In the autumn and winter seasons, the sky darkens early.
By now, it was not even seven o'clock, yet night had already fallen.
At this moment, two hours had passed since the battle began.
On the battlefield, the clash between the two sides had already entered a fever pitch. Both the Konoha and Kirigakure forces had suffered heavy casualties.
Despite the mounting toll, without orders from their respective commanders, neither side could retreat; the fight had to go on.
Fortunately, as the battle progressed, the combat zone had long since expanded beyond the narrow area stretching from the eastern side of Blackstone Outpost to the sea.
Long ago, the footprints of both sides had spread across an area spanning several kilometers.
This dispersal provided some relief to many ninjas.
Why? The answer was simple: spreading out meant they no longer had to face a new enemy immediately after defeating one.
In this relatively vast battlefield, they could set traps and stage ambushes, conserving some of their energy.
However, none of this applied to Murakami Yu or the other Kirigakure Jonin accompanying him. Aoki Haru simply didn't give them such opportunities.
Indeed, Aoki Haru had already discerned their intent and was happy to have their cooperation in helping him hone his skills.
But this did not mean he would hold back.
On the contrary, he maintained a relentless pace of high-intensity combat.
This was the only way to maximize his gains.
Sharpening one's skills wasn't just a matter of going through the motions—it required genuine practice aligned with the technique's demands. Otherwise, progress would be agonizingly slow.
For this reason, over the past two hours, he gave his two opponents almost no chance to rest.
If not for the fact that there were two of them and they could occasionally alternate to snatch brief moments of respite, they would have long since collapsed.
Of course, this tag-team strategy couldn't be used too frequently, as neither of them had the ability to face Aoki Haru alone.
For most of the fight, they had to work together to withstand Aoki Haru's attacks.
This left the two Kirigakure Jonin utterly exhausted.
In stark contrast was Aoki Haru himself.
Indeed, Aoki Haru was younger—still a minor. Logically speaking, his body hadn't fully matured, and his stamina should have been worse.
However, after over two hours of continuous combat against two opponents, he showed no signs of fatigue.
This left Murakami Yu and the other Kirigakure Jonin baffled.
They knew the Uchiha clan's Sharingan could enhance mental strength, but they had never heard of it strengthening the body.
Aoki Haru could only attribute this to his exceptional 19 points in "Constitution."
Based on over two years of observation and comparison, he estimated that the average adult ninja in the shinobi world—whether Genin, Chunin, or Jonin—had a constitution score hovering around 10 points, excluding those with exceptional bloodlines.
Although his 19 points in Constitution seemed less than double that of an average ninja, the difference was far from trivial.
This was because the growth of attributes was not linear but exponential. The further one advanced, the greater the boost provided by a single point.
Aoki Haru estimated that his overall physical attributes were five to seven times those of an average adult ninja.
Under such circumstances, his stamina and endurance were unparalleled. Even ninjas with chakra reserves as a fallback could not compare.
Moreover, it wasn't as if Aoki Haru lacked chakra himself—he possessed more than most.
These compounded advantages created the current situation.
Staring at the visibly heavier breathing of Murakami Yu and his comrade, Aoki Haru felt no mercy.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward, the faint blue glow around him suddenly intensifying as he unleashed his "Instant Blade" technique, closing the distance between him and his opponents.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sharp sound of metal clashing echoed once more.
Feeling the increasing fluidity of his "Instant Blade" technique, Aoki Haru focused his mind entirely on the exhilarating process of honing his skills.
While Aoki Haru felt the pleasure of improvement, the two Kirigakure Jonin bore immense pressure.
The severe depletion of stamina had already sapped much of their combat strength. Coupled with Aoki Haru's relentless focus on practicing the "Instant Blade," their situation had become increasingly dire.
At first, they could still keep up with Aoki Haru's speed and occasionally switch out to rest.
Now, unless they focused entirely on covering for each other, they struggled to react in time.
The mounting strain overwhelmed them.
Beyond the physical exhaustion, there was the mental toll.
For some reason, they both felt that Aoki Haru improved a little after every exchange.
Watching their opponent grow stronger, inching closer to overpowering them, was a crushing experience.
As the fight dragged on, their mistakes multiplied, and gaps in their defenses appeared with increasing frequency.
Slash!
The sound of a blade slicing through flesh rang out.
With an "Instant Blade" move, Aoki Haru closed in on Murakami Yu's side and swung his sword in a seemingly unremarkable arc.
Caught off guard, Murakami Yu had no time to parry or dodge, and his comrade failed to react in time. Aoki Haru's blade struck Murakami Yu's right forearm.
If not for a last-second move to shift his body backward and mitigate the blow, Aoki Haru's attack might have shattered his bones.
Even so, the injury wasn't minor.
Though Aoki Haru hadn't infused his blade with Wind Release chakra, the sheer sharpness of his Grasscutter Sword was enough to tear through flesh.
Drip. Drip.
Drops of blood fell to the ground.
At this moment, both sides froze momentarily.
It wasn't because this was the first time Aoki Haru had wounded them—over the past two hours, he had inflicted numerous minor injuries on them despite their teamwork.
What startled him was how effortlessly this wound was delivered.
It seemed to signify that the two opponents were no longer capable of putting any real pressure on him in their current state.
Pushing aside his thoughts, Aoki Haru stepped forward once more. Closing the distance between them, he swung his sword again.
This time, Murakami Yu reacted quickly, leaping backward to avoid the strike.
Simultaneously, the other Kirigakure Jonin rushed forward to engage Aoki Haru, attempting to divert his attention.
But Aoki Haru ignored him completely. Before the opponent could close in, Aoki Haru once again activated the "Instant Blade", vanishing from sight.
By the time he reappeared, he was already on Murakami Yu's right flank.
Murakami Yu halted his retreat and hastily raised his kunai to counterattack.
Yet, at that moment, Aoki Haru abruptly halted, his blue aura flaring brilliantly as he executed a second consecutive "Instant Blade" technique.
With a "swish," Aoki Haru's figure seemed to disappear once more, reappearing on Murakami Yu's right side.
In one fluid motion, he swung his blade.
The scene unfolded as though history had repeated itself!
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