The very next day at the Senju clan training ground…
Tobirama and Seimei were standing in front of each other.
"I didn't check your progress for a long time," said Tobirama.
Seimei simply nodded and replied, "Yes, it has been three months since our last spar."
It was less like a spar and more like me fleeing for my dear life!
Look at me. I'm just a child.
And you, a Super Kage-level Shinobi, want to check my progress by beating me to the ground at least once every two months.
How are you any different from that Uchiha girl?
Can't you guys act like humans?
You claim you want to check my progress?
Fine.
But does that really require you to hit me until my bones are about to break?
Can't you be a little gentle?
Uh…
Wait…that doesn't sound right!!
Although Seimei had a serious expression, he was already cursing his father in his mind.
Every two months, Tobirama would show up and check if Seimei was training well and becoming stronger.
He said he wanted to make sure that Seimei wasn't slacking off on his training.
And the method?
Of course, it was to pummel Seimei until he could no longer hold on.
Tobirama wasn't worried about Seimei suffering from any lasting damage or injury.
After all, with Seimei's powerful physique, abundant vitality, and the Senju clan's expertise in medical Ninjutsu, his son would be completely fixed up by the very next day.
So, he never held back.
The longer Seimei could struggle, the happier Tobirama would be.
It meant that Seimei's strength was clearly growing rapidly.
It was just that Seimei had to experience a little…pain!
Yes, it's for his own good.
So, I can't go too easy on him.
The more he bleeds here, the less he will suffer on the actual battlefield.
Just endure a little for now, my son.
As Tobirama organized his thoughts, his expression hardened, and his eyes gleamed with determination.
His eyes bore into Seimei as he said, "Let's not waste any more time."
"I will now attack you with the strength of a full-fledged Senju clan Jonin."
"You have to defend yourself and attack me with everything you have in your arsenal."
"Try to resist as long as you can."
"Now! Get Ready!"
As soon as Tobirama said his last words, he took a combat stance, ready to commence his assault.
On the other side, Seimei took his sword out and activated his Sharingan, ready to give his all in this fight.
This was his father, Senju Tobirama, the second strongest person in the entire Konoha.
(A/N: The first place still belongs to Senju Hashirama.)
He just can't afford to take it easy.
Otherwise, none of the bones in his body would stay intact by the end of the duel.
Seimei's crimson Sharingan shone with an eerie glow.
The pitch-black tomoe kept rotating in his blood-red irises, tracking and analyzing his opponent's every movement with extreme precision.
He took a deep breath, stared at Tobirama with his glowing Sharingan, and replied, "I am ready!"
The moment the words rang in the training ground, Tobirama dashed toward Seimei with a kunai.
He arrived in front of him in the blink of an eye and stabbed the kunai toward Seimei's liver.
True to his promise, Tobirama only used the power and speed of an average Senju clan Jonin.
As a result, Seimei's Sharingan could not only track Tobirama's movements, but he also moved his body to the left quickly enough to barely dodge the incoming kunai.
He also slashed his Ninjato upwards toward Tobirama's chest while moving out of the kunai's way.
He was only 133 cm tall, while Tobirama was 183 cm tall. If Seimei were in his late teens, he would definitely be tall enough to slash his sword downwards towards his father's shoulder, collar bones, or neck.
But he was still a child, so he had to slash at Tobirama's right chest for now.
However, Tobirama reacted quickly.
He pivoted his left leg on the ground and pulled his right leg back.
His entire right side moved back while he blocked the incoming sword slash with the kunai he was holding with his right hand.
CLANG!!!!
Sparks flew into the air as the Ninjato and the kunai met with tremendous force, filling the training ground with a loud clanking sound.
Seimei felt his hand go numb, but he didn't back down.
His Sharingan rotated furiously.
He kept slashing his Ninjato at Tobirama while using his Sharingan's insight ability to predict his father's next move.
In just under a couple of minutes, they had already exchanged hundreds of extremely lethal moves.
Their cold metallic blades shone with sharpness, ready to draw blood at a moment's notice.
Seimei's body was already covered in dozens of cuts, and he couldn't even touch a single strand of Tobirama's hair.
During these hundreds of exchanges, Seimei did find a few openings to strike Tobirama.
But before he could even take advantage of these openings, Tobirama quickly filled those gaps instinctively, displaying his exceptional combat experience and lightning-fast reflexes.
Such reaction speed and decades of combat experience made it impossible for Seimei to gain the upper hand in close combat, almost nullifying the advantage of Sharingan's predictive abilities.
As for casting Sharingan Genjutsu…
Don't even think about it.
As a Super Kage-level Shinobi, Tobirama's spirit attribute and mental resilience were extremely high.
Unless Seimei unlocked Mangekyo Sharingan, he could forget about ever trapping him into Sharingan Genjutsu.
Plus, even if he had Mangekyo Sharingan, Tobirama would instantly sense him gathering chakra in his eyes to prepare for the Sharingan Genjutsu.
Tobirama would immediately shift his gaze from Seimei's eyes, making it impossible to actually cast Sharingan Genjutsu on him during actual combat.
Senju clan Shinobi had innate chakra-sensing capabilities, after all.
No wonder Senju was one of the few clans that could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Uchiha clan during the Warring States Period.
Because of these factors, even though Tobirama was only using the speed and strength of an average Senju Jonin, Seimei couldn't land even a single hit on him.
If Seimei faced an average Konoha Jonin with no notable bloodline, he could have at least landed a few hits even if he couldn't win against them in a head-on battle.
But against his father, all his efforts seemed utterly useless.
If Tobirama used the strength and speed of an average Elite Jonin, Seimei probably wouldn't even last a few seconds.
Clang~ clang~ clang~ slash~
Seimei kept clashing blades with Tobirama with all his might for the next dozen or so minutes. But the most he could do was slash the edge of Tobirama's cloth, causing it to tear a little.
At this moment, he could no longer feel his right hand, which was holding the Ninjato to clash with Tobirama.
His Sharingan was working at full throttle, analyzing so much information at once that his eyes started to itch.
But he couldn't afford to blink.
The moment he did, he would lose.
If he didn't have Three-tomoe Sharingan, he wouldn't even be able to read his father's movements and respond to them.
So, he just couldn't blink.
Slash~ Spurt~~
Tobirama's kunai slashed his left abdomen, tearing apart his clothes, skin, and muscles, causing his blood to spurt out from the wound and taint the training ground red.
If he had been just a little late to react, the last kunai strike would have put him out of commission.
"Hiss!!!!"
He hissed in pain, but he still couldn't slow down. He couldn't rest.
He couldn't even find the opportunity to distance himself from Tobirama and cast Ninjutsu.
Tobirama didn't give him time at all.
Tobirama once again thrust his kunai at Seimei's abdomen.
Fortunately, Seimei already predicted the kunai thrust with his blood-red eyes before Tobirama even made the move.
He quickly slashed his Ninjato to block the kunai and divert its trajectory.
Clang~
The blade and kunai met once again with immense force, causing the sparks to fly.
However, the clash made Seimei's right hand ache. It wasn't a normal pain. Seimei felt as if the pain came from his very bones.
The wound in his abdomen was also agitated because of the impact force generated from the clash, causing him to shudder in pain.
But he refused to give up.
No!
This can't go on!
I have to find an opportunity to counterattack.
If there is no opportunity, then I must create one.
The world is filled with a lot of dangerous beings who can kill the current me without even lifting their fingers.
To become strong enough to face them, I can't give up when facing unfavorable situations.
I can't give up.
I WON'T GIVE UP!!
Seimei's Sharingan started glowing with an even more intense light, radiating chilling Yin Release chakra.
If he gave up now while facing his father, who was using the strength of an average Senju Jonin, how could he survive in this cruel world?
How could he protect his loved ones?
So, he refused to give up.
As he made up his mind, the three tomoe in his Sharingan spun with even greater speed.
His chakra, as if to answer his calls, began boiling.
Seimei's chakra flow became smoother, further reinforcing his muscles, bones, and nerves, making his strength, agility, and reaction speed skyrocket.
He glared at his father with a firm determination.
It was time to begin the second round.
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