Shigure ran his left thumb gently along the edge of the blade. The cool tal carried an unusual chill—not like ordinary steel. There was sothing unique about it… sothing alive.
He sheathed Zangetsu with care and looked up at Tenten.
"Thanks, Tenten. I really like this sword."
"As long as you're happy, that settles our little wager."
Shigure nodded. The blade was a little long for soone his age to wear on the hip, so he secured it across his back instead. Drawing from this position would actually be faster anyway.
"Oh, right—Shigure-kun," Tenten said suddenly, hesitating for just a mont. "Are you free tonight? I was thinking… maybe we could get dinner?"
Dinner?
Shigure blinked, caught off guard.
He glanced at the ti. There might still be Genin training at Konoha's practice fields. If he could observe a few more ninjutsu—especially nature transformation-based ones—he might gain valuable analysis data for the Great Sage.
Still, it felt wrong to turn her down flat. She had just given him such a valuable custom weapon.
"I'd like to… but not tonight. I'm about to graduate, and I really need to keep training while I can. After graduation, I'll treat you to dinner. Promise."
It was a perfectly reasonable excuse—and Tenten seed to understand.
"Alright," she said with a smile. "But don't forget!"
"Don't worry," Shigure replied. "I never forget sothing I've decided to rember."
He stood and made his way toward the exit. Tenten followed to see him off.
But just as they stepped outside the shop—
Shigure suddenly felt it.
A sharp, pointed gaze locked onto him like a thrown kunai. His eyes instinctively shifted toward the source.
Neji Hyūga.
Shigure narrowed his eyes. He didn't even know Neji personally. So why was he giving him that look? Unfriendly… hostile, even.
Was it because of Tenten?
Standing next to Neji was a boy with thick eyebrows and a bowl cut—undoubtedly Rock Lee.
Lee stepped forward and walked up to Shigure with an enthusiastic grin.
"You're the one Tenten talks about all the ti! The guy with insane aim and sword skills, right?"
"Nice to et you! I'm Rock Lee, Genin of Konoha!"
Seeing Lee's extended hand, Shigure shook it calmly. "Gekkō Shigure. Still a student at the Academy—haven't graduated yet."
"You're that strong even before graduation?" Lee's eyes shone with excitent. "I can't wait for you to beco a Genin. When you do, I want to challenge you! Swordsmanship match! I want to see if the stories are true!"
Shigure raised a brow, then shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"
He didn't have ti to hang around. The training grounds were waiting.
After a final wave to Tenten, Shigure turned and left.
Once he was gone, Neji kept his gaze on Shigure's back and spoke in a low voice.
"Yesterday… that guy took on hundreds of Genin in the training ground. And he won."
"What?!" Lee's eyes went wide.
"He took on hundreds by himself?!"
Neji nodded slightly, eyes narrowing. "That's right."
His gaze darkened. A true genius… There was no way he could ignore soone like that.
Hostility ca naturally.
Lee, on the other hand, clenched his fists with excitent. "Then I definitely want to challenge him now!"
Facing soone like Shigure would be the perfect test—a way to prove that hard work could surpass natural genius.
Whatever Neji or Lee thought of him…
Shigure had already arrived at Konoha's training grounds.
As expected, by around four or five in the afternoon, the training grounds had mostly emptied out.
Only a dozen or so people remained—most of them focused on taijutsu and physical conditioning.
But off to one side...
Ninjutsu training.
And sure enough—there was soone using ninjutsu.
Unfortunately, it wasn't Fire Release, which Shigure was hoping for. But it was still elental.
Wind Release.
A bit disappointing, but still useful.
Wind Release will do. It's another chakra nature I haven't mastered yet.
"Great Sage, can you analyze that guy's Wind Style?"
[Great Sage: Affirmative. Analysis in progress.]
Shigure watched the progress bar tick forward.
[2%]
[4%]
Pretty fast.
Shigure estimated it would take about two minutes to fully analyze the technique.
The only problem was that the Genin seed to be wrapping up.
If he stopped now, the analysis would be cut off.
Luckily, the guy just paused to rest for a mont, then went right back into hand seals and launched another jutsu.
Two rounds of Wind Release back to back.
It visibly drained his chakra reserves. Afterward, he slumped slightly and began ditating to recover.
Shigure nodded with satisfaction.
[Analysis complete.]
[Congratulations. New skill acquired: Wind Release – Beast Palm Gale!
Nature Transformation Unlocked: Wind Release]
Nice. Not only did he gain a new jutsu, but he unlocked Wind Release chakra transformation as well.
And then a thought struck him—
What if I develop a Wind-style version of the Body Flicker Technique? A Wind Flash Body, maybe?
Wind naturally enhanced movent and control. A Wind Release version would definitely be faster—and likely even quieter—than the standard Body Flicker.
[Great Sage: Estimated calculation ti: Several months.]
Figures… six tis the speed ans six tis the complexity.
Forget it for now. His current version of the Escape-style Body Flicker was still under developnt.
There was no point queuing up a new technique before finishing the current one.
He watched as the last few Genin packed up and left the training ground.
No more useful observations tonight.
Ti to head ho.
As he turned to go, Shigure activated the Body Flicker Technique, curious to test its current level of precision.
Swish!
In an instant, his figure vanished, reappearing dozens of ters away atop a rooftop. The burst of speed was breathtaking.
Body Flicker really isn't a joke anymore.
Then another idea surfaced.
What happens if I combine Transparent Release with Body Flicker?
He activated Transparent Release first.
His form blurred, fading until he beca nearly invisible—his presence vanishing alongside his body.
Then, in that silent, ghost-like state, he activated Body Flicker once more.
There was only the faintest whisper of wind—barely perceptible unless soone was listening for it.
The combination was extraordinary.
With both Transparent Release and Body Flicker active, Shigure moved like a phantom—faster than the eye could follow, and with barely a trace of presence.
In real combat... I could vanish from my opponent's line of sight and reappear behind them in an instant.
What would happen if I landed a strike right then?
Against opponents of equal strength—they'd never even know what hit them.
They'd be killed instantly.
Shigure's eyes glead.
Once I finish developing Body Flicker, I'll reinforce Transparent Release next.
This was just the beginning.
...
TN:
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