Chapter 8: The Blade That Cuts Everything and Nothing

Naruto groaned in satisfaction, rubbing his stomach. "Sensei, I swear, you weren't a teacher in your past life—you were a chef!"

Iruka smirked, stacking the dishes. "If I was, I wouldn't have been broke all the time."

Naruto suddenly sat up straight, his expression serious. "Alright, I'm ready! Let's train, Sensei!"

Iruka raised an eyebrow. "You just ate. You'll cramp up."

Naruto waved him off. "Cramping is for people who don't have the Will of Fire!"

Iruka sighed but nodded. "Fine. Let's go."

Training Begins

The morning sun bathed the training ground as Naruto eagerly grabbed his wooden sword. "Sensei, when are you gonna teach me any cool sword technique?"

Iruka didn't answer right away. Instead, he walked over and adjusted Naruto's grip. "First, fix your stance. You hold the sword too tightly—you need control, not brute force."

Naruto pouted. "But holding it tighter makes me feel stronger!"

Iruka smacked the back of his head. "And that's why you keep swinging like a maniac."

Naruto grumbled but obeyed, adjusting his posture as Iruka demonstrated the proper way to hold the sword. "Now, try again."

Naruto swung. It was slightly better, but still sloppy.

Iruka sighed. "We have a long way to go…"

A Grueling Challenge

As the hours passed, Naruto pushed himself harder, sweat pouring down his face. His arms burned, but he refused to stop.

"299… 300…"

He trembled, barely keeping his grip on the sword. His breathing was ragged, his muscles aching from exhaustion.

Meanwhile, Iruka stood a few meters away, his focus unshaken.

'One with the sword,' he reminded himself.

Each swing was steady, refined. He wasn't using brute force—only pure technique.

He was nearing his 1,000th swing.

The Arrival of Kurenai's Team

Just as Iruka was about to complete his final swing, a voice rang out.

"What are you two doing? Swinging sticks like idiots?"

Naruto twitched at the familiar voice. "Kiba?! What are you doing here?"

Team 8 stood at the edge of the training ground. Kurenai looked mildly curious, while Shino remained as unreadable as ever. Kiba, on the other hand, had a wide smirk. "Seriously, Naruto, you look like you're about to fall over."

Naruto gritted his teeth. "I've already done 300 swings, you jerk! Try it yourself if you think it's easy!"

Before Kiba could respond, Akamaru, who had been sitting on his head, suddenly stiffened. His ears perked up, and then—

Thud!

The tiny white pup fainted.

Kiba blinked. "H-Hey, Akamaru? What's wrong, buddy?"

Everyone turned just in time to see Iruka finishing his final slash.

With his wooden sword, he brought it down in one smooth, controlled motion.

A howling gust of wind erupted from the swing. The air split apart, forming a visible gap where the slash had cut through nothingness. The ground in front of him cracked slightly, a deep line forming where his attack had landed.

Silence.

Even Kurenai, who had been about to scold Kiba for his earlier comment, had her eyes widened in shock.

Kiba pointed at the destruction. "THAT was a wooden sword?!"

Naruto, despite his exhaustion, looked up with starry eyes. "Sensei… that was awesome!"

Shino adjusted his glasses. "Intriguing."

Hinata covered her mouth, stunned.

Kurenai's eyes lingered on Iruka for a long moment.

That wasn't some chakra-enhanced swing. That was pure swordsmanship.

She had seen Kenjutsu specialists before. Even among them, this level of control was rare.

Ding!

[Daily Training Completed.]

[skill: intermediate Swordsmanship ->proficiency increased]

[+10 Points Earned.]

Iruka blinked as the system notification appeared before him. A small sense of satisfaction filled him, but he didn't let it show. Instead, he turned to Naruto, who was staring at him with admiration.

"Sensei, how did you do that?! That wasn't normal! That was like—like—you cut the air itself!"

Iruka sighed and placed his wooden sword down. "It was just a slash."

Naruto's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "JUST a slash?!"

Iruka looked at the stunned expressions around him before finally explaining.

"A true Swordmaster should be able to do this with ease," he said, his voice calm but firm. "But I'm not a Swordmaster—I'm just a Swordsman."

Naruto frowned. "What's the difference?"

Iruka looked down at his hands, flexing them slightly. "A Swordsman wields a blade. A Swordmaster becomes the blade."

Naruto gulped. "B-Becomes the blade?"

Iruka nodded. "A true Swordmaster is one with his sword. He can cut through anything… and cut through nothing at the same time."

The words sent shivers down Naruto's spine.

Kurenai, who had remained quiet until now, finally spoke. "So… how does someone become a Swordmaster?"

Iruka turned to her, a small smirk forming. "Simple. You have to earn it."

Kurenai studied him for a moment.

Naruto, still processing everything, suddenly got an idea. "Alright, then! That's my new goal! I'll become a Swordmaster, believe it!"

Iruka chuckled but then gave Naruto a curious look. "What about becoming Hokage?"

Naruto froze for a moment, his brain short-circuiting. "Uh—uh—well—" He flailed his arms. "Can't I be both?! A Swordmaster Hokage! That sounds even cooler!"

Iruka sighed, shaking his head. "You just keep stacking more and more goals…"

Naruto grinned. "Of course! That's what it means to dream big, right?"

Kiba snorted. "Yeah, and next, you'll say you're gonna become the Ramen King too."

Naruto's eyes widened in realization. "Wait… that's not a bad idea…"

Kurenai facepalmed.

Iruka sighed again but smiled. "Fine, then start by fixing your stance."

Naruto groaned. "Ugh… back to that again?!"

The tension broke as Kiba laughed. "Man, you're a lost cause."

Naruto snapped. "Says the guy whose dog fainted!"

Kiba flinched. "H-Hey, that's—!"

Before the argument could escalate, Iruka clapped his hands. "Enough. Let's go eat."

Naruto instantly brightened. "Yes! Iruka-sensei's cooking again, right?!"

Iruka sighed. "No, we're eating out."

Naruto dropped to his knees. "NOOOO!"

Kurenai coughed lightly. "Actually… I wouldn't mind eating your food again."

Iruka blinked. "Huh?"

Kurenai kept her expression cool. "I just mean… it'd be a waste of effort if you've already been cooking recently. No need to spend extra money."

Naruto grinned. "Kurenai-neechan, just admit you love Sensei's food!"

Kurenai lightly smacked Naruto on the head. "Quiet, you."

Then, a soft voice followed.

"I-I… um… I'd like to eat it too…"

Everyone turned to Hinata, who had turned completely red. She twiddled her fingers. "I-It was… really delicious…"

Iruka sighed in defeat. "Fine… I'll cook."

Naruto cheered. Kurenai just gave a satisfied nod.

As they walked back, Kurenai's gaze flickered back to Iruka.