While the brother and sister were sparring, Uchiha Chiri, having also changed into ninja attire, stepped into the courtyard. The two immediately stopped, walked over to her, and dutifully greeted her.
"Chi, it seems you are ready. Let's begin then. Mikoto, watch closely as well. Even if you aren't learning it, understanding the basics is always beneficial. After all, once you become a ninja, you might encounter any kind of opponent."
"Understood," the brother and sister replied crisply in unison.
With that, Chiri produced a wooden training sword and began to move through the courtyard. Though it was only a wooden blade, in her hands it seemed entirely transformed. It radiated an extraordinary sharpness, imbued by her sheer willpower with an edge capable of cleaving through anything, yet her swordsmanship retained a fluid grace that clearly promised lethal efficiency.
Uchiha Chi felt as though he were gazing upon a piece of art; her swordsmanship captivated him utterly, leaving him entranced long after she had lowered the blade and he finally snapped back to reality.
At that moment, Chi's desire to learn swordsmanship burned more fiercely than ever. He turned his glowing eyes toward Uchiha Chiri.
Even Uchiha Mikoto, who had previously shown little interest in swordsmanship, found herself drawn in by her mother's display. While she cared little for the art of the sword itself, she deeply admired the captivating poise her mother exuded.
As if sensing that the fish had taken the bait, Uchiha Chiri smiled faintly and said, "These are the Thirteen Basic Forms of swordsmanship. They consist of thirteen movements in total: cleaving (pi), chopping (kan), sweeping upward (liao), hacking (duo), lifting (tiao), intercepting (jie), thrusting-pushing (tui), stabbing (ci), sliding (hua), stirring (jiao), collapsing (beng), poking (dian), and pulling (ba). Each movement has numerous additional variations that I won't go into detail on right now; I will explain them thoroughly when you practice.
"These techniques and variations are the fundamental skills of swordsmanship. No matter how advanced a style may be, it cannot escape this scope. Just like hand seals in Ninjutsu, they are the foundation of everything.
"By practicing these basic forms and variations, you can gradually improve your swordsmanship proficiency and practical combat ability. Each form has a specific purpose and technique, and through repeated practice, your swordsmanship will become smoother and more effective.
"Everyone begins learning swordsmanship through these thirteen movements; otherwise, their foundation will inevitably fail to support them in reaching the peak. Conversely, if you thoroughly master these thirteen forms, you will be able to forge your own path even when there is no road ahead.
"Next, I will explain each movement to you in detail."
Without waiting for Mikoto and Chi to respond, Chiri continued, "Cleaving: strike the opponent horizontally and flatly with the blade, delivering a short and ferocious force. Watch closely, both of you."
She began demonstrating the "cleaving" motion from the thirteen basic forms. Her movements were extremely slow, and she accompanied them with a thorough, detailed explanation of the technique and its derivative variations.
By this time, Uchiha Mikoto had unconsciously activated her single-tomoe Sharingan. Though it lacked the ability to copy techniques, it still served to increase her learning efficiency.
While Chi possessed no Sharingan, he had his own method of learning. He entered a state of absolute focus, which allowed him to achieve twice the results with half the effort.
Since this particular form of swordsmanship was not overly complicated, the brother and sister had already clearly grasped their mother's movements visually, and their eyes had learned the motions.
They then began to imitate their mother, practicing the "cleaving" technique. As they repeatedly swung their wooden swords and executed the cleave over and over, various flaws inevitably appeared.
Chiri stood by, patiently guiding them through their shortcomings and correcting them time and again.
After an hour had passed, Mikoto, who had a better foundation, was the first to bring this movement up to standard. However, she could not yet guarantee that every single cleave would reach such a standard, so Chiri instructed her to continue practicing.
Before long, Chi reached the same level, and Chiri gave him the same instruction.
At this point, however, their differing approaches began to emerge. Mikoto, whose talent in Taijutsu was not exceptionally high, relied on continuous, standard swings to build muscle memory and imprint the strike into her body.
Chi, on the other hand, paused after every single cleave to reflect, then focused intensely before executing the next stroke. After completing that one, he would reflect again, repeating the cycle only when he felt satisfied.
Seeing this, Chiri did not interrupt either of them. Instead, she was immensely pleased. She was thoroughly satisfied with her children's performance, as both had found a learning method suited to their own traits.
Especially regarding Chi—unlike Mikoto, who was ten years old, nearing graduation age, and had already developed her own style through years of guidance, making her performance unsurprising—Chi's performance was even more remarkable. When it came to mastering the basics, while his speed might not have matched Mikoto's and could even be slightly slower, once he succeeded, it meant he had completely digested that foundational form of swordsmanship. Such a foundation would be far sturdier. Once he completed his foundational training and moved on to higher-level variations, his rate of progress would surely surpass Mikoto's.
Though Chi's method was superior, it was unsuited for Mikoto, as it required an exceptionally high comprehension of Taijutsu. If Mikoto tried to learn the way Chi did, she would likely remain stuck at the foundational level of swordsmanship forever. Moreover, Mikoto's true talent lay in Genjutsu, with swordsmanship serving merely as a supplement.
Conversely, if Chi tried to adopt Mikoto's approach, it would likely delay his ascent to the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Therefore, the method that suited oneself was always the best.
With their current approach, once Mikoto finished her foundational swordsmanship training, Chiri could help her master a few techniques that synergized with the Sharingan. Based on swordsmanship alone, Mikoto would be able to reach the Special Jonin level, which was more than enough.
As for Chi, if he maintained this momentum and put in sufficient effort, he genuinely had the hope of reaching the realm of the Unity of Man and Blade, inheriting her swordsmanship, surpassing her, and ultimately carving out his own Kage level path.
In the future, there was even hope that, following the young head of the Hatake clan, he could become Konoha's next pinnacle of swordsmanship.
In Uchiha Chiri's eyes, that young man from the Hatake clan was destined to be Konoha's pinnacle of swordsmanship, and within just a few years, he would likely surpass her own achievements in the sword.
And indeed, that was the truth. Although Hatake Sakumo was currently displaying a brilliant and sharp edge, the Hokage faction had no one to point out his shortcomings, and the teachings of the Hatake clan had reached their limit once he became a Jonin. Every subsequent step required him to grope in the dark and forge his own way forward—yet such a challenge could not stop the uniquely talented Hatake Sakumo.
In the original history, he would undergo the baptism of the early stages of the Second Great Ninja War, shedding all impurities to break through during the conflict and become Konoha's most dazzling new star.
Even the Third Hokage in his prime found it difficult to overshadow his radiance, and legendary figures like the Sannin would require three of them combined just to match him.
Lost in her thoughts, Chiri noticed that Chi's body had reached its limit. Seeing this, she quickly stopped him before he could force himself to continue: "Chi, there's no need to push yourself. You've reached your limit. Rest for a bit, reflect carefully, and summarize your insights—that is what matters most."