Hoshiyomi and Lobo chatted idly for a while when a knock suddenly came at the door.
Opening it, they found a servant inviting Hoshiyomi to the council hall of the General's mansion.
It was clear the other two top-five finalists had already finished their private sessions with the Land of Iron leader.
Now it was Hoshiyomi's turn.
Hoshiyomi got dressed, and together with Lobo, followed the servant's lead to the council hall.
Inside, the Land of Iron leader had just been in conversation with Asuka.
When he saw Hoshiyomi enter, he ended the discussion and greeted him.
"How are your injuries?"
Hoshiyomi gave a slight bow.
"Thank you for your concern, Lord Leader. Kenshin is fine."
The leader's gaze shifted briefly to Lobo before he spoke again:
"No need to be so formal. I'm Kitada Sanjun. Just call me Uncle Sanjun."
He paused, then added with a faint smile:
"Also… how long do you intend to keep up the act?
'Himura Kenshin' isn't your real name, is it?"
Hoshiyomi was stunned.
The first part had already made him want to chuckle—Uncle? The man was old enough to be a grandfather.
But the second part hit hard. Wait, when did I give myself away?
Lobo, standing beside him, also looked baffled—like his entire worldview was crumbling.
However, Sanjun's tone remained relaxed and casual.
Hoshiyomi realized that if the man had meant harm, he could've easily taken action long ago.
His intentions were clearly peaceful.
Given that, Hoshiyomi saw no need to hide it anymore.
He admitted it openly and calmly:
"You're right. Himura Kenshin isn't my real name.
My true name is Gekkō Hoshiyomi.
May I ask, Uncle Sanjun, how did you figure out my identity?"
Sanjun laughed.
"I knew the moment you said you were acquainted with a medical-nin from the Land of Fire.
A medical-nin with that kind of skill would never be stationed outside the village—Konoha would keep them close and develop them heavily.
The only way you'd meet someone like that is from the inside."
"But regular samurai can't even get past Konoha's gates without a personal letter of recommendation—like mine.
So how could someone like you befriend a top-tier medical-nin unless you were from within Konoha yourself?"
"Also, that ninja beast of yours—its true form is much larger, isn't it?
I could feel it from its aura. It's not an ordinary summoning creature.
You're using the Transformation Jutsu to disguise it, aren't you?
I may be old, but these eyes still work just fine."
Hoshiyomi was thoroughly impressed by the analysis.
No wonder this man held his position—his insight alone far exceeded most.
Hoshiyomi snapped his fingers, signaling Lobo.
Lobo retrieved a storage scroll from his body and pulled out a handwritten letter from Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage.
He handed it to Sanjun.
The moment Sanjun saw the signature—Sarutobi Hiruzen—his expression shifted.
Even though the Land of Iron kept a distance from the shinobi world, the names of the Five Kage were well known.
If this young man could produce a letter from the Third Hokage himself, then clearly his background was anything but ordinary.
But after reading the contents, Sanjun frowned.
So that was it—Hoshiyomi had been afflicted by a curse technique that sealed off all his chakra.
That's why he had come to the Land of Iron, to train and hone himself physically.
It explained why, even during that perilous final duel, Sanjun hadn't sensed the slightest chakra fluctuation from him.
But this wasn't what Sanjun had expected.
He had exposed Hoshiyomi's identity partly out of self-interest—his main goal was to heal his daughter, and illness only grew riskier with time.
He had originally planned to reveal Hoshiyomi's identity, offer some benefits, and persuade him to return to Konoha—taking Asuka with him for treatment.
But now it turned out Hoshiyomi had come to the Land of Iron because of his own problem.
He wouldn't be going back until he was strong enough to break the curse.
Then what about my daughter? Sanjun thought. I can't afford to wait that long.
With that thought, he asked directly:
"Hoshiyomi, how far are you from reaching the level needed to break the curse, as mentioned in the letter?"
"To be honest, I was hoping you'd return to Konoha soon—so you could take Asuka to your medical-nin friend and see if they can help her."
"Since the letter says you'll only go back once you're strong enough—and since you're the champion of the Kenjutsu Tournament—
I originally intended to offer you advanced instruction as a reward."
"So why not combine the two? Let me personally train you.
I'll help you reach the strength needed to return to Konoha sooner—and in return, you take Asuka to see your medical-nin."
Hoshiyomi was thrilled.
He had been worried that he might not receive much more sword training here and would have to spend even more time in the Land of Iron grinding it out.
Now, completely unexpectedly, he had just been offered a direct path to accelerated progress—by a master himself.
Truly, good deeds bring good fortune.
He'd saved someone's life—and now it had led to an opportunity to break through to Advanced Kenjutsu sooner.
Of course, Hoshiyomi eagerly nodded in agreement.
Sanjun saw his enthusiastic response and didn't waste any time.
"Then let's go to the training ground. I want to see your current skill level and give you some advice."
At the training ground, Hoshiyomi and Sanjun stood facing each other.
Lobo and Asuka watched from the sidelines.
Asuka, clearly intrigued by Lobo, had softened considerably from her earlier stoic demeanor.
Now, the more natural side of a 17-year-old girl was peeking through.
Looking at Lobo—handsome and noble in form—she couldn't help but want to pet his head.
But she hesitated, unsure whether Lobo would let her… or bite her hand off.
Her visible inner struggle made Hoshiyomi glance at her a couple of extra times.
Sanjun cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention.
He casually pulled a practice blade from the nearby rack and said:
"Attack me with everything you've got. Let's see where you stand."
Hoshiyomi didn't hold back.
He drew Mikazuki Munechika and immediately unleashed Dragon Nest Flash (Ryūsōsen)
The essence of Dragon Nest Flash was overwhelming an opponent with a flurry of high-speed, high-power slashes too fast for the naked eye to follow.
Some might call it chaotic slashing—but this was a refined, high-level version of that chaos.
Sanjun didn't dodge or flinch.
With one hand alone, he effortlessly blocked all of Hoshiyomi's attacks.
The gap between intermediate and master-level swordsmanship was glaringly clear.
Even when Hoshiyomi followed up with Crescent Moon Slash: Second Form, Sanjun calmly deflected it.
A diagonal slash, then a horizontal block—just a little extra focus, and the attack was neutralized.
After receiving both moves, Sanjun gave his assessment:
"Good strength. Decent speed. Among your peers, I doubt anyone could surpass you.
But to my eyes, your technique is still riddled with openings."
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