"Ahhh, grilled meat is sooo good! Ugh, after this meal, I'm gonna have to diet for a month!"
"Haha, well, yeah—but it's not every day a Jōnin treats us. Might as well enjoy it while it lasts."
Tenten scratched her head.
Chiba let out a quiet sigh. "With the amount of training we do every day, as long as we don't eat like this every night, it's more than enough to burn off. No need to worry about dieting."
"Really?" ×2
"Let's go. We might've passed the test, but… our method wasn't exactly graceful."
Chiba smiled faintly.
Tenten pouted. "Yeah, yeah, I'll train harder."
"I wasn't calling you the weak link," Chiba said, his tone serious. "Kakashi-sensei targeted you because he couldn't instantly locate Tsukikage Kaza, and attacking me would've played into our formation. So you were simply the best tactical option."
He turned to her and added, "You're an excellent kunoichi. Right, Tsukikage Kaza?"
"Mm! That's right—we're all excellent!"
Tsukikage Kaza puffed out her chest, face full of pride.
Tenten's mouth twitched. "Tsukikage Kaza… you sound like you're saying, 'If I teamed up with the First Hokage, we'd be invincible!'"
"Hey! I helped too, you know!"
Tsukikage Kaza bristled, waving her chopsticks indignantly.
"Alright, alright, let's go practice swordwork."
"Yay!"
"…"
Inside the restaurant, kid stared at the receipt with a face full of despair.
The bill was way beyond what he'd expected.
If he hadn't already promised, he never would've paid.
"kid, that student of yours seems to have some mental blocks," Kakashi said calmly. "Keep an eye on him. It'd be a waste to let that talent go to waste."
For once, Kakashi looked serious.
kid, forgetting his earlier frustration, nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah… I've noticed too. I'll keep watching him."
"Let's go."
"Where to?"
"To see how they train—and figure out how to teach them next."
"Hahaha! Kakashi, having students like that must be pretty stressful, huh?"
kid chuckled.
He'd known Chiba for two years now, long enough to watch the boy master all his taijutsu techniques—and then start creating his own.
Teaching that kind of genius wasn't easy. It was pressure.
"Mm," Kakashi grunted in agreement.
"Oh, and when you're teaching him ninjutsu, don't forget to make sure he keeps up his physical training! Taijutsu can't fall behind. And also—"
"Eh? What was that last part?" Kakashi interrupted lazily.
"Kakashi! You truly are my eternal rival!"
At the Tsukikage Residence
It was Chiba's first time training in such a professional sword dojo—but he adapted quickly.
In essence, it wasn't much different from the woods. Just… more refined equipment.
Like training dummies.
Though honestly, tree trunks still worked better.
"Why aren't you practicing?" Tsukikage Kaza asked, seeing Chiba sitting cross-legged, motionless. "Not comfortable here? Want to move somewhere else?"
"No," Chiba replied with a gentle smile. "Just thinking about how to use the sword better. I haven't trained with it for long—my technique still feels immature."
Tsukikage Kaza tilted her head.
He did use a sword, but during the fight with Kakashi earlier, he hadn't drawn it even once.
So… maybe his swordsmanship really was average?
Finally!
Something he wasn't good at!
Tsukikage Kaza's heart lifted. For once, Chiba seemed almost normal.
"Alright then," she said brightly. "Tell you what—I'll teach you!"
"I've tried practicing the samurai's Iaido slash a few times," Chiba admitted. "But it never felt quite right."
"Iaido, huh?" Tsukikage Kaza's eyes gleamed. "That's an ancient technique. I've actually studied it myself. Watch this."
She flicked a wooden block into the air—
Shing!
Her sword flashed, sheathed before the wood even fell.
Crack!
Three clean slices hit the ground.
"So fast!"
Tenten's eyes shone. As expected of someone from a swordmaster clan—her form was on another level.
Chiba pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly. "I see. The Iaido relies on a unique way of releasing force… my version deviated a bit."
"Want me to show it ?" Tsukikage Kaza offered.
"No need."
Chiba smiled faintly, picked up another piece of wood, and tossed it upward.
In an instant—
Shiiing!
The sharp cry of steel filled the air.
When Tsukikage Kaza blinked, Chiba's sword was already back in its sheath.
Then—crack!—the wood fell to the floor, cleanly sliced into seven or eight pieces.
Tsukikage Kaza stared blankly at the fragments, then at him.
"This is what you call 'not good'?"
"I wasn't before," Chiba said lightly. "You just taught me."
"...???"
Tsukikage Kaza stood frozen for a long moment, then silently picked up her sword and turned away.
Too demoralizing. Far too demoralizing.
Tenten could only laugh awkwardly.
She was used to it—Chiba learned everything terrifyingly fast.
"Speed alone isn't enough," Chiba continued calmly. "You also need power. That's where women have a bit of a disadvantage—but with chakra reinforcement and proper muscle coordination, you can compensate for it."
As he spoke, he threw a kunai into the air.
Whoosh—
A flash of steel. The blade fell.
Clink!
The kunai split neatly in two.
Tsukikage Kaza gawked. "That…?"
She stared at him, speechless, then suddenly darted forward and grabbed his arm.
"You genius! Teach me that!"
"It's actually pretty simple," Chiba said. "Condense your chakra and coat it over your blade—like forming a chakra scalpel—then strike with your maximum strength in one clean motion."
He demonstrated slowly.
He was simply returning the favor.
Her earlier Iaido demonstration had saved him hours—maybe days—of trial and error. And besides, the Moonlight sword style's biggest flaw was its lack of cutting power.
If it had been stronger… perhaps Tsukikage Hayate wouldn't have fallen to Baki.
"Wait," Tsukikage Kaza said, frowning. "I can sort of condense chakra like that, but not as well as you. And how exactly do you use your maximum strength?"
Tenten nodded eagerly beside her—strength had always been her weak spot. No wonder so many female ninja admired Tsunade.
"It's about finding the point in your muscles where you can exert the most power," Chiba explained. "Memorize that sensation. You can't analyze it like I do, so repeat it over and over until your body remembers."
He motioned for Tsukikage Kaza to come closer, demonstrating the difference between a normal swing and one using full-force release.
Tsukikage Kaza watched closely, eyes flickering. "Wait… that technique you used earlier—the sudden burst of speed—is it related to this?"
She remembered vividly. During the test, Kakashi had cornered her, and Chiba had appeared in an instant to block the strike.
"Sort of," Chiba nodded. "I call it the Limit State. It's hard to master—you two won't get it right away. Focus on your hands first. You both rely on them the most."
Tsukikage Kaza and Tenten exchanged a glance—both were quietly moved.
This was easily secret-technique level stuff. Yet Chiba just… taught them without hesitation.
"We'll keep it secret," Tsukikage Kaza said solemnly.
"No need," Chiba smiled. "It's nothing that special. Go ahead and practice—I'll watch and give you feedback."
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