After chatting for a while, Fukai led Tamura Haruki to a training ground inside the village.
For shinobi, understanding someone through words alone was always shallow. If you wanted to truly gauge a ninja, you did it through battle.
"Attack me with your strongest move."
Fukai drew the ninja blade from his back and motioned for Haruki to come at him full force. He wanted to see the boy's limits—only then could he tailor his instruction properly.
Haruki didn't waste words. He activated the storage seal on his bracers, and two long blades appeared in his hands.
"That kind of sword…?"
Fukai looked mildly surprised. Blades of that length were rare—so rare that even samurai from the Land of Iron seldom used something like this.
In shape they resembled a standard ninja blade or a katana, but they were far longer: the longer one was around 1.6 meters, and even the shorter one was about 1.2 meters.
Most ninja blades were under a meter to keep attacks agile. These both exceeded that, and their hilts were long as well—built for two-handed grips and heavy cleaving power.
The blades themselves were straighter than most ninja swords or katana, and the tip angle was smaller—better suited for thrusting.
At the end of each hilt, chains connected to the elbow area of Haruki's bracers. That meant he could use the strength of his entire arm to add cutting force while reducing strain on his wrists—almost like reinforcing a two-handed grip.
With one glance, Fukai could already imagine how these swords were meant to be used.
"Fukai-sensei… I'm coming!"
With blades in hand, Haruki warned him and—without hesitation—spent fate power to temporarily raise his comprehension, boosting his overall control.
That kind of heightened clarity wasn't just useful for training. In combat, it worked too—like entering a calm, hyper-rational state. His emotions dulled, his senses sharpened, and his decisions became cleaner.
He channeled the *Monster Strength technique he'd developed over the past half month into his legs, then kicked off the ground in a violent burst of speed.
(Note: I will use this term rather than chakra enhance.)
"Monster Strength Slash!"
His left-hand blade—Big Meow—swept in a horizontal cut. His right-hand blade—Little Meow—locked against Big Meow's spine to add pressure. Monster Strength surged into both arms as well.
"Fast," Fukai noted, surprised at Haruki's sudden acceleration—then raised his sword to block.
CLANG!
Steel collided, but the sound was dull and heavy, proof of just how brutal the impact was.
"Monster Strength—Chain Combo!"
Knowing his chakra reserves were limited, Haruki didn't pause for even a breath. He drove forward with twin blades, launching a continuous stream of slashes and thrusts.
This was the finisher he'd been refining ever since he started training a dual-blade style.
He'd borrowed the concept of relentless dual-wield combos—using sword forms to suppress the opponent and keep pressing until their guard collapsed and the body was exposed.
It was the most beginner-friendly route, and the best fit for a taijutsu-focused shinobi like him.
But it wasn't mindless flailing. Every strike targeted awkward angles—places where power was hard to generate, or where openings naturally formed. The lines were sharp and nasty.
Over the past half month, Haruki hadn't only used his comprehension boost on chakra control—he'd polished his swordwork too, and it showed.
Fukai grew even more impressed. Against this kind of close-range pressure, even a chūnin—unless they specialized in taijutsu—would be miserable.
And those two blades were terrifyingly sharp. Fukai could already see damage forming on his own sword edge. An ordinary kunai would probably be cut clean through.
Still, Fukai was a jōnin—and one who had trained nintaijutsu deeply.
He parried with precision, fully focused, studying Haruki's offensive rhythm and overall style. Very quickly, he noticed something strange.
Haruki's two hands weren't using the same style. This wasn't the usual "one attacks, one defends" dual-wield pattern. It was two different sword styles—distinct, yet able to support each other, covering gaps between forms.
It felt like facing two attackers at once.
"Divided focus…" Fukai realized.
This was a form of multi-tasked control—a technique most common among Sunagakure puppet users, who needed to manipulate complex puppets with extreme precision.
He'd heard stories about Chiyo, the Sand's elder, controlling ten puppets at once—each puppet strong enough to match a jōnin. Terrifying.
Haruki's "two-minds" control was already well-developed. He'd clearly put in hard, grinding work.
On top of that, his Monster Strength application was impressive—his explosive power was comparable to some taijutsu-focused chūnin.
And Fukai could see something else: Haruki was improving mid-fight. His blade movements were growing smoother, more natural. He was the type of talent that sharpened during real combat.
Explosive power, divided-focus swordplay, razor-sharp long blades, and solid combat sense—this was already a match for a taijutsu-type chūnin.
"The question is how long he can keep it up," Fukai thought.
This was a burst state, and with that boy's chakra reserves, it couldn't last long.
Haruki didn't think about any of that. He drove forward with total focus.
Big Meow (left hand) emphasized heavy cuts, using thrusts as support.
Little Meow (right hand) did the opposite—thrusts first, slashes second—faster, more flexible, more deceptive.
That was exactly why Haruki hadn't chosen the typical katana/ninja blade profile. He'd gone with a straighter, thrust-friendly build.
Katana and most ninja swords were optimized for cutting, with stronger curvature—especially around the mid-blade. That shape made chopping more stable and helped prevent unwanted bending under force.
But it also weakened thrusting. Some blades were so curved that thrusting became inefficient—or worse, trying to stab could warp the blade or even snap it under stress.
Haruki's blades were straighter through the center, with only a mild curve near the tip. The tip angle was narrow, perfect for stabbing.
And among weapon methods, thrusts were the hardest to defend—especially with long weapons. Even Fukai could only keep knocking them aside again and again.
Of course, straighter blades could twist more easily under brutal slashes compared to a katana.
But Haruki had solved that with money.
He'd spent a fortune on these swords. The metal was extremely strong, and the structure was built with a taper: the tip was thinnest, and the base near the hilt was thickest—nearly a centimeter thick—greatly increasing durability.
Even under his current Monster Strength bursts, the blades didn't bend or vibrate at all.
And if he later learned to coat them with Lightning Release, their cutting power would become even more terrifying.
To be precise, Haruki had forged these blades specifically for future Lightning Release reinforcement—using chakra-conductive metal that resonated better with Lightning.
"I'm going to counter now," Fukai said.
He'd basically adapted to Haruki's pattern. Now he stepped in and slashed.
There was no flourish to Fukai's swordsmanship—only one principle:
Speed.
So fast Haruki only saw a flash of steel, and the blade was already in front of his face.
Haruki twisted instinctively, letting his shoulder guard take the hit. As Fukai's sword rotated to sweep toward his head, Little Meow snapped up to block. Haruki borrowed the force to retreat, then swung Big Meow in a wide sweep while turning his body—his left leg whipping up to kick the spine of Big Meow to add even more power to the slash.
CLANG!
Fukai blocked and used an even stronger burst of force to knock Big Meow aside—then stepped in again, cutting down.
This was where a jōnin's difference became obvious.
Fukai still wasn't using Lightning Release—he was only reinforcing muscles and bone with chakra to enhance explosive output—yet the strength and speed he displayed were far beyond what Haruki could match.
More importantly, Fukai had real battle experience.
Haruki had trained hard—but most of it was cutting stones and wooden posts.
While Fukai was passively defending earlier, Haruki's rhythm could hold. The moment Fukai went on offense, Haruki's tempo shattered.
Fukai advanced; Haruki retreated.
Haruki blocked, but it was messy—almost desperate. His arms began to ache, then go numb.
After being driven back ten steps in a row, Haruki's arms were fully numb, unable to generate force.
And Fukai's next strike came down again—swift as lightning.
Haruki could barely even see it.
Without his arms and twin blades to support him… there was no way to dodge this one.