Though Anyo had closed his eyes, he had not fallen asleep. Instead, thoughts filled his mind all the more.
Now that he knew the shortcomings in his fighting, he needed to address them.
He recalled the battles he had fought. The two that stood out most were his battles against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and the Tsuchikage.
Should I simulate them again?
The thought sprang into Anyo's mind and refused to leave.
I'll try the Soul Division Technique.
Anyo acted immediately, using the Soul Division Technique to split his soul into eight. The strongest was his main soul, while the other seven took on the forms of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Just like that, a battle from several years ago played out again in his Spiritual Sea.
Three years had passed. Looking back with his present perspective, Anyo could clearly see his shortcomings. In fact, his teacher had given him the key to defeating those seven on his very first day of learning swordsmanship. But he had divided his attention among too many things and failed to perfect his swordsmanship, making that battle so difficult.
Anyo released the Soul Division Technique and began absorbing the essentials of the battle. A long while later, the soul in his Spiritual Sea split in two, and one half took the form of the Tsuchikage.
Anyo reenacted this familiar battle many times. Simulation after simulation ended with the Tsuchikage winning. His own chances of victory were infinitesimally close to zero.
Anyo was not discouraged. Failure was not frightening; failing to learn from it was. The gap between him and the Tsuchikage lay not only in chakra, but also in combat experience.
His only chance of victory lay in the instant the Tsuchikage unleashed Dust Release. Powerful though it