I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapter 70-071 The Witch's Strike

Naruto Uchiha, along with Matsudaira Chiyo and two others, crossed the central courtyard and arrived at the school's kendo dojo.

From the outside, the dojo is surrounded by a wooden arcade with a Japanese architectural style. The arcade has an overhanging roof. The open building facilitates ventilation, and the deep eaves of the roof prevent direct sunlight, ensuring that the kendo dojo remains cool.

The group took off their shoes in the entryway and stepped into the house onto the gleaming, tung-oil-covered wood floor.

At the sound of "Suzhen," a dozen freshmen began to wave their Suzhen sticks.

In several competition areas, a few people were still sparring and competing, and the sounds of bamboo swords clashing against each other rang out continuously.

A middle-aged man leaning on a bamboo sword was solemnly watching the dojo. As they approached, his gaze first fell on Tsuda-senpai, then lingered on the petite Tsukimi-ri Inaba carrying her sword pouch. He said with some surprise:

"Tsuda, you brought that witch with you?"

"Ahem!" Matsudaira Chiyo coughed lightly, sounding somewhat annoyed.

"Mr. Goto, that's not how it is..."

Tsuda-senpai quickly stepped forward to explain.

"Mr. Goto, keep the three strongest boys in the kendo club here, and dismiss the rest of the students," Matsudaira Chiyo ordered.

"OK."

Mr. Goto bowed and scraped as he spoke to the kendo club students who had stopped training and were now staring at him with curious eyes.

"That concludes today's club activities. Mogi, Fujimoto, and Kusakabe, the three of you stay behind. The rest of you, pack up and go home."

The kendo club students who had stopped were whispering and talking amongst themselves, with most of their eyes focused on Tsukimi, and words like "witch" and "monster" popping up from time to time.

But Tsukimi Inaba remained calm and composed, her left eye empty and hollow, as if she hadn't heard anything at all.

A few students tried to join in the fun with playful smiles, but they were all scared away by Mr. Goto's stern face. A dozen minutes later, most of the students had finished changing and left.

"This is Fujimoto, who is playing as a forward, and this is Mogi, who is playing as a vice-captain."

Teacher Goto focused on introducing a boy with resolute features and a short, bristly haircut.

"This is Kusakabe, a third-year student. He is the captain of the kendo club and the champion of the boys' team competition. Last year, he won the Fighting Award for winning five consecutive matches in the Jade Dragon Flag competition."

Looking at this tall, muscular general who was clearly a formidable fighter, Matsudaira Chiyo nodded with slight satisfaction.

"Did you all remember what I just told you?"

"Playing against a girl like this, five against one, is just too unfair," the general said, looking very unwilling.

After all, men and women are different. Although modern society advocates gender equality, the huge gap in physical fitness between men and women is an objective reality. The achievements of male athletes at the county or city level are enough to be compared with those of world-class female athletes.

The gap in physical fitness between boys and girls is already becoming apparent during junior high school, and it widens further in high school.

The general looked at Tsukimi Riha, a girl even smaller than the average girl, and was afraid that he would cut her down with a single bamboo sword strike.

"Just do it, I'll let you compete," Mr. Goto said irritably.

"That's right, the legendary witch, I'd like to see her for myself." A skinny, tall boy with a pointed mouth and monkey-like face laughed.

"Since that's the case, let's go change our faceplates and protective gear. Tsukimi-san, you can come too."

"No need, just give me a bamboo sword." Tsukimi Inaba said calmly, carrying her sword pouch.

"So far, no one has been able to obtain one from me, so I don't need any armor..."

"No, this is too dangerous!"

Before she could finish speaking, Matsudaira Chiyo forcibly pulled her toward the women's changing room.

Goto-sensei looked at Uchiha Naruto and asked:

"Young man, how much do you know about kendo? Would you like to join the club and give it a try?"

"I know a little bit, but I don't need it. I can learn by myself at home by watching videos." Uchiha Naruto waved his hand with a smile.

"Self-taught? You can't learn Kendo on your own. Like Kyudo, Kendo emphasizes correct posture. Once you're in the foundational stage, incorrect movements become muscle memory, and it's very difficult to correct them later."

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

Seeing that Uchiha Naruto remained unmoved, Goto-sensei could only shake his head helplessly.

He only offered a friendly reminder because the male student was Miss Matsudaira's follower; what could he do if the student wouldn't listen to advice?

At that moment, Matsudaira Chiyo and Tsuda-senpai, having changed into their kendo uniforms, walked over.

Matsudaira Chiyo was not wearing a mask; her long, flowing black hair cascaded over her armor, making her look like a heroic Valkyrie.

Tsukimi Inaba, already wearing a mask, a suit of armor, and an overly loose, ill-fitting hakama, sat upright behind the sideline of the arena.

"I never imagined that Tsukimi-san would actually be even smaller than she looks."

Matsudaira Chiyo said with a smile, resting her chin on her hand.

"It's so tiny, it's really adorable, like a life-size doll."

Naruto Uchiha's expression changed slightly, but he pretended not to hear those words.

"Miss, don't underestimate Tsukimi just because she's short. I've sparred with the boys from the kendo club. With their skill level, getting a book from her would be an impossible task," Tsuda-senpai said solemnly.

Fujimoto, who had a monkey-like face, also donned armor and a mask and crouched on the starting line on the other side.

"Salute!" shouted Mr. Goto, who was acting as the referee.

Like Kyudo, Kendo also has a set of etiquette rules in formal competitions.

Both bowed to each other, and then Mr. Goto shouted, "Ready!"

Fujimoto started with an upper stance, raising his bamboo sword high above his head with both hands, looking as if he was about to chop someone in two with a single stroke, exuding a murderous aura.

Meanwhile, Tsukimi Inaba's hands hung down, with the tip of her sword pointing to the ground.

"Is this a lower stance? Kendo is an offensive competitive sport, and it's rare to see such a defensive starting stance these days. Which school of Kendo do you belong to, Tsukimi-san?" Matsudaira Chiyo asked, frowning.

"I don't know. So far, no one has been able to force out Tsukimi's signature technique."

"start!"

At Goto-sensei's command, Fujimoto swung a Tang bamboo chop right in front of him!

But Tsukimi Inaba only took a small, light step back, and the bamboo sword fell just short of her faceplate.

The bamboo sword struck with great force, hitting the ground hard and leaving the vine exposed. However, Tsukimi Inaba did not take the opportunity to attack, but instead maintained her low stance.

"Waaaaahh ...

Fujimoto felt utterly humiliated, let out a strange cry, and then jumped back and forth, unleashing slashes at Tsukimi.

Fujimoto's movements were very agile; to put it nicely, he was like a nimble monkey leaping across a stream, but to put it bluntly, he jumped around like a monkey.

But no matter how he attacked, Tsukimi didn't even try to block; she simply dodged all the attacks with the grace of a startled swan.

"That monkey from the Taisha school is really clumsy. Why isn't Tsukimi attacking yet?" Matsudaira Chiyo asked, somewhat bored.

"It's the ease with which the strong handle things. That's always been the case in Tsukimi. They only make their move after the opponent has launched a preemptive attack." Tsuda-senpai had a complex expression on her face.

At this moment, Tsukimi's starting stance finally changed. She put the bamboo sword at her waist, gripped the hilt with both hands, and adopted a starting stance that resembled iaido.

"Miss, watch out! This is the move!"

Fujimoto continued yelling and delivered a left horizontal slash, but the next moment, he found his hand light and the bamboo sword had vanished.

He spun around in a daze for a moment, and then found that Tsukimi's bamboo sword was already pressed against his neck.

"Throat." Tsukimi Rinba uttered this word softly from beneath her mask.

"My sword was knocked away? Where is it?"

Fujimoto was still completely bewildered as he searched the ground. Then, following the gazes of the others, he realized that his bamboo sword had somehow flown up to the ceiling, one end embedded in a gap in the partition, and was still swaying slightly.

"It's this move, 'Witch's Slap.' The reason Tsukimi is called a witch is because when she uses this move, she will definitely knock the opponent's bamboo sword out of their hand, just like a witch casting a spell to disarm you."

(End of this chapter)