Chapter 6: Biwa Funato (1)
Despite being a ninjutsu specialist and investing rewards from levelling up into chakra systematically, Takeshi still learned the Hidden Mist Kenjutsu sword art and upgraded his kenjutsu talent to medium, using 2000 experience points, which was a massive investment that could have been used to level up otherwise. However, he had still gone through it, knowing that there was nothing more valuable than talent.
The more affinity he had towards a 'talent', the less expensive it became, which is why the medium water affinity talent he had only cost him half of that amount.
Adding to the fact that there was a strong legacy of swordsmen in kirigakure, Takeshi never regretted his choice. After all, the strongest symbol of the village was represented by the seven legendary swordsmen that paved the way for the village's supremacy and survival, though this would change a lot with their defeat againt Might Duy, something that would happen in a couple of years.
Biwa was a genius in Kenjutsu, and it really showed.
[Biwa - Lv. 22 Academy Student]
This was the level of a full-fledged elite genin, not that of a regular academy student. His arms were very muscular, and even his size made him stand out among the crowd of children. His gaze, though, looked very simple-minded and the few interactions Takeshi had with him allowed a friendship to be built.
"Takeshi", the latter engaged the conversation
"Please", Takeshi quickly answered, not needing this kind of formality.
Because of Biwa's strength, he was very feared in the class, and none would willingly spar with such a montrous existence. Even Arya, a descendant of the prestigious Yuki clan, did not dare to spar with Biwa who was seen as the second coming of Kisame. Most students who sparred with him ended with tough bruises.
However, Takeshi never once refused Biwa's duels.
One of the reasons stemmed from the friendship they had. The other was purely out of benefits. Takeshi saw it as an opportunity to grow stronger, and for Biwa, it was a way to train against someone freely.
However, it was also due to risk and rewards. Risk was essentially null, and the rewards enormous.
[Duel - C-rank Optional Mission
Biwa Funato, the genius of your class, has challenged you to a spar.
Task: Defeat Biwa (0 / 1)
Rewards: 500 EXP]
'More than a whole level in terms of experience, huh...', Takeshi looked expectant.
However, despite months of training, he had never once succeeded in this task.
As he grew stronger, Takeshi naturally noticed the growth of his classmates. And Biwa was the most surprising of all. Every time Takeshi levelled up, Biwa seemed to match his progress. Everyone had their own strength. However, Takeshi knew that the gap between them was always narrowing. Every time, he would manage to land one more blow on his opponent, deflect one more sword trike.
Rather than a friendship, maybe it would be more accurate to decribe their relationship as a rivalry, one that Takeshi appreciated much greatly. Of course, in the grand scheme of things, Takeshi knew that Biwa was only an average shinobi who had a potential ceiling. Unless he received some inheritance or had a strong emotional experience, he was unlikely to ever reach the level of elite jonin, much less kage level, realms that Takeshi was eyeing.
"Today is the day", Takeshi muttered with a smile.
For some reason, Biwa felt a chill, seeing the resolution in the red eyes of his opponent. A crowd naturally gathered. Although they were just academy students, their strength had already surpassed it and their classmates were always in awe whenever they would fight.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
-- Power
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