"And the ultimate goal we pursue..."
Isshin paused for a moment, then said, word by word, "That is to strive for victory by any means necessary, to make the best use of all available tools and techniques in battle to achieve the purpose of the battle. For the sake of victory, for survival, for protection, one's thinking must not become rigid."
"Just like... this musket in my hand."
He looked at Genya Yamagami and said calmly, "In your eyes, it may be a strange and ingenious trick, a firearm, but in my eyes, within the principles of the Ashina Style..."
"It is the sword!"
Isshin continued, as if stating a perfectly natural fact: "Its structure is an extension of the sword's structure; its firing is another form of the sword's thrusting and slashing; the flames and projectiles it spews are the sword's sharpness and power projected into the distance. The method, timing, and coordination with one's own movements in using it are no different in essence from using a real sword."
"Therefore, marksmanship is also swordsmanship, and ballistics is also the way of swordsmanship!"
Genya Yamagami was completely stunned; his mind almost stopped working.
Are muskets also swords?
Is marksmanship also swordsmanship?
Ballistics is also the way of the sword?
Isshin's words completely overturned his previous understanding of martial arts and weapons.
Then, Genya Yamagami heard Isshin say something that sounded somewhat mysterious, yet seemed to contain a profound truth: "The so-called all things have their own principles and can all be transformed into swords; when you have no sword in your hand, but have the principles of swordsmanship in your heart, grass, trees, bamboo, and stones can all become swords; when you have no principles of swordsmanship in your heart, even if you have a divine weapon, it is nothing more than a piece of dead iron. The important thing is not to be attached to the form of a sword, but to understand how to use all things."
These ideas about everything being a sword and that having no sword is better than having a sword were completely incomprehensible to Genya Yamagami, who had just entered the field and had not yet systematically learned about swordsmanship.
But looking at Isshin's solemn and profound eyes, and the natural, almost effortless way he handled the musket, all his doubts turned into a deeper sense of awe and reverence.
So this is what the Ashina Style is like?
So true, martial arts can encompass such a vast range.
Although Genya Yamagami was still confused, he felt a strange sense of conviction.
Since Isshin said so, it must be right!
Ashina Style is indeed different from any other dojo of swordsmanship he had imagined before!
"Yes, master, I understand!"
Genya Yamagami nodded vigorously, keeping Isshin's words firmly in mind, even though he would need to slowly digest their deeper meaning in the future.
......
A few days later, at the Tranquil Mind and Enlightened Wisdom Dojo.
Sunlight streamed through the high windows of the dojo, casting neat patches of light on the ground, while a faint smell of wood and sweat lingered in the air.
With a low shout, Soichiro Yagyu sent his iron rod slicing through the air with a heavy whistling sound as it hurtled straight in. It is the straightforward yet incredibly powerful opening stance of the Tranquil Mind and Enlightened Wisdom Style.
Isshin's footwork shifted fluidly. His katana slid half an inch from its scabbard, as if preparing to parry.
However, just as the two weapons were about to clash, Isshin's right hand, which had been resting on the hilt, suddenly slid downward in an extremely smooth and unimpeded motion, as though casually dropping to his side...
Then, with lightning speed, he pulled something out from his lower back!
That was clearly a roughly modified musket with a noticeably longer barrel!
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A series of rapid, deafening explosions shattered the solemn atmosphere of the dojo!
A burst of intense heat shot from the muzzle as five lead bullets hurtled toward Soichiro Yagyu!
Too close and too fast!
"What the hell is that?!"
Soichiro Yagyu's pupils shrank sharply; he hadn't expected this at all.
In the critical moment, his rich combat experience and extraordinary reaction speed saved the day.
His forward momentum was abruptly halted, his feet firmly planted on the ground, and he used his waist and abdomen to generate power. Instead of attacking with the iron rod, the iron rod in his hand spun into a blur of dark shadows, shielding his entire body!
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"
"Pfft!"
Four crisp metallic clangs and a muffled thud rang out almost simultaneously!
Four bullets were precisely deflected by the iron bar, leaving deep dents and sparks on the dojo floor and walls.
The last one grazed Soichiro's shoulder and clothes, taking away a strand of fabric.
Although he managed to block it, the musket seemed to have been specially modified by its owner. The immense impact of the bullet still caused Soichiro Yagyu to sway, involuntarily taking two steps back before regaining his balance.
A burning pain shot through his shoulder where he had been grazed, but what enraged him even more was the completely unorthodox way this attack was carried out!
"You bastard!!!"
Soichiro Yagyu steadied himself, his face flushed with rage, his hair standing on end, his iron rod pointed at Isshin, his voice almost lifting the roof off the dojo: "How can you be so unethical?! We agreed on a swordsmanship contest, but how could you use a musket?! What kind of contest is this?"
Firearms are not new in the Shinobi World; they have a history of nearly a century.
However, in a world where chakra is the dominant supernatural power system, it has always been difficult for firearms to gain mainstream acceptance.
It is usually used as equipment by ordinary soldiers, local police forces, and even underground forces in various countries. Although it poses some threat to Genin, it is clumsy and inefficient to ninjas of Chunin level and above who have mastered a variety of defensive and evasive techniques.
Therefore, it is despised by orthodox ninjas.
In the Land of Iron, which placed extreme emphasis on the inheritance of swordsmanship and the spirit of bushido, even ordinary soldiers were ashamed to carry them, viewing them as lowly tricks unworthy of serious martial tradition.
Soichiro Yagyu never dreamed that one day he would see this thing used in a fair and square swordsmanship competition by a young swordsman whom he recognized and even sparred with many times!
Moreover, judging from the sound, the speed, and impact of the projectile, it is clearly not an ordinary item; it has definitely been specially modified and strengthened by the bastard in front of him!
During his early years traveling in the Shinobi World, he had seen all kinds of firearms, but ordinary firearms definitely did not have this kind of power and speed.
"President, you're being too attached to appearances!"
Faced with the furious questioning of Soichiro Yagyu, Isshin remained calm.
"As the saying goes, gun technique is also technique, and ballistics is also a principle."
"My use of this musket is no different from your use of that iron rod; we are both exchanging swordsmanship techniques!"
"They all involve releasing one's own power through the medium of a device in the form of a specific technique, in order to achieve the purpose of defeating the enemy or exchanging skills."
He shrugged, his expression innocent yet tinged with disappointment.
"I thought that a swordsman like you, president, who uses an iron rod, had already transcended the constraints of specific forms like swords and knives, and grasped the true essence of swordsmanship, that there is no superior or inferior weapon, what matters is suitability."
"I didn't expect... sigh, president, you're still limited by those rigid rules and regulations."
Soichiro Yagyu: "... "
'I really want to smash your head with this iron rod...'
Just as Isshin's clone obtained his exclusive equipment and was swaggering with his Ashina-style swordsmanship in the Land of Iron, time continued to pass, and ripples gradually began to stir upon the once-calm surface of the Shinobi World.