Chapter 9: Convincing the Old Man

Chapter 9: Convincing the Old Man

"Swordsmanship ultimately boils down to a few fundamental techniques: downward cut, diagonal slash, reverse diagonal slash, left and right horizontal cuts, left and right upward cuts, counter wind strike, and thrust. Every advanced technique is merely an evolution or extension of these basics. If you want to master the sword, you must drill these foundational techniques until they become instinctual. Only then can you react instantly in combat."

The elderly Kosuke, his hair completely white, clasped his hands behind his back as he lectured Kazama, who was practicing his sword swings.

He had only been away for a few days, yet Kazama had suddenly started training with a blade. There was nothing wrong with that—Kosuke could certainly guide him. However, from his experienced perspective, Kazama's sword swings were completely unstructured, lacking the proper form of true swordsmanship. That was why he had stepped in to correct him.

Kazama, on the other hand, found this frustrating. He wasn't just swinging blindly. Back in his university days, he had been part of the martial arts club, where he had trained in a fundamental thirteen-form sword technique. Even if modern martial arts had lost their battlefield relevance, the basics remained unchanged.

Explaining all this to Kosuke would be pointless, though. So he simply stayed silent.

Kosuke, concerned that Kazama might develop bad habits, had chosen not to take on any missions for the past few days and instead focused entirely on supervising his training. He acknowledged that practicing sword swings by slicing falling leaves was a valid method, but Kazama's technique was a mess. Determined to correct him, Kosuke had taken on the role of a strict instructor.

Every morning, Kazama trained for three hours—one hour dedicated to sword practice and two to hunting. Hunting doubled as archery training. Shooting at stationary targets was no challenge for him; aiming at moving prey, however, was a true test of his accuracy.

After much hesitation, Kazama finally made his request. "Grandpa, I want to find a summoning beast."

Kosuke raised an eyebrow. "Why do you suddenly want a summoning beast?"

Kazama had considered this for a while. Since a summoning beast would be a long-term battle companion, it needed to be chosen carefully. He couldn't just settle for any random creature he came across—what if he ended up with an insect?

"Don't you think a summoning beast would be a great combat asset? They have intelligence and independent thought, allowing them to cooperate with their summoner. Even a few low-level summoning beasts working together could match the combat power of a small squad. And with a ninja leading them, they could be even more effective."

Kazama found it odd. The power of summoning beasts was obvious, yet ninjas rarely sought them out. Instead, they focused primarily on their own jutsu.

Kosuke was taken aback by Kazama's perspective. "Is that how you see it?"

Ninjas sought strength, but they typically aimed to enhance their own abilities rather than relying on external forces like summoning beasts. To most shinobi, having a summoning beast was nice, but not necessary. Of course, if the summon was as powerful as the legendary creatures of the Three Great Sage Regions, many would desire one.

"Is there something wrong with my reasoning?" Kazama asked. He enjoyed discussing ideas with Kosuke. The old man had a wealth of experience and often provided viewpoints Kazama hadn't considered. Their differing perspectives led to meaningful conversations.

Kosuke valued independent thinking. A lifetime of experience had taught him that a ninja should never become too fixated on any one approach, including their own beliefs. He was pleased to see Kazama forming his own ideas.

"Not necessarily," Kosuke admitted. "But ordinary summoning beasts have limited capabilities. They wouldn't be much help in a fight."

That was simply the truth. Kosuke had encountered many summoning beasts, and most weren't particularly useful. To him, dealing with one was often just a matter of a single sword strike—or at most, a few.

"I think it depends on how they're used," Kazama countered. "Most ninjas are highly skilled in combat, but summoning beasts are still just animals. Chakra may enhance them, but they are still bound by their natural instincts. It's no surprise that they struggle in direct combat against ninjas with a wide range of jutsu. But who says they have to fight head-on? Since when do ninjas need to fight fair? The goal is to eliminate the enemy, isn't it?"

"If they don't engage the enemy directly, how are they supposed to kill them?" Kosuke asked.

Kazama hesitated. He had a point.

After a long pause, Kazama organized his thoughts and said, "I believe summoning beasts play an important supporting role in combat."

That was the conclusion he had reached. Using them as a primary combat force wasn't practical—this was a world of ninjas, after all. But as support units, they could be invaluable.

Kosuke chuckled. "Plenty of ninjas already use their summoning beasts as support. How is your approach any different?"

Once again, Kosuke's extensive experience had backed Kazama into a corner, forcing him to rethink his argument.

After some thought, Kazama realized the fundamental issue. No matter how he framed it, summoning beasts would always be secondary to the ninja using them. Even if he developed an entirely new combat style using summons, it would still be to serve himself as a ninja.

"Alright, I wasn't trying to force an answer out of you," Kosuke said. "I just wanted to make you think. Sometimes, overanalyzing things isn't helpful. Talking isn't as important as doing. If you believe in your idea, then act on it. Prove to me that your way works."

Kazama frowned but nodded. Kosuke had a point. He had always been full of ideas, but when it came to putting them into practice, he wasn't always as proactive as he should be. That had to change. Ninja life wasn't about theories—it was about results.

"You want a summoning beast, right? Let's go. The forests outside Konoha are vast, and we don't have time to waste," Kosuke said, gathering his gear.

"You're agreeing to help me?" Kazama asked in surprise.

"It's not about whether I agree or not," Kosuke replied with a kind smile. "You have an idea, and testing it out is worthwhile. As your grandfather, my job is to support you however I can."

The forests surrounding Konoha were massive, almost entirely enclosing the village. As the old man and the boy moved through the dense woods, they kept their pace steady, always alert to their surroundings.

"Grandpa, I've heard that these forests were created by the First Hokage's Wood Release. Is that true?" Kazama had wanted to ask this for a long time. The sheer scale of the ninja world's power was astounding—these were still humans, yet they wielded abilities capable of shaping landscapes.

"Maybe," Kosuke said vaguely.

"Maybe?" Kazama repeated.

"Well…" Kosuke hesitated. "The First Hokage's Wood Release was certainly powerful. But I never personally witnessed him create a forest. I've only heard about it from the older generation. It's said that parts of the forest outside Konoha were indeed formed by his jutsu."

Kosuke's uncertainty made sense—it had been a long time, and many of these stories were passed down rather than directly observed.

Kazama pondered the implications. If a single person could create an entire forest, then truly, the power of the ninja world was far beyond anything he had ever imagined.