The most skilled swordsmen prefer to use the simplest of techniques. As the saying goes, the simpler it is, the stronger it becomes. With a single strike, it doesn't matter what you're capable of; if you can't defend against it, you can't. If you can't block it, you can't block it.
This simple "One Step" slash was one of Mifune's ultimate simple sword techniques. When he unleashed it, it seemed to carry the momentum to cleave through everything.
But Hibari wasn't a small fry who would be easily defeated. Just as Mifune's horizontal slash was about to reach Hibari's waist, Hibari's short sword was unsheathed with a flash of cold light. It blocked Mifune's blade with pinpoint accuracy.
The next second, the two cold weapons collided, and a spark flew. Hibari felt a strong force transmitted through his short sword, as if trying to push him away.
But Hibari's own strength was immense. He forcefully held Mifune's blade in place with his short sword, preventing it from moving forward even by a centimeter.
Their first exchange seemed very simple, but if either of them had been off by even a fraction of a millimeter, the outcome would have been different. It was an "incredibly brilliant" exchange.
Many samurai in the audience couldn't help but take a deep breath. This was especially true for those who had seen Mifune's power or had witnessed Hibari's one-shot victories before. Now, they felt a sense of relief.
Finally, this guy named Kōzuki Oden didn't take down his opponent with a single strike. It seemed he and Mifune were equally matched.
Unlike the orthodox samurai like Mifune, Hibari wasn't truly a samurai; he was a shinobi. The Senju clan did have some ancestral sword techniques, and he knew a few, but they were mostly for shinobi, not samurai. So unlike Mifune's simplistic and grand style, Hibari's techniques were more focused on "finesse"!
The moment Mifune's sword was blocked by Hibari, Hibari changed his technique. He loosened his grip on the short sword's handle, allowing Mifune's katana to pry it up. The handle swung towards Mifune while the tip pointed toward Hibari.
At the same time, Hibari crouched down, placing himself directly below the blade, and let go of his short sword. The next moment, with no force to block it, Mifune's katana swept past, just grazing the top of Hibari's hair.
Mifune's large, simple technique was difficult to stop midway, lacking the finesse Hibari used. As Mifune's sword swung, his chest was wide open. Hibari's short sword spun in the air, then was caught by Hibari as he crouched down. Without missing a beat, he thrust the short sword, now like a dagger, directly at Mifune's chest.
This entire sequence happened in an instant. Mifune didn't even have time to retract his katana, so he couldn't defend.
Facing the short sword aimed at his chest, Mifune's internal alarms blared. Retracting his sword to block was impossible; there wasn't enough time. He had to find another way to defend or dodge.
In a split second, he made his decision. Just as Hibari's blade was about to slip into a gap in his layered armor and pierce Mifune's chest, Mifune moved with extreme speed. He first crouched slightly, causing Hibari's blade tip to strike the green armor on his chest, creating a spark.
At the same time, he didn't resist the impact. He lessened the force in his feet, using the momentum from Hibari's blade combined with his own movement to perform a fluid backflip, putting distance between them.
In the process, he was able to retract his katana, gripping the handle with both hands and holding it diagonally in front of his chest, watching Hibari with caution.
When his attack failed, Hibari naturally stood up and sheathed his short sword, a smile on his face. He said, "That's a quick reaction speed..."
It was true; Mifune's reaction speed was very fast. Hibari felt that very few masters, even shinobi known for their finesse, could have dodged that attack. Most would have been gutted.
Hearing Hibari's words, Mifune's gaze dropped slightly, looking at the scratch on his chest armor. He then said, "Your swordsmanship is truly eye-opening."
"You're too kind," Hibari said softly.
The two then fell into a silent stalemate again. This time, Mifune was even more hesitant to attack. His first move had nearly cost him the match. This time, he had to be more careful.
Hibari looked at Mifune and the lack of any openings on his body. He rubbed the handle of his short sword, his heart sinking, and decided to make the first move to break the deadlock.
Mifune had no openings when he was still, but when he moved, a flaw was sure to appear. He had to act first, force Mifune to defend, and then seize the opportunity.
With that in mind, Hibari's stance became more serious. He was no longer casually resting his hand on his scabbard. Instead, he moved that hand down and grabbed the scabbard itself.
This single movement made Mifune's eyebrows twitch. He tightened his grip on his katana's handle. Without a doubt, this movement was usually the prelude to a lightning-fast technique.
Sure enough, after Hibari grabbed his scabbard, his other hand, in the next second, moved behind his back to grip the handle of the sword at his waist. He then lowered his stance and said in a deep voice, "One Sword Style: Iai - Lion's Song."
As Hibari's words fell, his body moved with extreme speed. But Mifune didn't watch his movement. Instead, he stared intently at the scabbard in Hibari's hand. As expected, when Hibari was less than two steps away, his short sword was unsheathed, and the cold light flashed, forcing Mifune to close his eyes. But it didn't matter, because the instant Hibari's sword was unsheathed, Mifune had already seen its path.
With his eyes closed for that split second, Mifune used his katana to perfectly block Hibari's lightning-fast attack. He met Hibari's laijutsu with a head-on clash.
But that wasn't the end.
As Mifune opened his eyes after a moment, he felt an immense force coming from the blade in his hands. A laijutsu strike was an incredibly powerful slash, and Hibari had a monstrous level of strength and physical prowess. Despite blocking the strike, Mifune's arms went numb, and his feet left two small craters in the stone combat stage.
'What immense power!' Mifune thought to himself.
But before he could process the thought, the force coming from the blade intensified, forcing his center of gravity to lower, causing the cracks in the ground to spread further. Soon, the entire surface of the stone stage was covered in cracks and shattered stone.
Just like Mifune's own technique earlier, laijutsu was a technique of ultimate simplicity, and here, simplicity was strength. With this single strike, it didn't matter how capable you were. You either withstood the force and held on, or you were cut in two!
And when it came to arm strength and physical ability, Hibari knew Mifune was no match. He had no doubt that this simple strike would completely suppress Mifune, leaving him unable to counter.
How could he counter? He couldn't even use his sword freely; he was trapped, barely able to hold back Hibari's laijutsu strike!
With a soft "thump," the stone combat stage beneath Mifune's feet shattered. He was pressed down by Hibari, his feet sinking into the rubble as if in a swamp.
At the same time, the skin between Mifune's thumbs and forefingers tore open, and a large amount of blood flowed from his hands, staining the handle of his sword.
It was clear that Mifune was at a complete disadvantage.
Just as Hibari had told Orochimaru before the match began: one strong force can overcome ten skills.
In terms of swordsmanship, Mifune might be much better than Hibari, but it was useless. Mifune could slash at Hibari a hundred times, but Hibari only needed to find one opening and land a single strike. That was all it took!
From the viewing platform, the Land of Iron's general watched as Mifune was pushed to his limit and placed at a clear disadvantage after just one strike from Kōzuki Oden. He shook his head slightly and sighed, "Mifune is still too young. He fell for Oden's trap. He's going to lose this match..."
The reason Hibari struck first was to force Mifune to reveal an opening. In fact, he had succeeded the moment he moved his hand from the sword's handle to the scabbard.
Mifune had shown an opening, and Hibari had a keen eye for it. Mifune knew that Hibari was about to use laijutsu, yet he still chose to meet the attack head-on instead of dodging. Could Hibari let such an arrogant act go unpunished?
This was the main reason Mifune was now in such a poor situation. This was why the general said Mifune was still too young.
The moment Hibari blocked Mifune's "One Step," the general had already realized that Hibari's strength was immense. Generally, a horizontal slash is very hard to block, given the force, but Kōzuki Oden had casually stopped it, not allowing Mifune to advance an inch. Didn't that say it all?
So, his first priority should have been to dodge the laijutsu strike, not to block it. But the proud Mifune refused to believe it and insisted on testing him. As a result, he found himself in this unfavorable position.
Although the general was disappointed that Mifune was about to lose, he didn't feel too much regret about the divine sword Ame no Murakumo. On the contrary, this loss would be a good lesson for Mifune. He was looking forward to seeing Mifune, humbled by this great setback, rein in his arrogance and dedicate himself to honing his skills.
But just then, something unexpected happened.
The short sword in Hibari's hand was just a normal blade, while the one in Mifune's hand was a famous sword of the Land of Iron. Their quality was vastly different. In this test of pure power, Hibari's short sword was the first to give out.
With a soft "snap," Hibari's eyebrow twitched slightly. As expected, the short sword broke in half in the next second. Hibari, holding the broken handle, continued his motion, but it didn't even scratch Mifune. The sword had broken.
This scene caused everyone to show expressions of surprise, regret, and pity. Hibari himself had a look of disappointment. He slowly stepped back and sheathed the broken handle.
He then looked at the surprised Mifune and shook his head helplessly. "Just bad luck. I can't believe I was defeated at the last moment. It seems I really am missing a good blade..."
The Sacred Sword Festival was a competition of swordsmanship. How could he compete with a broken sword?
After saying this, Hibari glanced regretfully at the Ame no Murakumo, shook his head, and prepared to leave.
He couldn't call Mifune's victory underhanded. Hibari himself was using a false identity to compete, and if his sword wasn't good enough, he should blame himself, not his opponent for having a good sword. That would be ridiculous.
Hibari believed he had too much integrity to make a fuss over something like this.
Mifune watched Hibari turn to leave, then looked at the sword in his own hands and the broken blade on the ground. His gaze then shifted to the general on the platform behind him. It seemed the general understood Mifune's look. He smiled faintly in a helpless way and then nodded.
Mifune finally let go of the pressure in his heart. He called out to Hibari, "Oden-dono, please wait!"
Hibari stopped and replied, "What is it?"
"I have no advice to give you. It's just that if I let you leave like this, I fear I will have a hurdle in my heart that I can never overcome. From this day forward, I will lose my convictions, and my skill will never improve," Mifune said in a solemn voice.
He said no more. He turned and walked to the edge of the combat stage, took the divine tachi Ame no Murakumo from the sword rack, and sheathed the blade fully. He then rubbed the scabbard with a regretful look before a determined and resolute expression appeared in his eyes.
Mifune held the Ame no Murakumo with both hands and slowly walked over to Hibari. He extended the sword and said in a deep voice, "Therefore, even if you are to leave, you must take this Ame no Murakumo with you!"
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