After the selection battles for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen concluded, the Mizukage Building quickly released the new roster.
Unlike the Anbu, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were the sharpest blades the Mizukage displayed openly.
Aside from carrying out extremely high-difficulty missions, they also served as a deterrent to petty troublemakers.
However—
this particular generation of Swordsmen had far too many young faces.
Setting aside veteran members like Hoshigaki Fuguki and Biwa Jūzō, among the five newcomers, the oldest was Mizushiro.
Kyoichi, Hōzuki Mangetsu, Ringo Ameyuri, and Momochi Zabuza were all under twenty.
Even if they weren't nobodies, they were still too young.
If they wanted to intimidate wrongdoers,
they'd need to complete several high-difficulty missions and build a reputation.
But that clearly wasn't something achievable overnight.
All the newly inducted members were still familiarizing themselves with their respective swords.
---
Kirigumo Clan Territory, Southern Kirigakure
The Koeda Clan was temporarily residing here.
At one of the training grounds,
Kyoichi was swinging around the Kabutowari.
This thing was nothing like the kunai and other standard shinobi tools; its fighting style was completely different.
If he didn't spend time figuring it out, he'd end up doing things like trying to slit a throat with a hatchet or jab someone's spine with a hammer.
But heavy weapons were heavy weapons.
In the end, it was all cleaving, smashing, and blunt-force strikes.
Those intricate, delicate killing techniques couldn't be properly used with an axe and a hammer.
Just then—
"Big Brother Kyoichi! Someone's here for you!"
His cousin, Koeda Mai, called from the edge of the training field.
"Just bring them over."
Kyoichi expanded his sensory perception for a moment and instantly recognized the two approaching chakra signatures.
He answered casually and kept practicing.
"Okay!"
Mai replied and ran off.
Not long after,
Terumī Mei and Ringo Ameyuri appeared at the training ground, with Mai walking beside them.
Only then did Kyoichi stop, hoisting Kabutowari onto his shoulder.
He walked toward the three girls and asked, "Mei, why'd you come too?"
"I heard from Ameyuri that you agreed to spar with her, so I came along. By the way, your sparring… can I watch?
If not, I can step aside with Mai and wait until you're done."
Mei blinked at him, staring intently.
"I don't mind."
Kyoichi shook his head, then looked at the red-brown-haired girl.
"What about you, Ameyuri?"
"I don't mind either!"
Ringo Ameyuri responded instantly.
"Then it's settled. Mei, Mai—watch as much as you want. We're all family here, so there's no need to worry about exposing secrets."
Hearing Ameyuri's answer, Kyoichi decided readily.
Beside him, Terumī Mei's cheeks flushed slightly as she muttered quietly, "Who's family with you…"
"Hm? Mei, what was that?"
Mai asked, not hearing clearly.
"N-nothing! Just talking to myself," Mei said in a panic, immediately switching the topic.
"S-so, Kyoichi, Ameyuri, are you starting the spar right now?"
"I'm ready anytime!"
Ringo Ameyuri drew the Kiba from her back.
Her eyes locked onto Kyoichi,
filled with blazing fighting spirit.
Five days had passed since the selection battle.
During those five days, she shut herself indoors, mastering Kiba and learning the Lightning Release techniques from the inheritance scroll—techniques that required Kiba to perform.
After grasping several chosen techniques, she rushed to find Kyoichi to spar.
It wasn't that she desperately wanted to beat him.
She simply wanted to see how much distance remained between them now that she had mastered Kiba.
"Then let's begin."
Kyoichi lifted the axe and hammer.
"Perfect timing. I'll test how this Kabutowari handles… Mei, be the referee for us!"
"Alright."
Mei agreed, then looked at the two.
"Kyoichi, Ameyuri—move to the center of the training field.
If you fight here on the edge, you'll break the equipment."
Once the two stood nearly twenty meters apart at the center—
Mei declared:
"Begin!"
The next moment,
light crackled—thunder roared.
"Lightning Release: Thunder Fang!"
Ameyuri crossed her twin blades, and brilliant lightning exploded outward.
Dozens of thunderbolts burst forth like the fangs of a raging beast, crashing toward Kyoichi.
It was a wide-area attack.
Dodging would not be easy.
However—
Kyoichi didn't intend to dodge.
As the saying goes:
Day by day, toward perfection.
The road toward "perfection" was still impossibly long—likely endless—
but he was already far beyond the point where he'd started.
His Earth Release mastery grew stronger by the day.
At this point… honestly, without a good comparison, even he didn't know exactly how strong it had become.
But he was certain of one thing:
An attack of this level wasn't enough to break his Earth-Style Hardening.
So—
Kyoichi charged straight in, axe and hammer raised.
The lightning struck his body, shredding his clothing,
but not harming a single hair.
The twenty meters vanished instantly.
Kyoichi swung the axe downward with tremendous force.
But Ameyuri reacted fast—
the moment her probing attack failed and Kyoichi charged like an enraged bull, she leapt backward and activated another jutsu:
"Lightning Release: Lightning Armor!"
Lightning wrapped around her body,
forming a shimmering armor.
And then—
Kyoichi's axe landed.
CLANG!!!
Ameyuri crossed her blades to block it.
She succeeded—barely—but the lightning surrounding her body shattered from the impact,
and both her arms went numb.
Even without Kyoichi lifting the hammer for a follow-up strike—
the impact of the axe alone sent the girl flying.
If she hadn't forced her numbing arms to stab her blades into the ground to absorb the force,
she would've been launched out of the training field entirely.
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