly remembered the gifted boy Hayate had mentioned yesterday.
"That kid who's supposedly comparable to White Fang deserves some attention."
He had been so overwhelmed with work yesterday that he hadn't even had time to see what the child looked like.
The Third took a crystal-clear sphere from his drawer and gently rested both hands on it.
"Telescope Technique!"
He had long since mastered this technique to perfection and didn't even need hand signs. All of Konoha lay bare before his eyes.
As he poured chakra into it, images shifted within the crystal ball before settling on that patch of woods.
Seeing the two figures facing each other, the Third raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Hayate's health is already failing, and he's still helping that kid train?"
A kindly smile appeared on the Third's face.
Then his gaze settled on Lei Dou, and a flicker of admiration flashed through his eyes.
"What a handsome little fellow!"
"The Shimozuki certainly have excellent genes. He's even better-looking than Hayate."
Even through the crystal ball, Lei Dou's stylish outfit and cool demeanor radiated the sharp vitality of youth.
After admiring his appearance, the Third keenly noticed something deeper.
Though both were using the opening stance of Konoha Style: Swordsmanship, there was a subtle difference in Lei Dou's posture.
Unlike Hayate's standard two-handed forward grip, Lei Dou had chosen a more aggressive one-handed hold. His left hand hung naturally at a peculiar spot slightly behind his left side.
That tiny adjustment alone instantly made the Third's expression turn grave.
The area Lei Dou's left hand guarded was precisely the greatest blind spot in Konoha Style: Swordsmanship!
The instant Lei Dou subtly adjusted his grip, that original opening miraculously vanished.
Was this kid really a beginner who had only encountered Konoha Style: Swordsmanship yesterday?
Shimozuki Hayate keenly sensed the change in his opponent's presence, but he lacked the Third Hokage's seasoned, penetrating eye.
All he felt was that Lei Dou's casual one-handed stance was practically an insult to a veteran Chunin like himself.
He had originally intended to wait for his opponent to attack, but now his pride surged, and he decided to stop holding back and take the initiative.
He kicked hard off the ground and sprinted forward like a cheetah, even without drawing on chakra or using any ninjutsu.
Yet the physique of a battle-hardened Special Jōnin was far beyond that of a Genin who hadn't even graduated. His speed stirred up a sharp gust.
In the blink of an eye, he closed in on Lei Dou. His sturdy wooden blade traced a vicious arc, slashing diagonally upward from the lower left straight toward Lei Dou's young neck.
This was the swiftest killing move in Konoha Style: Swordsmanship, the third form.
Yet the instant Hayate's shoulder shifted, Lei Dou's calm eyes had already seen through the blind spot hidden in that move.
His toes tapped the ground as he glided lightly back half a step, his upper body tilting naturally a little to the right. His wooden sword thrust out like a snake darting from its hole.
There was nothing flashy about this strike. It followed none of the forms of Konoha Style: Swordsmanship. It was simply a thrust, plain and pure.
In the Third Hokage's office, the Third Hokage watched the scene intently through his crystal ball. The old pipe between his lips fell onto the desk with a clack.
For in the very next instant, Shimozuki Hayate's smooth, flowing sword technique was abruptly interrupted. Only two choices remained: retreat awkwardly or force a change of form.
Hayate gritted his teeth and chose to meet it head-on. A flick of his wrist forced his blade into the fifth form. As he held his wooden sword across his chest to block, he used the momentum to twist the blade and viciously slash toward Lei Dou's waist and abdomen.
In that split second, Lei Dou's left hand suddenly rose as if he could foresee the future and pressed firmly against his own blade.
His thrust instantly became a vertical guard, and the two wooden swords collided fiercely in midair.
A sharp crack rang out. By all rights, an adult's strength should have utterly overwhelmed a child's.
After all, Hayate's current physical fitness and strength were several times greater than Lei Dou's.
But Lei Dou's move made masterful use of leverage. With one hand on the hilt and the other braced against the blade's spine, he created a structure even sturdier than Hayate's two-handed grip.
That powerful blow was blocked with astonishing ease.
More frightening still, the moment the block was completed, Lei Dou's stance flowed seamlessly into the seventh form of Konoha Style: Swordsmanship.
His wooden sword slid down with the motion and chopped hard onto Hayate's unprotected wrist joint.
A burst of intense pain made Hayate's fingers reflexively unclench, sending his wooden sword flying from his hand.
The disarmed sword was still tumbling through the air and had yet to hit the ground.
Hayate's pupils contracted in alarm. Instinctively, he tried to retreat to a safe distance before the follow-up attack could reach him.
Unfortunately, Lei Dou seemed to have read his script in advance.
He unleashed the tenth form of Konoha Style: Swordsmanship, suddenly accelerating as their figures crossed past each other.
When Lei Dou stopped, the cool tip of his wooden sword was already resting firmly against Hayate's vulnerable Adam's apple.
Clatter!
Only then did Hayate's fallen wooden sword hit the ground hard.
At the same moment, inside the Hokage's office, the Third's expensive pipe rolled twice across his desk.
Hiruzen Sarutobi froze, staring dumbstruck at the image held in the crystal ball.
In a contest of pure swordsmanship, Lei Dou had needed only three moves!
Yes, just three moves to utterly defeat an active Special Jōnin of Konoha, Shimozuki Hayate, a man renowned for his swordsmanship.
And he had done it using the very Konoha Style: Swordsmanship that Hayate took the greatest pride in and knew best!
It was simply inconceivable!
Utterly outrageous!
Could a little brat who hadn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy, who hadn't even hit puberty, really do this?
Hiruzen Sarutobi's aging, slightly clouded eyes widened as he stared at Lei Dou's subtly upturned blade in the image.
At readers' request, an ad-free VIP membership feature was now available.
Click to view.
Lei Dou's left hand pressed against the end of the hilt. In that position, he needed only to lever it lightly around his right hand to knock Hayate's chin upward. Had it been a real blade, Hayate would already have had his throat pierced, his blood splattering the ground.
The Third drew a deep, sharp breath, trying to settle his surging emotions.
With a trembling hand, he picked up the pipe from his desk, returned it to his mouth, and took a hard puff.
Looking at the calm-faced boy in the image, he couldn't help exclaiming, "This kid... he's an absolute swordsmanship prodigy, the kind you see once in a century!"
"With just a little guidance and cultivation, becoming another legend like Konoha White Fang would be far more than an empty dream!"
The astonishing talent Lei Dou displayed had truly given the worldly Third a sense of wonder he hadn't felt in a long time.
For a child still in elementary school to refine his swordsmanship to such pure simplicity-if that didn't make him a genius, nobody in the Shinobi World could claim the title.
All Lei Dou needed was to increase his chakra reserves and learn a few powerful ninjutsu to complement his skills.
Then he would undoubtedly have the makings of an elite Jōnin. Even if he never reached White Fang's pinnacle of Kage Level strength, becoming a pillar of Konoha was practically guaranteed.
At that thought, the Third's love of talent began to stir.
This child must be nearly finished with his Ninja Academy classes, right?
His team assignment needs careful consideration. I have to find him a good teacher.
A fond, gratified smile spread across the Third's face.
Just then, someone knocked on the door, and the Third hurriedly stuffed his spying crystal ball back into the drawer.
After all, as Hokage, he had mountains of official work to deal with every day. He couldn't let anyone catch him slacking off.
At the training ground, Shimozuki Hayate looked at the expressionless Lei Dou before him, then lowered his eyes to the wooden sword pressed against his throat.
He couldn't help swallowing with difficulty, his Adam's apple bobbing.
Though turmoil raged inside him, he forced himself to look composed as he told Lei Dou, "You did very well. I truly never expected your understanding of swordsmanship to reach such a frightening level."
I only gave this kid the Konoha Style: Swordsmanship scroll yesterday.
And today, his mastery has already surpassed mine!
Didn't I hear he went shopping on a date with a female classmate yesterday? He couldn't possibly have had time to practice all night!
In other words, this freak only read it once and tried it once, yet performed it better than I did after more than a decade of practice?
The more Shimozuki Hayate thought about it, the colder his spine felt. It was simply unbelievable.
Genius was no longer enough to describe this. It was almost like an instinct he had possessed since birth.
A complete monster!
"It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, Hayate."
Lei Dou slowly withdrew his wooden sword, an innocent smile on his face.
In truth, Lei Dou himself was rather surprised. He hadn't expected to handle Shimozuki Hayate so easily.
Was my swordsmanship just that overwhelming, or was this guy a little weak to begin with?
Even Lei Dou found the result somewhat unreal.
Hayate silently walked aside and bent down to pick up the wooden sword that now represented his humiliation.
Then he turned to look at Lei Dou, his face burning as he struggled to preserve his dignity.
He was a proper Special Jōnin of Konoha, yet an academy student had taken him down in three moves in the very field he excelled at.
Didn't that make me look far too worthless and weak?
To salvage his pride, Hayate held a fist to his mouth and pretended to cough a few times.
Lei Dou tilted his head at him as Hayate forced an approving senior's expression onto his face. "Good, very good. I was holding back just now, using only half my strength to test you. I didn't expect you to seize the opportunity and defeat me."
"But don't get conceited. You still need to train hard. If I'd gone all out just now, you wouldn't have won so easily."
Only half his strength?
Seriously?
Lei Dou keenly noticed Hayate's eyes wandering as he spoke. He clearly lacked confidence and looked distinctly guilty.
"Ahem! A real fight to the death between ninja isn't just a contest of swordsmanship. With chakra, my Body Flicker Technique would be several times faster."
"Combined with my unique ninjutsu, you wouldn't even have a chance to fight back."
Apparently trying to regain his dignity, Hayate suddenly flashed a mysterious smile tinged with smugness.
"Do you know why I qualified as a Special Jōnin?"
"Swordsmanship isn't my only specialty. I can also use an extremely unusual Transparent Release, which completely conceals my body and presence, leaving my enemies blind!"
Transparent Release combined with the sharp attacks of Konoha Style: Swordsmanship.
Once those two were combined, the resulting synergy was certainly far more than the sum of its parts.
An image instantly formed in Lei Dou's mind: a master swordsman who was completely invisible and whose presence couldn't be sensed.
He would suddenly burst out of some dark blind spot to kill. Unless there was an overwhelming gulf in strength between them...
Most people facing that kind of assassination probably wouldn't even know how they had died.
Lei Dou nodded thoughtfully.
Suddenly, inspiration flashed through his mind as he caught a crucial detail.
He looked up at Shimozuki Hayate and asked, "Transparent Release? Is that a kekkei genkai?"
At that question, Shimozuki Hayate nodded with restrained pride. "That's right!"
"Is it a hereditary kekkei genkai of your Shimozuki clan?"
"Uh..."
Faced with that pointed question, Shimozuki Hayate was momentarily speechless, unsure how to explain it.
Calling it a clan kekkei genkai didn't seem entirely accurate.
After all, throughout the entire Shimozuki clan, he was currently the only person who had awakened this special ability.
But calling it something else wasn't quite right either. Transparent Release did fit the definition of a kekkei genkai, and his surname was indeed Shimozuki. After some thought, Hayate answered vaguely, "I suppose you could call it that! In any case, I'm the only person in the Shimozuki clan who can use it right now."
Lei Dou's gaze instantly turned fervent as he stared at Hayate.
An extraordinarily bold idea suddenly occurred to him.
If I activate the great sage system to analyze this kekkei genkai, could I copy and master it directly?
At that possibility, Lei Dou's heart began pounding with anticipation.
The core function of the great sage system was to analyze any skill. In theory, as long as something was a skill, it could break it down.
Then a kekkei genkai shouldn't be a problem either!
If it can really analyze even a kekkei genkai, won't I shoot straight to the top of the Shinobi World?
"Hayate, could I trouble you to teach me this Transparent Release? What if I'm a one-in-ten-thousand genius and have a talent for it too?"
Hayate looked at Lei Dou with a troubled expression, clearly torn.
If you can't find the book by its title, try searching for the author. It might simply have been renamed!