**Chapter 197: Suppression**

Fukui Ichiro's thoughts were unknown to Seimei, nor did he care. Right now, he only wanted to find someone to test his newly advanced LV6 swordsmanship.

With that in mind, Seimei rushed straight toward two Iwagakure Jōnin not far ahead.

Seeing Seimei rapidly closing in, Fukui Ichiro raised his kunai and said to his companion, "Yōjin, be careful of his eyes!"

"Hmm!"

Iwagakure Yōjin responded in a deep voice.

He wasn't foolish. After seeing how easily Fukui Ichiro was hypnotized by Seimei, he knew Seimei was no simple opponent and naturally wouldn't lower his guard.

*Swish swish swish* 

Several kunai were thrown by Yōjin, aiming straight for Seimei's vital points.

The tomoe in Seimei's pupils spun rapidly, locking onto the kunai's trajectory. He quickly mapped out an evasion route in his mind.

With a light tap of his feet, Seimei's body lowered, skillfully dodging the kunai with a series of elegant side-steps, his speed not slowing at all.

Yōjin frowned slightly but wasn't too disappointed.

He hadn't expected such an attack to hurt Seimei anyway. It was merely a cover for Fukui Ichiro to strike.

*Clang!* 

Seimei swung his short sword, deflecting Fukui Ichiro's thrust.

*Screech!* 

The sharp friction echoed as both exerted force. Sparks flew as the short sword and kunai clashed.

After a brief standoff, both jumped back, putting some distance between them.

But this wasn't the end—rather, it was just the beginning.

The moment they landed, both lunged forward again, and the kunai and short sword clashed once more with a louder sound.

This time, there was no stalemate. The two separated almost instantly before colliding again.

For a time, the sound of metal clashing filled the air.

Seimei, intent on testing his swordsmanship, didn't rush to attack.

On the contrary, Fukui Ichiro, fearing a passive position, unleashed a relentless storm of attacks, fast and furious.

Seimei, on the other hand, resembled a lone boat in the midst of a stormy sea, seemingly on the verge of capsizing at any moment.

However, this was only an illusion. In truth, though the small boat appeared to drift with the waves, it remained remarkably steady.

From an outside perspective, it seemed Seimei was effortlessly handling Fukui Ichiro's attacks.

He dodged every attack with the slightest of movements, and those he couldn't dodge, he blocked with a precise sword stroke.

His movements were sharp and graceful, like a dancer on a knife's edge—dangerous yet perfectly controlled.

The entire process exuded a sense of ease and leisure.

'What's going on? How has his swordsmanship improved so much?' Fukui Ichiro was filled with confusion as he watched Seimei effortlessly block every one of his attacks.

In their previous battles, Seimei's swordsmanship, though superb, wasn't beyond Fukui Ichiro's understanding. But now, what was this?

Seimei's current performance even made Fukui Ichiro doubt his own abilities.

'Am I under a genjutsu?' Fukui Ichiro thought, his movements becoming hesitant.

"Huh? An opportunity!"

Noticing the shift in Fukui Ichiro's mood, Seimei seized the moment and thrust his sword toward him.

Though Seimei hadn't intended to strike first, he wouldn't pass up an opportunity presented before him.

His short sword stabbed forward, aiming directly at Fukui Ichiro's chest.

Suddenly, a kunai appeared from the side, blocking his attack.

Only then did Fukui Ichiro snap out of his self-doubt. Seeing the short sword so close to his chest, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Ichiro, what's going on?" 

Yōjin, who had blocked Seimei's attack, looked at Fukui Ichiro and asked in a deep voice.

"Nothing!" 

Fukui Ichiro shook his head, regaining his composure. "Be careful, his swordsmanship is incredible!"

"What do you mean?" Yōjin asked in confusion.

From his perspective, it seemed like Fukui Ichiro had just zoned out in the middle of the battle and almost got severely injured by Seimei. Why would he bring up Seimei's swordsmanship?

If Fukui Ichiro had warned him about Seimei's Sharingan, Yōjin could understand. Perhaps Fukui Ichiro had fallen under a genjutsu and lost focus.

But what was the deal with mentioning Seimei's swordsmanship?

Yōjin had seen Seimei's swordsmanship, perfectly blocking all of Fukui Ichiro's attacks.

Strong! Very strong! 

But given Seimei's skill level shown in the previous battle, achieving such a feat wasn't hard. Why emphasize it again now?

To this, Seimei could only say that unless you were directly involved, you couldn't understand the progress he had made in swordsmanship.

After this bout, Seimei realized that advancing his swordsmanship from LV5 to LV6 wasn't about improving specific techniques but about mastering the finer details of combat.

Without experiencing it firsthand, one wouldn't notice the difference.

Just like now, even though Yōjin had seen the entire battle between Seimei and Fukui Ichiro, he hadn't detected anything unusual.

These subtle changes could only be felt in the heat of battle.

And soon enough, Yōjin would experience it himself.

Seeing that Yōjin had blocked his sword, Seimei wasted no time and immediately included him in his attack range.

*Clang clang clang* 

Wielding his short sword, Seimei fought against both Iwagakure Jōnin at once.

Within just a few minutes, Seimei had gained the upper hand, suppressing the two with his swordsmanship.

Only then did Yōjin understand what Fukui Ichiro had meant by "Seimei's swordsmanship is incredible."

This wasn't just incredible; it was a transformation!

At a certain level of mastery, the key to swordsmanship lies in attention to detail.

In a battle between experts, those details often make all the difference.

Coincidentally, Seimei's LV6 swordsmanship had enhanced his ability to control such details.

Thus, once you actually fought him, you'd feel how much his swordsmanship had improved, especially if you were a skilled opponent.

Were Yōjin and Fukui Ichiro experts? 

The answer was yes.

That's why they could feel Seimei's improvement more deeply.

*Clang clang clang!* 

*Slash!* 

Yōjin wielded his kunai, repeatedly blocking Seimei's strikes, but the last one left a gash on his shoulder.

Seeing this, Fukui Ichiro rushed forward, trying to block Seimei and prevent him from further injuring Yōjin.

However, Seimei had already noticed that Yōjin's close combat skills were clearly weaker than Fukui Ichiro's, so he wouldn't pass up such a great opportunity.

After deflecting Fukui Ichiro's attacks with a few sword strokes, Seimei went after Yōjin again, continuing his fierce offensive.

Although true Jōnin are generally skilled in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, there are still differences in their expertise.

Yōjin's close combat skills might surpass those of Chūnin or even some specialized Jōnin, but compared to Fukui Ichiro, he was clearly weaker.

And against Seimei, even more so.

So, under Seimei's onslaught, Yōjin could only defend, unable to counterattack.

If it weren't for Fukui Ichiro's interference disrupting Seimei's rhythm, Yōjin might have already been severely injured.

This showed just how powerful Seimei's LV6 swordsmanship was when combined with the Sharingan!

And this only made Seimei look forward to developing his special techniques even more.

(End of Chapter)