"Unexpected."
Gekko Nightdance was genuinely shocked.
As a fellow swordsman, he understood better than anyone the predicament Orochimaru had faced in the end.
Blades moving unpredictably fast or slow were impossible to predict or block effectively.
"This is pure recklessness."
Kakashi Windseer frowned, dissatisfied with both Orochimaru and Sakumo's performances. "End it."
Although just an illusionary exercise, this simulation exposed many underlying flaws. Others might not have noticed, but as an experienced Jonin, Kakashi Windseer saw everything clearly.
"Yes!"
Akaba performed hand seals to dispel the illusion, restoring everyone's awareness.
However, since this was a realistic illusion capable of producing genuine sensory effects, everyone except Kakashi Windseer showed varying degrees of mental exhaustion.
"Damn it! I didn't expect you brat actually pulled one over on me!"
Tsunade glared at Shishio with a defiant look.
In terms of direct combat strength, there's no way Shishio could match her. Who would've guessed this guy would risk everything for a mutual-elimination tactic? How could anyone handle that!
"I should be the one saying that! Tsunade, seriously? Losing to Shishio like that!"
Jiraiya scoffed.
Shishio and Sakumo, however, remained unboastful.
This was merely an illusion game. In real combat situations, many tactics couldn't be arranged this way. Tactics like mutual elimination would only be used when absolutely desperate on actual battlefields.
As for Shinnosuke and his two companions, they'd been the first three eliminated. Right now they desperately wished everyone would forget them; otherwise, it was just too embarrassing.
"You're all full of energy. So, do you feel proud of yourselves?"
The cold voice instantly silenced the entire area.
Kakashi Windseer swept his gaze across everyone. No one dared meet his eyes.
After all, who could honestly say they were satisfied? Even Sakumo felt the same.
"Orochimaru, maintain proper distance during combat. Don't allow your opponent any chance for a one-hit kill."
"Tsunade, bring more brains into your next fight."
"Jiraiya..."
Kakashi Windseer spoke bluntly and incisively without holding back.
He offered critiques to practically everyone—including Gekko Nightdance—providing each with specific, tailored advice.
Finally, he turned toward Sakumo Hatake.
As the winner, Sakumo might have expected praise. Instead, Kakashi Windseer was harsh: "This kind of fighting is foolish."
"Yes, Father."
Sakumo didn't argue, obediently accepting the criticism.
Kakashi Windseer watched him for a moment before drawing his short blade.
"Watch my sword."
With those words, he slashed directly at Sakumo. The strike appeared ordinary, lacking any embellishment, yet extremely fast, nearly unavoidable.
Sakumo drew his short sword to parry. Just as his blade was about to intercept the attacking blade, electricity surged along the blade.
A piercing screech, blinding electrical flashes — this was none other than [Chidori Blade]!
Zzzt!
With a sharp crackling sound, the blade stopped at Sakumo's throat. He could feel the surging electricity along his skin.
"Incredible speed!"
Orochimaru exclaimed in surprise.
"No, even my speed fell short of Sakumo's performance in the illusion."
Kakashi Windseer sheathed his weapon and said calmly, "The more sword strikes you make, the more openings you create. What you need is just one fatal blow."
Orochimaru hesitated for a moment, then carefully reflected and realized it was indeed true.
Kakashi Windseer's sword speed wasn't fast. He simply used Chidori Blade at the instant his opponent thought he could block, changing the blade's speed unexpectedly.
[Fast, ruthless, precise!]
He gained a deeper understanding of the meaning behind these three words.
Sakumo figured it out.
His final attack pattern—alternating suddenly between fast and slow—seemed to suppress Orochimaru's offense, but actually put too much stress on his arms.
In an actual battle, he wouldn't be able to act like that.
"Truly worthy of being the leader of the Hatake Clan! Your understanding of the sword is profound!"
Gekko Nightdance nodded along, feeling like she'd just learned something huge.
"From now until tomorrow, I'll personally show you all how to fight properly based on today's performance, especially against Sand Village ninjas."
Kakashi Windseer scanned everyone. For most of them, he already had a clear idea of how to train them.
It was only with Jiraiya that he faced a real challenge.
After watching this battle, he no longer believed Jiraiya truly lacked talent—in fact, he greatly appreciated Jiraiya's intelligence and decisiveness in combat.
But Jiraiya's style was too unconventional. Windseer couldn't immediately think of a suitable approach for him.
Jiraiya, showing initiative, spoke up, "As for me, I can return to Mount Myoboku..."
"No need. I've thought of some suitable training for you. Train with me from today until tomorrow."
Akaba caught his breath, then volunteered to take over the task.
"Huh?"
Tsunade gaped in disbelief—she couldn't believe someone so lazy would actually step up.
"Won't this interfere with your training?"
Jiraiya felt somewhat awkward.
Although Mount Myoboku was great, the Toads' Ninjutsu was limited. He had already mastered everything he could learn there, and anything he hadn't learned by now couldn't be mastered in a single day anyway.
"Not at all."
Akaba shook his head—he hadn't planned to train anyway.
"Fine, go train as assigned."
After Kakashi Windseer spoke, he stood up and walked outside.
Except for Jiraiya, everyone followed closely behind him to find a place for training.
"We'll just train indoors."
Akaba flopped down and began scribbling aimlessly as he talked. After a while, he tossed the paper to Jiraiya.
Jiraiya caught it and looked carefully.
On the paper was a densely packed spherical shape covered in various spines. Looking closer, there seemed to be a person in the center.
"What is this?"
[Needle Jizo]. Ever seen a hedgehog?
Akaba replied.
"Caught one before."
Jiraiya nodded thoughtfully.
Wasn't the protected ninja in this drawing exactly like a hedgehog?
"You've got thick hair, so techniques that use your hair suit you perfectly."
Akaba half-jokingly remarked.
If someone else with thinning hair practiced such techniques, they might end up completely bald after using them for a while. Only Jiraiya, who had plenty of thick hair that grew quickly, could avoid such concerns.
"This really is quite a remarkable technique. Got more?"
Jiraiya asked excitedly.
"Master this one first. You've only got a little over a day. Hurry up and learn it."
[Needle Jizo] is a defensive ninja technique that will come in handy during the upcoming Chunin Exams. If Jiraiya can master it, it'll become another valuable asset for the exams.
"So I can just go ahead and nail this thing right away?!"
Jiraiya, thrilled, immediately grabbed the blueprints and rushed off to study them.
Akaba lay down comfortably, preparing to catch some sleep.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya began practicing Needle Jizo. This technique would later become his own creation, so it suited his style perfectly. As soon as he heard about it, ideas started flowing through his head like wildfire.
He already had a complete vision for how to use Needle Jizo, combined with the secrets learned from Mount Myoboku, so creating this technique wasn't particularly difficult.
That was how it went in Jiraiya's head—at least in theory. In reality, things didn't go quite as smoothly.
His hair was either too stiff to wrap around the needles properly or too limp to provide enough support.
After studying all day, his hair had grown significantly due to chakra influence, but the technique still remained half-baked.
Throughout the afternoon, Akaba slept soundly.
After all, when it came to developing techniques, he couldn't offer much help at this stage. The initial concepts needed to come from Jiraiya himself.
Not until the next day did he finally start stepping up to the plate.
By then, Jiraiya's Needle Jizo had become quite well-developed, needing only a few tweaks.
This was where Akaba stepped in and made his mark.
Left entirely to Jiraiya, those final tweaks might've taken him ages to work through.
Take Chidori, for example. Without the Sharingan, it remained incomplete. But with just a few adjustments—like turning it into Chidori Blade or Chidori Current—it became a full-fledged technique.
The finer details of techniques demanded fresh perspectives and deep insight—things Akaba had in spades compared to Jiraiya.
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