Uchiha Sasuke’s Collapse Chapter 007

“Ding-a-ling—”

The crisp sound of the bell signaled the end of class, and the last lesson was finally over. Kiana, who had been dozing off at her desk, slowly opened her hazy eyes, her cerulean pupils filled with confusion.

With great effort, she propped up her head. Her usually fair forehead was covered in red marks from being pressed against the desk, and a glistening trail of drool lingered at the corner of her mouth.

“Kiana, I have something to do. Wait for me at home for a bit.”

“Huh? Uh-huh—”

Kiana’s muddled brain tried hard to process the information, but after several failed attempts to struggle, the Honkai Beast contentedly buried her head and continued her deep slumber.

“Alright, let me… sleep some more…”

Mei took a deep breath, ignoring the indifferent glances of her classmates. She quickly slung on her backpack and headed to the empty kendo clubroom. She changed into her kendo uniform and picked up a wooden practice sword before leaving the school gates.

At the familiar intersection, a familiar figure stood. The young man was dressed in a dark black, high-collared robe, loosely cut and lightweight, with cinched cuffs. His left arm, missing, was rolled up and secured with a strip of cloth. He wore loose, dark gray trousers that were tucked into dark brown ankle boots. A dark red belt was tied around his waist, from which a black sword sheath hung diagonally, its hilt wrapped in old, worn bandages covered in mottled marks.

“I… I’m here.”

For some reason, Mei felt a little nervous.

“Hm.”

As always, the young man said nothing more. He suddenly reached out and grabbed Mei by the back of her collar, which made Mei recall seeing a mother cat carrying her kitten by the scruff of its neck on the street earlier.

It was an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.

Just as Mei’s mind wandered, a strong sensation of weightlessness struck, and then, the lone boy and girl once again found themselves in yesterday’s small grove.

“Draw your sword,” Sasuke said flatly.

“O-okay.” Mei gripped the hilt of her sword at her waist, taking deep breaths to steady herself. “Please be careful!”

Mei stepped forward half a pace with her left foot, pushing off the ground with her toes, leaving a mark from her clogs. Her body suddenly lunged forward, her right knee sinking to lower her center of gravity. The scabbard pressed against her left hip, her right hand firmly gripping the hilt, her left hand lightly pressing the middle of the sword’s back with the tiger’s mouth, at shoulder height. The tip of the sword was slightly lowered, its blade reflecting cold light like a new moon.

The girl twisted her waist and abdomen, and the sword slashed diagonally upwards at a forty-five-degree angle, aiming straight for Sasuke’s throat!

Sasuke merely gently raised the sheath of his Kusanagi sword, blocking Mei’s first attack.

Mei clearly anticipated this. She used the recoil to step back, her sword tip naturally pressing down to her ribs, completing a stance that integrated offense and defense.

The wooden sword swung upwards from under her armpit, its back blocking an enemy’s downward chop against her left arm. Then, in an instant, she flipped her wrist, and the blade slashed horizontally from right to left, aiming directly for Sasuke’s wrist tendons.

Sasuke shifted his body slightly, dodging Mei’s second wave of attack.

Under the setting sun, Mei and Sasuke’s figures moved fluidly within the quiet grove. The strong winds stirred up by the wooden sword occasionally lifted fallen leaves, scattering them into the air.

Itachi, back then, were you watching me like this too?

As Sasuke continuously blocked and repelled Mei, his gaze became slightly unfocused. The beautiful girl before him seemed a little tired, yet her firm eyes reminded Sasuke of his past self.

“Let’s stop here.”

Once again deflecting the wooden sword in the girl’s hand, Sasuke slowly said.

Mei disregarded any pretense of the lady-like composure she had been taught since childhood. She knelt on one knee, using one hand to support her body with the wooden sword, gasping for breath. Her purplish-black ponytail had long since come undone during the battle, loosely fanning out behind her. Her normally fair skin was flushed crimson and covered in fine beads of sweat. The white top of her kendo uniform was almost transparent from sweat, subtly revealing that her inner wear today was black lace.

“Raiden Mei, what do you think swordsmanship is?” Sasuke didn’t give Mei time to rest but directly asked.

“Swordsmanship… what is it?” Raiden Mei tried to clear her head, repeating the question with some confusion.

She couldn’t help but look up at Sasuke’s indifferent black eyes.

After a moment, Mei slowly said, “It’s a… traditional competitive weapon martial art?”

Mei’s voice was filled with uncertainty. She wasn’t sure what the true meaning of the young man’s question was, so she chose an answer that conformed to a more traditional definition.

“No, swordsmanship is a ninja… technique used for killing.”

“Uh… huh?” Mei’s breathing hitched slightly. She gazed at the handsome young man before her, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Swordsmanship is a technique used for killing?

“How could that be… Even if the Sword Saint were here, he wouldn’t agree with your philosophy!” Mei couldn’t help but retort. Due to the vast difference in strength between herself and the young man before her, she brought up the “Sword Saint.”

The so-called Sword Saint referred to Chiba Shusaku, the founder of the “Hokushin Ittō-ryū” that Mei practiced. Chiba Shusaku was a master swordsman from the late Edo period. While deeply devoted to swordsmanship, he focused on teaching the younger generation, thus having countless disciples. His profound reputation led the Daimyo to summon him several times, but he always declined.

And while Takayanagi Matashiro, a contemporary Sword Saint, was no less skilled in swordsmanship, his despicable character and narrow-mindedness prevented him from ever becoming a Sword Saint in people’s hearts.

Therefore, the highly respected Chiba Shusaku remained the master in Mei’s heart. She believed that the founder of “Hokushin Ittō-ryū” created this swordsmanship not for slaughter.

“Therefore, this is the root of your weakness.” Sasuke paid no attention to Mei’s rebuttal. He didn’t care about any “Sword Saint,” merely continuing to speak to himself, “When you swing your sword, you always hesitate. In a life-or-death struggle, hesitation leads to defeat.”

“Life-or-death struggle? What are you talking about?”

Mei’s delicate brows furrowed into a “river” shape.

“Why do you hesitate? Is it because…” Sasuke’s voice suddenly turned cold, “your hatred isn’t enough?”

A chilling, profound aura suddenly erupted from the young man, making Mei instinctively shrink back.

“Why do you let those weaklings kick you when you’re down? Why do you silently endure all that bullying and oppression? Why are you willing to be a coward? Is it because… your hatred isn’t enough?”

The unfamiliar young man before her exuded an unprecedented aura, so oppressive that Mei could barely breathe. He approached Mei step by step, the sound of his footsteps crushing fallen leaves sounding like a death knell to Mei.

Her eyes became momentarily unfocused. The figure approaching her didn’t seem to be the aloof young man, but rather purple lightning.

“Let everything that refuses to submit to us be destroyed.”

Just as that purple hue was about to fill Mei’s glass-like eyes, the phone placed beside her suddenly rang with a crisp sound. Mei instinctively answered, and a resentful voice pulled her back to reality.

“Mei—where did you go—I’m starving to death—”