Two long furrows—each about 7 or 8 meters in length—scarred the training ground. They were carved out by Ringo Ameyuri's Kiba Even now, the sword was still embedded in the ground. Only after regaining her footing did Ringo yank the Kiba free.
She had no time to check whether the sword had been damaged.
She drew both swords and hastily parried the massive axe swung by Kyoichi.
At the same time,
she didn't forget to counterattack.
Even though Ringo Ameyuri never expected to defeat Kyoichi, simply turtling up and defending would only make her lose faster. Even if her only goal was to last a little longer—to avoid going down immediately—she had no choice but to strike back.
Because attacking
is the best defense.
Fortunately, the Lightning Release techniques she had been learning these past few days—which required the Kiba to use—were all designed to be executed without hand-seals. No—that wasn't quite right. More accurately, the Kiba acted as the hand-seals.
It wasn't that every Lightning Release could be cast through the Kiba. The Lightning techniques in the inherited scroll had already been modified. If Ringo wanted to substitute the Kiba for the seals of a new Lightning Release, she would first need to modify the jutsu itself.
But that was a matter for the future.
Right now, Ringo Ameyuri had no room to think about inventing or reinventing jutsu.
There was only one thing she needed to think about—
the fight.
"Lightning Release: Thunder Sphere!"
Lightning gathered at the tips of her twin blades, forming a glowing orb. It shot past the great axe and flew straight toward Kyoichi's face. The attack wasn't enough to break through Kyoichi's Earth Spear defense, but the face was undoubtedly more vulnerable than other spots.
The moment the Thunder Sphere approached,
Kyoichi reacted instantly—closing his eyes, lowering his head, and slamming his forehead into the ball of lightning.
That brief moment of resistance
was enough for Ringo to use the force of the axe to push herself backward. Lightning flickered faintly across her body, and her retreat suddenly sped up. Once she created enough distance, she poured chakra into the Kiba as if it cost nothing.
Her earlier test using Kiba proved it—ordinary Lightning Release techniques couldn't break through Kyoichi's hardened Earth Release.
Meaning—
she had to use a big move.
And conveniently, she had indeed learned one such high-power technique from the inherited scroll.
Lightning surged across her twin swords. High-density chakra emitted a dazzling glare, even forcing Kyoichi to squint. Then he stomped the ground and charged at her.
"Lightning Release: Exploding Thunder!"
A bolt of lightning tore from her blade like a blue dragon splitting the heavens and crashed downward toward Kyoichi.
However—
in that instant—
"Go!"
Kyoichi hurled the Blunt Blade: Kabutowari straight into the descending lightning. The legendary sword was sent flying, of course—there was no way it could withstand such power. But its interception did manage to slightly weaken the jutsu.
Immediately after—
"Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique!"
Kyoichi's fist, wrapped in a thick layer of stone, smashed head-on into the lightning strike.
BOOM!
The rocky shell shattered into fragments that exploded off his arm, but the arm beneath remained untouched. Just like that, Ringo Ameyuri's finishing move was completely neutralized.
Having taken the full technique without consequence, Kyoichi now understood her current level perfectly.
Simply put—
she was still far from posing any real threat to him.
And so,
he no longer held back.
Kyoichi stomped the ground and shot forward like a fired cannonball. He had no intention of engaging in a ninjutsu slugfest. Unless he activated Sage Mode, even his Eye of God—which drastically reduced chakra consumption—couldn't offset the sheer amount of chakra Ringo had.
A ninjutsu clash would only turn into a battle of attrition.
So—
taijutsu would decide this match.
Besides, her Lightning Release was perfect for tempering his Earth Spear.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Armor!"
Ringo instantly sensed his intention.
She hurriedly re-activated her armor of crackling lightning—otherwise one punch from Kyoichi would knock her out cold.
But—
it was only delaying the inevitable.
Even without the Kabutowari, Kyoichi's darkened fists were as fierce as ever. When they clashed with her Kiba, the ringing echoed like blacksmiths hammering metal.
Soon enough,
one heavy punch forced her twin blades wide open, her guard split apart.
The next instant,
his pitch-black fist stopped firmly one centimeter from her face. The wind pressure alone sent her hair flying.
"It's over."
His steady voice came from behind the fist.
"I lost."
Ringo Ameyuri pouted.
She knew the odds were slim from the start, but… losing still stung. Especially since Kyoichi hadn't even fought seriously. The thought that she couldn't even force out his true strength only made the frustration worse.
"Kyoichi, I get the feeling you've gotten stronger again."
Mei Terumī walked over.
"One must improve every day! Staying stagnant isn't an option," Kyoichi replied with a grin.
"…If people hear you say things like that, a lot of them are going to hate you."
"Only the weak fear being hated—okay fine, that does sound pretty hate-worthy."
"Good that you know."
Mei looked toward the silent girl beside her and grew worried.
"Ameyuri, are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
Ringo shook her head. "Aside from my arms being a little sore, everything else is normal."
"That's good. You weren't talking, so I thought Kyoichi might've hit too hard."
Mei let out a breath of relief.
"I think I controlled my strength pretty well…" Kyoichi muttered under his breath.
He was rewarded with a pair of sharp glares.
Then—
"What… what do I have to do to grow stronger…?"
Ringo Ameyuri seemed to forget everyone else was there. Lost in her own world, she stared down at the Kiba in her hands, her voice barely above a whisper, her brows shadowed by deep confusion.