Hayate Gekko rubbed his temples. "It's fine if Shiki frustrates me, but Seiji is actually so mature that it worries me."
"Seiji will become stronger."
Though Shiki knew there was no mention of this person in the original story, he still said it — because he'd already come to accept Seiji Ito as his teammate.
Yuuma Akimoto asked, "What about you, brother?"
"I will too," Shiki replied calmly, yet beneath this calmness lay an unshakable belief.
"Hayate-sensei, should we try a different training method?" Shiki seemed deeply traumatized mentally, and even now his body occasionally trembled uncontrollably.
Yuuma Akimoto also looked at Shiki with deep concern. "Sensei, isn't doing it once or twice enough? Doing this repeatedly feels like you're mistreating my brother."
Hayate held his sword in one hand while clenching the other into a fist in front of his mouth, occasionally coughing.
"There's no better way to rapidly master a sword technique than through this method. And I guarantee this training will yield results far exceeding gradual progress. Alternatively, you can choose to learn step by step — after all, time is plentiful. With your current ability, you should be able to pass the Chunin Exams."
Plenty of time?
Shiki knew that time was precisely what he lacked most!
He set his jaw and continued forming [Hand Seal].
"If that's the case, then sensei, please continue. I'd also like to see just how long I can endure this!"
Chapter 108: Undercurrents of Darkness
Trembling, Shiki stood frozen in place, his grip on the sword shaky.
Still, he waited for whatever came next. He forced himself to steady his breathing, lowering his shoulders slightly and tensing every muscle in his body. The Seiquan Sword rested in front of him, tilted slightly forward.
This was already Shiki's optimal defensive stance.
His eyes remained locked onto the figure before him, desperately searching for any sign of impending attack from which to prepare a defense.
In the next instant, the image before Shiki's eyes suddenly shifted. Three identical figures charged toward him using distinct attack styles from the Leaf Stream.
Each attack looked nearly impossible to block. While he knew two of these figures were normal [Clone Jutsu], identifying their actual positions became his biggest challenge at the moment.
However, with the blades closing in fast, Shiki simply chose one figure at random and raised his sword defensively.
In the blink of an eye, there was no sound of clashing steel — only the blade piercing straight into Shiki's body.
Boom!!!
The stabbed Shiki exploded into a cloud of smoke.
"Another failure."
Hayate Gekko sheathed his sword and addressed the real Shiki standing elsewhere. "You could've done better. You've just developed fear towards [Dance of the Sword] and lack sufficient determination."
The overwhelming feeling of helplessness still echoed in Shiki's mind — no matter how hard he tried, the blade had still pierced through him.
He couldn't help but let out a bitter smile. "Teacher, if you'd been beaten down like this dozens of times, I think you'd be scared too."
"That's fine. It's okay to feel fear. Right now, you're not here to learn how to resist the Crescent Moon Slash. Instead, you must keep enduring its strikes. Through this process, you'll deepen your understanding of this sword technique."
Shiki nodded in agreement.
This so-called shortcut Hayate Gekko mentioned really was that simple—just constantly endure being pierced by the Crescent Moon Slash while staying on defense. This would allow one to grasp the essence of the sword art.
Certainly, this method was extremely effective. At least up until now, Shiki had gained a much deeper understanding of the Dance of the Sword.
"To tell the truth," Hayate said, "at first I really did plan for you to experience my Dance of the Sword once or twice a day, then train on your own afterward."
"Then why did you change your mind?"
"This will take some explaining," Hayate Gekko replied. "Let's start with the Shadow Clone Jutsu."
"Shadow Clone Jutsu?" Shiki showed mild surprise. The clones used in the Dance of the Sword were ordinary clones—not Shadow Clones.
That was probably because it was difficult to integrate a Rank-level Ninjutsu into a sword technique. It might also be because the Crescent Moon Slash required complete focus and lightning-fast precision from the user. Performing a Rank-level technique could interfere with follow-up attacks.
In any case, the Dance of the Sword and the Shadow Clone Jutsu seemed unrelated.
"Don't get the wrong idea," Hayate Gekko explained upon sensing Shiki's confusion. "The Shadow Clones I'm talking about are the ones you use for training—not the regular Clone Jutsu used in the Dance of the Sword."
"My own Shadow Clones?"
"Exactly. Normally, when using Shadow Clone Jutsu, chakra is evenly divided among the clones. Even after the clones disperse, their chakra returns to the original body, but there's still considerable consumption since it's split evenly. If that's the case, naturally, you couldn't hold them for long, Shiki."
Shiki began to understand what Hayate meant. "Teacher, are you saying my clones don't distribute chakra equally?"
"Precisely. I noticed the chakra in your Shadow Clones isn't balanced. The amount of chakra inside your clones is far less than that in your original body." Hayate continued, "Under normal circumstances, since dispersed clones return their chakra to the original, no one would care about that extra expenditure. Plus, because the clones have so little chakra, during actual combat they wouldn't even be able to cast any Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. By all accounts, your technique should be practically useless. But precisely because of that, you've been able to repeatedly withstand my Crescent Moon Slash using Shadow Clones!"
Useless technique?
Shiki thought, Teacher, you didn't have to say it so bluntly.
Yet it revealed his inner helplessness.
If it wasn't absolutely necessary, why else would he have created such an apparently pointless skill?
His channels simply couldn't handle heavier chakra loads. Naturally, he couldn't use the standard form of the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Therefore, the Shadow Clones that Shiki creates are all weakened versions, though their abilities and conditions remain roughly on par with his own.
They can all wield a weaker version of the Chakra Scalpel. This alone is more than enough to satisfy Shiki.
"So you're saying this inner pressure I keep feeling is entirely my own doing — I brought it on myself and can't escape the consequences?" Shiki said with a bitter self-mocking smile, yet deep down he remained proud of his clever invention.
At the very least, without mastering the Shadow Clone Jutsu back then, he wouldn't have been able to learn the Dance of the Sword — a high-level technique of Konoha-style swordsmanship — today.
"Erm, I think that's enough talking for now," Hayate Gekko chuckled. "Alright, Shiki, it's time for you to create some Shadow Clones."
"Sensei, I won't say another word. But won't you get tired? You're using the Dance of the Sword too."
Hayate shook his head. "No, dealing with you doesn't require me to go all out like fighting an enemy with the Dance of the Sword. Matching your speed exactly, I'm not especially tired at all."
"Okay then. If that's the case, let's continue."
Shiki's face turned serious once again as he formed hand seals.
A Shadow Clone appeared beside him, also wearing a solemn expression.
During training, Shiki always became much more serious than usual.
Blades flashed as the Shadow Clones were repeatedly shattered. Yet in Shiki's mind, the movements of the Dance of the Sword grew sharper by the moment.
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