"If things keep going like this, Shiki should be ready for the second stage soon," Hayate Gekko seemed increasingly satisfied with Shiki's progress.
At the very least, after so many training sessions, Shiki could now make certain predictions about the dance of the sword.
This alone proved that Uzumaki Shiki had reached a considerable level of understanding in this sword technique.
Then for the next stage, would he probably have no idea what his own plan was?
...
In the adjacent training ground, a middle-aged man guided the children of Nikamura Village through their sword training.
Yet his face couldn't help but show signs of distress as he gazed out into the rainy scene beyond the window, his eyes deep and shadowy.
Chapter 109 - Returning to the Village
The people of Nikamura Village enjoyed a comfortable life—though they also carried heavier burdens than most.
Shiki already knew this well.
Initially, he had hoped to learn more about the village during his stay.
However, in the end, he still hadn't figured out exactly what it was the villagers were deliberately hiding.
Although Shiki had always wanted to investigate further, he never got the chance. Perhaps Hayate Gekko sensed Shiki's intentions to stir up trouble, increasing the intensity of Shiki's training regimen.
So for an entire month, Shiki focused solely on practicing the dance of the sword.
Still, the second stage of training genuinely surprised Shiki.
After teaching him the details of how to perform the dance of the sword, Hayate Gekko revealed the second phase of the technique to Shiki.
Visually speaking, the changes from the first stage weren't particularly dramatic at first glance—again Shiki created a Shadow Clone to execute the dance of the sword.
The difference, however, was that this time the person performing the dance of the sword wasn't Hayate Gekko.
It was Shiki himself.
Shiki used his own incomplete version of the dance of the sword against his own Shadow Clone, who had been repeatedly bombarded by Hayate's perfected dance of the sword.
Needless to say, Hayate's idea was extremely creative.
Moreover, Shiki barely managed to produce three Shadow Clones using the Shadow Clone Jutsu, making four individuals total—including himself—which allowed him to form two such pairs for training.
Naturally, Shiki's experience and mastery of the dance of the sword increased rapidly.
Eventually even Hayate struggled to find fault with the way Shiki performed the dance of the sword.
Elegant like a dance, yet beneath the flowing movements lay an ocean of killing intent.
Moreover, this lightning-fast offensive sword style made it nearly impossible to defend against.
The past month in Nikamura Village felt fleeting, largely because it had been so fulfilling.
Although it hadn't gone as initially planned—with actual battlefield combat—this success exceeded expectations and satisfied almost everyone.
Thus came the time to leave.
Just an hour ago, Hayate Gekko told them it was time to go.
So the C-rank mission, which they initially thought might be somewhat interesting, ended up amounting to nothing but a few bandits encountered along the way—there wasn't even a single real battle.
It left Shiki feeling rather disappointed.
Still, he packed his stuff and prepared to leave.
Footsteps echoed crisply and loudly against the wooden staircase.
Ka Natsuko, the innkeeper, couldn't help but brighten as she lifted her head, her alluring figure brimming with mature charm.
Although the inn was open, its only current guests were those few ninjas from Konoha.
Over these past few days of interaction, she had developed a strong liking for them.
Of course, her favorite was Yuuma Akimoto. Hearing that cheerful pair of footsteps, it was easy for her to tell it was Yuuma's.
Sure enough, not long after, Yuuma came bouncing downstairs. The others soon followed close behind.
"Are you off to train again?" Natsuko smiled. Ever since their arrival, life had become livelier and more fulfilling for her. At least now she didn't feel guilty taking so much money when she seemed to do nothing all day.
"No, Onee-san, we're heading back to Konoha," Yuuma cheerfully replied.
"I see. It's been quite a while since you've stayed here," Natsuko said softly, a flash of sadness passing through her eyes before vanishing just as quickly.
"Yes, thank you for your kindness during our stay," Hayate Gekko politely said, making Ka Natsuko feel almost flattered.
After exchanging a few polite words, the group headed toward the door. Standing at the entrance, they began putting on raincoats.
While in Nikamura they usually used umbrellas, now that they'd be traveling a long distance, raincoats would definitely be more suitable.
In no time, everyone changed into their gear. The black raincoats worn by Shiki and Seiji even made them look like members of some secret cult.
"Goodbye," Natsuko waved.
Shiki turned his head and suddenly remembered how strange this village had seemed. Unable to help himself, he said, "Onee-san, if there ever comes a day when you need help, come find me in Konoha."
Natsuko blinked in surprise at first, then probably thinking it was just a child's politeness, sweetly smiled and replied, "Okay, just don't forget me when that day comes, Shiki."
Shiki responded with a similarly courteous smile, yet as he stepped into the rain, he suddenly raised his voice, "Onee-san, I'm completely serious. If that day really comes, please don't forget to come find me."
His voice rang out strong and confident, yet his figure gradually faded further away until finally disappearing entirely into the rain.
All that remained was the pouring rain, endlessly washing over the land as if trying to wash away sins that could never be erased.
When Team 9 left Nikamura, countless people let out a sigh of relief.
"Finally, they're gone."
"Yeah, because of them, business dropped off a lot these past few days."
"From what the Village Headman said, Harada's coming back. He wrote in a letter saying Harada would return in two months. Over a month's already gone by."
"Is that so? That man Harada."
"Hey boss, are you really going to keep your promise with that man? After all, he actually pulled off this deal."
"Whatever the boss decides, I'm against it. People in the village are already living such a good life now — why should we go back to those hard times?"
"But everyone in the village is against going through with this."
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