The place where Hatake Saku practiced was a wilderness scattered with rocks. The surrounding rocks were covered in varying depths of sword marks, suggesting that Hatake Saku had spent many years honing his swordsmanship there, and the hardships endured could be easily imagined.
This further strengthened Tsunade's belief in the idea that "Even if one is a genius, one must work hard. Even if one is cheating, one must strive." In fact, Tsunade had realized long ago that she was extremely poor when it came to using ninjutsu and taijutsu techniques. To put it simply, she lacked combat awareness.
Though the ninjutsu she learned from the system was well mastered, and its execution was smooth, with added effects through multiple layers, the real problem was unavoidable.
That problem was that the choice of which ninjutsu to use depended on Tsunade herself.
As a result, the situation became: if Tsunade simply followed orders on which ninjutsu to use, the effects would be exceptionally good, but in actual combat, she would often find herself unsure of when and which response to use.
Of course, the Shadow Clone Technique was an exception. This was because Tsunade had personally learned it in order to complete her mission "I want to be the top student - I," and after several system enhancements, combined with the experience of the First Great Ninja War, Tsunade had learned how to properly use the technique in combat.
Overall, Tsunade lacked "instinct," in every possible sense of the word.
"Tsunade, you lack the instinct to pursue battle," Hatake Saku bluntly said after a brief sparring session. "We are ninjas, tools of war. We should unconditionally pursue combat, seek strength, and destroy the enemy without mercy, just like the killing instinct imprinted deeply in the most primitive parts of human nature."
Hatake Saku believed that Tsunade lacked not only physical instinct but also the instinct of willpower.
To put it harshly, Tsunade, as a ninja, was mentally disabled.
However, willpower was something hard to change, so Hatake Saku planned to start by cultivating Tsunade's physical instincts, then use that to trigger a mental resonance, ultimately allowing her to experience the joy of battle.
"…"
Tsunade lowered the wooden staff in her hand. She had to admit that what Hatake Saku said was right. As for battle, Tsunade didn't just lack the desire for it; she loathed it. Her desire for strength was merely an attempt to find some sense of security in this chaotic world. At many times, she couldn't help but think: what if I just find a place to hide and live until I die at fifty?
That was very possible. Even with her current strength, as long as she kept herself hidden, surviving wouldn't be a problem. By the time she was fifty, perhaps she would have let go of most things and wouldn't fear death as much.
"You lack this kind of raw instinct."
With these words, Hatake Saku ended his evaluation of Tsunade and returned his white-tooth short sword to its scabbard.
"Please, you must guide me in swordsmanship training."
Tsunade, as the person involved, naturally understood a little of what Hatake Saku said. She knew very well that she didn't have the perseverance to keep going on her own, which was why she needed someone to supervise and push her—someone like Hatake Saku.
Well, at least for now, that was the case.
Hatake Saku wiped his nose, feeling a little embarrassed by Tsunade's serious request, and awkwardly said, "In any case, I'll start by teaching you the basics of holding the sword."
Upon hearing this, Tsunade raised the wooden staff again, somewhat puzzled. Isn't the sword something that just needs to be gripped tightly?
At this point, Hatake Saku had already moved behind Tsunade, adjusting her sword-grip posture with his hands.
"The palms holding the sword must have no gaps. The ring finger and little finger should grip the sword tightly, while the thumb and index finger should not grip too tightly—just gently pinch. The middle finger should rest on the sword handle, neither too tight nor too loose, for slight adjustments…"
In fact, training in swordsmanship required a lot of basic exercises before truly wielding the sword. However, time was limited, and Tsunade had some foundation, plus an unreasonable amount of strength, so Hatake Saku directly skipped the preliminary stages and went straight to teaching her the fundamental aspects of swordsmanship.
"Keep this posture and swing the sword ten thousand times. Let your body memorize the motion," Hatake Saku instructed. He paused, thinking that, given Tsunade's abilities, this wouldn't be difficult, before adding, "If you can't even do this, I'd suggest giving up on sword training altogether."
"My body is very sensitive. I can definitely remember it!" Tsunade confidently assured and immediately began swinging the sword with precision.
"One, two, three, four, five, six…"
Watching Tsunade swing the sword without error, Hatake Saku showed a satisfied expression.
"Since time is tight, let me tell you some things to pay attention to later," Hatake Saku continued, "You don't have to stop. Just keep swinging the sword and listen carefully."
Tsunade nodded, her expression growing more serious. Her sword swings grew stronger as well.
"In actual combat, once you draw your sword… even when using ninjutsu, the only goal is to kill the enemy. When your sword swings toward the enemy, the way you grip it must not change, and there must be no hesitation. No matter the situation, the goal of the attack is to defeat the opponent—that cannot be changed…"
Unlike Orochimaru, Hatake Saku was a typical "fight to the death, life or death doesn't matter" type. So when instructing Tsunade, he inevitably passed on some of his personal beliefs.
"Your movements and sword stances cannot be fixed and rigid. Fixed movements mean a dead-end…"
Tsunade understood this. The Dugu Nine Swords were not just nine moves; they were countless variations to adapt to any situation.
"Fighting with reason alone is meaningless. A sword still sheathed won't kill anyone. Unreliable ideas only lead to death."
Tsunade felt the conversation suddenly turned strange. It seemed Hatake Saku was a bit of a chatterbox?
"False tears hurt others, false smiles hurt yourself."
Wait, why is this going in such a weird direction?
Finally, Tsunade managed to survive Hatake Saku's endless talking. The reason was that Hatake Saku found it boring to talk to himself for so long and had some things to do. So, he left Tsunade alone to continue swinging the sword ten thousand times.
Honestly, with Hatake Saku gone, Tsunade started to feel a bit bored and even began to feel sleepy.
"Two thousand three hundred eighty-one, two thousand three hundred ninety-two, two thousand four hundred ninety-three, two thousand five hundred fourteen…"
Tsunade felt that after Hatake Saku left, she would soon achieve the goal of swinging the sword ten thousand times.
(End of Chapter)