"So, are you planning to admit defeat?"
"Admit defeat? That's impossible!" The moment the words left his mouth, Aoshi charged at Kosuke's shadow clone once again.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In just one second, their blades collided several times in rapid succession.
But whether in strength or speed, Aoshi was clearly outclassed. He quickly fell into a disadvantage. Moments later, Kosuke's shadow clone landed another blow, knocking him to the ground.
Had this been a real battle to the death, Aoshi would already be dead.
"Still not giving up?" The clone asked calmly, withdrawing his blade just in time.
"If I gave up now, I'm sure you'd find it pretty boring, wouldn't you, Uncle Kosuke?" Instead of surrendering, Aoshi began forming hand seals.
The clone didn't interfere. Instead, he watched with interest, curious to see what kind of trick Aoshi had in store.
Poof!
A puff of smoke exploded outward, and three identical Aoshis suddenly rushed at the clone.
Unlike the real Shadow Clone Technique Kosuke had used earlier, this was just the basic Clone Technique—an E-rank ninjutsu that creates intangible illusions, incapable of causing harm. Its sole purpose was to confuse and mislead.
"Clone Technique? That won't work on me." There was a hint of disappointment in the clone's voice. Remaining rooted in place, he swung his blade precisely, dispelling all three copies with ease.
They were illusions—nothing more.
But just as he began to scan for the real Aoshi, something unexpected occurred.
From directly behind, a large tree suddenly burst from the earth, wrapping around him and binding his movements.
And in the very next instant, Aoshi emerged from the tree trunk itself, driving his blade straight into the immobilized clone.
"Genjutsu?!" Just before he dispersed into smoke, the clone's stunned voice rang out—clearly shocked.
He had known Aoshi for some time and was familiar with his limited talent. That's exactly why he had taken the time to personally teach him Konoha-style swordsmanship.
After all, swordsmanship was a form of taijutsu—the simplest and most accessible form of combat for genin. Beyond the Three Basic Jutsu taught at the Academy, most genin never learned any advanced techniques.
That's why the clone never expected Aoshi to use genjutsu, much less employ it so effectively in combat.
Clap clap clap. A round of applause echoed through the training field.
It was Kosuke's real body, approaching with visible approval in his eyes. "I didn't expect this from you, Aoshi. You actually defeated my shadow clone. If you entered the Chūnin Exams right now, I'm sure you'd pass."
It was a genuine compliment—and Aoshi had earned it. From the sidelines, Kosuke had seen everything clearly.
While casting the Clone Technique, Aoshi had used the smoke as cover to seamlessly perform Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death—a genjutsu. His timing had been perfect, and the execution nearly flawless.
Even someone as experienced as Kosuke had to admit: he was impressed.
What Kosuke didn't know, however, was that Aoshi had only mastered the technique thanks to two system rewards, which had instantly raised his proficiency.
Without those boosts, given Aoshi's average talent, it could've taken him years to learn—let alone use—in real combat.
"When did you learn genjutsu?"
"Uncle Kosuke, you know my teammate is an Uchiha. I learned it from her."
Aoshi had already prepared a convincing explanation. Since he had used Tree Binding Death in front of Kosuke, he needed a believable source.
And who better than a Uchiha?
Given Mikoto's identity, it made perfect sense. And as her teammate, it was only natural that Aoshi would've learned a few things from her.
The story was airtight.
Besides, no one in Konoha, not even the higher-ups, would question an Uchiha's actions over something so minor.
In truth, Aoshi had received Tree Binding Death as a system reward for healing Mikoto.
As expected, Kosuke didn't pry further. He simply nodded.
"Since you've already mastered Konoha-style swordsmanship and even show promise in genjutsu, I'll teach you my original technique—Konoha Style Willow."
Konoha Style Willow was a secret technique of Kosuke's own creation, blending swordsmanship and genjutsu into one seamless style. It required no hand seals to activate.
When executed, the user would appear to dissolve into fluttering leaves, binding the target's movements with illusion. The user would then strike from the enemy's blind spot—ending the fight in a single blow.
It was, in essence, a one-hit kill Jutsu.
Naturally, Aoshi wouldn't pass up the opportunity to learn such a rare A-rank level jutsu.
"Thank you, Uncle Kosuke." Kosuke handed him a scroll containing the technique and personally demonstrated it, explaining each critical nuance in detail.
"This move is very difficult. If you want to master it, you'll have to train seriously. If there's anything you don't understand, don't hesitate to ask me."
"I will." After receiving the scroll, Aoshi returned to his personal training ground.
---
His next objective was to fully master Chakra Scalpel. Tomorrow marked the final day of his bet with Tsunade, and Aoshi had no intention of losing.
After forming the necessary hand seals, he gathered chakra into his right hand, shaping it into a fine, scalpel-like blade.
He picked up one of the prepared fish and applied the chakra edge. Unlike last night, where the fish had been sliced in half, this time there was no external wound.
The fish died from internal damage, caused by chakra slicing through its organs.
"Not bad. Let's keep going." The real challenge lay in severing the nervous system precisely—without killing the target.
Only then could he claim true mastery.
Once, twice…
By the time he reached the sixth fish, Aoshi finally succeeded.
The fish remained alive, but its nerve system had been accurately severed—leaving it temporarily immobilized.
"Yes! Finally!" Elated, he cast a healing jutsu and restored the nerves. Moments later, the fish sprang back to life, full of energy.
---
As the silver moon gave way to dawn, Aoshi once again arrived at Konoha Hospital.
This time, with yesterday's lesson in mind, he didn't rush to see Tsunade.
Instead, he dove straight into work. His next patient was yet another "familiar face"—Might Duy.
Of course, Aoshi had never actually met him in person. Like Maruboshi Kosuke, Might Duy was known as an eternal genin—but his true strength far surpassed that label.
Unlike Kosuke, who had refused promotion by choice, Duy had been forced into obscurity.
Due to his lack of teammates, he was limited to D-rank missions like finding cats and delivering mail—never progressing up the ranks.
To make things worse, Duy had virtually no talent for ninjutsu, focusing solely on taijutsu. His development had been painfully slow.
Because of that, many within the shinobi ranks mocked and dismissed him. But Might Duy never let their scorn affect him.
Instead, he transformed their mockery into motivation—and passed this powerful mindset down to his son, Might Guy.
It was that unshakeable attitude… that shaped both of them into legends.