Konan came out before he had even finished his cigarette.
"So fast?" Aoki Tsuki asked curiously.
Konan shook her head. "We need to go to the Land of Iron to find a casting material."
Once found, will the master craftsman help with the casting? How can one feel at ease without clarifying this question?
He never fights a battle unprepared!
Aoki Tsuki turned and went back into the house. Sure enough, he saw Master Tesshin smiling at him. He quickly took out a thick envelope from his body and placed it on the table.
"Master, I apologize for disturbing you; this is just a small token of my appreciation."
"What master? I'm just a grumpy old man with a terrible temper."
Tesshin glanced at the envelope handed to him and said, "You little brat, you've got a lot of crooked ideas, but do you think I'd be short of money?"
"No, no, no, Master, you misunderstand. Although the matter hasn't been resolved yet, we have still taken up your valuable time, so this consultation fee is only fair."
Consulting fees?
"Yes, it's a consultation fee, just enough for tea. Please accept it."
"Hmph, sweet talk. I see you're also someone who uses a knife, but unfortunately your mind isn't pure enough, and you don't follow the right path. What a waste of such a good physique."
Master Tesshin snorted coldly and stroked his beard.
"Master, you've misunderstood again. Taking the right path takes a long time, is inefficient, and has high sunk costs. I'm now overtaking on a curve, making one year of my life equivalent to ten years of others'."
I've been practicing swordsmanship for over three years now, and I'm not bragging, but in the martial arts world, no one can reliably beat me with a single hand.
Seeing Aoki Tsuki's smug look, Tesshin was immediately filled with anger.
"You're going to the Land of Iron to find ore, right? Since you're so strong, why don't you challenge Mifune? If you win, I'll forge ninja tools for you for free when we get back."
"No, no, no... I was just kidding."
Aoki Tsuki was so frightened he almost knelt down. Mifune was a top-tier Iaido master, capable of killing Hanzō single-handedly.
He couldn't even beat Hanzō, let alone Mifune.
"Master, I haven't had any famous teachers since I was a child. I've just practiced on my own, and it hasn't been easy for me to get to where I am today. Perhaps you could change to a less difficult condition?"
He's gone too far with his boasting; all he can do now is play the sympathy card and elicit sympathy.
"Self-taught? I didn't realize that was the case... It seems I've made things difficult for you."
"No, no, no, Master, you said that because you value my talent and want to encourage me."
Shameless...
Master Tesshin sighed.
" The Land of Iron is preparing to hold a Swordsmanship Master Tournament, and will invite peers from all countries to come and fight. Our Takumi Village doesn't have anyone who can compete."
"You should go on our behalf. It'll be good for you to broaden your horizons. If you're lucky enough to win a few matches and meet Mifune, then give him this letter."
Master Tesshin took out a scroll from the drawer and quickly wrote a letter.
Aoki Tsuki quickly accepted the gift with both hands, knowing that the deal was done. As long as the materials were found, Tesshin would help forge ninja tools for free.
Things of true value cannot be bought with money; they must be exchanged for their equivalent value.
"You can rest assured, I'm an expert at handling these kinds of small things, no problem at all."
Aoki Tsuki stuffed the envelope into his pocket, strode out of Tesshin's house with high spirits, and waved to Konan was waiting outside.
"All done, let's go, to the Land of Iron."
The two received a token representing Takumi Village from the village chief, Miki, and then boarded a boat and headed straight for the Land of Iron.
The Land of Iron gained a foothold in the ninja world by relying on its massive samurai army, and the samurai class within the country still insisted on fighting with swords rather than Ninjutsu.
Of course, it's not that they don't use Chakra; it's just that they Chakra Flow. Otherwise, it would be impossible to contend with ninjas using only muscle strength.
To encourage young people in the country to continue their rigorous training in swordsmanship, Swordsman Tournament is held every few years to increase everyone's enthusiasm.
Everyone who signs up will receive travel expenses, and the top ten participants will receive an additional bonus.
There was a long queue at the registration desk, and everyone claimed to be a swordsman, saying that swords and sabers Branch Family, and that as long as they didn't use Ninjutsu, it was fine.
"So many people have come! It's putting a lot of pressure on us."
In the middle of the group, Aoki Tsuki looked around, observing for any potential opponents; his core principle was to play it safe.
After arriving in the Land of Iron, he and Konan split up; he went to register for the competition, Konan went to find ore.
Ahead of him in line was a young man about his age, dressed in a black striped samurai outfit, his chest exposed, with his hair tied in a ponytail, unshaven, and unkempt.
"Brother, I am from Rōgetsu, the Land of Artisans. May I ask your name?"
" The Land of Iron, Tatewaki."
Upon hearing this, Aoki Tsuki looked at Tatewaki in surprise, "So it's Brother Tatewaki! With such momentum, you're sure to win a prize."
Tatewaki glanced at Aoki Tsuki secretly and replied, "You're strong; you'll be a worthy opponent."
"Haha... To be honest, the real reason I came to the Land of Iron is to challenge Mifune."
" Mifune?"
The Tatewaki didn't seem surprised; every year, too many people came to challenge Mifune, and he had never heard of anyone succeeding.
The person who wins first place in the Swordsman Tournament will be qualified to challenge Mifune.
"Then good luck. If we meet on the field, I won't hold back."
"Yes, giving it your all is the greatest respect you can show your opponent. I look forward to competing with you."
After waiting in line for ages, it was finally Aoki Tsuki's turn.
" Takumi Village, Rōgetsu."
He then handed over a token proving his identity, representing the face of Takumi Village, even though Village Chief Miki repeatedly said that the gesture was enough.
But he can't really do that; he still needs others to help him create ninja tools. He has to get a ranking.
After verifying the identity, the registration staff recorded it accurately in the register.
Three days later, the competition was held as scheduled, with thousands of people signing up. The preliminary rounds were divided into ten arenas, with ten strongest contestants determined by defending their titles.
Those who go up at the beginning are destined to be knocked down. Aoki Tsuki visited each arena and found that the champions of the top four arenas were not to be trifled with.
Gōriki, Hayate, Zanshin, and Kimen are all formidable warriors, each with their own unique strengths.
Tatewaki, he went to ring number five. After careful consideration, Aoki Tsuki chose ring number nine, where the opponents were generally weak.
Thud...
He kicked the defender off the platform and stood on it himself.
" Takumi Village, Rōgetsu is here! You bunch of trash, anyone who wants to challenge me, come on up! Today, I only want to kill you all, or be killed by you all."
I've seen arrogant people before, but I've never seen anyone this arrogant.
Everyone who comes here to compete is arrogant and proud, yet they're being called noobs.
This is intolerable!
"Baka! So arrogant! I'll defeat you!"
A samurai with a shaved head angrily leaped onto the arena, wielding swords in both hands, and charged at Aoki Tsuki.
Clang!
Aoki Tsuki intercepted with his sword, gently deflected the man to the side, and then delivered a whip kick that sent him flying off the stage.
He shouted loudly, "I was wrong! You people are worse than trash! Come on, I'll take on ten of you!"
At this point, the crowd could no longer contain themselves and drew their swords, rushing onto the stage.
"You bastard..."
"Kill him! Forget about Bushido, let's all go for it..."
"Kill!!"
The one-on-one ring battle instantly turned into a chaotic melee of one against many, with people constantly being kicked off the stage and others rushing up in a relentless barrage.
Ding ding ding...
Aoki Tsuki kept swinging his sword, blocking all the sneak attacks from various angles.
Upon seeing this, the samurai responsible for guarding the area immediately reported the situation to their superiors, and it eventually reached Mifune through the chain of command.
"Lord Mifune, several formidable individuals have appeared in this tournament, and they're probably all here for you."
"It's been a while since I've done anything, it's good to stretch my muscles a bit," Mifune said half-jokingly. "Do you have any decent talent this time?"
Okisuke understood that Mifune was asking about the samurai inside the Land of Iron.
"There's a pretty good young man named Tatewaki; he's a disciple of the One Sword Style and he's in arena number five."
"Hmm." Mifune nodded, without saying anything more.
Soon, half a day had passed, and the ten contestants had been selected. In the afternoon, a draw was held to divide them into five groups for the competition.
The next day, under a clear blue sky, the huge stadium was filled with spectators watching the two players on the field.
The host Rikaku, began, "Just to clarify, apart from swordsmanship and the accompanying Taijutsu, the use of any other hidden weapons or Ninjutsu is not permitted in the competition. Violators will be automatically disqualified."
The first match of the finals, the Land of Artisans - Rōgetsu, versus the Land of Demons - Kimen, begin!
Aoki Tsuki didn't expect to draw the first battle. He had roughly seen his opponent's moves; he was very fast and his moves were strange and tricky.
The Kimen was a red Kimen, which looked rather frightening to children.
The two stared at each other, both waiting for their chance to strike.
call...
A gentle breeze blew by, and both sides launched their attacks simultaneously.
The Kimen wields two swords, one for interception and the other for attack, switching seamlessly between offense and defense with unparalleled skill, demonstrating a level of mastery that has reached its zenith.
Ding ding ding...
Aoki Tsuki's swordsmanship can be summed up in one word: 'fast'!
In martial arts, speed is the ultimate weapon. He was a self-taught practitioner who had never systematically studied swordsmanship and didn't have many routines or schools of thought in his mind.
So in recent years, I've focused all my knife skills training on speed, in addition to my physical strength.
As a result, each of his moves was not only as swift as lightning, but also incredibly powerful.
When the feedback reached his opponent, it was after just one round that Kimen's hands were trembling, and the edges of his twin blades were serrated.
"What's wrong with this guy...?"
His prized skills were either blocked or dodged; he appeared to have the upper hand in the first round of attacks, but in reality, he lost.
So, facing Aoki Tsuki's attacks, he switched from offense to defense.
The stands were completely silent. The Kimen's moves were dazzling, and many people thought to themselves that they wouldn't be able to withstand them at all.
Sitting in the contestant's seat, Tatewaki gripped the scabbard tightly with his left hand, thinking to himself, "This guy is stronger than I expected..."
The other contestants also had different expressions, and it was unclear what they were thinking.
From the chairman's seat, Okisuke remarked, "What a remarkable young man! I can't tell which school he belongs to."
Mifune shook his head. "This guy doesn't belong to any particular school; there's no trace of practice or rehearsed technique in his swordplay."
"Could it be... that he figured it out on his own..." Okisuke in surprise.
"He must be a ninja. This kind of swordsmanship is a killing technique honed in actual combat. You can see that he doesn't use any unnecessary feints."
While parrying, his eyes were fixed on his opponent's vital points, preparing a fatal blow.
"I see."
Traditional warriors train from a young age, wearing armor and practicing with bamboo swords. Over time, this develops muscle memory, and the style of their martial arts is very distinctive.
To his peers, he was like a symbol.