"The grilled meat is sooo good… Ugh, after this meal I'll need to diet for a whole month!"
"Hahaha… maybe, but it's not every day a jōnin treats us. Might as well enjoy it."
Tenten scratched her cheek awkwardly.
Souma sighed softly.
"We train so much every day. As long as you don't eat like this every day, you'll burn it off easily. No need to diet."
"Really?" x2
"Anyway, let's go. We passed the exam, yes, but the way we passed wasn't exactly… elegant."
Souma smiled.
Tenten pouted.
"I get it, I'll train harder."
"I didn't say you were our weak point," Souma corrected her.
"Kakashi-sensei went after you because he couldn't locate Kasumi right away, and if he targeted me he'd walk straight into our plan. So you were simply the only option."
Then he turned toward Kasumi.
"You're an excellent kunoichi, all of us are. Right, Kasumi?"
Kasumi proudly puffed up her chest.
"Mm! Exactly—we're all outstanding!"
Tenten twitched.
"Kasumi, why do you sound like, 'When I team up with the First Hokage, we're invincible'?"
"Hey! I helped too!"
Kasumi's hair practically exploded.
"Alright, alright. Let's go practice swordsmanship."
Souma stood up.
"Yes!"
Kasumi jumped up energetically.
"…" Tenten followed with a sigh.
Inside the restaurant, Might Guy stared resentfully at Kakashi as he put away his wallet.
This bill… was far beyond what he mentally prepared for.
If it weren't for his promise, he'd never have paid for so many bottomless appetites.
"Kakashi," Guy said seriously, "your student… His mindset has some issues. Keep an eye on him, otherwise it'd be a waste of talent."
Kakashi, for once, looked serious.
"Yeah."
Guy instantly forgot his heartache.
"Let's observe him for a while."
"I'm going," Kakashi said, waving lazily.
"Where?"
"To watch them train and figure out how to teach them."
The guy laughed loudly.
"Must be tough, having such gifted students, eh Kakashi?"
He really wasn't teasing.
In the past two years, he'd watched Souma study every inch of his taijutsu, replicate it, refine it, and eventually create his own techniques.
Teaching a genius is always harder on the teacher.
"…Yeah." Kakashi admitted.
"Oh right," Guy added, "when you teach him ninjutsu, make sure he keeps up his physical training. Taijutsu mustn't fall behind, and—"
"…Sorry, what did you say just now?"
"Kakashi!! As expected of my eternal rival!!"
The Moonlight Dojo
It was Souma's first time training in such a professional sword dojo, but he quickly adapted.
Honestly, compared to the forest, the only differences were extra props—like training dummies.
Not that they were better than trees.
"Why aren't you practicing?"
Kasumi peeked at Souma sitting cross-legged, not moving.
"Do you not like this place? Should we switch locations?"
"No. I'm just thinking about how to improve my sword technique. I only started recently, and it still feels immature."
Souma smiled gently.
Kasumi tilted her head.
That made sense—Souma could use a sword, but even during the fight with Kakashi, he never used it.
So maybe… maybe this was something he wasn't good at?
Finally! Something he's bad at!
Kasumi almost cheered inside. Souma finally felt human.
Brightly she said:
"Tell me! I'll teach you!"
"Old samurai were good at Iaido. I tried practicing it a few times, but it didn't feel right."
"Iaido, huh? A very old technique."
Kasumi flipped a wooden block into the air.
"I actually studied it for a while!"
Shing!
One flash of steel.
Before Tenten could blink, the wooden block fell apart—cleanly sliced into three pieces.
"So fast!"
Tenten's eyes sparkled.
As expected of the Moonlight clan—when it comes to sword skills, they really were on another level.
Souma watched quietly, then murmured:
"I see… Iaido really does have its own unique method of generating power. The version I figured out deviated quite a bit."
"Want me to show it again?"
"No need."
Souma lifted a small wooden log and tossed it lightly.
In the same instant—
Shing—!
The dojo rang with a sharp, vibrating sword cry.
Kasumi froze.
Souma's blade was already sheathed.
And the wooden log?
It fell apart into seven or eight perfectly sliced pieces.
Kasumi stared down at the wood.
Then stared up at Souma.
Then stared back down again.
Expression blank, she asked:
"…This is what you call 'not knowing how'?"
"Earlier I really didn't. You taught me just now."
"???"
Kasumi stood there silently for a long time.
Then she picked up her sword and turned toward the door.
This was too depressing.
Tenten laughed dryly.
She was already used to Souma's learning speed.
"Speed alone isn't enough," Souma continued calmly.
"You need power too. That's where girls tend to fall behind. But with chakra reinforcement and proper muscle use, you can improve."
As he spoke, he lifted a kunai and tossed it upward.
A flash of steel—
Swish!
The kunai split cleanly into two pieces midair.
Kasumi's jaw dropped.
She didn't speak.
She simply sprinted back over and grabbed Souma's hand:
"Genius! Teach me! Teach me right now!!"
"It's simple," Souma explained.
"Just condense chakra along the blade—same concept as the Chakra Scalpel—and then swing with maximum power."
He demonstrated slowly.
He was simply returning the favor.
Kasumi's one demonstration saved him days or weeks of fumbling.
The Moonlight family's main flaw had always been lack of cutting power—if they had stronger strikes, someone like Hayate wouldn't have fallen to Baki.
"Wait— I can barely condense chakra on the blade. But how do I find my 'maximum power' point?"
Kasumi asked honestly.
Tenten nodded beside her—strength had always been a female shinobi's disadvantage. That was why so many admired Tsunade.
"Find the strongest point of force in your muscles and memorize the sensation.
You two won't grasp the whole-body version yet, so just start with your arms. Repeat it until your body remembers."
Souma gestured for Kasumi to strike so he could demonstrate the difference between an ordinary slash and a full-power, optimized slash.
Kasumi's eyes widened.
"This… was the technique you used earlier? The burst of speed?"
She remembered clearly—the moment she was caught by Kakashi's clone, Souma had accelerated abruptly to block Kakashi's real attack.
"More or less," Souma answered.
"I call it the 'limit state.' You two won't master the full thing soon, so start small. Practice arm power control first—you use your arms more often anyway."
Kasumi and Tenten exchanged a glance.
Both felt a little moved.
This technique was definitely at the level of a clan secret.
Yet Souma taught them without hesitation.
"We'll keep it a secret!" both said at once.
"No need," Souma waved it off.
"It's nothing profound. Go ahead and practice—I'll watch your form."
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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