"Truth be told, Seiji places too much emphasis on appearances. Yuuma, who has already cultivated some medical ninjutsu techniques, naturally surpasses him in chakra control. But who can truly master everything?"
Shiki murmured thoughtfully, recalling his very first attempt at tree climbing practice.
Even with unwavering dedication, he had spent nearly a week mastering it. While chakra control is vitally important for any ninja, not everyone possesses natural talent in this area.
At least among the people Shiki had met so far, only one stood out with incredible innate talent in chakra control—Sakura Haruno.
As these thoughts drifted through Shiki's mind, the trajectory of his wooden sword inevitably grew a bit sloppy.
Suddenly, a shadowy figure flashed swiftly before him and swung their sword as well.
Instinctively countering, Shiki's wooden sword carried sharp precision. Compared to his previous haphazard attacks filled with wild strikes, his technique had clearly become more refined.
Yet, his opponent wielded an almost eerie strength. Though Shiki could identify every move and form they used, he somehow couldn't stop their assault.
Moreover, the opponent's strength and speed weren't even superior to Shiki's—they were actually weaker.
Nevertheless, Shiki found himself completely overpowered.
Using the same Konoha Sword Style, Shiki could only defend passively while his opponent appeared effortlessly skilled.
If Shiki could maintain this kind of defense, it would actually mark real progress.
Unfortunately, as time went on, Shiki made more and more mistakes. The number of times Teacher Hayate successfully struck him kept increasing.
Eventually, Shiki's sword techniques lost all coherence, forcing him to shout,
"Alright, alright, teacher! I surrender!"
Hayate Gekko withdrew his wooden sword, sighing slightly, "While practicing swordsmanship, you must remain focused. When your heart becomes unsettled, your sword follows."
Sighing in mild frustration, Shiki rubbed his bruised arms—just from practicing with wooden swords, yet they still left painful red marks.
He definitely agreed with Hayate's point.
However, he also realized something else—he truly lacked natural talent in sword techniques.
Helplessly glancing toward the Seiquan Sword lying nearby, its dark sheath gleamed brightly under the sunlight.
Initially, Shiki had trained using the Seiquan Sword for these exercises.
Later, though, after receiving countless cuts from his own blade, he switched to wooden swords instead.
Even with his strong natural healing abilities supplemented by Mystical Palm Technique, being covered in injuries within half an hour clearly exceeded his recovery capacity.
Even Hayate Gekko couldn't help but exclaim, "Are you trying to learn how to injure yourself on purpose?"
Actually, it wasn't entirely Shiki's fault. Previously, he'd created a new sword style during his training with [Chakra Scalpel: Ethereal Blade].
Essentially, this involved continuously swinging or thrusting his sword forward solely relying on personal speed and strength to overwhelm opponents' defenses.
Suddenly having to relearn Konoha-Style swordsmanship—an incredibly complex sword art—left Shiki feeling like he was fighting with both hands tied behind his back.
To make matters worse, he couldn't help but use excessive speed and strength, making injuries practically inevitable.
Smiling bitterly, Shiki raised his head and asked, "Hayate-sensei, my current rate of progress... is it acceptable?"
In truth, if Shiki had trained at this pace on his own and still had the audacity to ask such a question, he would have died of shame.
But Shiki wasn't training alone. Hayate Gekko couldn't help but shift his gaze toward the two other Shikis.
Actually, they were training far more brutally—as though they had nothing to lose.
In fact, Hayate Gekko had this thought: If Shiki could truly wield sword techniques with such ferocity like his Shadow Clones did, then just now he wouldn't have been pushed into such a desperate situation—he might even have been able to launch some counterattacks.
Just as he thought this, two soft popping sounds rang out, and the two clones coincidentally dissipated into smoke at the same time.
Hayate could only awkwardly curl his lips and say, "You've definitely improved."
Training three times as hard as normal, if he still couldn't outpace an ordinary prodigy's progress, Shiki might as well just give up entirely.
Chapter 105: Thunderous Attack
The training ground was vast and empty, with nothing much besides some simple wooden stakes.
Yet precisely because of its openness, it became the ideal place for their training.
Yuuma Akimoto had completed her wall-running training early and was now sitting in the corner together with Hayate Gekko.
One diligently studied [Medical Ninjutsu] while the other casually skimmed through a magazine.
Yet both bore the same intense expression in their eyes—an almost sibling-like resemblance.
However, this peaceful atmosphere didn't last long. Yuuma Akimoto put down her book, glancing toward the middle of the field where four figures sweated heavily, causing a trace of disappointment to appear on her face.
"Sensei, do I really have no training to do?"
Hayate Gekko also put down his book. If his attitude toward Shiki was strict—to the point of seeming abusive—then his treatment toward this girl, Yuuma Akimoto, could be considered extra protective.
A smile softened the gloom illness had cast upon him. "No, learning [Medical Ninjutsu] now is the best training you can do."
"Then in future battles... will I become a burden to them?"
Hayate shook his head. "They'll be the ones deciding whether or not to involve you in serious combat."
After speaking, Hayate buried himself once again in his magazine, yet as if feeling nostalgic, he murmured, "Yuuma, since you want to learn [Medical Ninjutsu], no matter whether you plan to become a medical ninja or not, you shouldn't allow anything else to distract you before that."
Yuuma nodded, took one last glance at the training field, and returned to her book.
Time passed without them noticing, and a week had already passed. For Shiki, the basic forms of Konoha-Style swordsmanship had already become second nature.
Although he couldn't yet wield Konoha-style swordsmanship as effortlessly as top masters, he had already managed to apply it effectively in battle, making it a significant advantage.
Reaching the level of a true master was extremely difficult without innate talent—one might need decades of constant practice just to truly grasp the art of swordsmanship.
Take someone new to chess—they might learn the rules in ten minutes or even less,
But how long would it take to play with real skill? To play with precision and depth? To reach the level of true artistry and fluidity?
So for Shiki, being able to wield Konoha-style swordsmanship skillfully in battle was already a major accomplishment.
This was all thanks to his two Shadow Clones and the experience accumulated from previous battles.
Master one technique, and you begin to understand them all—that's exactly what happened here.
"But this is still far from enough," Shiki said, pausing mid-swing with his wooden sword. His blade movements were steadier than ever, yet he still looked far from satisfied.
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