Arata Itsuki's sudden explosion of terrifying speed left the surrounding spectators utterly stunned.
Their gazes then shifted to the electric arcs crackling across Arata's body as he moved.
In the blink of an eye, Arata—wreathed in lightning—appeared behind Hatake Sakumo.
His sword was already descending toward Sakumo's back.
Yet the strike didn't land.
Sakumo's right hand moved almost lazily.
His short tanto, drawn only halfway from its sheath, perfectly intercepted the path of Arata's slash.
With a casual blade draw, Sakumo effortlessly neutralized his attack, making it clear that his mastery of kenjutsu was on an entirely different level.
And even more astonishing—Sakumo had already adapted to Arata's lightning-fast speed… in just a single exchange?
What Arata didn't know was that Sakumo was just as shocked.
He could read the foundations of Arata's kenjutsu, but this speed—
this speed was beyond anything he'd ever seen.
Though he made it look easy, Sakumo's eyes were filled with disbelief as he muttered:
"Lightning Armor…?"
This near-teleportation speed reminded him instantly of someone he had once fought—
the Third Raikage.
During movement, that man's body too had crackled with lightning almost identical to this.
Sakumo had managed to block the attack not with his eyes—he hadn't even caught Arata's silhouette—
but through pure battle instinct, honed from crossing sword with monsters like the Third Raikage.
This jutsu, so similar to Lightning Armor, made Sakumo discard the last hint of underestimation.
Just Arata's speed alone was enough to threaten an Elite Jōnin.
Perhaps he really hadn't lied—perhaps he truly had killed one.
Around them, the watching shinobi swallowed hard.
As front-line combatants, they weren't academy children—they immediately grasped the magnitude of Arata's strength.
"That speed… he might actually be the fastest in Konoha."
"I'm not sure even Sakumo-sama can match that."
"If his kenjutsu is really as good as the rumors say, he might become another top-tier powerhouse for Konoha!"
"I don't know… Sakumo blocked that strike so easily. I doubt Arata can match his sword."
…
The chatter buzzed non-stop, but Arata and Sakumo stood silent.
Arata was thinking of how he could win this duel,
and Sakumo was waiting for Arata's next move—curious what else the young man was hiding.
Arata increased his attack speed again—
faster than when he fought the Elite Jōnin.
But Sakumo lived up to his reputation as a Kage-level force.
Even though he wasn't as fast, he blocked every strike flawlessly.
And his defensive style frustrated Arata greatly.
He didn't block directly—
he interrupted Arata's attacks at the exact critical point, breaking Arata's momentum every time.
"So this is the Hatake-Style kenjutsu... it feels like watching a sword technique straight out of legend."
Even while attacking, Arata found room to admire Sakumo's blade.
But Sakumo's technique couldn't harm him—
so Arata simply raised his tempo past what Sakumo could comfortably read.
Sure enough, even Sakumo began struggling to keep up.
He was forced entirely into a defensive stance, unable to sever Arata's offense any longer.
The watching shinobi were dazzled.
Arata's speed was simply too fast.
One moment he was at Sakumo's left, and the next—an eye-blink later—he was behind him.
"That speed… no one in the shinobi world can match it."
"But Sakumo-sama is unbelievable too—he hasn't been hit even once!"
"Come on—Sakumo-sama is basically Kage-level. Arata's just a Tokubetsu Jōnin. If his rank were higher, though… that'd be another story."
"Looks like Jiraiya-sama was right. Arata's sword skill might really not lose to Sakumo-sama."
…
But Arata's confidence came a moment too soon.
Sakumo had held back until now because he wanted to see Arata's kenjutsu—
not because he couldn't attack.
And then—without warning—
the always-defensive Sakumo allowed lightning-nature chakra to flow over his short blade.
With a single slash, he sent Arata flying back more than ten meters.
Watching Arata skid across the ground, Sakumo praised openly:
"Your kenjutsu is impressive. But your strength still falls short. If your rank were one level higher, we could truly fight as equals."
Arata stood again, his expression serious.
Both were taijutsu-focused fighters, but he relied on speed.
Sakumo, however, possessed not only incredible speed, but overwhelming strength and stamina.
That one casual strike had already been difficult for Arata to withstand.
If only he had more time to build physical strength—
with Garp's training methods, he could catch up quickly.
But right now? He wasn't there yet.
At that moment, Arata felt something wet on his cheek.
He reached up—blood.
A shallow cut marked his face.
Impossible.
He had a body of pure lightning.
Unless he actively disabled his elementalization, physical attacks shouldn't harm him at all.
He turned sharply toward Sakumo's sword—
and saw it coated in faint lightning chakra.
"So even though the Thunder Fruit only fears rubber… lightning is still lightning.
Lightning Style can injure my real body too…"
A cold realization hit him.
Thank god he discovered this during a duel.
Otherwise, in a real battle, getting hit by Lightning Style unexpectedly…
he wouldn't even know how he died.
Sakumo, having said his piece, no longer held back.
Being pressured by Arata earlier had ignited a competitive spark.
"My turn to attack."
Arata focused instantly.
He knew his strength was below Sakumo's,
and Sakumo's blade had clearly touched on the realm of true sword aura.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to cut Arata even through his elementalization.
As Sakumo rushed forward, Arata charged in without hesitation.
Offense for defense—
maximize speed advantage.
It was the best strategy he had.
To the spectators, the two figures vanished completely.
Only shinobi near the Elite Jōnin threshold could barely track a fraction of their movements.
On the field, only the sharp clash of steel echoed—
ding! ding! ding!
A duel of lightning and sword.