Prince of Tennis Fraudster

Ishida nodded and said, "I guess so."

"By the way, I might miss the recent training sessions, so Ash, you should consider my participation in your plans."

After saying that, Ishida bowed, turned around and left the noodle shop.

As the only monk in the entire group, Ishida would go out for spiritual practice every few days. His departures were no longer surprising to the others.

Shishiraku from Kumamoto and Makinofuji from Hyogo, both long-established powerhouses, won their respective prefectural championships.

On the other side, a beast that had honed its claws and teeth also won the Okinawa regional championship. Its blood-red eyes had already set their sights on the throne of Kyushu.

Hikachu!

No one knew that a national-level school had been lying dormant in Okinawa for three years.

The curtain of the real stage is slowly rising.

Chapter 1 Kendo Dojo [1/5, Please Subscribe!]

Time flies, and a week has passed since the county competition ended.

On a weekend morning, after making breakfast, Niou went out early. His destination was neither Rikkai nor the sports field in the park.

Once on the street, following the familiar road and looking at the forest park not far away, he turned a corner and came to a tall building.

Tsugaki Kendo Hall!

The vigorous and powerful calligraphy exuded a profound and imposing aura. From afar, Renwang felt as if he were locked onto by this aura. However, having already mastered the 'aura,' he could easily break free with a mere thought.

Upon arriving at the changing room and changing into an apprentice's uniform, Niou picked up a wooden sword and began practicing.

Kendo originated in Japan during the Heian period. However, its origins can be traced back even further, to martial arts techniques transmitted from the Han Dynasty.

Later, through the efforts of envoys to Tang China, the Tang sword was introduced to Japan, where it was absorbed and improved. After a series of evolutions, it eventually formed the traditional sport of Kendo we know today.

The sword used in Kendo is usually a bamboo sword.

With limited lethality, coupled with various rules and the need to adapt to modern society, Kendo has now become a modified form of martial arts and competitive sport.

However, high-level kendo masters generally practice swordsmanship.

Kendo and swordsmanship differ by only one word, but they are two almost completely different categories. Kendo emphasizes rules and aesthetics, while swordsmanship emphasizes technique, that is, the actual fighting techniques between warriors in ancient times.

Of course, modern practice wooden swords are generally unsharpened for safety reasons.

As for why Niou returned to learn kendo, besides wanting to master a martial art for self-defense, he also wanted to practice tennis.

Having absorbed Shinjo Mirage at the county tournament, he has risen to become a top-tier player in the Kanto region. Now, however, stands in his way the seemingly insurmountable wall of the national level.

In the original work, there were three people who practiced both tennis and kendo.

The first one is Sanada. His lightning-fast backswing and thunderous slashes were both learned from the way of the sword.

Moreover, Kendo emphasizes footwork, sliding steps, and so on, which are very effective for continuous explosive power.

The second is Echizen Nanjiro, who is known as a legendary samurai. Although the original work does not state that Nanjiro practiced kendo, his habits and skills show signs of it, so Niou speculates that Nanjiro should also know kendo.

The third is one of the later bosses, the leader of the Japanese U-17 army - Byodoin Phoenix.

In the original story, the three people associated with kendo are all quite skilled in tennis. Therefore, Niou wants to use kendo to break through to the national level.

Over the past week, he has become familiar with the basics of kendo, and by chance, he secretly imitated the master in a phantom form, thus bringing out his own kendo 'momentum'.

Momentum!

It's a subtle feeling, especially in Kendo. It's more of a psychological battle, where one develops their own unique aura based on their understanding of Kendo.

It can be fierce or sharp, calm or heavy.

The stance of each person's swordsmanship is different. But the stance that Niou has mastered is 'unpredictable'.

This greatly surprised the master of the Tsugaki Hall. It was the first time he had ever seen such a mysterious and intangible force as Niou, which could be truly felt.

Perhaps recognizing Niou's talent, the head instructor, Tsugaki, secretly gave him extra lessons during his training. As a result, even after only a week of practice, his skill level was already high enough for a professional ranking.

call!

call!

In Niou's hands, the bamboo sword moves swiftly, with rapid taps, flicks, chops, and strikes, the movements fluid and natural, making it highly entertaining to watch.

Furthermore, his footwork was incredibly fast. His simulated probing attacks and real, lethal attacks showed no flaws whatsoever. It's hard to imagine that a beginner could have reached such a level.

Tap tap!

Just then, footsteps sounded, and a young man about 1.8 meters tall walked in. Seeing Niou, he smiled with satisfaction and said, "Yaji, you've come very early."

Kenichi Tsugaki, the only son of the dojo owner Manta Tsugaki, is 16 years old and a student at Rikkai University Affiliated High School. He is the vice-captain of the school's kendo club.

He was very strong and was respected as the senior brother by his fellow apprentices.

Upon hearing this, Niou stopped what he was doing and smiled, "Senior Tsugaki is here early too."

Aside from practicing stances, Kendo allows you to develop almost all the fundamental skills required for tennis.

Explosive power, endurance, concentration, reaction speed, agility, and dexterity. It can be said that they are all interconnected and encompass each other.

Therefore, those who practice Kendo also place great importance on arriving early. Tsugaki greatly admired Niou's performance.

The two exchanged some insights on swordsmanship, and Tsugaki didn't hold back on learning self-defense skills from Niou, who was just an apprentice. He wasn't worried that this prodigy would squeeze out his space in the future.

And so, the morning training session quickly came to an end.

After having lunch at home, Niou returned to the dojo. However, as soon as he entered, he sensed something was amiss.

The atmosphere was far too oppressive.

Everyone, including the master craftsman Tsugaki, wore a solemn expression. The apprentices stood in several rows behind the master craftsman, seemingly waiting for something.

"Master Jinyuan..."

As soon as Niou opened his mouth, Tsugaki Kenichi pulled him aside and said in a low voice, "Go change your clothes first. Other dojos will be coming to exchange sword techniques later."

comminicate?

Is this a disguised challenge?

Niou nodded, changed his clothes in the changing room, and returned to the building. Quietly blending into the group, Niou suddenly sensed a change in the atmosphere ahead.

At that moment, a group of people dressed in black Taoist robes arrived at the gate. The leader was about fifty years old, with a broad face and narrow eyes. He was not tall, but he had a powerful presence that gave Niou a rather dangerous feeling.

Behind him was a group of young people who had followed, probably apprentices.

Ren-ou, who had just glanced at the man, was suddenly jolted.

He spotted a familiar face in the crowd of Black people across from him.

"Sanada!"

Chapter Two: Sanada's Kendo [2/5, Please Submit!]

Sanada? ! !

Upon seeing that sharply defined face, Niou felt a jolt in his heart.

"It was him?"

He never expected that the challenger mentioned by the head of the Tsugaki Kendo Dojo was actually the 'Iwayama' Kendo Dojo, where Sanada was located.

This kendo dojo is as famous as Tsugaki in Shonan City, and even slightly more renowned. Originally, Niou's first choice was Iwayama, but when he learned that Sanada was Iwayama's apprentice, Niou ultimately chose Tsugaki.

His practice of kendo was a secret within Rikkai.

Furthermore, although his current conflict with Sanada is minor, it might escalate if they were to train at the same dojo. This contradicts Yukimura's instructions, and Niou also wants to maintain a distance from Sanada.

But man proposes, God disposes; just a week later, the two met at the kendo dojo. And, as rivals.

"Master Jinqian!"

The short and stocky man, whose aura subtly intimidated Niou, was nonetheless daunting. Iwayama Yuji stepped forward, bowed to Tsugaki Manta, and said, "I apologize for disturbing you!"

"Ok!"

Tsugaki nodded in a deep voice. Although he and Iwayama were both recognized as ninth-dan masters, Iwayama's strength was subtly superior to his.

Yanshan said, "Then let's begin!"

Tsugaki nodded: "Begin!"

Hiss...

Suddenly, Niou felt the atmosphere around him drop sharply. The air seemed to freeze, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Kenji Koyama of the Tsugaki Dojo, please teach me!"

"Iwayama Dojo, Kishimoto Ken'ya, please enlighten me!"

Two young men, dressed in protective gear, stepped forward and bowed to each other. At the referee's signal, they gripped their bamboo swords and looked at each other with serious expressions.

A battle of swordsmanship.

The psychological warfare was paramount; both sides were assessing each other's strength, deducing potential attack points from subtle changes in the opponent's body. Neither dared to be careless, and for a time, a stalemate ensued.

The two of them circled around and around.

Meanwhile, Niou, who was among the crowd in Tsugaki, narrowed his eyes and carefully observed the two men's movements.

"These two guys have unsteady footwork and seem a bit nervous. They look like beginners."

He guessed correctly. In the first round, both sides were very cautious and sent out newcomers who had been practicing kendo for less than a month.

Tick ​​tock!

The immense psychological pressure of the standoff caused sweat to constantly seep from Kishimoto's forehead, trickling down his cheeks and through the gaps in his helmet.

"Chance!"

Seeing this, Koyama took a step forward. At the same time, he slashed at Kishimoto's left temple with the bamboo sword he was holding tightly.

He wanted to kill with one blow.

Thump thump!!

Seeing the opponent rushing towards him with fierce momentum, Kishimoto was startled and retreated continuously.

Snapped!

But his nervousness caused him to move haphazardly, allowing Koyama to land a successful blow that disrupted his movements. Seeing the opening, Koyama pressed his advantage, striking Kishimoto's left and right hands repeatedly.