Kisuke Urahara said, using his Zanpakuto, which served as a cane, to lightly draw a perfect circle on the hard rock ground between them, with a diameter of no more than four meters.
He leisurely stepped into the circle, propped his cane-sword in front of him, and looked at Sasuke with a smile.
“Let’s start with the most basic Swordsmanship Technique.”
He waved the fan in his hand and announced the rules: “In the upcoming test, I will not draw my sword, nor will I step out of this circle by a single inch.”
“As long as Sasuke-kun can use the sword in your hand to force me to step out of this circle, or make me willingly draw the sword from this cane—”
He pointed to the ground with his fan, “Then you win, what do you say?”
Sasuke’s gaze instantly turned cold.
Not draw his sword?
Not leave the circle?
He looked at Urahara, who was lounging casually within the circle, and a surge of anger from being underestimated rose from the bottom of his heart.
“Are you looking down on me?” Sasuke’s voice carried a chill.
“Oh dear, how could I be?”
Kisuke Urahara quickly waved his hand, his smile not diminishing in the slightest, “I just want to understand Sasuke-kun’s Swordsmanship Technique level in the most direct way.”
“After all, for a Genius like you, ordinary tests aren’t very meaningful, are they?”
These words sounded like a compliment.
Sasuke stopped speaking nonsense and responded with action.
His figure left an afterimage in place, and in the next instant, he had already appeared behind Kisuke Urahara, his Zanpakuto silent, striking directly at a vital point.
Kisuke Urahara seemed to have eyes in the back of his head; without turning, he merely shifted his body slightly, and the folding fan in his hand snapped open, lightly tapping Sasuke’s blade.
“Clink—”
With a soft sound, Sasuke only felt a clever force transmit along the blade, and his sword uncontrollably slid to the side, grazing Urahara’s clothes.
Kisuke Urahara teased, “Oh my, Sasuke-kun, your blade path seems a bit off.
Were you trying to attack the air to my left?”
Missing his strike, Sasuke immediately retreated and activated Shunpo again, launching a storm-like assault around the small circle.
But no matter how swift his attacks were, Kisuke Urahara never left the circle by half a step.
The folding fan in his hand now seemed to have transformed into the most agile butterfly.
Sometimes it would lightly deflect, neutralizing Sasuke’s direct thrusts; other times, it would follow the momentum, guiding his slashes astray.
Every contact was perfectly timed.
“Hmm, your speed is good, but with only speed, you can’t cut anyone, you know.”
These words were like sharp needles, constantly prodding Sasuke’s already taut nerves.
His offensive grew more frantic, and his breathing began to become erratic.
Why?
Why couldn’t he cut him?!
He was clearly right in front of him, his speed was already pushed to the limit, so why couldn’t he even touch his clothes?!
This sense of powerlessness made the irritation and anger in his heart burn ever fiercer.
“Shut up!”
Sasuke let out a suppressed growl, Spiritual Pressure burst forth from his body without reservation, and his speed increased by another notch!
This was his purest strike.
However, the moment he drew his sword, a glint flashed in Kisuke Urahara’s eyes, which had always been half-closed.
Instead of retreating, he advanced, and the fan in his hand slid upwards along Sasuke’s blade at a strange angle.
Immediately after, he flipped his wrist and, using the end of the fan’s rib, tapped Sasuke’s sword-holding wrist, neither too lightly nor too heavily.
Sasuke felt a numbness in his wrist, and a strange vibration spread throughout his body along his arm, causing him to instantly lose control of his Zanpakuto.
“Clang!”
A crisp sound.
Sasuke’s Zanpakuto flew out of his hand, arcing through the air, and embedded itself in the rocky ground outside the circle, its blade still trembling incessantly.
Time seemed to stand still at this moment.
Sasuke stood stunned in front of the circle, maintaining his sword-wielding posture, but his hand was now empty.
He looked at his empty right hand, then at the still-smiling man within the circle.
Kisuke Urahara slowly closed his fan, gently tapped his shoulder with the fan’s rib, and showed a “troubled” expression.
“It seems I won this first round, Sasuke-kun.”
“It’s not over!”
Sasuke let out a low growl; the humiliation of having his weapon taken away made him completely lose his composure.
He refused to accept it!
If the sword wouldn’t work, then he’d use his fists!
His figure vanished again, abandoning the retrieval of his Zanpakuto, and instead used Shunpo to directly rush in front of Kisuke Urahara, launching a heavy punch imbued with Spiritual Pressure straight at his face.
Facing Sasuke’s almost sneak attack, Kisuke Urahara’s face still wore that calm smile.
He merely raised his left hand, seemingly casually moving it forward to meet the blow.
Just as Sasuke’s fist was about to hit his palm, Urahara’s wrist twisted strangely, completely deflecting the force of Sasuke’s punch.
“Interesting Hakuda.”
Kisuke Urahara’s voice sounded in his ear, with a hint of investigative interest, “It seems to rely too much on brute force, leading to too many openings.”
Sasuke was greatly alarmed, forcibly twisting his body, his left leg like a whip, sweeping towards Urahara’s lower body with a whooshing sound.
However, Urahara’s movements were faster than his.
He merely took half a step back, easily dodging the sweeping kick.
His right hand, which had been kept behind his back, precisely caught Sasuke’s horizontally sweeping ankle.
“Gotcha.”
He chuckled softly, then suddenly exerted force with his arm, using Sasuke’s ankle as an axis, pulling and twisting with the momentum!
Sasuke was uncontrollably flung out, crashing heavily onto the rocky ground outside the circle.
The Hakuda test was over.
This time, Sasuke didn’t even have the strength to get up.
From Swordsmanship Technique to Hakuda, his proud speed and strength were utterly vulnerable in front of the other party.
The immense shock left his mind blank.
The underground training ground returned to silence.
Kisuke Urahara slowly walked to Sasuke’s side, looking at the young man lying on the ground, radiating an aura of unwillingness.
“Do you want to continue?” Urahara’s voice was calm.
Sasuke gritted his teeth, not answering, trying to prop himself up, but ultimately fell back down weakly.
Kisuke Urahara looked at him in this state, slowly knelt down, and met his gaze.
“Uchiha Sasuke.”
It was the first time he had called his full name so seriously.
“Your talent is very strong.”
Kisuke Urahara’s tone was sincere, “Whether it’s your reaction speed or your combat intuition, both far exceed that of ordinary people.”
He changed his tone, becoming serious.
“However, your weaknesses are equally fatal.
Your Swordsmanship Technique and Hakuda are like self-taught, wild styles, all posture but lacking the most solid foundation.”
“Your speed is fast, but not fast enough.
All of this makes your attacks crude and extremely easy to see through.”
“And even more fatal than that is your heart.”
“You are too easily affected by anxiety; the battle just now is the best proof of that.”
“A person who cannot control his emotions, no matter how great his talent, will never become a true strong person.”
…..