"Clang, clang..."

The clash of steel echoed through the air, the sound of blades meeting in a flurry of strikes and parries.

Kurenai found herself in a fierce battle with Hayashi, their movements a blur as they exchanged blow after blow.

His katana sliced through the air, leaving her momentarily stunned.

But she refused to back down. Her hands moved fluidly, wielding kunai and shuriken with precision.

Despite her best efforts, Kurenai felt herself being slowly pushed back by his assault. His skill was evident in every strike, each one precise and merciless.

Hayashi batted aside her projectiles with ease. As he raised his katana, poised for the next strike, Kurenai knew she had to act fast.

She lunged forward, hoping to catch him off guard. But he was quicker, effortlessly parrying her attack.

Seizing the opportunity, he disengaged, his katana at the ready.

As Hayashi's longer weapon gave him the upper hand, Kurenai's instincts took over.

She dodged the fatal strike by a hair's breadth, landing on the ground.

Without missing a beat, she regained her composure, her eyes fixed on her opponent as she braced herself for the next attack.

Hayashi didn't let up, unleashing a flurry of vicious strikes. But Kurenai stood her ground, meeting each blow with the same aggression.

Her teeth gritted, she pushed herself to the limit, refusing to back down. The arena became a blur of motion and steel as they clashed.

As the fight wore on, doubts began to creep into her mind. Despite her best efforts, Kurenai felt herself being slowly overwhelmed by Hayashi's pressure.

The gap between them grew with each passing moment, until she found herself backed into a corner, her options dwindling to zero.

And then, in a moment of clarity, Kurenai realized the brutal truth.

No amount of training or experience could prepare her for the sheer power of his onslaught.

As Hayashi pressed forward, Kurenai knew she had no choice but to accept defeat.

But even in the face of defeat, she refused to go down without a fight. In a last-ditch effort, her hands flashed through a series of seal.

Without thinking, she unleashed a high-level technique, one she'd never used against a fresh Genin.

"Demon Illusion: Tree Binding Death!" she shouted.

The world around Hayashi distorted and twisted. Thick roots burst from the ground, wrapping around his body with incredible speed.

A massive tree materialized out of nowhere, its rough bark pressing against his back.

As he struggled, Kurenai's form began to emerge from the trunk. Her body blended with the wood, her features taking shape as she prepared to strike.

But suddenly, a surge of pressure pulsed from his body, stronger and wilder than before.

The air trembled, and she felt the full force of it. Her breath caught, and she struggled to stay conscious.

The genjutsu shattered, like fragile glass.

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At that moment of disorientation, Hayashi seized his chance and unleashed a swift slash.

The air parted as the flying slash rushed towards Kurenai. She tried to gain distance, but it was too fast.

With barely enough time to react, she rolled to the side, dodging the attack by a hair's breadth.

As she regained her footing, her eyes widened in shock at the destruction.

A deep furrow had been carved into the earth, extending far beyond where she had been standing.

Before Kurenai could fully process what had happened, she felt the cold touch of steel against her neck. She felt momentarily stunned.

"You've lost, Kurenai-sensei," Hayashi declared calmly, his hand reaching out to snatch the bell from her waist.

As a formidable genjutsu specialist, Kurenai was one of the most dangerous types of ninja in the shinobi world.

Every move had the potential to trap opponents in an illusion. Even with his Observation Haki, Hayashi knew that facing a Jonin's techniques was uncharted territory for him.

He didn't remove the blindfold, deciding to play it safe. Kurenai was overly reliant on her own genjutsu techniques, and as a result, she lacked the ability to mount any resistance.

The slashing prowess of the One Piece sword masters was undeniably Kage level.

In fact, mostly likely, only those wielding the Susanoo among Konoha's shinobi could rival these feats.

Although his chakra reserves were only at the level of a Chunin, his strength without a sword could rival that of a Jonin, albeit under specific circumstances.

However, he also acknowledged the significant advantage afforded by the swordsmanship techniques he had inherited.

In a world where chakra dictated nearly every aspect of combat, the ability to execute powerful slashing strikes without expending chakra was a considerable asset.

By neutralizing his opponent's abilities, he had positioned himself advantageously.

Ninjas stripped of their cherished techniques, save for taijutsu masters and those with bloodline abilities, were little more than ordinary individuals with enhanced physical capabilities.

This was a common sight in the One Piece World, where chakra played no role.

Kurenai was the perfect example.

"You're truly astounding, Hayashi," she said, her eyes wide as she watched him snatch the bell.

"Your sword technique is quite good. How did you achieve such mastery?"

Feeling the weight of the bell in his hand, Hayashi finally removed the cloth covering his eyes.

"To be honest, even I'm not sure. When I was younger, I accidentally sliced through the water while practicing with Hinata by the river. It startled us both." he replied

Kurenai furrowed her brows, pondering silently.

'When he was young?' she thought 'Neither of those sword strikes showed any chakra fluctuations.'

'Does a shinobi truly require the consumption of chakra for bloodline limits? Or could this not even be considered a bloodline limit?'

"Hey, Kurenai-sensei, are you alright?" Hayashi asked, trying to change the subject. He seemed oblivious to her thoughts, just wanting to move on.

The power of the Breath of All Things was a unique energy system from another world.

Without the Template System, like Hayashi had, no one else could master it. Even if they knew the method, they may not have what it takes.

He thought to himself, 'I need to test it.'

Kurenai snapped out of her daze, meeting his gaze. "No, it's nothing. I give up," she said, a hint of resignation in her voice.

"Hayashi..." Kurenai started to say, but before she could continue, Hinata and Shino approached them.

Hinata looked Hayashi straight in the eye, her admiration clear.

Shino, still recovering from the genjutsu, adjusted his sunglasses with a stiff movement. But his tone was as calm as ever.

"Hayashi, you've been hiding your true abilities," Shino stated. "You should've graduated from the ninja school ages ago."

"I still have much to learn," Hayashi responded softly, acknowledging his own shortcomings.

In truth, he wasn't even sure of his own strength. He had held back during the battle, knowing it wasn't a fight to the death.

Based on today's encounter, a genjutsu Jonin like Kurenai wouldn't be able to fully assess his capabilities.

It would likely take a match against an Elite Jonin like Kakashi to truly gauge his prowess.

Shino remained silent, thinking Hayashi was just being modest. Kurenai shared this sentiment, admiring her student's humility.

She clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention.

With a smile, she said, "Today's survival exercise was meant to test your teamwork, but unexpectedly, I've been bested by Hayashi."

"I won't back out of my wager. Meet me at the school gate at six o'clock tonight, and I'll treat you to a barbecue," she said, holding up two fingers.

"Now, disperse."

With that, she vanished from sight. Hayashi watched her disappear, a glint of realization in his eyes.

'Almost forgot... Body Flicker Technique!' he thought. This escape technique would have easily evaded his flying slash.

He couldn't understand why Kurenai hadn't used it during their fight, but he made a mental note of it.

During the battle, he refrained from unleashing the full force of his techniques.

If he had, he would have used his Water Release. With the fluidity of flowing water, his bamboo sword strikes would have landed with unparalleled precision.

Even in those brief moments of close combat, he had the confidence to leave lasting scars on Kurenai.

Yet, he couldn't shake the sense of remorse for even thinking such thoughts.