Due to the influence of Shanks and, more importantly, their commander Benimaru—one of the leading teachers and combat instructors at the Uzushiogakure Ninja Academy—most academy graduates favored the blade. Under his guidance, countless students learned to wield swords with lethal precision. Benimaru never bothered giving his technique a formal title; his swordsmanship was crafted for one purpose and one purpose only—killing the opponent cleanly and decisively.
Still, tradition demanded a name, so his slashing art eventually came to be known simply as Uzumaki-Style Swordsmanship.
After cutting down six Kirigakure shinobi in a blur of steel and blood, Saito lifted his gaze to the four remaining Mist-nin retreating across the battlefield. His chakra flared like a warning beacon. With his experience in sealing techniques and the confidence earned through countless drills, he knew he could chase down and finish the survivors as well.
After all, he had already proven his strength.
Nearby, another Uzushiogakure Jonin graduate, Taoya, moved into position. Focus sharpening, he slapped his palms together and unleashed his specialty—Sealing Technique: Entrapment Barrier Formation.
A shimmering dome of crimson script erupted around more than twenty enemy ninja—Kirigakure and Kumogakure forces alike—locking them inside like insects in a jar.
Their origins, alliances, and rivalries meant nothing to Taoya. Numbers meant nothing either.
His only mission—the only thought pounding in his skull—was to kill as many as possible and prove, beyond any doubt, that he was worthy of serving beneath Benimaru… and earning the legendary swordsman's recognition.
Generally, every Uzushiogakure Academy graduate dreamed of serving under Benimaru.
Partly it was the allure of his swordsmanship—the sharp, fluid style that made him look impossibly cool in battle.
Partly it was the way he fought wrapped in blazing fire, turning the battlefield itself into his stage.
And above all, Benimaru wasn't just a teacher. He was the military commander of Uzushiogakure, the man who leads the village's entire standing army.
To earn his acknowledgment meant being recognized by the future cornerstone of Uzushiogakure's might.
After deploying the Entrapment Sealing Barrier, Taoya hadn't done so casually.
Before activating the jutsu, he pulled out four large sealing tags, each covered in dense spiraling inscriptions, and slammed them into the dirt at the four corners of an invisible square. Only once the tags were aligned—and only after his chakra signature stitched them together—did he release the Entrapment Sealing Barrier Technique.
A dome flared into existence, humming with red-orange inked symbols that pulsed like living veins. It was a formidable seal, one strong enough that even a Jonin would have to pour effort and chakra into breaking it.
But the enemies caught inside were nothing more than Chunin-level shinobi—some barely Genin. For them, breaking the barrier quickly was impossible.
In theory, they could break out if they pooled their strength and worked together.
In practice, Taoya had no intention of giving them even a heartbeat to attempt it.
…
The moment the Entrapment Sealing Barrier snapped fully into place—sealing all twenty enemy shinobi inside—Taoya's hands were already moving.
His hands blurred through another rapid sequence of hand seals.
With a ripple of chakra, two narrow slits opened in the barrier, just wide enough to slip something through.
Taoya reached into his pouch and pulled free a tightly bundled coil of wire.
He hurled it through one of the openings, and once inside, the rope-like thread unfurled rapidly—snaking across the ground and walls like a living vine.
Dozens of explosive tags dangled along its length, each one clearly visible, paper crackling with chakra.
At the ends of the wire were two kunai, and Taoya flicked both with a practiced motion, sending them sliding cleanly through the openings.
The tags followed obediently, dragged into the dome by their anchors.
The instant the line was fully inside, Taoya formed one last seal, sealing the slits shut.
The barrier flashed, locking airtight once more—
and then the detonations began.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Explosions thundered through the dome, one after another in a rolling chain reaction.
The interior vanished under roiling black smoke, sparks, and screams smothered before they even formed. The entire barrier vibrated under the force, glowing faintly from within.
…
It was pure battlefield fortune that Taoya had stumbled upon that cluster of twenty shinobi. Acting fast, he planted his sealing tags around them, sprung the trap, and then fed them enough explosive tags to wipe out a small platoon.
When the last echo faded, he dispelled the barrier with a calm exhale.
The smoke bled away slowly… revealing the aftermath.
Charred bodies twisted together, limbs scattered, blackened flesh fused to the scorched earth beneath.
Not a single enemy had survived—
and the burn-scarred ground was proof of just how powerful the explosions had been.
From a distant vantage point, high atop a broad-limbed tree, Benimaru watched the battlefield unfold below him.
His jacket fluttered in the wind as he scanned the chaos, tracking every strike and movement from the Uzushiogakure Academy graduates. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
Their progress—no, their potential—was undeniable.
Taoya and Saito in particular had caught his attention.
They weren't simply surviving—they were dominating.
Cutting down waves of Kirigakure and Kumogakure shinobi with brutal efficiency, sealing techniques, and raw courage.
Benimaru nodded to himself. They're ready for more.
Soon, he would test them against Jonin-level opponents—because only in that arena would their true skill and resolve be revealed.
Up to this point, their performance had exceeded his expectations.
And why wouldn't it?
Benimaru's deployment had been flawless.
He directed each pair and squad like pieces on a shogi board, moving his forces with perfect timing.
Battlefield awareness was his specialty—he read the flows of conflict instinctively, adjusting formations, reinforcing weak points, and exploiting openings faster than most commanders could blink.
Because of that precision, casualties among the Uzumaki were minimal.
If any graduate stumbled into danger, either Benimaru himself intervened or nearby comrades moved to shield them without hesitation.
This was more than a battle—this was a proving ground.
The clash between the Uzushiogakure forces and the combined armies of Kumogakure and Kirigakure was going exactly how he wanted.
No panic.
No collapse.
Just steady, ruthless advance.
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