Twenty minutes later, in the Hokage's office.
After a hurried knock on the door, the chūnin who had been coordinating the scene earlier rushed in, sweat covering his face and his expression tense, and immediately bowed as he reported.
"Another loss?" The Third Hokage, seeing his expression, already had a premonition, but still asked.
"Y-Yes, Hokage-sama! Jōnin Kawano was defeated as well!" The chūnin's voice carried disbelief.
"Explain in detail. What happened?" The Third Hokage leaned slightly forward, his expression turning completely serious.
Kawano Ayumu was no newly promoted special jōnin like Gekkō Arashi—that was a genuine jōnin who had been tempered by war!
"Yes!" The chūnin swallowed and spoke rapidly: "After arriving, Jōnin Kawano was very cautious. He judged that Isshin-sama's physical condition was extraordinarily strong, so he didn't choose close-quarters entanglement. Instead, he created distance first and attempted mid-range probing and suppression using Wind Release ninjutsu."
"A very reasonable tactic." The Third Hokage nodded.
"But that's exactly where the problem was!" The chūnin's face showed a mix of lingering fear and confusion. "That client, Isshin-sama—when facing Jōnin Kawano's Wind Release ninjutsu, he didn't make any attempt to dodge or defend! He just… charged straight through it!"
"Hm?"
"Yes, Third-sama—he charged through! Extremely fast! The Wind Release hit him, but aside from tearing his clothes, it… it didn't seem to cause any obvious damage!" The chūnin's voice became more urgent. "Jōnin Kawano had clearly never encountered such a completely unreasonable fighting style before. And since the client just took his ninjutsu head-on, he became concerned for the client's safety. His rhythm was disrupted for a moment—just that instant of being caught off guard—and the opponent closed in!"
"Once in close range, Isshin-sama's blade was too fierce, too fast, and his strength was unbelievably great. Jōnin Kawano found it extremely difficult to parry with swordsmanship. Several clashes forced him to retreat repeatedly. He could only rely on his experience and Body Flicker Technique to barely maneuver, trying to find an opening, but… but during one exchange of weapons, when he was knocked back a few steps and tried to reset his stance—"
The chūnin's voice stopped there, his expression turning extremely strange, mixed with absurdity.
"But what?" The Third Hokage pressed.
"But… Isshin-sama fired a gun."
"Oh? So he used a gun to create a decisive opening—wait!"
Hiruzen followed the line of thought, then suddenly reacted, his eyes widening, his pipe almost slipping from his hand: "What did you say?! Fired what gun?!"
"Yes, Third-sama, Isshin-sama fired a gun." The chūnin replied with a miserable face, confirming again, then added that absurd fact: "A very strange-looking firearm—like a large-caliber short-barreled gun."
...
Time rewinds to ten minutes earlier, Third Training Ground.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Seven rapid explosions, almost without interval, tore through the air, drowning out all other sounds!
The strong smell of gunpowder instantly spread.
Already struggling under Isshin's unreasonable charge and storm-like close-range blade pressure, Kawano Ayumu—his mind stretched to the limit—did indeed blank out for a split second when that ferocious short-barreled gun suddenly appeared in the opponent's left hand.
He had imagined that this match would involve swords, spears, great blades, even kunai, shuriken, senbon, or various strange weapons.
But a firearm?
A stiff long-range weapon that had already been proven inferior to explosive tags and ninjutsu in past wars, and long abandoned by ninja—and even looked down upon by samurai?
This completely exceeded Kawano Ayumu's, and even all the spectators', understanding and expectations of combat!
That fatal instant of blank shock made him miss the best timing to use Body Flicker to evade.
What the hell kind of firearm is this—how are the bullets this fast!?
Kawano's heart was shaken. At the critical moment, relying on his refined combat instincts, he raised his weapon to block, but—
Pff! Pff! Pff!
Several bursts of blood exploded from his shoulder, arm, and thigh without warning!
Though not vital points, the sudden intense pain and impact completely disrupted his body balance and chakra flow.
"Urgh!" Kawano groaned, his movements inevitably distorting and slowing.
And Isshin—this man who had absolutely no samurai spirit in battle—seemed to have been waiting for this moment.
The katana in his right hand turned into a streak of cold, shrill light, surging forward!
With the flat of the blade, carrying the full force of his charge, it slammed solidly into Kawano's chest and abdomen!
Boom!
A heavy, muffled impact.
Kawano Ayumu was like he had been struck by a giant battering ram—his feet lifted off the ground, his body sent flying backward over ten meters before crashing down, rolling several times before barely stopping.
He struggled to get up, but the churning pain in his chest and abdomen and the wounds from the bullets made it impossible to gather strength. He could only stare, unwilling and in pain, at the tall figure standing in the field with sword sheathed.
The entire field fell into a brief, vacuum-like silence.
As if all sound had been sucked away by those gunshots and the heavy blow that followed.
But in the next second, an even greater wave of noise and anger erupted like a volcano!
"Despicable!!"
"Shameless! What kind of match is this?!"
"You used a firearm!? That's a sneak attack!"
"A disgrace to samurai! No honor whatsoever!"
"No martial ethics! Get out of Konoha!"
Roars, curses, and scornful jeers surged from all directions toward Isshin.
Many Konoha ninja—older ones were calmer, but the hot-blooded younger ones flushed red with anger, as if they had suffered a grave insult.
You're a samurai—how can you use a firearm?
Didn't you see that Konoha's ninja were respecting your identity as a samurai, trying to fight you with swordsmanship?
Meanwhile, Higashino Shinichi had already quietly passed through the angry crowd and arrived at Kawano Ayumu's side.
He crouched down, his face carrying just the right amount of seriousness and concern. His hands quickly emitted a gentle green glow of medical chakra as he skillfully began treating Kawano's wounds—stopping bleeding, easing pain, and using the fine control of a chakra scalpel to carefully guide out the shallowly embedded bullets.
Though the injuries looked severe, after Shinichi's treatment, he would probably recover normal mobility in about ten to fifteen days, without any lasting aftereffects.
"Thanks, Shinichi."
Ayumu breathed heavily, his face pale, his voice filled with frustration and bitterness. "Too bad… I disgraced the village."
Shinichi's hands didn't stop, but his expression became somewhat subtle.
He seemed to want to say something, then chose his words carefully, finally speaking in a low voice: "Senpai, you're being too hard on yourself. You responded with everything you had, and your tactical choice wasn't wrong. It's just that no one could have imagined that, as a samurai from the Land of Iron, known for swordsmanship, he would use something like a firearm in a public match—such a… unconventional method."
"Too despicable!" Shizune ran over at this moment, crouching beside Shinichi. She glared angrily at Kawano's wounds, then at Isshin in the field. "His swordsmanship is clearly so strong—why use something like that? This isn't a fair fight at all!"
Kurenai also walked over, her crimson eyes filled with complex emotions—shock, confusion, and a trace of worldview-shaking bewilderment: "This… this is something I've never heard of before. A samurai's match shouldn't be…"
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