Another close clash of blades gave Arata Itsuki an even clearer understanding of the difference between himself and Hatake Sakumo.
He was far faster than Sakumo—so fast that Arata could evade almost every strike.
But the problem was simple and brutal:
he only needed to fail once.
If even a single attack slipped through his speed, that nearly invisible sword aura and overwhelming force would leave him in serious trouble.
Still, Arata did not crumble.
He kept pressing Sakumo, forcing him to respond.
Whenever Sakumo's movements reached the tail end of a cycle, Arata would slip in with several speed-based counterattacks.
But Arata's stamina… was the real issue.
In a battle of this intensity, his physique—merely at the level of an Elite Chūnin—simply couldn't sustain him for long.
Sakumo clearly sensed this, and with mild regret, he stepped back out of the fighting circle.
"That's enough for today. Jiraiya was right—when it comes to kenjutsu, the two of us really are evenly matched."
The surrounding shinobi had no arguments this time.
Arata had just crossed blades with the Third Strongest in Konoha—the famed White Fang—and did not fall behind.
A man whose name echoed across the entire shinobi world.
In their eyes, Arata's strength immediately elevated to at least Elite Jōnin.
Some even whispered that against certain Kage who lacked taijutsu, Arata might manage a fight.
But for Arata, this duel only made his shortcomings painfully clear.
He became even more desperate to grow stronger.
After all, the title "Kage-level" only meant something in the early years of the Naruto world.
By the Fourth Great Ninja War, Kage-levels were as common as weeds—and if he wanted to survive long enough to protect himself and the woman he loved, he needed to reach Super-Kage, even Six Paths level someday.
Once his breathing steadied, Arata bowed slightly and said to Sakumo:
"I gained a lot from this battle. Next time we duel, I'll definitely defeat you."
For the first time, Arata didn't address him as "Sakumo-sama."
He now placed himself on equal footing.
Before he had the system, humility had been his habit—
but now, with a real chance to grow, he no longer intended to look up at others forever.
Sakumo, with his inherently kind personality and only a few years older than Arata, didn't mind the informal tone at all.
On the contrary, he smiled with anticipation.
"I'll look forward to that fight."
At that moment, the system chimed in Arata's mind:
[Ding! You have completed the duel with Hatake Sakumo.]
[Reward: Hawkeye's Swordsmanship Insight.]
…
The duel came to an end, and the crowd dispersed to resume their patrol duties.
Arata didn't linger.
He immediately returned to his assigned sector—
he was eager to see the reward: Hawkeye's Swordsmanship Insight.
This was his second system reward.
Opening his inventory, he found a book-shaped icon:
[Hawkeye's Swordsmanship Insight – Grants the user the understanding and principles behind Hawkeye's training methods. Does not directly grant Hawkeye's swordsmanship.]
It didn't make him Mihawk instantly—
but it was as good as receiving personal guidance from the greatest swordsman in the One Piece world.
Even Zoro—one of the strongest men of that world—became who he was because he trained under Mihawk, skyrocketing his blade skill.
With this kind of mentor-level guidance, Arata would avoid countless detours on his path.
"Use Hawkeye's Swordsmanship Insight."
[Ding! Insight successfully used. Transmitting ability…]
The moment the knowledge settled into his mind, Arata gained clarity.
He understood how to improve, where his current limits were, and how far he had to go.
His swordsmanship seemed strong—but in truth, he was merely approaching the level of a true swordmaster.
Without chakra or his Devil Fruit's enhancement, he probably couldn't even cut steel.
Reaching the level of swordmaster required comprehension.
But with Hawkeye's insight, he now knew exactly how to break through.
He believed that within just a few days, he could step into the realm of a swordmaster.
A swordmaster could sever steel and unleash ranged sword slashes.
If Arata guessed correctly, Hatake Sakumo was also at this level.
Determined, Arata began training immediately.
Fighting an Elite Jōnin and then a Kage-level opponent back-to-back had piled pressure upon him.
He trained harder than ever—
developing his Devil Fruit powers, practicing taijutsu, refining his sword skill—
almost without rest.
Fortunately, he was already used to relentless training.
In the past, without the system, he had practically lived in constant cultivation—
how else could someone with ordinary talent reach the level of a Tokubetsu Jōnin?
And with Mind Net, he didn't need to patrol.
If an enemy approached, he would sense it instantly.
He focused primarily on expanding his Mind Net.
As for other techniques, once his taijutsu improved, everything else would come naturally.
By the time he finished a full day of harsh training, it was already deep into the night.
Yet Arata felt no exhaustion.
He had discovered a way to use electricity to stimulate his cells—
increasing recovery speed and strengthening muscle fibers.
This made his training drastically more efficient and reduced stamina loss.
If he didn't need to return for roll call, he would've continued training through the night.
"No helping it. I'll check in, then come right back out to train."
He had to.
Otherwise someone might think he'd been ambushed—
and he didn't want anyone discovering him "patrolling" while upside-down doing training drills.
Even on the way back, Arata didn't stop training—
he traveled entirely while walking on his hands.
The Third Hokage had given him half a month to reinforce the border.
This made Arata uneasy.
Would something happen to Shizune before he got back?
Danzō was a vicious old rat.
There was every chance he'd kill Shizune outright.
And if that happened, Arata would lose access to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber reward.
But he also didn't want to abandon the mission involving the Sunagakure's intel troops—
that reward was Kamui, the ability to freely move through dimensions.
The speed boost wasn't the part he cared about—
it was the space manipulation.
Every major boss in the later Naruto arcs possessed some space-related ability.
Arata needed one too.
"For now, I'll stay at the border. If Shizune really dies, the system will notify me."
When he returned, most shinobi were already asleep.
No one saw him traveling upside-down.
Except Hatake Sakumo, who was responsible for registering Arata's return.
Seeing Arata still training so hard, Sakumo's respect for him grew once again.
Arata wasn't a prodigy—
but with sheer willpower, he had climbed all the way to his current strength.
And that was something Sakumo cherished deeply.