Kosuke Maruboshi, 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 have just become a ninja, and I need to learn a lot from experienced and seasoned ninjas like you. It is my honor to have the opportunity to team up with you."
"Haha, no need for formalities."
Kosuke Maruboshi 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. I need to get to know you properly first. Just listening to rumors isn't enough to be safe."
"How about this, let's have a quick sparring session; we'll see things most clearly in actual combat."
In fact, given Kosuke Maruboshi'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."
Kosuke Maruboshi said, reaching behind his iconic large iron pot and pulling out an antique-style katana. He held 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 Kosuke Maruboshi's eyes, but he immediately remembered the rumors in the village about this child's sensory talent and understood.
His kind smile remained unchanged, but his eyes hardened, 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 Body Flicker Technique and the draw-slash technique, Iaido.
There are also traces of the Strong 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, Kosuke Maruboshi's wrist, which was holding the sword, seemed to move only slightly, but his figure suddenly became illusory, and the surrounding light seemed to be gently stirred and bent by an invisible force.
It made him disappear from the spot as if he were a reflection 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 Willow!
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 katana in his hand drew a full and dangerous arc, slashing upwards against the cold and sharp force attacking from behind!
Do-gaeshi!!
This is a standard counterattack technique in kendo against a surprise attack from behind, emphasizing sound-based positioning and a rapid, spinning slash.
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 Kosuke Maruboshi's unpredictable thrust!
However, Kosuke Maruboshi's seemingly unimpressive body remained completely unmoved from Shinichi's full-force counterattack, which was powerful enough to split rocks!
Kosuke Maruboshi's arm holding the katana was as steady as a rock, without the slightest tremor, easily absorbing and neutralizing all the force.
Shinichi's extraordinary strength, enhanced by various supernatural talents, 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, senior in front of him had already entered the level of Jonin, or even higher, in terms of true strength.
More than a decade later in the original timeline, Kosuke Maruboshi, now over sixty years old and having suffered a severe leg injury, was still able to single-handedly defeat a force of dozens of the Village Hidden in the Stones Chunin and Genin, and easily defeat the Village Hidden in the Stones Jonin.
This is enough to prove that his strength is among the best of Konoha's Jonin.
While Kosuke Maruboshi 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.
In terms of raw strength, he was certainly no weaker than his future self 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 Iaido, the steady slash, or the exquisite parry and counterattack, it is based on the sword itself. It pursues the ultimate combination of power, speed, angle, and timing.
Kosuke Maruboshi's 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 shurikens 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 and deal with threats from other angles while parrying the blades.
Leaf 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 Kosuke Maruboshi's phantom attacks, he always managed to identify the real danger at the last moment with his amazing keenness and super-fast reaction speed, and neutralize it with the most concise and effective slash or block.
Faced with Kosuke Maruboshi's three-dimensional offensive, he displayed amazing 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 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 sword!
Using the momentum of his forward charge, 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 Kosuke Maruboshi's side of the neck and head with tremendous force!
Leaf Whirlwind!
Faced with this sudden and ruthless physical attack, a look of surprise flashed in Kosuke Maruboshi'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. Kosuke Maruboshi 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, striking precisely at the end of the hilt of the katana that had just slipped from his grasp and was still on the ground!
"Whoosh!"
The katana seemed to be shot out from a powerful crossbow, transforming into a straight, cold beam of light that shot straight at Kosuke Maruboshi, who was still retreating, with even greater speed than before!
That's not all!
As soon as Shinichi landed, his hands were already blurring in front of his chest, forming hand seals as fast as lightning.