Konoha’s White Fang Shines

Chapter 10: Fearless!

Due to deciding to train diligently, Genma no longer visited Obito's house to see his grandma.

However, he didn't hesitate at all when it came to providing the necessary funds. Whether Obito could repay him or not didn't matter; he had the money.

After that day when Kurenai pushed him to confess, Kurenai also cherished the time she spent with Genma at school.

Every evening after school, the two of them would synchronously pack up their things and head to the playground.

Since he now had a girlfriend, Shiranui Genma no longer had any inhibitions.

Visible training methods like Taijutsu were all scheduled for the mornings and nights.

During the afternoons after school, it was naturally the time for stylish sword swings.

Of course, being stylish didn't require any effort. In a place like Konoha, where swordsmanship experts were few, those who wielded swords were naturally cool.

Genma used basic sword techniques, and due to his very solid and practiced foundation, he often drew gasps from many outsiders.

Kurenai naturally didn't idle while Genma trained hard. She also had her own opinions and her own perseverance.

However, she seemed to be very fond of swords. After completing her own tasks, she would watch Genma practice his swordsmanship.

But the good times didn't last long. The continuous gasps that belonged to Genma took over, and Kurenai's gaze often shifted as well.

Genma wasn't worried that Kurenai would fall in love with someone else, after all, she was always sticking with him, not some guy next door wielding a black sword.

The guy wielding the black sword happened to be their classmate, named Raidō Namiashi.

In terms of looks, Raidō Namiashi could only be considered average. It was just his strange mask that covered his nose and his eye-catching black sword that drew attention.

Coincidentally, his basic swordsmanship had already reached a bottleneck, making further training rigid. So when Raidō Namiashi put away his sword, he stopped Genma.

"Hey, Namiashi, as fellow sword practitioners, how about a duel?"

Seeing Genma waiting with his sword, Raidō Namiashi's eyes sparkled with joy, and he pointed his blade directly at Genma.

"Hey, I've seen you practicing swordsmanship for a while now. You must have hit your limit by now."

Unexpectedly, Raidō Namiashi's gaze was so fierce that he immediately identified the problem Genma was facing, but this didn't make Genma back down. Instead, it made him a bit excited.

"Indeed, as you said, but a battle is the best way for both of us to become stronger, isn't it?"

Raidō Namiashi wholeheartedly agreed, nodded, and responded, "Exactly, then let's do it."

Both of them faced each other with their swords, adopting combat stances.

"Wow, those two are finally going to duel! Look, look everyone!"

"Hmph, isn't that the guy with the black sword and the guy with the white sword? Two wannabe cool guys are actually going to duel. It's really exciting~"

"That's the person my father approved of. He must be strong."

With his watermelon-style hair and constantly doing push-ups, Might Guy looked up towards Genma.

After throwing his last shuriken, Kurenai's father, Makoto Yūhi, wiped the sweat off his face and looked worriedly towards Genma, saying, "He's just practicing basic swordsmanship. How can he duel someone from a swordsmanship family? He's really going too far~"

At that moment, Genma and Raidō Namiashi moved swiftly, charging towards each other.

"Ping!"

Their swords clashed, sparking tiny flames.

"Didn't expect you to react so quickly. I've been practicing this strike for a long time," Raidō Namiashi appreciatively remarked.

"Ha, it's just luck. Didn't you notice? I intentionally slowed down my steps and constantly adjusted my footwork to make you strike first."

"Ping!"

Raidō Namiashi was the first to deflect Genma's strike and swiftly swung his sword at Genma, but it was still blocked.

"Are you using footwork adjustments again? Your calculation ability is strong, but you only know how to defend, don't you?"

Seeing his sword blocked again, Raidō Namiashi forcefully pushed Genma once more.

"This time it's different. Even if I could block your first strike, I might have been knocked down. Actually, I used chakra at my heel."

Missing both strikes, Raidō Namiashi didn't get discouraged. He launched forward again, swinging his sword straight at Genma's right arm.

Just as Genma prepared to block with his horizontal sword, Raidō Namiashi's sword was rapidly descending, aiming to strike Genma's foot.

But before his sword could make contact, Genma dodged and retreated.

"You never engage me directly. You only respond after I make a move. It puts me in a difficult position~"

Raidō Namiashi gritted his teeth, unable to stand Genma's sneaky behavior any longer.

But Genma had no choice. After all, he didn't have any specific techniques, only basic swordsmanship.

However, the previous few probing strikes had allowed him to understand some of his opponent's tactics.

Raidō Namiashi seemed to still follow the development path from the original work, focusing heavily on increasing his sword-swinging speed.

It was said that Yamanaka Aoba's genjutsu and Raidō Namiashi's black sword's swift coordination made him almost unbeatable.

At this moment, it seemed like he had a relentless forward momentum, likely due to his future acquisition of the black sword title.

Roxford had once said that every sword practitioner has their own comfortable fighting style. Raidō Namiashi, who had been slightly annoyed after Genma's two sneaky moves, seemed a bit resentful.

But finding a fighting style that made Raidō Namiashi comfortable was an all-out offensive approach. What should his own swordsmanship be like?

Speaking of which, Roxford had always taught Genma the basics. When it came to using them, he had only chopped vegetables, changing angles numerous times.

Genma's swordsmanship could be described as fragmented, and as for techniques, there were none. When battling with a sword, his mind was in chaos, relying entirely on instinct.

But his intuition told him that battling Raidō Namiashi was an opportunity. After all, his opponent had a complete set of swordsmanship habits, and his temperament was very different from Genma's.

Since he didn't understand, he decided to temporarily join his opponent. By using his body to grasp the intricacies, he could naturally analyze the profound connotations.

Once he understood everything, all hesitation vanished from Genma's eyes. He pointed his sword directly at Raidō Namiashi, resembling their initial confrontation but with the situation reversed.

Raidō Namiashi couldn't comprehend the change in Genma. He only felt the sharpness emanating from him, making him very excited.

"Come on, are you finally serious?"

As soon as the words were spoken, he rushed toward Genma.

The swordsmanship duel became perilous. Every strike was an attack without mercy. Except for some fatal moments where they dodged in time, they were always on the offensive.

Both of them gradually accumulated wounds, but their dodges were just right. Due to their classmate relationship, they didn't fight to the death.

After a bout of clashes, both had added many wounds to their bodies.

"This is what I call a true swordsmanship duel, Genma. Hic~"

"Unless I was a few years older and had better physical condition, I might have already lost."

"Eh, it's not that exaggerated. After all, you're using basic swordsmanship, and today's real combat was your first time, right~"

Genma nodded, saying, "Indeed, it was my first time, so I was a bit hesitant to duel you at first."

"Ha, it's okay. Just come again a few more times. But next time, I'll bring two wooden swords. Real sword battles are still too risky. Getting injured would affect your training~"

Raidō Namiashi had many real combats, but today he couldn't utilize them. However, his enthusiasm couldn't be stopped by conditions. At this moment, a sharp pain from his wounds made him calm down. Genma, on the other hand, didn't find it strange after the fight, thinking that getting injured was expected.

Upon hearing Raidō Namiashi say this, Genma realized and patted his head sheepishly, "I really don't know anything. I really dragged you down today."

"Hmph, I've been an old hand and didn't notice in advance. It can't be considered your fault for dragging me down." Raidō Namiashi pulled a small box from his pocket and threw it towards Genma, "Here, this is medicine for sword wounds. Apply it, and today's wounds will scab over. They should heal in about three days."

"That's thanks enough. Let's arrange another duel next time~"

"Next time indeed."

After both bid farewell, they turned and left.

They couldn't leave things unresolved. Whether it was sword wounds or being foolish and watched by others, both felt somewhat ashamed.

Rushing back to Kurenai, he saw her eyes glistening with teardrops flowing down.

"That Kurenai, earlier…"

"Don't say anything. Let's deal with the wounds first," Kurenai stopped him before he could explain and dragged him to the sink.

After cleaning the wounds and applying the medicine, Kurenai silently pinched Genma tightly.

"*Hic~, it hurts."

"You still know it hurts," Kurenai glared fiercely at Genma and continued, "Why did you duel someone like that? You could have used wooden swords for swordsmanship training. Why did you engage in such a duel and exchange wounds?"

"Maybe my brain suddenly didn't work right~" Genma scratched his head awkwardly, apologetically saying, "I promise it won't happen again. After this lesson, both I and that guy have realized our mistakes. Next time, we'll arrange to use wooden swords."

Afraid that Kurenai wouldn't be satisfied with such a promise, Genma quickly explained everything: his thoughts before the duel, during the duel, after the duel, and the entire process.

"Hmph, so silly~" After listening to Genma's detailed explanation, Kurenai suddenly burst into laughter, "Why are you so foolish? Luckily, you two didn't get so hot-headed as to fight to the death. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

End of Chapter 10