This was the first time Haruki had seen a dojo in the Naruto world.
In his previous life, he had visited the Kendo club at his university.
The venue was almost the same as what he saw now.
Smooth, specially made wooden floors, students wearing full protective gear, holding wooden swords and sparring.
Haruki and Kakashi approached the counter.
The young man at the counter glanced at them for a moment, came to a conclusion, and smiled formally.
"Are you here to enroll your son in the dojo?"
He looked at Haruki, ignoring Kakashi, and said, "There are several fee standards for joining our dojo. If you want to study under the master, you need to pay..."
A loud bang interrupted his sales pitch.
The young boy, about three or four years old, slammed a samurai sword almost as tall as himself onto the counter.
While the young man was puzzled, Kakashi, following Haruki's instructions, said expressionlessly, "We're not here to learn Kendo; we're here to challenge the dojo."
The young man was slightly taken aback.
Challenging the dojo was a polite way of saying they were here to cause trouble.
But he wasn't scared; instead, he laughed.
"Little brother, this isn't a game. Stop fooling around."
He reached for the samurai sword but found it didn't budge.
His face changed, and he secretly exerted more force, but it was still useless.
"You..."
"I'm serious. Please notify someone."
Kakashi raised his eyes slightly and said, half-looking up.
The young man's attitude changed. Although he was just a doorman, he had learned Kendo for several years.
"Wait here."
He turned away from the counter.
A moment later, a middle-aged man appeared.
He looked at Haruki, then at Kakashi, and couldn't help but laugh.
"Takashi, have your years of training been for nothing? Are you afraid of a little kid?"
Before he finished speaking, Kakashi drew his samurai sword and attacked at lightning speed.
A flash of white light, and the middle-aged man didn't even see the blade's trajectory, let alone react.
In the next instant, cold sweat poured down his back.
The cold blade was already at his neck.
Takashi behind him was also stunned.
But then he was relieved, thankful for his cleverness in not doing anything foolish.
"Am I qualified now?"
Kakashi withdrew his sword and asked coolly.
The middle-aged man wiped his sweat and smiled apologetically, "I misjudged you. Please, come in."
This scene was seen by many in the dojo, and Takashi's announcement stirred up excitement.
Everyone practicing in the dojo loved Kendo and had a certain rank.
Now a genius young boy was challenging the dojo, and they all rushed to watch.
Kakashi took a wooden sword and stepped into the arena, asking, "Who's first?"
His tone was calm, but the crowd couldn't help thinking of one word: arrogant.
"I'll go!"
A boy around seventeen or eighteen stepped out.
Haruki blended into the crowd unnoticed.
Someone started acting as a commentator.
"Kanemoto Kazuya, fifth degree in Kendo, the strongest of the younger generation in this dojo."
But Haruki took one look and knew he was no match for Kakashi.
His Kendo skills were decent, but he lacked experience and had almost no chakra.
In Haruki's view, the samurai in the Naruto world were not just pure warriors but more like Taijutsu experts.
They had swordsmanship or Kendo skills combined with well-timed chakra use, somewhat similar to the Hyuga clan.
After the two in the arena bowed, Kakashi quickly advanced and made a simple horizontal slash with his long sword.
Kanemoto Kazuya didn't even have time to dodge. He barely lifted his wooden sword.
In an instant, a powerful force erupted.
His wooden sword broke, and his body flew up.
A one-hit KO!
The dojo fell silent as if someone had pressed the mute button.
Moments later, Kanemoto Kazuya struggled to stand up.
He had always been a genius, the strongest among the younger generation, but today he lost miserably.
"Step back."
A deep voice stopped Kanemoto Kazuya's steps.
He turned and bowed, saying, "Sensei."
The newcomer was a man in his forties, with tightly coiled muscles exuding power.
"It's Master Hiraoka Masahiko, eighth degree in Kendo!" someone immediately shouted, "That kid is going to lose!"
Hiraoka Masahiko picked up a wooden sword and stepped into the arena.
Kakashi's expression turned serious. He could tell Hiraoka Masahiko was much stronger than the previous guy, giving off an aura surpassing that of an average Chunin.
"What's your name? Where do you study?"
Hiraoka Masahiko didn't attack immediately. He was curious about which dojo had produced such a young prodigy.
"Kakashi."
As for the other question, Kakashi didn't answer. He picked up another wooden sword.
"Two-sword style?"
Hiraoka Masahiko was surprised, as the two-sword style was much harder than the single-sword style.
Kakashi said nothing and took a stance with both swords.
It was the starting pose of Niten Ichi-ryū.
Hiraoka Masahiko and the others in the dojo were puzzled again.
No one had seen or heard of such a starting pose before.
Was it a new style?
Hiraoka Masahiko finally got serious. Facing a completely new and unfamiliar style, his confidence waned a bit.
Kakashi leaped up, the long sword slashing diagonally from the right, while the short sword vibrated slightly, extending a blue ripple upwards.
Chakra?
Hiraoka Masahiko's brow twitched. His samurai sword quickly descended, wrapped in a similar blue aura, knocking away the short sword and blocking the descending long sword.
The immense force surprised him.
Kakashi's chakra was on par with his.
Damn it, where did this monster come from?
Hiraoka Masahiko thought, but his hands didn't slow down.
He readjusted his stance, his samurai sword roaring with speed, forming a crescent blue arc.
Kakashi retreated, his dual swords executing a simple fast strike to block the samurai sword.
But he was still young.
He didn't know this strike from Hiraoka Masahiko was from Iaidō's one flash.
Boom.
Kakashi's body was sent flying, but he spun in mid-air and landed, stumbling a bit but unhurt.
The crowd's expressions changed drastically.
Their smiles froze.
Kakashi rushed forward again, engaging Hiraoka Masahiko.
As his Niten Ichi-ryū technique unfolded, the spectators finally confirmed it was indeed a brand-new style.
Haruki frowned slightly.
He was pleased with Kakashi and Hiraoka Masahiko being evenly matched, but it also exposed Kakashi's weakness: insufficient chakra.
Estimating that Kakashi could only last this match, Haruki had an idea.
He planned to find an item that could store chakra, like a gem or something, for Kakashi to wear as a battery.
Speaking of this, he missed the Tailed Beasts.
If he could get Kakashi a Tailed Beast as a charger, there wouldn't be such a concern.
But with a Tailed Beast, wouldn't using it for Kendo be a waste?