Maybe on some unassuming sunny afternoon, you'll suddenly remember someone who walked beside you through your innocent youth.
That's why many people feel the sibling-like bond between Shiki and Sena stems from this very sentiment.
Sena is also the kind of girl whose beauty shines in a simple, down-to-earth way. As Shiki and Sena walked hand in hand beneath the setting sun, it felt almost as though time had paused, freezing the moment in eternal stillness.
"Exceeding Sensei's chakra control ability…" Yuuma still hadn't fully recovered from her shock, quietly murmuring to herself.
In truth, Shiki himself was stunned by Hayate Gekko's words.
When had he unconsciously come so far?
Yet despite the surprise, Shiki realized he oddly felt inadequate.
At most, he merely had solid fundamentals now. Without the ability to use chakra, he remained practically useless in many ways.
Even if he could wield vast amounts of chakra, he couldn't skip the learning process required for ninja techniques. The path still needed walking—step by step.
He was just able to advance through it more efficiently and with greater precision.
Thinking back, Shiki realized that his one praised skill—his chakra control, which Hayate said surpassed even his own—had actually been born out of necessity.
After all, he had undergone tree climbing and water walking training twice. Worse, during the second round, he trained shortly after being injured, using only minimal chakra.
Later, to master the Scalpel and its advanced form—the Ethereal Scalpel—he continuously refined his chakra control, desperately trying to conserve every bit used in performing these techniques.
This extreme practice forged Shiki's extraordinary chakra control.
Still, there wasn't much to brag about. After all, isn't there an old saying—strength lies in the weakest link?
Having just one strong point wouldn't be enough.
Then Hayate Gekko spoke again, "But right now, you don't have any trump card technique yet. I understand that due to your blocked meridians, you've lost much of your potential. But that doesn't mean you can't create something usable from what little talent remains."
A trump card?
Hayate's words subtly stirred Shiki, awakening a deep, inner fire.
"A Rank Sword Technique?" Shiki asked tentatively. He knew well that during the Chunin Exams, Sasuke mastered Chidori, Naruto learned Multi-Shadow Clone, Neji gained Eight Trigrams Rotation and Sixty-Four Palms, and Lee obtained Eight Gates Opening.
These were A-Ranked or even S-Ranked jutsu. Though envious, Shiki still suspected Hayate might teach him an A-Rank sword style first.
"A rank?" Hayate shook his head. "It's C-Ranked."
Chapter 107: [Dance of the Sword]
"Dance of the Sword?"
The name instantly popped into Shiki's mind.
"Cough… Seems like you did your homework. You even know this sword style already?"
Hayate Gekko's face briefly flickered with surprise. Could it be that Shiki Uzumaki had already decided in advance to learn a Rank-level sword technique?
"But why this particular sword style?"
This time, it was Shiki's turn to look puzzled. "Didn't you say the Konoha-style only has this one Rank-level sword technique?"
"Who told you that?" Hayate Gekko shook his head with a bitter smile. "The Konoha-style contains more than just the [Dance of the Sword] at the Rank level. There's also [Hazy Moon] and [Secret Sword: Moon Shadow], among others. In fact, there are even higher-tier sword techniques within the Konoha-style. How did you develop such an idea?"
After hearing this, Shiki suddenly seemed to awaken from a daze. Actually, he did know about the two sword techniques Hayate Gekko mentioned in his memories; they were simply blurred.
Regaining his composure, he asked, "So then, teacher, which sword technique do you plan on teaching me?"
"The [Dance of the Sword]."
Shiki felt somewhat embarrassed. He hadn't expected that after going all this way around, he'd end up back at the starting point.
Hayate Gekko explained, "Because currently, the [Dance of the Sword] is the most suitable sword technique for you. Compared to the [Secret Sword: Moon Shadow], it not only requires less speed but also applies more broadly."
"What about the [Hazy Moon] then?"
"Honestly speaking," Hayate replied, "the [Hazy Moon] demands very high mastery of the Konoha-style swordsmanship itself, and you haven't reached that level yet. The [Dance of the Sword] isn't exactly easy either — but somehow, you've hit every requirement spot-on, as if you were specifically born to learn this sword technique. Even its prerequisite — the Shadow Clone Jutsu — you've already mastered."
Shiki nodded his head. Hayate Gekko's analysis was spot-on. If he had really gone for either of the other two sword techniques, he'd have ended up getting half the results with twice the effort.
"But will I be able to master the [Dance of the Sword] before the Chunin Exams?" Shiki asked.
"You're definitely going to participate in this year's Chunin Exams, aren't you?" Hayate Gekko remarked. "Under normal circumstances, you certainly couldn't master a Rank-level sword technique so quickly. However, we have shortcuts."
"Shortcuts?" Shiki first looked confused, then shivered slightly at Hayate Gekko's eerie grin.
With those dark circles, pale skin, and a grin that screamed "trap laid," Hayate was practically auditioning to be the villain.
However, Hayate Gekko didn't directly answer Shiki's question. Instead, he shifted his gaze toward Seiji Ito.
At the very least for now, Seiji Ito finally could stably perform a handstand on the ceiling. That was seriously impressive progress for less than a week's work.
"I suppose you must have grasped nearly all the basics of Konoha-style swordsmanship by now, Seiji Ito?"
Seiji nodded. Even though during this period he hadn't been learning or training in Konoha-style swordsmanship, he had still managed to grasp these fundamental aspects by observing Shiki's training for the past week.
Though perhaps a bit rusty, there was no doubt that he could execute them.
Compared to Shiki, he had received formal sword training since childhood.
He didn't need to familiarize himself with how to use sword techniques step by step like Shiki did.
Shiki was just beginning to learn the Konoha Sword Style, while he had already mastered one form of swordsmanship and was using another to further improve.
Besides, he was a natural with the sword!
"Then, sensei," he asked, sword in hand, "my next step is to fully internalize the essence of the Konoha Sword Style, right?"
Seiji Ito gripped his sword steadily, as if he had already seen through Hayate Gekko's plan.
Hayate Gekko looked at the boy's piercing expression, as though he saw through everything, and couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Sensei isn't showing favoritism, but for you right now, deepening your mastery of the Konoha Sword Style really is the best way to grow stronger."
"Mm, I understand," Seiji Ito replied calmly, like an ancient bell unshaken by wind. Indeed, for those lacking a solid foundation, blindly chasing after powerful ninjutsu is a mistake. With a strong foundation, even facing more powerful techniques won't put you at a disadvantage.
Hayate hadn't expected Seiji to say exactly what he himself was going to tell him.
For a moment, he didn't know what else to say.
But Seiji had already turned away indifferently and started swinging his blade with unwavering focus. It reminded Shiki of the first time they'd met—he looked like a machine, repeating the same motion over and over.
This time, though, he practiced the Konoha Sword Style. But without an opponent, striking at nothing but air still seemed stiff and lifeless.
Still, Seiji practiced diligently, the silver-white blade gleaming almost blindingly under the light.
"A thousand dull repetitions may one day bloom into dazzling brilliance, just like a butterfly breaking free from its cocoon."
That was a piece of wisdom Shiki had learned from Might Guy. Yet for some reason, he also wanted to use those words to describe Seiji.
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