Naruto: Becoming Stronger through Bonds

Chapter 9: Terrifying Swordsmanship Talent

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More than a month has passed in a flash. The leaves on the streets of Konoha have become greener, and the faint sound of cicadas can be heard in the distance.

Time is slowly entering summer.

In the Shimura clan, Ervin is fighting fiercely with a ninja.

The flashes of swords and shadows are dazzling.

The clash between the two is so fast that Izumi, sitting on the sidelines, can't even see their movements clearly.

All she can hear are bursts of crisp iron hammering sounds and see the blurry figures locked in combat.

Ervin raised his long sword, forcing the ninja fighting him to lean back and avoid the blade aimed at his throat.

But the sword move suddenly shifted, the upward slash transitioning into a lateral strike, and the back of the blade struck the man's arm.

Clang!

The ninja's sword fell to the ground, and the battle came to an abrupt end.

Ervin slowly sheathed his sword and exhaled a deep breath. "You lost, Teacher Nishimura."

"…"

The ninja in charge of sparring was Nishimura Kei, an ordinary member of the Root. He was a Chūnin-level ninja, skilled in assassination and swordsmanship.

"Ervin-Sama is indeed a genius," Nishimura said, bowing his head slightly and sighing.

In the battle, Nishimura hadn't used his full strength or speed—after all, his opponent was just a six-year-old child.

However, he had employed the full extent of his swordsmanship.

Having served as Ervin's swordsmanship teacher and sparring partner for only two weeks, Nishimura was astounded. In that short time, Ervin had absorbed the essence of swordsmanship Nishimura had practiced for years—and surpassed him.

'The world of geniuses,' Nishimura thought, 'is truly incomprehensible to ordinary ninjas like me.'

"Master Ervin," Nishimura said, lowering his head. "I have nothing more to teach you. I will report to Danzo-sama to request a better teacher for you."

"Thank you," Ervin nodded slightly, watching Nishimura leave.

Turning to Izumi, he waved with a smile. "Let's go. I'll take you home."

Izumi hopped off the edge, ran to Ervin's side, and held his hand.

"Hehe, Ervin, you're amazing! Mr. Nishimura is a Chūnin."

"It's just a Chūnin, Izumi. You should look to the long term," Ervin said, pulling her along. He didn't show any pride or arrogance.

He understood one key lesson: never judge the level and strength of ninjas by how they are portrayed in the original work.

What is a Genin?

Mastering the Three Body Technique and using it proficiently is enough to graduate from the Ninja Academy and become a Genin. Most Genin do not even have the qualifications to step onto the battlefield and are nothing more than cannon fodder.

Chūnin are generally team captains for Genin, possessing stronger combat power and the ability to lead missions. As his system indicated, they usually had ten times the chakra of an ordinary Genin and could use B-rank ninjutsu proficiently.

This is the reality of ninjas—not the exceptional Konoha twelve, who either inherited family techniques or possessed unique bloodlines.

It's really not a big deal to defeat an ordinary Chūnin in swordsmanship.

Of course, even if Nishimura fought with his full strength, Ervin was confident he would still not lose.

[Name: Shimura Ervin]

[Gender: Male]

[Age: Six years old]

[Date of Birth: April 1, 46th Year of Konoha Calendar]

[Chakra Attributes: Fire (Genius), Wind (Genius), Yang (Excellent), Earth (Good), Water (Good), Yin (Genius)]

[Total Chakra: 1.6 Standard Jōnin Chakra]

[Chakra Control Talent: Genius]

[Mastered Ninjutsu: Three Body Technique (Proficient), Wind Style· Great Breakthrough (Proficient), Wind Style· Fierce Wind Palm (Proficient), Fire Style· Fierce Fire (Proficient), Fire Style· Great Fireball Technique (Proficient), Fire Style· Dragon Fire Technique (Ordinary)]

[Nature Transformation: Wind Chakra (Grandmaster), Fire Nature Transformation (Beginner)]

[...]

[Strength Rating: With your small arms and legs, it is easy to kill a Chūnin head-on.]

During this period, Ervin did not receive any special rewards. Most of the bonds he gained were Chakra and the most basic attributes, but with Izumi as an accelerator, his own training results were also considerable.

He thought about letting Izumi move out but finally gave up.

At present, the situation between the village and Uchiha has not reached the most tense stage. He is a child with little influence. Even if he speaks out, Izumi's mother will not take it seriously, and it may also be noticed by someone with ulterior motives.

So, he still had to wait. Anyway, the Uchiha clan could still hold on for a few more years.

On the other side, after leaving Ervin's house, Nishimura quickly arrived at the Root base. After reporting, he met Danzo and knelt on one knee.

"Chief, Master Ervin's swordsmanship has surpassed mine. I am no longer qualified to be his teacher."

"So soon?"

Danzo was also very surprised.

"I understand. You can leave now."

Nishimura lowered his head and disappeared in an instant.

"It seems that Ervin's talent is beyond my expectations," Danzo said, feeling both pleased and contemplative.

He was happy that Ervin's talent was extraordinary, but he was troubled about finding the next teacher.

There were very few people with high-level swordsmanship in Konoha now. Maruboshi Kosuke was one of them, but he was too close to the Third Hokage, and their relationship was not very good. Danzo was not confident that Maruboshi would teach Ervin.

"Why don't we try someone from the Yamashiro clan?" Danzo frowned and thought, but quickly rejected the idea.

The Yamashiro Clan has a Jōnin who is famous for his swordsmanship, but in his opinion, he is not much stronger than Nishimura. How can a ninja who was selected by him to join the Root be an ordinary Chūnin?

The swordsmanship level of the two would not be too different.

The other choice, the Hozu clan, was also abandoned by him for similar reasons.

Suddenly, the figure of a short person flashed through Danzo's mind. Although young, he had left a deep impression on him.

The man's swordsmanship was indeed good, and he had a family background.

The only problem was that his identity was sensitive.

However, after thinking for a long time, Danzo made up his mind for Ervin.

---

The next day, the weekend.

There was no school today, and Ervin was just about to go out when he found that Danzo had suddenly come back.

"Ervin, I found a new teacher for you," Danzo said with a forced smile. "Not only can he teach you swordsmanship, but you can also ask him for guidance in other ninjutsu and taijutsu."

"Who is it?" Ervin asked curiously.

Swish!

The breeze blew, and a young man appeared beside Danzo.

Ervin looked at the young man who had appeared out of thin air and was surprised.

- So It's him