Chapter 123: Growth
Ishiro was very pleased with his three disciples' performance. The results of this operation far exceeded his expectations. The way each of them responded when facing death was commendable. Whether it was Tomoe's willingness to risk her life to buy time for her comrades, or the last-minute breakthroughs by Kawakita and Kajiyama Ri—each of them had proven themselves.
Afterward, Ishiro watched as the three disciples snapped out of their daze, quickly tidied the battlefield, and made a hasty retreat from the area.
Smiling, Ishiro waited until they had left before retrieving the Kirigakure chūnin's corpse, then quietly followed them back.
He took a longer route, arriving at the camp before the trio. Then he waited for them to report.
Clearly still shaken, the three rushed back to camp and collapsed onto the ground the moment they entered. They sat there for a while, catching their breath while others looked on in confusion. Then the three exchanged glances—and burst out laughing.
From this moment onward, beyond just being fellow disciples, they had become comrades who had faced life and death together.
Once they calmed down, they went straight to Ishiro's office to report the mission.
Even though Ishiro had seen everything with his own eyes, he pretended not to know and listened seriously.
"Teacher! We completed the mission! Here's the enemy's forehead protector."
"Ishiro-sensei, he was a Kirigakure chūnin!"
"Yeah, and that Kirigakure ninja was really strong!"
"Teacher, I made a breakthrough—my Water Pressure Line only takes one fewer seal now!"
"Ishiro-sensei, Kawakita's last slash was incredible! It didn't even hit the enemy directly, but it still injured him badly!"
…
Ishiro listened with a smile, then praised them all before saying to Kawakita and Kajiyama Ri, "Try to recreate that feeling you had with your final attacks—go to the training field and see if you can find it again."
The two nodded enthusiastically. Tomoe, meanwhile, noticed something odd. Ishiro didn't seem the least bit surprised by their breakthroughs.
Frowning, she asked, "Ishiro-sensei, did you watch our fight? You don't seem surprised at all by how it went."
Kawakita and Kajiyama Ri turned to Ishiro curiously.
Ishiro just smiled, ruffled their hair, and told them to hurry to the training grounds.
They didn't get an answer, but they left, chatting as they went.
Though the trio themselves hadn't realized it, Ishiro could tell very clearly—they had completed their transformation. They were now proper ninja.
With this shift in mindset, Ishiro believed they would quickly grow stronger.
However, that growth would take time. For now, Ishiro was most interested in Kawakita's final slash.
Ishiro himself had never had much talent for kenjutsu, so the concept of sword aura was largely foreign to him. He never expected that one of his seemingly average disciples would brush against its edge so early.
The only pity was that Kawakita's slash had been born of guilt and desperation—it was a strike to save his comrades. Now that his mindset had changed, he might not be able to reproduce it.
Sure enough, when Kawakita tried again at the training field, he couldn't replicate it no matter how many times he swung. Watching this, Ishiro made up his mind.
"It's time to develop that genjutsu."
He stopped paying attention to the trio and pulled out the classified B-rank scroll he had obtained earlier—one containing advanced genjutsu theories. He had never studied it properly until now.
The scroll had no name for the jutsu, only speculations and experiment notes, along with various testimonies from past test subjects.
Ishiro had only ever learned two genjutsu before, so developing a new one would normally be difficult. But after carefully reviewing the scroll, he realized his chances of success weren't bad.
The jutsu had two major challenges: first, creating a sufficiently realistic illusion; second, ensuring the target got caught in it.
Since the target would be Kawakita—and Kawakita would cooperate—the second issue didn't exist. As for the first, it required strong spiritual energy.
Luckily, Ishiro excelled in that. His spiritual power far exceeded his peers', even surpassing many elite ninja.
In fact, Ishiro believed his spiritual strength might surpass even Kage-levels. But because Iwagakure lacked a proper metric for such things, he couldn't say for sure.
Still, the exact number didn't matter. What mattered was that he was highly suited for the jutsu.
Starting the next day, Ishiro began using the time before and after lunch and dinner to research. Since the activation method didn't require stealth or deception, he could focus purely on the illusion's content.
Ten days later, the genjutsu was complete.
Without delay, he called Kawakita over from training, explained the process, and told him not to resist.
Then he began casting.
Forming hand seals, Ishiro placed his hand on Kawakita's forehead.
Kawakita immediately felt the world shift. Ishiro vanished, replaced by a sea of fire.
At the far end stood a sword-wielding shinobi, swinging his blade. Kawakita watched in awe as arcs of sword aura formed a barrier that held back the firestorm.
Then, he saw jutsu—water lines and other attacks—flying toward that shinobi, who calmly cut them all down with supernatural swordplay.
Kawakita realized what he was seeing: the fight Ishiro had described to him—the one against the Konoha elite swordsman. But the real thing was far more intense than any description. The fluid movements of that sword seemed to resonate deep inside him.
And yet, Kawakita still felt like something was missing.
The scene changed again. This time he saw himself, his two teammates, and the Kirigakure chūnin. Just one moment—the split second where his illusionary self hurled his sword.
Boom!
Kawakita jolted and emerged from the illusion.
Ishiro was surprised. There had still been a second or two left. How had Kawakita broken free so early?
Removing his hand from Kawakita's forehead, Ishiro stared at the boy—and saw someone completely changed.
Before, Kawakita had shown flashes of sharpness, but he still seemed like an insecure genin. After the battle, his demeanor had become firmer, more resolved—but not dramatically different.
Now, though… Kawakita gave off an aura that reminded Ishiro of Moonlight Hoshikō. Every move, every breath, radiated a sharp edge.
Kawakita felt it, too. Without a word, he stood up, walked to the center of the training ground, drew his blade—and slashed.
To Ishiro's amazement, a visible arc of sword aura erupted from the strike, tearing into the ground and extending several meters before dissipating.
Nearby, Tomoe and Kajiyama Ri gasped in unison. Tomoe immediately recognized the slash—it was the same one Kawakita had used against the Kirigakure chūnin.
Kawakita ignored their astonishment. He kept slashing, trying to grow more familiar with the technique. Ishiro stood off to the side, dumbfounded, watching the blade arcs become steadier and more refined.
Finally, exhausted, Kawakita collapsed to the ground to rest.
Ishiro, however, picked up a sword and began practicing himself.
The two disciples, just about to approach Kawakita to celebrate, froze. Even Kawakita looked confused.
What was their teacher doing?
But they soon found out.
After a dozen slashes, Ishiro's blade also emitted an arc of sword aura—just like Kawakita's.
The trio was stunned. They knew Ishiro's talents well—he was a ninjutsu specialist through and through. Though he trained with swords, it had always been for fitness, not mastery.
They never expected their teacher, who often claimed to have no talent for kenjutsu, to replicate Kawakita's hard-earned skill so quickly.
Eventually, Ishiro sheathed the sword, let out a long breath, and looked at Kawakita a bit sheepishly.
As a teacher, he hadn't given Kawakita much guidance in swordsmanship—and now, he had learned from his student.
But Ishiro wasn't shy. He ruffled Kawakita's hair and said, "I didn't expect you to help me this much. I thought my swordsmanship had reached its limit. I guess sometimes fate works in strange ways."
After a pause, he added, "Your progress in kenjutsu is incredible. At your age, no one in Iwagakure has reached this level. I'll apply to the village to officially pass down the B-rank kenjutsu I practiced. But for now, focus on mastering the C-rank ones first."
Kawakita's eyes lit up, and he nodded with determination.
With the moment winding down, Tomoe and Kajiyama Ri finally found a chance to speak.
Tomoe asked the question on both their minds, "Sensei… what was that just now? How can sword techniques launch long-range attacks like ninjutsu?"
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