Chapter 703: A Single Slash

Chapter 703: Chapter 703: A Single Slash

Chapter 703: A Single Slash

"What are your thoughts on Konoha’s request?"

The Third Mizukage looked toward Yagura and Genji.

"I think we should refuse," Yagura replied. "Konoha clearly has its own intentions, and those youngsters are anything but ordinary."

If Kirigakure were certain of victory, allowing a few elite jonin to guide the younger Konoha ninja would not be a problem.

The issue was that Kirigakure might not win.

Yagura had personally participated in the final battle of the Third Shinobi World War, so he had some understanding of Obito and the others’ strength.

"I think we can agree to it," Genji said, giving an opinion completely opposite to Yagura’s.

Of course, it was not because Genji had absolute confidence in Kirigakure’s jonin and believed they could never lose.

Although he had not personally been on the battlefield, he had read the intelligence reports.

"The gap between Kirigakure and Konoha is considerable now. Since we’ve already decided to learn from Konoha, why not use this opportunity to motivate the ninja in our village?"

"Letting them witness the gap between Kirigakure and Konoha with their own eyes may be more beneficial to their future growth."

After the Third Shinobi World War ended, the Third Mizukage had personally proposed ending the village’s harsh policies, particularly what had become known as the Blood Mist policy.

Why had Kirigakure adopted such cruel policies in the first place?

It was because they believed harsh competition and combat beginning at the Ninja Academy would produce stronger ninja.

Reality had proven them wrong.

The brutality of the Blood Mist had not made Kirigakure significantly stronger.

Compared to Konoha, its overall strength was still far behind.

Since Kirigakure had already begun changing its system for cultivating ninja because of Konoha, Genji felt that losing a little face during an exchange meeting was hardly important.

"Elder Genji makes a good point."

The Third Mizukage nodded, agreeing with him.

He then handed responsibility for the matter to Genji.

Before long, only the Third Mizukage and Yagura remained inside the Mizukage’s office.

"Yagura, you need to change that impulsive temperament of yours," the Third Mizukage sighed, speaking frankly.

Yagura was simply too proud.

Whenever something happened, pride was often the first thing he considered.

Was the dignity of one of the Five Great Ninja Villages important?

Of course.

But this was only a matter of several jonin potentially losing sparring matches.

How much face could Kirigakure really lose?

It was not as though the Mizukage himself was going to be defeated by some young genius.

As a former prodigy who had now grown into a famous powerhouse of the Ninja World, Yagura certainly had the strength to justify his arrogance.

But as a future Mizukage, that attitude was inadequate.

He needed to think further ahead.

"Sandaime, I understand," Yagura replied honestly with a nod.

If someone else had said those words to him, Yagura would probably have become angry.

But the Third Mizukage was deliberately cultivating him as his successor.

When Yagura had suffered defeat in the past, the Third Mizukage had even tried to protect his reputation.

There was no doubt that this advice was being given for his own good.

...

The first three days of the exchange meeting were primarily devoted to exchanges between chunin.

There were both individual battles and team battles.

In the individual matches, Anko performed exceptionally well, defeating several Kirigakure chunin who were older than her.

Her squad also performed quite impressively in the team battles.

Gekkō Hayate’s squad likewise achieved excellent results, defeating Kirigakure teams cleanly.

Of course, Kirigakure also had teams that performed well and managed to defeat Konoha.

But overall, whether in individual or team combat, Konoha produced more outstanding ninja.

Even someone as serious as Shinku could not help smiling at the strong performance of Konoha’s younger generation.

The Mist ninja were not exactly furious, but their expressions were far from pleasant.

Such a noticeable gap among the younger chunin suggested that Kirigakure was not merely behind Konoha in the current generation.

The next generation might also be significantly weaker.

That realization naturally made them uncomfortable.

Combat was not the only part of the exchange.

There were also theoretical discussions involving the application of Ninjutsu and the sharing of combat experience.

However, those theoretical exchanges were mainly held on the third day.

On the fourth day, the exchange finally moved to the jonin level.

Unlike the chunin portion, there were no team battles among the jonin.

Only individual matches were held, and each participating jonin was free to challenge whichever opponent they wished.

Mei Terumī, Mangetsu Hōzuki, and Kisame Hoshigaki were all participating in the jonin exchange.

"Kakashi Hatake, I’ve been training hard specifically for you. I hope you don’t disappoint me."

Mangetsu raised Hiramekarei and issued his challenge directly to Kakashi.

During the previous Youth Martial Arts Tournament, Kakashi had defeated him quickly and overwhelmingly.

That defeat had deeply frustrated Mangetsu, who had been called a prodigy and genius since childhood.

In order to defeat Kakashi, he had greatly intensified his training.

Whenever he made progress, he sought out powerful elders of the Hōzuki Clan for actual combat practice, using every method he could think of to grow stronger as quickly as possible.

After Konoha returned the Five Ninja Swords, Mangetsu relied on his exceptional talent and strength to become the youngest member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

The moment someone challenged Kakashi, many Mist ninja instinctively turned toward Mangetsu.

Several years earlier, Kakashi had earned the title of Lightning Fang on the Kirigakure battlefield.

Any Mist jonin who had participated in the war or regularly studied battlefield intelligence had heard of him.

They all knew he was an extraordinarily powerful genius.

Mangetsu ignored the attention.

All of his hard training had been for this moment.

"Going straight for the hardest opponent. That really is his style."

Mei was not surprised.

She quickly looked away and scanned the other Konoha jonin.

She had no intention of challenging Kakashi, Obito, or Guy.

The reason was simple.

She believed she would most likely lose.

Since Mei intended to become Mizukage one day, she had no reason to deliberately choose a battle she was unlikely to win at an exchange event like this.

"If you still haven’t given up later, I can fight you," Kakashi replied calmly.

Mangetsu froze.

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. You won’t be my first opponent."

Mangetsu’s expression darkened.

As someone who had been praised as a prodigy all his life, when had he ever been treated this dismissively?

He immediately glared at Kakashi, determined to see who could possibly make him reject a direct challenge.

"Kid, unfortunately for you, his opponent is me."

Biwa Jūzō stepped forward with Kubikiribōchō resting across his shoulder.

Mangetsu frowned.

He remembered clearly that Jūzō’s name had not originally been included on the list of participants.

Both were members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, but Jūzō was entirely different from Mangetsu, who had only recently joined.

Jūzō belonged to the first generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and had already been a renowned elite jonin before the Third Shinobi World War even began.

Having a veteran jonin like him participate in this exchange was somewhat unusual.

Although Kakashi might already be much stronger than Jūzō, Kakashi and his companions were still only thirteen years old.

"Then I’ll go first," Kakashi said.

He had come here to sharpen his Kenjutsu.

A veteran member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was exactly the kind of opponent he wanted.

Obito and Guy both nodded.

Neither had any particular desire to challenge Jūzō.

Kakashi and Jūzō entered the sparring ground and studied one another.

"Good. At least it isn’t that monster Might Guy."

Jūzō quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Years ago, Guy’s use of the Sixth Gate combined with Rock Breathing Chakra Mode had left an unforgettable impression on him.

He had been a young kid who barely looked old enough to be called a ninja, yet his pure Taijutsu had smashed straight through defensive Ninjutsu, broken Kubikiribōchō, and severely injured Jūzō.

Before that battle, Jūzō had never imagined that a ninja relying almost entirely on Taijutsu could be so absurdly powerful.

Even afterward, he often dreamed about that fleeting golden light that seemed capable of tearing through everything.

If forced to choose between fighting Guy and fighting Yagura, Jūzō would rather face Yagura.

He would probably lose either way.

But losing to Guy somehow felt even more humiliating.

"Kubikiribōchō..."

Compared to Jūzō himself, Kakashi was more interested in the enormous sword.

Kubikiribōchō certainly deserved to be called an executioner’s greatsword.

The blade alone was larger than Kakashi’s entire body.

"White Fang should be enough."

Kakashi reached that conclusion and placed his right hand on the hilt of the reforged White Fang.

Jūzō tightened his grip on Kubikiribōchō.

Every muscle in his body tensed as he prepared to attack.

"Begin!"

The moment the referee gave the signal, both ninja erupted with chakra and disappeared from their original positions.

Whoosh!

Clang!

The two blades collided violently.

A crisp metallic impact rang across the training ground as sparks scattered in every direction.

Jūzō’s eyes sharpened.

He released another burst of chakra and used Kubikiribōchō’s enormous weight and size to try to overpower Kakashi directly.

Kakashi remained expressionless.

He concentrated his breathing, strengthening his physical abilities, then used Lightning Release chakra nature transformation to stimulate his body.

An astonishing amount of strength erupted from his small frame.

Rather than overpowering Kakashi, Jūzō was forced half a step backward by the sudden surge of force.

Crackle!

Kakashi immediately seized the opening and unleashed a fierce downward slash.

As an experienced jonin, Jūzō reacted almost instantly and raised Kubikiribōchō to block.

Clang!

Kubikiribōchō trembled violently.

A clearly visible notch appeared where White Fang had struck the massive blade.

Jūzō immediately realized that he could not allow himself to be dragged into Kakashi’s offensive rhythm.

He poured chakra through his body, pushed his physical strength to its limit, and swung Kubikiribōchō with tremendous force.

The huge, thick blade generated tremendous power with every strike.

Each swing stirred the surrounding air.

Yet against Kakashi’s agile movements, every attack missed.

To the untrained eye, Jūzō almost looked disoriented, wildly swinging his sword without purpose.

However, ninja familiar with his fighting style knew that this was intentional.

Suddenly, Jūzō changed his rhythm.

The wide, sweeping attacks disappeared.

Instead, he began wielding the enormous Kubikiribōchō with surprising agility, directing every strike toward Kakashi’s vital points.

But Kakashi was far more formidable than Jūzō had expected.

It was as if he could perceive every subtle shift in Jūzō’s muscles before the attack even fully began.

Each time, Kakashi used the greater flexibility of White Fang to meet Kubikiribōchō with rapid, precise collisions.

He neither retreated unnecessarily nor advanced recklessly.

Every attack was deflected with exactly the amount of movement required.

Whether Jūzō launched sudden fierce assaults or deceptive feints, Kakashi achieved the maximum defensive effect with the minimum possible motion.

Jūzō became increasingly frustrated.

It felt as though he possessed tremendous strength but had nowhere to apply it.

"Your swordsmanship is good."

Kakashi suddenly leaped backward.

"But if this is all you have..."

His breathing instantly concentrated to the extreme.

His right hand tightened around White Fang.

"Thunderclap Flash: Godspeed!"

Kakashi pushed his Lightning Release chakra nature transformation to its limit.

Dazzling yellow lightning erupted around his body, stimulating every muscle and granting him tremendous power and extraordinary reflexes.

With the Transparent World enhancing his perception, Kakashi perfectly gathered every bit of force within his body and distributed it precisely where it was needed.

Boom!

A deafening crack of thunder exploded across the training ground.

Kakashi shot forward like a streak of yellow lightning.

To the surrounding ninja, he seemed to retreat for only an instant before transforming into a flash of golden light and disappearing.

A scorched trail was left across the ground behind him.

Crackle!

The terrifying pressure emanating from Kakashi made Jūzō’s eyelids twitch violently.

His extensive battle experience gave him an immediate answer.

He could not dodge.

The instant that conclusion formed, Jūzō raised Kubikiribōchō in front of himself.

Crack!

A streak of yellow lightning flashed past him.

A thin line appeared across Kubikiribōchō’s enormous blade.

Clatter!

The massive sword split cleanly into two.

The severed half crashed onto the ground, its heavy blade throwing up a cloud of dust.

Slash.

Kakashi completed the strike and immediately sheathed White Fang without even looking back.

"So fast..."

Jūzō’s pupils contracted sharply, shock covering his face.

The instant Kubikiribōchō broke apart, memories from his days at the Ninja Academy flashed through his mind.

If Kakashi had not deliberately controlled the direction of that slash, Jūzō would already be dead.

"That slash has become this much stronger?!"

Mangetsu’s expression turned extremely ugly.

It was not because the attack had brought back the psychological shadow of his previous defeat.

The real problem was far worse.

After all of his training, Mangetsu suddenly realized that he might still have no way to deal with that slash.

So should he really challenge Kakashi?

"The White Fang’s son..."

The Third Mizukage’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"He’s even more troublesome than his father."

Any sufficiently experienced ninja could tell what had happened in that battle.

Kakashi had only become serious during the final exchange.

Before that, he had merely been testing his pure swordsmanship against Jūzō without using his full combat strength.

In other words, if Kakashi had genuinely intended to kill him from the beginning, Jūzō might not have lasted even thirty seconds.

Possessing enough strength to kill a prominent member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist within half a minute was no longer something that could be dismissed as mere genius.

A ninja who had not yet matured but possessed extraordinary potential was called a genius.

The current Kakashi had already crossed that line.

He was unquestionably a true powerhouse of the Ninja World.

"Lightning Fang Kakashi is actually this terrifying?"

The surrounding Mist ninja stared in shock.

They all knew Kakashi’s reputation as a genius.

However, many of them still remembered that only two or three years earlier, Kakashi and his companions had needed to pay a heavy price to defeat a single member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

Now, Kakashi could defeat an elite swordsman by himself with overwhelming ease.

How could they not be shocked?

"As expected of Kakashi."

Rin smiled as she watched him, her eyes shining brightly.

"Always showing off," Obito muttered with a pout.

Turning his back on an opponent just to sheath his sword exposed all kinds of openings.

So what if Kakashi had mastered the Transparent World?

It was not Kamui.

He could not simply ignore every attack that came his way.

"Kakashi Hatake wins!"

After recovering from his surprise, the referee quickly announced the result.

....

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