Hearing their conversation, Shinichi also showed an expression of curiosity at the right moment and nodded in agreement. "It really is rare. The swordsmanship of the Land of Iron has its own independent system. The focus might differ somewhat from the swordsmanship and Taijutsu practiced by ninjas."
"Speaking of which, I also learned the swordsmanship of the Land of Iron taught by Yamashita-sensei at the beginning. However, so many years have passed, and I am also quite eager to see with my own eyes what changes have taken place in their swordsmanship. I would like to go and observe, and maybe I can get some inspiration."
"Then it's settled!"
Shizune clapped her hands happily. "Let's go earlier this afternoon and grab a good spot! I heard quite a lot of people might come to watch."
That afternoon, the sky was a deep and distant blue, with a few thin clouds so faint they were almost invisible.
...…
The autumn sunlight had lost the scorching intensity of midsummer and had become bright and gentle, yet standing among a crowd for a long time still brought a faint warm restlessness.
The wind passed through the woods surrounding the training ground, bringing a hint of coolness, but it could not disperse the increasingly heated atmosphere of the crowd.
Shizune had still underestimated the curiosity of the people of Konoha.
Even though they had arrived at the third training ground quite early, the best viewing spots at the edge of the field had already been taken by a dense sea of people.
Villagers, off-duty Genin, and even some Chunin who were not required to be on duty had gathered. Heads packed together, voices clamoring, they surrounded the huge training ground so tightly that not even water could pass through.
People craned their necks, whispered among themselves, and excitedly peered into the arena, filled with curiosity and discussion about the young warrior samurai from the mysterious Land of Iron who had spent a fortune to seek a battle.
After all, it was the first time Konoha had received such a strange mission; someone actually hired others to fight him.
"Make way, please make way…"
Shizune pulled Kurenai along while Shinichi followed behind. The three of them struggled for quite a while before finally squeezing through the gaps in the crowd to a slightly front location.
Before they could even steady themselves and clearly see the appearances of the two sides facing each other in the field, the enthusiastic cheering from the surrounding villagers suddenly stopped, as if someone had gripped their throats with an invisible hand.
Immediately after…
"Bang!"
A figure flew backward from the center of the field and crashed heavily onto the hard ground, raising a small cloud of dust.
The man wore Konoha's standard green flak vest. His figure was thin, and he was curled up in pain on the ground, unable to get up for the moment.
A young, powerful voice, yet clearly filled with dissatisfaction and arrogant boldness, followed the sound of the impact and spread clearly throughout the entire field: "What's going on!? Didn't I say in the mission request that it would be best to send a Jonin? Why did you only send a Chunin? At this level, it's not even satisfying enough for a warm-up!"
Ran Tsukiko, lying on the ground, felt his chest tighten and a metallic taste rising in his throat. He very much wanted to shout back that he was not a Chunin but a Special Jonin promoted because of his unique swordsmanship.
But the intense pain and the disorder of his chakra made it impossible for him to speak for the moment.
'Ah!? A Chunin of the village… lost? And lost this quickly?'
Shizune froze for a moment, then quickly stood on tiptoe and anxiously looked toward the field.
At the center of the training ground stood an unusually tall and robust young man.
He looked only about fifteen or sixteen years old, yet he was far more solidly built than many adult ninjas. Wearing a simple dark-colored samurai outfit, he stood there with a calm and heavy presence like a mountain.
In his hand, he held an unsheathed katana, its blade shining like snow, now hanging casually at his side.
Under his thick eyebrows, his eyes were astonishingly bright as they swept across the noisy crowd around him, his face openly displaying a look of dissatisfaction.
He even seemed to feel that the excitement was still insufficient. In a voice loud enough for everyone present to hear, he muttered with slight complaint: "If I'd known Konoha was only this capable, I might as well have gone to the neighboring Land of Wind and hired the Village Hidden in the Sand instead. I heard they've been pretty short of money recently."
'Hmph! This guy is really arrogant!'
Shizune puffed up her cheeks in annoyance. Even knowing that he was the mission client, those words were far too unpleasant.
And the crowd around her, after a brief moment of shock and silence, erupted like a detonated barrel of explosives, bursting into an even louder uproar.
"Kid! What did you say!?"
"Where did this wild samurai come from, so ignorant and arrogant!"
"You just got lucky and won one match, what are you being arrogant for!"
"This is Konoha! We won't tolerate your rampage here!"
"If you've got the guts, don't leave!"
The crowd was furious. Many hot-tempered villagers and young ninjas were red-faced, pointing at Isshin in the field and loudly scolding him. From their posture, if not for the field and the rules separating them, they might really have rushed forward and torn him apart.
Standing among the crowd, Shinichi showed little emotion on his face, but inwardly, he shook his head.
"These troublemakers from the village reacted quite quickly and strongly, which is good; it'll heat things up a bit."
Seeing that the situation was beginning to get out of control, a Chunin wearing a green vest who was responsible for coordinating this exchange mission hurriedly stepped forward while wiping sweat from his forehead. Then he spread his arms as he tried to calm everyone.
"Everyone! Please calm down! In a friendly match, victory and defeat are common! Mr. Isshin, please be patient as well. Perhaps… Perhaps our side misjudged your strength. I'll immediately report this to the higher-ups and coordinate again!"
While speaking, he cast a glance at his companion beside him. The latter understood immediately and vanished with a Teleportation Jutsu, clearly heading to urgently report to the third Hokage.
At the Hokage's office.
The third Hokage had just finished listening to the brief report from the Chunin responsible for the matter about how the first match had ended in an instant. The hand that was about to pick up his teacup paused slightly.
"Lost in just two exchanges?"
He raised his eyelids, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.
It seemed that his estimation of this samurai from the Land of Iron had indeed been somewhat off.
He set the teacup down and pondered briefly.
Ran Tsukiko had been defeated too quickly. There might have been factors such as underestimating the opponent or unsuitable tactics, but it was certain that the opponent's strength could not be underestimated.
Since the other party had clearly requested a Jonin, they should send a reliable Jonin, someone who could truly test his depth while also keeping the situation under control.
"Go notify Jonin Kono Ayumu. Ask him to go to the third training ground immediately."
The third Hokage instructed the Chunin.
Kono Ayumu was an experienced Jonin, proficient in Wind Style. His swordsmanship was also quite solid, and his personality was steady. He understood how to judge situations, making him a suitable candidate.
"Understood!"
This should solve the problem, right?
The third Hokage thought to himself. After taking a sip of tea, he lowered his head again and resumed dealing with the thick stack of documents.
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