"Inuyasha, don't be impulsive!" Kagome tried to dissuade him, but was interrupted by Retsu.
"Miss Kagome, no need to stop him," he raised an eyebrow at the bristling Inuyasha, his tone teasing, "If a dog is disobedient, he'll behave after a good beating."
"You bastard, I'll definitely cut you in half with one strike!"
Inuyasha exploded the moment he heard those words. With a roar, he raised the tessaiga and charged at Retsu, the blade letting out a sharp whistle as it swung down fiercely.
But Retsu simply tilted his body slightly, easily dodging the heavy strike. The blade brushed past the edge of his clothes and slammed into the floor, turning the wooden planks into scattered splinters.
"This place is too small; I can't move freely." Retsu glanced at the shattered floor and said to Inuyasha, who was preparing to charge again.
Having said that, he turned and walked toward the door, "Let's take this outside, Half-demon!"
"Hmph! Fine by me! See if I don't beat you to the ground!" Seeing Retsu outside, Inuyasha gritted his teeth and followed, shouldering the tessaiga.
Hearing Inuyasha's footsteps behind him, a faint smile played on Retsu's lips.
The reason he kept provoking Inuyasha was to spar with him and gauge his strength, making it easier to understand the power levels of this world.
As it turned out, that previous strike had given him a rough idea.
Excluding the Demonic Power boost from the tessaiga, Inuyasha's own combat level was complete trash. He only knew how to swing his sword wildly with brute force; his swordsmanship was crude... no, he basically had no swordsmanship. Calling it "random hacking" would be a compliment.
If one didn't consider Demonic spells and his demon physique, and relied only on Taijutsu, he probably couldn't even beat Naruto during the Chunin Exams.
After all, no matter how much of a Dead last Naruto was, he was still a Genin who had received systematic training at the Ninja Academy and graduated successfully; his Taijutsu test was also a pass.
Whereas Inuyasha was a Half-demon who lived in a human castle as a child and wandered alone after his mother died, never receiving any training.
Relying entirely on demonic instinct to swing a sword, it was normal for his Taijutsu to be poor. It was also evident from the plot that most of Inuyasha's combat power resided in the tessaiga.
But since they were going to fight anyway, it would be fun to tease this big doggy Inuyasha before leaving.
The two soon took their positions in the courtyard. Retsu looked at the furious Inuyasha and slowly extended a finger, wagging it at him.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Inuyasha didn't quite understand the gesture, but it felt annoying, so he roared.
"It probably means... he'll settle this in one minute?" Kagome, watching from the doorway, couldn't help but speak up.
"Or maybe he'll win in a single move, Master Inuyasha~" Myoga, perched on Kagome's shoulder, added fuel to the fire.
"Dammit!" Inuyasha was fuming at their words, gripping the tessaiga as he prepared to charge.
"Don't be in such a hurry." Retsu spoke calmly, his finger still extended. "You're too weak; I'm not going to get serious with you. Against you, this one finger is enough."
Then, he beckoned Inuyasha with his finger: "Bring it on, Half-demon."
"You bastard, go to hell!"
Inuyasha completely lost it. He kicked off the ground, his body shooting toward Retsu like an arrow. The tessaiga in his hand was enveloped in Demonic Power, glowing with a brilliant white light.
He leapt into the air, gripping the sword with both hands, and slashed down at Retsu. The blade cut through the air with a piercing screech.
"Too slow, and your movements are too obvious."
Retsu spoke flatly. Instead of retreating, he stepped forward and tilted his body slightly.
The edge of the tessaiga fell past the tip of his nose, almost grazing his skin, but it missed by a hair's breadth.
Simultaneously, he raised a finger enveloped in pale blue Chakra and tapped it heavily against Inuyasha's chin.
*Thud!*
There was a dull sound. Inuyasha felt a massive force surge from his jaw; his head snapped back, and his vision went white for a moment. All his anger and strength were dissipated by this single blow.
By the time he shook his head and regained his senses, he saw that Retsu was already in front of him, with a bent finger poised before his forehead.
Before he could react, that finger suddenly flicked—
*Bam!*
A crisp forehead flick sound rang out. Inuyasha was instantly sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground like a ragdoll. He slid several meters across the dirt before finally stopping with a "thud" against the wall of the house.
*Clang—*
The tessaiga flew from his hand, tracing an arc in the air before "thudding" into the ground between them. The Demonic Power on the blade instantly vanished, reverting to that battered, slender samurai sword.
At the courtyard entrance, Kagome and Myoga were both stunned.
"So... so strong..." Kagome murmured in shock, her mouth agape. "In just an instant, Inuyasha was sent flying?"
"The gap in strength is too large!" Myoga shrunk back, his tone grave. "Master Inuyasha is like a mere child before him."
"Dammit... that bastard! He actually flicked my forehead!"
Inuyasha clutched his swollen forehead, grimacing as he scrambled up. He glared fiercely at Retsu, who still had his finger raised. The previous strike had looked light, but the force was actually staggering; his forehead was now numb and throbbing.
"Aside from your demon body being a bit durable, your combat level is an absolute mess."
Retsu lowered his arm, his tone full of undisguised disdain. "Your attacks are simple and direct, no different from a child waving a sword. To put it simply, your movements are just stupid and clumsy."
Having said that, he took out the shard of the shikon jewel and flicked it with his finger. With a "ting," the pink shard traced a streak of light and landed precisely in Kagome's hand.
"Here is your reward. Until we meet again."
"Hey! Wait!...Eh? He's gone?" Kagome was about to speak as she caught the shard, but Retsu suddenly turned into an afterimage and vanished instantly.
"Dammit! Don't run!" Inuyasha roared, wanting to give chase. Having been beaten one-sidedly, he was very frustrated.
"Master Inuyasha, you're no match for him! Chasing him is just a waste of effort!" Myoga appeared on Inuyasha's shoulder and spoke bluntly.
"What did you say?!" Inuyasha was fuming. He grabbed Myoga and threatened him through gritted teeth.
"Inuyasha! Inuyasha... Sit, boy!"
Kagome called out twice, and seeing that Inuyasha wasn't listening, she went straight for her ultimate move.
*Boom!*
Inuyasha slammed heavily into the ground, making the whole courtyard shake. "Dammit—!"