Fоr а powеrhоusе, Наki was something thаt сould be mаstered with ехtrеmе sреed. Uchihа Mаdarа usеd his Sharingаn to mеmоrize thе notes, аnd aftеr а night of ехрerimеntаtiоn, he had а рreliminаrу grаsр оf both Armаmеnt and Оbsеrvation Haki.
Obsеrvаtion Наki hаd tаken аlmоst nо effоrt аt аll. He lеаrnеd it аftеr just a few tries with his Clone Jutsu. Аs а ninja, Uсhihа Madara's оwn sensеs wеrе alreаdу ехсеptiоnally shаrр, hоned bу a lifеtimе оf battlе eхperiеnce. Тhis meant that fоr him, thеre wаs no bаrriеr tо entrу for Observation Haki whatsoever.
The real trouble for Madara was Armament Haki. Ninjas were notoriously glass cannons—high attack, low health. The idea of coating a part of his body with his will to increase attack and defense power felt… off. He was always accustomed to pursuing ever-greater offensive power, while ignoring defense.
After all, in the world of the ninja, even an Explosive Tag could kill a Jonin. Everyone was pure DPS. The Raikage's brand of idiocy was a rare exception in the shinobi world. The common wisdom was to dodge if you could, use a substitution if you couldn't, summon something to tank the hit if you couldn't substitute, use a jutsu to block the hit, or, if all else failed, let a clone take the hit. Did this Armament Haki really require you to just stand there and take a beating head-on?
After much deliberation, Uchiha Madara finally decided to learn Armament Haki as if it were a Hardening Technique that didn't require hand seals. In his eyes, using Armament Haki as an offensive tool was a bit too one-dimensional.
He had noticed it during his fight with Garp and Sengoku. Although their attack and defense were outstanding, their long-range and control capabilities were practically nil. To put it bluntly, he could have kept Garp busy for an entire day using nothing but the Great Fireball and Body Replacement Technique.
If it weren't for the little brat, he really would have had no need to delve so deeply into Armament Haki. Madara's own fighting style was already extremely mature; there was no need for any major changes.
At this thought, Uchiha Madara shook his head, dispelling the grogginess from a sleepless night, and strode toward the deck.
He used to hole up in his room just to avoid the little brat. Well, that was over now. The cards were on the table. I, Uchiha Madara, am a master of the Two Types of Haki!
Gion may have been young, but having grown up by Tsuru's side, she hadn't picked up any bad habits. On the contrary, she was extremely diligent, starting her training on the deck bright and early every day.
"Little brat, your power is too unfocused. A slash like that can't be called Iaido. At best, it's just a forceful chop."
Uchiha Madara jeered at Gion, who was gathering her strength in an Iaido stance.
Gion stuck her tongue out at Uchiha Madara and made a face.
"The Master is just a clueless idiot who doesn't know anything. Don't come over here and disturb my training."
Madara was momentarily speechless. He couldn't bring himself to explain that he wasn't clueless anymore. He just stood there, frozen.
So you, you little brat, aren't going to give me any face at all, are you? Is this how you repay me for staying up all night?
Uchiha Madara's expression chilled at her words. He turned to leave, but felt a rush of wind pressure from behind.
"An opening! Master! Die!!"
Madara's expression didn't change, but he let out a silent sigh of relief. He casually pinched the blade of her sword, lifting Gion, who was once again hanging from the hilt, up to his face.
"I told you, this isn't Iaido."
With that, he stabbed the sword into the cabin door behind him, leaving Gion hanging there. He then grabbed a mop, severed the head with a burst of Wind Release, and created four Wood Clones, which all struck a pose.
"I am not a master of the sword, but my family has a few techniques."
"Uchiha Style: Sword Flame Leap."
Combined with his powerful Body Flicker Technique, Uchiha Madara instantly seemed to split into four, flashing past the four Wood Clones. After he came to a stop, the afterimages left by his Body Flicker slowly merged back into his body.
He had only used a mop handle, yet a sword wound appeared on the neck of each of the four Wood Clones, perfectly deep enough to sever the throat. A moment later, golden flames erupted from the wounds, burning the clones to ashes.
Tossing the mop handle aside, he walked over to Gion, plucked her down, set her on the deck, and left. Gion could only stare, dumbfounded, at the mop handle Uchiha Madara had discarded.
Just then, Sengoku and Garp, who had been peeking from the sidelines, walked out. Sengoku patted Gion on the head.
"That's a fine sword technique. It would pair well with Shave. It suits you."
Gion still couldn't figure out how Madara had done it.
"But... that was just a wooden stick."
Garp spoke in his usual boisterous manner. "But it was a wooden stick used by Madara. He may not be a great swordsman, but he is an absolutely sharp sword wielder. In his hands, anything can be exceedingly sharp."
Gion was a little lost, but Sengoku's next words tossed that confusion aside.
"Little Gion, the cost of this mop Madara broke will be deducted from your allowance. That's one hundred thousand berries."
Gion's fur stood on end. Weren't they just bullying an honest person? Her monthly allowance was only one hundred fifty thousand berries!
"One hundred thousand berries ?! It's just a mop! Besides, Master is the one who broke it!!"
Sengoku pushed up his glasses, a glint of wisdom in his eyes.
"A teacher for a day is a father for life. The child pays the father's debt."
With that, he dragged the roaringly-laughing Garp off to find their fishing rods, leaving a completely broken Gion to flounder in the wind.
After a long while, Gion silently picked up the mop handle Madara had left behind.
The very instant she picked it up, four Wood Clones appeared before her. But these four clones wore the face of Sengoku.
In an instant, Gion's cosmos exploded. This filthy old man! Die!!
Gion tried to mimic Madara's stance. Once ready, she attempted to use Shave to create four afterimages. Deep breath, step, Shave!
Splat!
Little Gion, trying to fly before she could even walk, tripped over her own feet and fell flat on her face.
Looking at the mop handle, which had snapped from her fall, a trace of sadness flashed in Gion's eyes. But the absurd thing was, the seemingly ordinary mop handle slowly grew back together right before her eyes.
Gion took a deep breath and picked up the mop handle again.
The weather was beautiful today. The sun was warm, and the sea breeze was exceptionally cool. The only thing marring the perfection was that the warship was not exactly quiet.
Splat... splat... splat...
Madara, meditating on his bed, listened to the continuous splatting sounds, a contented smile on his lips. Zephyr, who was writing up various training plans, smiled with gratification.
Sengoku and Garp, standing on the deck with fishing rods but catching no fish, wore extremely sly grins.
Garp threw an arm around Sengoku's neck. "I bet Little Gion will take at least five days to learn that sword move. A month's worth of Senbei."
"I bet she won't learn it at all. We're five days from Marineford. Madara's move looks simple, but to use a stick with Shave to execute four simultaneous slashes... that's not something you can learn in a mere five days."
As Sengoku and Garp were talking, words materialized on their fishing rods.
'Three days.'
Garp burst out laughing. "Old Man Madara really has faith in Gion, huh? Well, I'll gladly take those Senbei off your hands."
No other words appeared on the rods, but those two alone, 'Three days', made it clear how highly Madara regarded Gion.
Body Flicker paired with Iaido. If she could pull it off, it was a path that could lead most swordsmen to the realm of Master Swordsman. Sengoku couldn't help but marvel at Madara's confidence. He wouldn't even bet on a Marine Rear Admiral learning that move in five days.
And Gion was just a girl of about ten. They hoped she could learn it, but reason told them it was impossible.
Never mind the difficult technique and the mastery of Shave required; even her age and gender would become insurmountable hurdles for little Gion.
Splat!
Speed, power, angle, footwork, exertion, timing. A sword technique performed casually by the Shura of the Shinobi World was, for the current Gion, as difficult as ascending to Heaven.
All she could do was fail, and get back up, again and again.
In the shadows, Uchiha Madara's eyes flickered with a complex light, as if something was troubling him.
To be continued...