Swordsmen can generally be divided into three realms:
Swordsman! Sword Master! Great Sword Master!
A basic Swordsman can only wield a blade to slash, dealing damage to enemies at close range.
But to project a slash, one must first be able to hear the "Breath of All Things"—
This is the realm of "Steel-Cutting"!
As the name implies, the Steel-Cutting realm means being able to hear the "breath" of steel and cut it!
This term is symbolic.
In reality, incredibly skilled Sword Masters can even cut waterfalls or flames!
Because they can hear the "breath" of flowing water and fire!
A swordsman who learns to listen to the "Breath of All Things" has truly stepped onto the path of swordsmanship—
They have obtained the ticket to becoming a Sword Master!
Even upon first hearing the "Breath of All Things"—
An ordinary swordsman requires long practice to skillfully project slashes.
But Jin was different!
With the system's help, Jin's ability to listen to the "Breath of All Things" was already incredibly proficient!
"Getsuga Tenshō!" (A Bleach technique)
Jin casually picked a name and yelled it out imposingly.
He raised Shūsui with his right hand, then brought it down hard.
Is he... cutting air?
Shisui, watching from the side, twitched his lip.
Kakashi was still quite far away, yet Jin just swung his sword down.
Looks like this genius really is quite drunk.
Shisui was just about to stop Kakashi's advance when, in the next second, something unexpected happened!
SWOOSH—
As Shūsui descended, a torrent of pure black energy roared forth from in front of Jin.
In an instant, the black torrent transformed into a dark purple slash, matching the color of Shūsui's blade.
The slash was like a beast unleashed! With a sound that tore through the air, it flew towards Kakashi.
"What?!"
Kakashi's eyes widened in disbelief, staring at the dark purple slash hurtling towards him.
Though utterly shocked, years of battle instinct made Kakashi instinctively lean to the side.
Schtick!
The dark purple slash grazed Kakashi's cheek, drawing a streak of blood.
The slash didn't stop; it continued its flight, and in the next instant, slammed into a towering tree nearby.
Tsz— BOOM!
The massive tree was pierced by the dark purple slash. After shuddering for a moment, it split cleanly down the middle and crashed down with a thunderous roar!
The cut surface on the tree trunk was incredibly smooth, without a single splinter.
One could imagine just how sharp this slash truly was.
BOOM—
The falling tree kicked up a thick cloud of dust, stunning everyone present.
"A... a flying slash?!"
Shisui, who had been about to warn Kakashi, nearly bit his tongue off, his face etched with disbelief.
But the wound on Kakashi's cheek, and the neatly severed tree, proved this wasn't an illusion!
"Th-This is...?!"
Kakashi wiped the blood from his cheek, his usually cool face now showing only shock.
A... a flying slash?!
Kakashi looked like he'd seen a ghost.
Swish— BANG!
"Uwah!"
Before Kakashi could recover, Jin flashed in front of him.
A kick landed squarely on Kakashi's abdomen.
Kakashi cried out in pain, clutching his stomach as he collapsed weakly to the ground.
Shnk—
A dark purple blade pressed against Kakashi's neck.
"You... you two! I've captured this shorty spy! You better surrender obediently, or I'll cut him down with one slash!"
Jin pressed Shūsui down firmly, shouting at Shisui and the other ANBU member with a drunken slur.
"So... so heavy!"
Kakashi shook his head, trying to struggle up despite the pain.
But he found it felt like a mountain was pressing down on his shoulder.
"Wh-What kind of sword is this?"
Kakashi looked at Shūsui resting on his neck, shocked once again.
The dark purple blade, the red sawtooth patterns, the constantly gleaming cold light—
Everything proved this was a peerless sword!
Kakashi had a feeling—
This sword was even sharper than the White Light Chakra Sabre left by his deceased father, the "White Fang of Konoha."
And for some reason, the sword felt incredibly heavy.
Pressed against him, he had no strength left to resist.
However, hearing Jin's heroic declaration, Kakashi snapped back to reality.
"Jin, you bastard! I'm Kakashi!"
Kakashi roared furiously.
You're the shorty spy!!!
"Kakashi?"
Jin blinked, looking down at the figure pinned beneath his sword.
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