The man who held the title of "Eternal Genin," yet whose true strength and experience were enough to put many Jonin to shame.
"Senpai, you must be joking," Shinichi said with a sincere tone. "I've just become a ninja, and I truly need to learn from an experienced and seasoned ninja like yourself. It's my honor to have the chance to team up with you."
"Hahaha, no need for pleasantries," Maruboshi Kosuke laughed, waving his hand as a sharp glint flashed in his squinted eyes. "Though I'm not sure why the village paired us together, from now on we're teammates who entrust our lives to each other. This old man needs to get to know you properly first; rumors alone aren't reliable enough. How about this?"
"Let's have a simple spar; things are clearest in actual combat."
In truth, according to Maruboshi Kosuke's usual temperament, he didn't care who he teamed up with, let alone go out of his way to test a new teammate's capability.
However, this situation was special—the Third Hokage-sama had personally sought him out, earnestly instructing him that this child was a precious seedling carrying the Will of Fire, and that as a senior, he must teach him well.
---
"I heard you're a genius in swordsmanship," Maruboshi Kosuke said, reaching behind his back toward his iconic large iron pot. He actually drew a simple, ancient-style katana from it. Holding it in his hand, his posture was casual yet as steady as a mountain. "Coincidentally, I know a bit about swordsmanship myself. So, let's start with the sword."
"Senior, in my perception... your strength is very great, far exceeding the scope of what the Genin rank can reach."
Saying this, Shinichi took a deep breath, slowly adjusting his breathing and stance.
His right hand rested steadily and firmly on the hilt of the blade at his waist as he spoke:
"So, for the following test, I will use my full strength."
"Oh?" A hint of surprise flickered in Maruboshi Kosuke's eyes, but he immediately recalled the rumors in the village about the boy's sensory talent and understood at once.
His kind smile remained unchanged, but his gaze settled. He nodded: "Very well, come! Attack me with the intent to kill!"
"Pardon me, senior!"
Before his voice had even faded, Shinichi transformed into a black blur almost impossible to track with the naked eye. The blade's light was like cold electricity piercing the air, slashing upward from a tricky angle. The air was torn apart with a wail, and before the blade even arrived, that sharp aura was already pressing against his face!
'This was... the Gale Iai, a fusion of the Body Flicker Technique and the Drawing Cut.'
'There were also traces of the Strong Body Style within it.'
In a split second, the experienced Maruboshi Kosuke saw through the foundations of this strike.
His response was also effortless and exquisite to the extreme.
Just as that sharp blade was about to reach his body, Maruboshi Kosuke's wrist holding the sword seemed to move only minutely, yet his figure suddenly became illusory. The surrounding light seemed to be gently stirred and bent by an invisible force.
It made his entire being seem to melt into a rippling reflection in water, vanishing from the spot in an instant!
Shinichi's determined strike, which fused the essence of three techniques, slashed into empty air!
In the next instant, a cold, silent sharpness, carrying almost no killing intent or sound of wind, arrived quietly from Shinichi's most difficult-to-reach blind spot at his rear side, accurately stabbing toward his vitals at the center of his back!
Konoha Style: Hidden!
Shinichi's response likewise demonstrated solid fundamentals and instantaneous judgment inconsistent with his age!
Shinichi's body snapped back like a tightened bowstring. Using his left foot as an axis, his waist and hips exploded with immense twisting force, driving his entire body into a high-speed rotation!
Using this rapid spinning momentum, the sword in his hand drew a full and dangerous arc, slashing upward from below against the cold sharpness attacking from behind!
Dō-gaeshi!
This is a standard counter-technique in swordsmanship for dealing with attacks from behind, emphasizing listening to identify position and rapid spinning strikes.
Clang!!!
A crisp and deafening sound of clashing metal exploded in the training ground! Sparks flew between the two crossing blades!
The powerful spinning strike solidly collided with Maruboshi Kosuke's elusive thrust!
However, Maruboshi Kosuke's seemingly un-robust body remained completely motionless under Shinichi's full-strength counter-slash, which was powerful enough to split rock!
The arm holding the sword was as steady as a rock, without a hint of trembling, easily absorbing and neutralizing all the force.
For the first time in his life, Shinichi's extraordinary strength, boosted by various traits, gained no advantage whatsoever in a frontal collision.
Shinichi, however, was not surprised by this.
Because he knew very well that the true strength level of this seemingly kind and even somewhat comical Genin senior before him had long since stepped into the realm of Jonin, or even higher.
In the original timeline over a decade later, Maruboshi Kosuke, who was over sixty and had suffered a crippling leg injury, could still easily defeat an Iwagakure Jonin while single-handedly dealing with a unit of dozens of Iwagakure Chunin and Genin.
This was enough to prove that his strength was among the best even among Konoha Jonin.
While the current Maruboshi Kosuke might lack the experience and skill of his self from ten-plus years later, he was currently only fifty years old and had not yet experienced the Third Shinobi World War that would leave him disabled. His body and condition were at their prime peak.
His raw strength was definitely not lower than his future self's.
---
On the field, the two figures constantly crossed, separated, and collided again.
The dense and crisp sounds of clashing swords merged into one, like a sudden rain drumming against the silence of the training ground.
Although it was a swordsmanship match, their styles had distinct differences.
Shinichi's swordsmanship style was purer. Whether it was the swift Iai, the steady slashes, or the exquisite parries and counters, everything was based on the sword itself, pursuing the ultimate coordination of power, speed, angle, and timing.
The Konoha Style wielded by Maruboshi Kosuke, however, was a perfect fusion of his identity as a ninja and his swordsmanship.
At times he turned into flowing light, his figure suddenly dissipating under Shinichi's blade only to solidify on the other side, thrusting a sword with a trajectory as elusive as the drifting clouds on the horizon.
Konoha Style: Haze!
At other times, the sword light in his hand intertwined with silently thrown shuriken and kunai to form a web, creating a three-dimensional and lethal composite attack.
The sword was the primary attack, while the hidden weapons blocked movement, forcing Shinichi to deal with threats from other angles while parrying the blade.
Konoha Style: Storm!
The three-dimensional combination of sword strikes and throwing techniques created a crushing pressure like a violent storm.
Facing these unpredictable swordsmanship attacks that fused the essence of a ninja, Shinichi chose to return to the basics, using simplicity to overcome complexity.
He pushed his incredibly solid basic skills to the limit!
Facing the phantom thrusts of "Haze," he relied on his amazing sensitivity and ultra-fast reaction speed to always judge where the true killing intent lay at the last moment, neutralizing it with the most concise and effective slash or parry.
Facing the three-dimensional offensive of "Storm," he demonstrated astonishing strength and body coordination. His blade light was like a curtain, either deflecting or slashing, dismantling the combination of sword and hidden weapons one by one, occasionally seizing gaps in the attack to launch a fierce counter-offensive.
---
The two figures approached at high speed again, their blades carrying sharp whistles, seemingly about to have another hard clash.
However, in the split second before the two swords collided, Shinichi's right hand holding the sword suddenly loosened!
It didn't fly out as he had actively given up the clash!
Using the forward momentum, he twisted his waist violently. His whole body spun into the air, his right leg muscles bulging and tearing through the air like a heavy battle-axe, sweeping toward Maruboshi Kosuke's neck and head with the force of a thousand pounds!
Leaf Whirlwind!
Facing this sudden and vicious taijutsu surprise attack, a flash of surprise appeared in Maruboshi Kosuke's eyes, but his reaction was incredibly fast.
His left arm shot up like a shield, blocking at his side.
Bang!
A muffled sound as leg and arm collided. Maruboshi Kosuke used the force to drift backward, neutralizing the power.
While Shinichi was still in mid-air and hadn't landed yet, his offensive began anew!
Using the remaining momentum from the spinning kick, his left leg snapped back like a whip, accurately kicking the end of the katana's hilt—the sword he had just released that hadn't yet hit the ground!
Swoosh!
The katana was shot out as if from a powerful bow, turning into a straight beam of cold light, shooting directly at the still-retreating Maruboshi Kosuke with even greater speed than before!
And that wasn't all!
As soon as Shinichi landed, his hands had already turned into a blur in front of his chest, forming seals as fast as lightning.