"So," Kosuke asked calmly,
"are you going to give up?"
"Giving up," Aomizu replied without hesitation,
"is not an option."
The moment his words fell, Aomizu surged forward again.
His feet slammed against the ground as chakra burst from his legs, propelling him straight toward the Shadow Clone of Maruboshi Kosuke.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
In less than a second, blades collided several times.
Sparks flew.
The sound of metal striking metal echoed through the forest clearing.
Aomizu was clearly inferior in both raw strength and speed. Each time their swords met, his arms went numb from the impact, and his stance was gradually pushed off balance.
Kosuke's Shadow Clone was steady, precise, and ruthless.
There was no wasted movement.
Soon, a sharp strike slipped past Aomizu's guard.
Pain exploded across his shoulder as he was knocked backward, rolling across the ground before finally coming to a stop.
If this had been a real battlefield—
He would already be dead.
The Shadow Clone Kosuke lowered its blade slightly and spoke in an unhurried tone.
"Still not giving up?"
Aomizu pushed himself up from the ground, breathing heavily.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"If I gave up so easily," he said,
"Uncle Kosuke, I'm sure you'd find that boring too."
Instead of charging again, Aomizu suddenly began forming hand seals.
The Shadow Clone Kosuke noticed this—but made no move to stop him.
Instead, interest flickered in its eyes.
It wanted to see what Aomizu was planning.
Bang!
A puff of smoke exploded outward.
From within it, three Aomizus rushed forward simultaneously.
Unlike the Shadow Clone Jutsu Kosuke had used earlier, this was merely the Clone Jutsu—the most basic E-Rank Ninjutsu.
The clones were nothing more than illusions.
They had no substance.
They existed only to confuse.
"…Clone Jutsu?"
The Shadow Clone Kosuke's voice carried a hint of disappointment.
"That won't work."
Standing his ground, he swung his ninja sword in quick succession.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
All three Aomizus were instantly dispersed.
Illusions shattered like smoke in the wind.
As the last clone vanished, the Shadow Clone Kosuke narrowed its eyes, searching for Aomizu's true position.
Then—
Something felt wrong.
A sudden sense of pressure rose behind him.
Roots burst from the ground.
Tree-like structures surged upward, wrapping tightly around his body.
Before he could react, his limbs were completely restrained.
In the next instant, a figure emerged from the trunk of the tree.
Aomizu.
His eyes were calm.
His sword flashed.
The blade struck cleanly.
The Shadow Clone Kosuke froze.
"…Genjutsu?"
His voice was filled with disbelief.
Before he could say anything else, his body dissolved into smoke.
The clone had been defeated.
---
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Applause echoed through the clearing.
Kosuke's main body walked forward, his eyes filled with unmistakable surprise as he looked at Aomizu.
"I truly didn't expect this," Kosuke said slowly.
"Aomizu, you actually managed to defeat my Shadow Clone."
"If you participated in the Chunin Exams right now, you would absolutely pass."
This was not empty praise.
As the main body, Kosuke had observed the entire exchange clearly.
Aomizu had deliberately used the Clone Jutsu to create smoke and visual interference.
In that brief moment when Kosuke's clone was focused on dispersing the illusions, Aomizu's true body had seized the opening, formed hand seals, and activated Genjutsu: Tree Binding Kill.
The timing was flawless.
The execution was clean.
And the proficiency was far from beginner level.
For someone with Aomizu's base talent, being able to use such a Genjutsu under pressure was already outstanding.
What Kosuke didn't know was that this was only possible because Aomizu had received the technique twice through the system, raising it to Skilled Level.
Without that advantage, learning—let alone using—it so smoothly would have taken far longer.
"When did you learn Genjutsu?" Kosuke asked.
Aomizu had already prepared an answer.
"Uncle Kosuke, you know my teammate is an Uchiha. I learned it from her."
The explanation was perfectly reasonable.
Uchiha Mikoto knowing Tree Binding Kill made complete sense.
And as teammates, it was natural for Aomizu to ask her for guidance.
More importantly—
Even if this matter reached Konoha's higher-ups, no one would question an Uchiha over Genjutsu.
Kosuke nodded without pressing further.
"I see."
He then looked at Aomizu thoughtfully.
"Your Konoha-Style Swordsmanship is already quite refined. And now that you've shown aptitude in Genjutsu…"
He paused briefly, then smiled.
"I'll teach you my self-created technique."
"Konoha-Style Willow."
Aomizu's heart skipped a beat.
Konoha-Style Willow was a technique that combined swordsmanship and Genjutsu, and—most importantly—could be used without hand seals.
Once activated, the enemy would perceive the user as dissolving into countless falling leaves, losing track of their position entirely.
In that moment of disorientation, the user would strike from a blind spot.
One strike.
One kill.
This was a technique designed purely for assassination.
By classification standards alone, it could be considered S-Rank.
Aomizu naturally would not refuse.
"Thank you, Uncle Kosuke."
Kosuke took out a scroll and handed it to him.
He then personally demonstrated the technique, his movements fluid and nearly imperceptible.
Afterward, he explained the key points in detail.
"This technique is extremely difficult," Kosuke said seriously.
"If you want to master it, you'll need constant practice."
"If you have questions, ask me anytime."
"I understand."
---
Afterward, Aomizu returned to his usual training spot.
However, instead of practicing Konoha-Style Willow immediately, he chose to focus first on the Chakra Scalpel.
Tomorrow was the final day of his bet with Tsunade.
Losing was not an option.
Forming hand seals, Aomizu gathered chakra in his right hand.
The familiar thin, blade-like chakra took shape.
He took out a fish prepared in advance and pressed his chakra blade against it.
Unlike the previous night—
The fish showed no external wounds.
Instead, its internal organs were shredded.
The fish died silently.
"Good."
Aomizu nodded.
"Keep going."
The ultimate requirement was precision.
He needed to sever nerves without killing the target.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
By the sixth fish, Aomizu finally succeeded.
The chakra blade cut only the nervous system.
The fish did not die.
"Great…!"
Excitement flashed across Aomizu's face.
He immediately used the Healing Technique, restoring the damaged nerves.
Moments later, the fish began moving again.
He had done it.
The Chakra Scalpel—
Mastered.
The moon rose and set.
Morning arrived.
---
As always, Aomizu arrived early at Konoha Hospital.
This time, he didn't rush to Tsunade.
Instead, he immersed himself in work.
His first patient of the day was someone he recognized immediately.
Might Duy.
Of course, only Aomizu knew him.
Might Duy himself had no idea who Aomizu was.
Like Maruboshi Kosuke, Might Duy was a perpetual Genin.
But unlike Kosuke, who chose not to be promoted, Might Duy simply couldn't be promoted.
No one wanted to team up with him.
As a result, he could only take D-Rank missions—finding lost cats, running errands, and other trivial tasks.
He had no talent in Ninjutsu.
Only Taijutsu.
And Taijutsu was the slowest path to strength.
Because of this, he was mocked relentlessly by other ninja.
But Might Duy didn't care.
He treated mockery as encouragement.
And he passed that belief on to his son, Might Guy.
To others, the two of them were strange.
To Aomizu—
They were admirable.
---
The road ahead was becoming clearer.
Combat ability.
Medical mastery.
Genjutsu.
Swordsmanship.
And now—
An S-Rank technique.
The foundation of strength was being laid, step by step.
Quietly.
Relentlessly.