Naruto: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

That person who has the title of "eternal genin" actually has a strength and experience that surpasses many jonin.

"You flatter me, senior." Shinichi said sincerely, "I've just become a ninja and I need to learn a lot from experienced and seasoned ninjas like you. It's an honor to have the opportunity to team up with you."

"Haha, no need for formalities." Maruhoshi Kosuke waved his hand with a smile, a sharp glint flashing in his narrowed eyes: "Although I don't know why the village put us in the same group, we'll be teammates who entrust our lives to each other from now on. This old man needs to get to know you properly first. Just listening to rumors isn't enough to be safe. How about this?"

"We'll have a quick sparring session; the real test will show us the best results."

In fact, given Maruboshi Kosuke's usual personality, he doesn't care who he teams up with, and he's too lazy to specifically test the capabilities of his new teammates.

However, this time the situation was special—the Third Hokage personally found him and earnestly instructed him that this child was a precious seedling carrying the Will of Fire, and that as his senior, he must teach him well.

"I've heard you're a swordsmanship prodigy," Maruhoshi Kosuke said, reaching behind him to the iconic large iron pot. He pulled out an antique-style samurai sword, holding it casually yet with the steadiness of a mountain. "Coincidentally, I also know a little about swordsmanship. So, let's start with swordsmanship."

"Senior, in my perception... your strength is very high, far exceeding what a genin can achieve."

Upon hearing this, Shinichi took a deep breath and slowly adjusted his breathing and stance.

His right hand, steady and firm, rested on the hilt of the sword at his waist, and he spoke:

"Therefore, I will give it my all in the next test."

"Oh?" A hint of surprise flashed across Maruhoshi Kosuke's eyes, but he immediately remembered the rumors in the village about the child's sensory talent and understood.

His kind smile remained unchanged, but his eyes darkened, and he nodded: "Very well, come on, attack with the determination to kill me!"

"Excuse me, senior!"

Before he finished speaking, Shinichi transformed into a black shadow that was almost impossible to catch with the naked eye. His blade flashed like cold lightning, slashing upwards from a tricky angle. The air was torn apart and wailed. Even before the blade arrived, his resolute sharpness was already overwhelming!

This is... a combination of the instantaneous movement technique and the draw-slash technique, the Swift Iaijutsu.

There are also traces of the Steel Fist style in it.

The experienced Kosuke Maruboshi instantly discerned the true nature of the strike.

His response was effortless and masterful.

Just as the sharp blade was about to strike, Maruhoshi Kosuke's wrist, which was holding the sword, seemed to move only slightly, yet his figure suddenly became ethereal, and the surrounding light seemed to be gently stirred and bent by an invisible force.

It made him disappear from the spot in an instant, as if he were reflected in the rippling water!

Shinichi's determined strike, a fusion of the essence of three techniques, struck empty air!

The next instant, a cold, silent, and almost entirely devoid of killing intent or wind-like sharpness arrived silently from the most unreachable blind spot in Shinichi's vision and perception, precisely stabbing towards his vital point in the back!

Leaf Style: Hidden!

Shinichi's response also demonstrated a solid foundation and instantaneous judgment that were beyond his years!

Shinichi's body snapped back like a taut bowstring, using his left foot as a pivot, his waist and hips unleashing tremendous twisting power, causing his entire body to spin at high speed!

Using the momentum of the rapid spin, the knife in his hand drew a full and dangerous arc, slashing upwards against the cold and sharp force attacking from behind!

Return to your body!

This is a standard counter-attack technique in Kendo for dealing with attacks from behind, emphasizing sound-based positioning and rapid, spinning slashes.

clang!!!

A crisp, deafening clang of metal clashing echoed across the training ground! Sparks flew between the two intersecting blades!

The powerful, spinning slash collided squarely with Maruhoshi Kosuke's unpredictable thrust!

However, Maruboshi Kosuke's seemingly unimpressive body remained completely unmoved by Shinichi's full-force counterattack, which was powerful enough to split rocks!

The arm holding the knife was as steady as a rock, without the slightest tremor, easily absorbing and neutralizing all the force.

Shinichi's extraordinary power, enhanced by various supernatural attributes, failed to gain the slightest advantage in a head-on collision for the first time in his life.

Shinichi was not surprised by this.

Because he knew very well that the seemingly kind, even somewhat comical, genin senior in front of him had already entered the realm of jonin, or even higher, in terms of true strength.

More than a decade later in the original timeline, Maruboshi Kosuke, now over sixty years old and having suffered a severe leg injury, was still able to single-handedly defeat a force of dozens of Iwagakure chunin and genin, and easily defeat an Iwagakure jonin.

This is enough to prove that his strength is among the best of Konoha's Jonin.

While Maruboshi Kosuke may not have the experience and skills he will have more than ten years later, he is only fifty years old now and has not experienced the Third Shinobi World War that caused him to lose his leg. His body and condition are at the peak of his life.

Their hard skills are by no means inferior to those of themselves at that time.

On the field, the two figures constantly intersected, separated, and collided again.

The dense and crisp sounds of swords clashing mingled together, like a sudden rain pounding against the silence of the training ground.

Although it was a swordsmanship competition, the two swordsmen had distinctly different styles.

Shinichi's swordsmanship style is more pure. Whether it is the swift Iaijutsu, the steady slash, or the exquisite parry and counterattack, it is based on the sword itself and pursues the ultimate combination of power, speed, angle and timing.

Kosuke Maruboshi's Konoha Style is a perfect fusion of his ninja identity and swordsmanship.

Sometimes he would transform into a streak of light, his figure vanishing suddenly beneath Shinichi's blade, only to solidify again on the other side, thrusting his sword with a trajectory as elusive as the flowing clouds in the sky, impossible to grasp.

Leaf Style: Mist!

At times, the glint of his blade intertwined with the silently thrown shuriken and kunai, forming a three-dimensional and deadly combined attack.

The sword is the main weapon, while the hidden weapons block his movement, forcing Shinichi to be distracted by threats from other angles while parrying the blades.

Konoha Style: Storm!

The three-dimensional combination of sword fighting and throwing techniques creates a powerful, overwhelming force.

Faced with these unpredictable sword attacks that incorporated the essence of ninjas, Shinichi chose to return to the basics and use simplicity to overcome skill.

He brought his incredibly solid fundamental skills to their fullest potential!

Faced with the phantom attacks of "Xia", he always managed to judge the real killing intent at the last moment with his amazing sharpness and super-fast reaction speed, and neutralized it with the most concise and effective slash or block.

Faced with the "Storm's" three-dimensional offensive, he displayed astonishing strength and body coordination. His blade flashed like a curtain, deflecting and slashing, dismantling the connection between the sword and the hidden weapon one by one. Occasionally, he could even seize the gaps in the attack to launch a fierce counterattack.

The two figures closed in at high speed again, their blades whistling, and another clash seemed imminent.

However, in the split second before the two swords were about to collide, Shinichi suddenly loosened his grip on the sword with his right hand!

It wasn't a loss of control; it was a deliberate abandonment of the fight!

Using the momentum of his forward thrust, he twisted his waist sharply, and his whole body spun in the air like a cheetah. His right leg muscles bulged, tearing through the air like a heavy and powerful battle axe, sweeping towards Maruhoshi Kosuke's side of his neck and head with tremendous force!

Leaf Whirlwind!

Faced with this sudden and ruthless physical attack, a look of surprise flashed in Maruhoshi Kosuke's eyes, but his reaction was surprisingly fast.

He swiftly raised his left arm like a shield, placing it horizontally to his side.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, legs and arms collided. Maruhoshi Kosuke used the momentum to float backward, dissipating the force.

Shinichi's body was still in mid-air, not yet on the ground, but his attack had already begun again!

Using the momentum from his spinning kick, he lashed his left leg back like a whip, precisely striking the end of the hilt of the samurai sword that had just slipped from his grasp and was still on the ground!

"call out!"

The katana seemed to be shot out by a powerful crossbow, transforming into a straight, cold beam of light that shot straight at Maruhoshi Kosuke, who was still retreating, with even greater speed than before!

This is not over yet!

As soon as Shinichi landed, his hands were already blurring in front of his chest, forming hand seals as fast as lightning.