The two moved quickly. In just a moment, *clang*! The blades met.
Sakumo blocked the initial dual-blade strike with a single sword but immediately noticed the enemy's third blade swinging sideways toward him.
This was the real Three-Blade Style—fast and ruthless, as if he had grown a third arm.
Sakumo's expression shifted slightly. He quickly took two steps back and raised his left-hand blade to parry.
Yet he couldn't guard everywhere at once. While he defended above, the opponent's dual blades remained equally nimble below—one slash after another. Although Sakumo's tanto was flexible, it paled in comparison against the Three-Blade Style.
"What's that blue bar?"
Sakumo stared at the top of his opponent's head where a blue indicator appeared.
What did it mean?
However,
there was no time for thought. Right now, simply dealing with the three blades was already extremely difficult.
Zoro's Three-Blade Style was completely different from Akaba's. Though the sword techniques were the same, Zoro's speed, strength, and precision were dozens of times more advanced.
Sakumo was only twelve or thirteen years old; his physical condition hadn't reached its peak yet.
After about a dozen exchanges, his arms had gone numb.
At that moment, the blue gauge was fully charged.
"Ghost Slice!"
Zoro roared, then crossed his dual swords.
In an instant, he was already in front of Sakumo.
Sakumo had strong instincts and dodged sideways immediately—but his opponent moved too fast. The next second, he felt himself slashed three times.
Two overlapping cuts across his chest. One on his throat.
In a daze, he suddenly found himself back in reality.
"This... I..."
Sakumo thought for a moment but couldn't find anything to say.
He believed he could make it with another try. But upon deeper reflection, he realized he was no match at all.
One reason was his physique hadn't peaked yet.
If he were as old as the illusory Zoro, the result might still be uncertain.
"Your abilities weren't used at all. Where was your Chidori Blade? Where was your coordination with the Dual-Blade Style?"
Akaba sighed. "At this rate, you'd be better off using a single sword."
Sakumo stood there silently for a moment.
Indeed, he had become too panicked. He hadn't displayed his usual coordination or techniques—he'd been led around by the nose and hadn't even used half his actual strength.
"I want to try again!"
After regaining focus, Sakumo began to form a new plan.
Again!
The battle resumed.
Sakumo's skills weren't bad by themselves—it was because right from the start, he had been overwhelmed by Zoro's Three-Blade Style. This illusionary version of Zoro drew power from the manga, wielding a sword far stronger than Akaba ever could.
Entering the illusion again, Sakumo cleared his mind and focused entirely on the battle ahead.
"3... 2... 1..."
"Ready!"
Immediately after starting, lightning flashed across Sakumo's body.
Lightning Release chakra surged through his body, instantly doubling his speed. Combining it with the Shifting Body Technique, Sakumo vanished—and reappeared right before Zoro.
[Chidori Blade Strike]—a signature technique of the Hatake Clan.
A sudden thrust.
Zoro barely reacted in time, hastily drawing both his swords to block. In theory, Zoro wasn't just a Three-Blade user; his Dual-Blade techniques also had their own system.
Unfortunately, Akaba didn't.
This is a pale imitation of Zoro, who only knows how to use Ghost Slice. Under the surprise rush tactics, Zoro couldn't display his most skilled techniques.
The advantage of a tanto lies in its flexibility. In this battle, Sakumo fully demonstrated his strengths.
But then again...
This is Dual-Blade Style?
Merely wielding two swords and launching relentless attacks without rhythm or coordination—this isn't truly Dual-Blade Style at all!
Sakumo wildly hacked away until eventually he almost forgot about his left sword.
A chaotic onslaught: defeating the master using nothing but Single-Blade Style.
Having emerged from the illusion, Sakumo felt somewhat embarrassed. He won, yes, but he definitely didn't use Dual-Blade Style—he used his default technique.
"Facing an opponent using Three-Blade Style must be difficult for you. Let me give you something simpler."
Akaba saw through it immediately.
Sakumo was stunned by the three blades swinging at him and completely forgot he was supposed to be using Dual-Blade Style now.
Of course...
In reality, both Dual-Blade and Single-Blade styles have their own advantages. When it comes to one-on-one combat, the Single-Blade style is actually more agile and nimble.
"No thanks, I need to go back and practice some more."
Sakumo felt rather frustrated, sensing that he still needed just a little improvement. Once the real fight broke out, he always ended up forgetting to coordinate both blades.
This won't work!
Watching him leave, Sakuma felt puzzled. Although he hadn't seen the illusion's broadcast, he had an odd feeling...
"How come Sakumo fights better when he's wasted?"
"That's normal after a bit of alcohol—your movements become heavier and less controlled. There's no need to make a big deal out of it."
Akaba created another Shadow Clone.
Sakuma didn't really understand, but Akaba didn't feel like explaining further, and he didn't ask again—he wasn't a ninja anyway.
Just dealing with the drunken Sakumo had used up Akaba's two Shadow Clones and several other ninjutsu techniques. Now, his chakra reserves were quite low.
Wasted again...
Originally, he had planned to upload a new chapter of One Piece today.
Now, I'll have to put off updating One Piece until tomorrow.
Akaba originally wanted nothing more than to update regularly and live comfortably with a good night's sleep each day, yet someone always found ways to trouble him.
When he got home in the evening, he had hoped to enjoy a pleasant dinner, only to be met by an unexpected visitor the moment he opened the door—Danzo.
Beside him were Sakuma Goro, Sakuma Chiaki, and Eno Uchiha.
Something seemed off about this gathering.
"Teacher! What brings you here?"
Akaba quickened his pace forward while silently speculating what kind of sinister intentions this scheming old man might have.
Judging from the current situation, it probably concerned him directly.
Danzo gestured toward the seat ahead and said indifferently, "Sit down first."
"Yes."
Akaba sat down. With him included, there were five people seated at the table.
"I've been your teacher for quite some time, yet I've never visited your home before. I thought I'd drop by and check things out."
The words sounded warm, but the tone was cold—making it hard to determine whether they were genuine.
Akaba pretended to believe him, displaying expressions of surprise and gratitude while quietly waiting for Danzo to continue.
Just a casual visit?
Yeah right!
Right now, Danzo should be extremely busy—on one side preparing for the military deployment in the Land of Whirlpools, and on the other managing the internal power reorganization within the village. He probably wished he could clone himself to handle everything.
It must've come to this because of conflicts regarding the distribution of power among the Uchiha clan.
"Where was I just now?"
Danzo glanced around, then tapped his hand on the table, signaling the previous speaker to continue.
Eno Uchiha glanced at Sakuma Akaba before speaking. "After extensive discussions and deliberations from all parties, we would like Sakuma Chiaki, a Jonin-level ninja, to join the Military Police and serve as deputy captain."
"Huh?"
Sakuma Chiaki's eyes widened in disbelief.
Again?
Sakuma Goro had clearly already known about this decision and wasn't surprised at all. He slightly nodded and said, "That's correct. This decision came after extensive discussions between all allied clans."
"My abilities might not be sufficient for this role. Perhaps someone from the Yamanaka clan should take the position instead—they'd be more suitable."
Standing before Danzo and the Clan Leader, Sakuma Chiaki stammered slightly as he spoke.
In his opinion, the Yamanaka clan had various secret techniques, especially the ability to probe into others' minds. These skills would nicely complement the abilities commonly used by the Uchiha. Naturally, they seemed most suited for this deputy captain role.
Who could have guessed it would end up falling on Sakuma Chiaki?
Danzo waved his hand calmly and said, "Don't rush. Continue what you were saying."
"Yes sir!"
Only then did Eno Uchiha continue, "Furthermore, we hope to draw personnel from the Sakuma clan to reinforce the Military Police unit."
"We're all contributing toward protecting our village. There's no question about fulfilling such responsibilities," Sakuma Goro immediately responded.
"Very well, now I'll move to another matter."
As Danzo knocked his hand against the table, everyone fell silent.
He turned his gaze toward Sakuma Akaba. "Starting today, the Anbu training division will be reorganized into the Ninja Preparatory Division, working in coordination with the Ninja Academy. Additionally, the Research Institute will fall under the jurisdiction of this new division."
"Hmph..."
Sakuma Akaba couldn't help but inhale sharply through his teeth. This wasn't how things had been agreed beforehand!
Previously, Root had indeed caused some complications, though at worst it only involved a few squads. Now, suddenly, it was being upgraded into essentially a full-fledged university-level training system.
Unaffected by the expressions around him, Danzo continued, "The fundamental purpose of establishing the Ninja Preparatory Division is to train apprentice-level ninjas so that we can supply mature, capable ninja to the Hokage, Anbu, and Military Police units. Everyone understand my meaning?"
"Yes, please go ahead!"
Even Eno Uchiha's expression turned shocked, and he involuntarily swallowed hard.
Though this might seem like just an ordinary department initially, whoever held control of the directorship could essentially shape Konoha's future leadership and core forces over the next ten or twenty years.
"The temporary director of the Ninja Preparatory Division will be personally appointed by the Hokage. Kakashi Windseer will serve as deputy director, and Orochimaru will be the chief of the Research Institute."
One by one, Danzo announced these roles until finally fixing Sakuma Akaba with a look. "Sakuma Akaba will serve as the training instructor."
"What?!"
Sakuma Akaba was stunned.
Did he get stuck handling the toughest job?
His mind went blank for several seconds before he finally regained his composure, hurriedly protesting, "There are too many students! If it's just me providing training, I'll probably die from exhaustion—this won't work!"
Danzo shot him a cold glance but didn't respond verbally.
Eno Uchiha secretly felt admiration; aside from the Hokage, perhaps only Sakuma Akaba dared to defy Danzo openly like this.
A second or two passed before Danzo finally said coolly, "Sort it out however you see fit."
"This still isn't acceptable! I…"
Before Sakuma Akaba could finish his rebuttal, Danzo had already left without giving him any further attention.
The decision had clearly been finalized.
Eno Uchiha bowed and said, "Clan Leader Sakuma, if you'll excuse me, I'll be taking my leave first."
"Okay, I'll finalize the list of people to send to the Military Police after discussing within the clan. They'll report there no later than the day after tomorrow."
Sakuma Goro nodded.
Shortly afterward, Eno Uchiha also took his leave.
Sakuma Chiaki stood there in a daze, clearly still reeling from shock. The Clan Leader coughed lightly and continued, "Akaba, whatever you do, don't turn down that position in the Preparatory Division. Consider it a sacrifice for the sake of the clan."
Without question, the Preparatory Division would undoubtedly become one of the village's most important departments.
Securing such an important position as an instructor in the early stages meant that, once he gained some seniority and the Hokage stepped down, at the very least he could become the head of the Preparatory Division.
That was real power!
"I don't really have a say in it anyway... Ah well!"
Akaba felt deeply troubled. It seemed those leisurely days were gone for good. He had to start figuring out how to lighten the load and bring quality education to all of Konoha.
Of course,
It wasn't the students who needed a lighter workload—it was the teachers.
Sakuma Goro remained silent for a moment, then advised Sakuma Chiaki, "As for you Chiaki, don't worry too much either. Our clan is small, so we don't need to get caught up in departmental infighting. Just work diligently without always trying to be first."
"Yes, Clan Leader."
Sakuma Chiaki sighed heavily.
The thoughts of Sakuma Goro and Sakuma Chiaki echoed the same phrase: overwhelming pressure.
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