Chapter 8: S-rank
"So, are you going to give up?"
"Giving up is not an option!"
As his voice fell, Aomizu once again charged at the Shadow Clone Kosuke.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
In just one second, the two exchanged several more blows.
Aomizu was inferior to the Shadow Clone Kosuke in both strength and speed, so he was suppressed and fell into a disadvantage.
Soon, the Shadow Clone Kosuke landed another hit on Aomizu, knocking him to the ground.
If this were a fight to the death, Aomizu would already be dead.
"Still not giving up?"
The Shadow Clone Kosuke, who had stopped in time, said unhurriedly.
"If I gave up just like that, Uncle Kosuke, I'm sure you'd find it boring too."
But Aomizu still didn't give up; instead, he began to form hand signs.
Seeing this, the Shadow Clone Kosuke had no intention of stopping him; instead, he looked expectant, wanting to see what kind of surprise Aomizu would bring him.
Bang!
Aomizu finished forming hand signs, and a burst of smoke appeared, from which three Aomizus rushed out towards the Shadow Clone Kosuke.
Unlike the Shadow Clone Jutsu Kosuke had just used,
Clone Jutsu is only the lowest-tier E-rank Ninjutsu; the clones produced are actually insubstantial illusions, only serving to confuse opponents.
"Clone Jutsu? But that's useless."
The Shadow Clone Kosuke's tone held a hint of disappointment.
Standing still, he merely swung his ninja sword rapidly, dispersing all three Aomizus charging at him.
These three were all clones.
Just as he was still searching for Aomizu's main body, he suddenly discovered that a large tree had grown out of the ground behind him, and he was also bound by the tree, unable to move.
Immediately after, Aomizu emerged from the tree, swung his ninja sword, and struck the unavoidable Shadow Clone Kosuke.
"It was Genjutsu?!"
Before dissipating, the Shadow Clone Kosuke, with a look of astonishment, spoke in a very surprised tone.
Having interacted with Aomizu before, he naturally knew that Aomizu's Ninja talent wasn't particularly outstanding.
That's why he taught Aomizu Konoha Style Swordsmanship.
Swordsmanship falls under the category of Taijutsu, and Taijutsu is the most common combat method used by Genin.
Aside from the Three Basic Jutsu taught at the Ninja Academy, many Genin never learn more Ninjutsu in their entire lives.
Because of this, the Shadow Clone Kosuke had completely unexpected Aomizu to use Genjutsu on him.
Because he was completely unprepared, he fell for it so easily.
Clap, clap, clap.
A round of applause rang out.
It was Kosuke's main body walking over, his eyes also filled with surprise as he looked at Aomizu.
"I didn't expect you to be so strong now, Aomizu, actually able to defeat my Shadow Clone. You could definitely pass the Chunin Exams if you participated directly."
Aomizu had truly given him a big surprise.
As the main body, he had watched very clearly from the side.
Aomizu took advantage of the smoke from the Clone Jutsu to obscure his vision, while his main body seized the opportunity to form hand signs and use Genjutsu: Tree Binding Kill.
The timing was excellent, and the proficiency was not low.
For Aomizu to achieve this level with his current strength was already quite good, even from his perspective.
But what Kosuke didn't know was that Aomizu was able to do this entirely thanks to the system's two rewards, which elevated this technique to proficient level.
Otherwise, with Aomizu's own talent, let alone skillfully using Genjutsu: Tree Binding Kill,
Just learning this technique would take an unknown amount of time.
"When did you learn Genjutsu?"
"Uncle Kosuke, you know my companion is a Uchiha; I learned it from her."
Since Aomizu had proactively used Genjutsu: Tree Binding Kill in front of Kosuke, he had naturally already prepared an excuse.
And given Mikoto's identity, it was very normal for her to know Genjutsu: Tree Binding Kill.
Since they were also companions, it was equally normal for Aomizu to ask her for guidance on Genjutsu.
This explanation was reasonable.
Of course, more importantly, Mikoto was an Uchiha.
Even if this matter were exposed to the Konoha higher-ups, they couldn't possibly confront Mikoto.
And speaking of which, he had originally obtained the Genjutsu: Tree Binding Kill for the first time by treating Mikoto.
As expected, Kosuke didn't dwell on the question too much, but nodded and said,
"Since your Konoha Style Swordsmanship is already very proficient, and you also have Genjutsu talent, then I can teach you my self-created Konoha Style Willow."
Konoha Style Willow is a technique that combines swordsmanship and Genjutsu, usable without forming hand signs.
When activated, it makes the enemy perceive the user as if they have vanished into leaves fluttering in the wind, binding the enemy motionless.
Then, an attack is launched from a blind spot, instantly eliminating the enemy with a single strike.
Overall, Konoha Style Willow is a technique capable of killing an enemy in one blow.
Aomizu naturally wouldn't refuse to unexpectedly obtain an S-rank technique.
"Thank you, Uncle Kosuke."
Next, Kosuke handed the scroll for Konoha Style Willow to Aomizu, personally demonstrated the technique, and then explained the key points to Aomizu one by one.
"This technique is very difficult. If you want to learn it, you must practice diligently. If you have any questions, you can ask me anytime."
"I understand."
After obtaining Konoha Style Willow, Aomizu returned to his usual training spot.
Next, he planned to first master the Chakra Scalpel.
Tomorrow was the last day of his bet with Tsunade, and Aomizu didn't want to lose to Tsunade.
After forming hand signs, Aomizu gathered Chakra in his right hand, condensing it into a thin, blade-like energy body, then took out a pre-prepared fish and pressed it against it.
Unlike last night when it was directly cut in half, today the fish showed no external damage; instead, it died due to its internal organs being shredded.
"Good, keep up the hard work."
Only when he could precisely cut the target's nervous system without killing the target would he have truly mastered this technique.
Once, twice... until the sixth fish, Aomizu finally succeeded in only cutting the fish's nervous system without directly killing it.
"Great, I finally succeeded."
Excited, Aomizu quickly performed a Healing Technique, restoring the fish's severed nervous system to its original state.
Soon, the fish regained its vitality.
The silver moon rose and fell.
When day arrived, Aomizu, still an early riser, arrived at Konoha Hospital on time for work.
With yesterday's experience, he didn't immediately go to Tsunade but instead immersed himself in work.
This time, he was treating another "acquaintance," Might Duy.
Of course, it was only he who knew Might Duy, while Might Duy didn't know him.
The two had never interacted before.
Like Maruboshi Kosuke, he was also a perennial Genin, but his true strength had long surpassed that of a Genin.
However, unlike Maruboshi Kosuke, who simply didn't wish to be promoted,
Might Duy couldn't be promoted because no one was willing to team up with him for missions, leading him to only take D-rank missions like finding cats for clients.
Especially since he had no talent in Ninjutsu and could only cultivate Taijutsu, his strength grew slowly.
Also because of this, he was mocked by other Ninja.
But Might Duy himself didn't care about this.
Instead, he regarded others' mockery as encouragement for himself and passed this ideology on to Might Guy.
Such behavior undoubtedly made the two of them seem even stranger.