You're Doing It Wrong

Shikamaru opened the topic, and the others began sharing their dreams.

As expected, Naruto proclaimed that his goal was to become Hokage.

Chōji, on the other hand, had a simple but clear dream: to have infinite food.

Kiba mentioned that he, too, wanted to be Hokage, though not with the same certainty as Naruto.

According to him, becoming Hokage was more of a temporary goal while he searched for something that truly inspired him.

When it was Kuro's turn, however, he remained silent.

It wasn't that he didn't want to answer—he simply didn't know what to say.

Gain strength, control my own destiny, avoid tragedies…

These weren't dreams; they were goals, preparations for what lay ahead.

While he didn't dislike power—in fact, he enjoyed it—he knew it wasn't his dream.

Lifting his gaze to the sky, watching the clouds drift by, his thoughts wandered.

My dream is to be happy every day, to live a life without worries

But what does it really mean to be happy every day?

When will I live without worries?

Compared to his previous life, he no longer had to worry about food or shelter. Yet, problems still persisted.

Perhaps my dream is nothing more than endless greed…

Thinking this, Kuro smiled faintly. "Who knows? For now, I just want the power to protect myself."

!

That's it?!

The group fell silent at his statement. But they enjoyed the warm morning sun nonetheless.

Suddenly, Iruka's furious shout echoed from the stairs.

In an instant, everyone scattered like flashes of light, running in different directions.

This was a moment where life and death were at stake.

Run if you can, and if you're caught, don't blame anyone.

.....

After escaping the balcony, Kuro didn't return to the academy. Instead, he went straight to Training Ground 39.

If I go back now, they'll definitely punish me for skipping class and make me stand outside the classroom listening.

Plus, he had already missed enough classes. Surely the teacher wouldn't even realize he'd been given permission on a previous occasion.

Better to focus on training and forget the punishment.

....

Training Ground 39

The training ground was deserted.

The place was quiet, and the movement of birds in the branches could be heard clearly.

Kuro took a deep breath, pulled a shuriken from his storage scroll, and began practicing.

Instead of rushing into Nature Transformations, he decided to practice with the shuriken.

If you don't move forward, you fall behind.

For the past two months, he had been focused on Nature Transformations, neglecting the basics.

And now his movements felt rusty.

If I don't familiarize myself with this again, I'll fall behind.

Though he had learned the three basic Jutsu, shuriken use, and some swordsmanship, he hadn't practiced them enough to engrain them into instinct.

Thud, thud, thud…

One by one, the shurikens embedded themselves in the stakes. Gradually, Kuro regained the touch he had lost. His throws became more precise with each attempt, until he finally reached the level he had before.

Satisfied with his progress, he put the shurikens away and began practicing the three basic Jutsu again.

Once he had regained the familiar feeling of his past training, he moved on to swordsmanship.

At first, his movements were slow and methodical.

He wielded the sword carefully, reviewing every basic technique as if carving the fundamentals of swordsmanship into his mind.

However, his movements gradually quickened.

The strikes began to flow, connecting seamlessly in a fluid sequence that transformed each technique into an elegant, deadly motion.

The autumn wind blew gently, carrying red leaves that fluttered in the air.

Kuro danced in the forest with his sword, his figure moving between the trees, almost blending with the environment.

In the air, among the red leaves, a faint killing intent could be felt. Occasionally, some leaves were sliced in half, falling softly to the ground as if cut by an invisible blade.

"It's useless to train like that."

Suddenly, a voice broke his focus.

It was Lian.

Kuro stopped immediately.

The leaves around him parted and fell slowly to the ground as he looked around, frowning.

My sword is getting sharper, so why does he say it's useless?

He didn't understand what Lian meant. His discomfort was evident on his face as he pressed his lips together.

"Remember, you're a ninja, not a samurai. As long as the sword can kill, it doesn't need to be that sharp," Lian continued.

Kuro frowned even more. "Aren't you contradicting yourself?"

If the sword is sharper, doesn't that make it easier to kill?

Why shouldn't it be?

Lian chuckled softly, shaking his head.

"It's complicated to explain. You'll understand better if you fight me. But no Sharingan or tricks, alright?"

With those words, he broke a branch from a nearby tree, cut off the leaves and twigs with a kunai, and held it diagonally, pointing it at the ground like a sword.

Kuro looked at him uncertainly.

"Are you sure you want to use that?"

Lian smirked confidently. "I'm a Jōnin. What do you think?"

Kuro closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath to calm himself. When he opened them, his gaze was resolute.

"Let's do this."

With those words, he launched his attack. His sword cut through the air with a cold gleam, aiming straight at Lian.

But Lian had anticipated this.

With a nimble move, he raised the branch and blocked the attack just before the sword reached him.

Swish

The clash produced a harsh sound, and the impact made Kuro's sword tremble. He barely managed to keep his grip, his hands shaking from the force of the branch.

Gritting his teeth, he stabilized the sword with sheer strength and pushed Lian back, forcing him to take a few steps backward. Taking advantage of the distance created, he swung the sword again in a rapid attack.

However, Lian evaded it effortlessly, using the momentum of the push to move further back. Each of Kuro's swings was either anticipated, blocked, or redirected with simple yet precise movements.

The confrontation became a tense dance.

Kuro attacked relentlessly, connecting his moves with fluidity and skill. But Lian always seemed one step ahead, redirecting the attacks with the branch or dodging at the last second.

Why won't he attack directly? Kuro thought in frustration.

He tried to use the advantage of his sword to cut through the branch, but Lian avoided direct clashes. He redirected the sword's trajectory with precise taps or blocked the most dangerous strikes with the branch's hilt. If he had no other choice, he dodged entirely.

At a glance, it seemed like Kuro was pressuring Lian with constant attacks. But in reality, Lian controlled the fight's rhythm. Every move Kuro made was predictable, and Lian guided him exactly where he wanted.

After several minutes of clashing, Kuro began to feel the weight of the battle. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break Lian's defense or find a real opening.

Finally, he stepped back, sheathed his sword, and raised a hand.

"Stop."

"What do you think?" Lian asked, setting the branch aside.

"…"

Kuro remained silent for a moment before saying, "...I can't apply strength."

His tone was filled with frustration. To him, wielding a sharp weapon should guarantee an advantage: whether against a branch or a person, as long as the blade touched the opponent, it should be enough to win.

But the problem was that he couldn't even touch his adversary.

So does the sword just need to be lethal enough?

That thought unsettled him.

If I focus only on skills and not lethality, will it really be enough?

But he knew that future battles wouldn't be simple duels. They would be wars among "gods," where power levels would exceed imagination.

In those fights, skills alone wouldn't suffice.

Lian, as if reading his thoughts, shook his head with a smile.

"It's not about focusing more on skills and less on lethality. The problem is that your swordsmanship is too rigid."

"?"

Kuro frowned.

Lian smirked and adopted a more serious tone.

"I'm sure someone taught you the basics: practice fundamental moves, then summarize fighting techniques through real combat."

"Yes."

Kuro nodded, then raised an eyebrow. "Is that wrong?"

"It's not wrong. But the problem lies in how you're summarizing those techniques. You're putting too much emphasis on the movements."

"Too much emphasis on the movements?" Kuro tilted his head, repeating Lian's words as he analyzed them.

It's true… my movements are faster and more precise. I'm improving. So what am I doing wrong?

His frustration grew. Finally, he looked at Lian with impatience.

"Just explain it already!"

________

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