Living in Tokyo, all I want to do is laze around.

No sooner had he finished speaking than his uncle left in a hurry.

Looking at the half-eaten snacks on the coffee table, Uesugi Kai wondered, "Could it be that my uncle came here just to try and get information out of me?"

That shouldn't be the case. Such a small amount of information could have been obtained over the phone.

Or perhaps he wanted to take the opportunity to talk about the current guardianship situation of Ai Yi and Qian Ai Yi?

Thinking about it this way, my uncle's image suddenly became much more considerate.

I was thinking of asking myself if I could help in any way, but now... I'd better just stay home and be obedient.

......

The whole day seemed to be spent doing nothing.

Kai Uesugi sat in the living room, watched TV for a while, read a book, and then took a nap. Before she knew it, the day had passed simply like that.

But even on such a simple day, Uesugi Kai felt an extraordinary warmth.

Fireworks will cook lunch and keep you company while you sleep at night. If you get married, your life will probably become even happier.

--------

The semi-finals and finals of the National Kendo Championships were held over two days.

The finals began two days after the four teams finished their semifinal matches.

Kendo competitions are not achieved overnight, but rather through a gradual process.

In this competition, only three players have maintained an undefeated record.

Genichiro Naito was one of them.

He is 42 years old and holds a 6th dan in Kendo.

In Kyoto, he is the newly appointed teacher of the Katori Shinto school.

The instructor is a guide in the field of martial arts, the second-in-command of the instructor, and is a position, permission, or title granted to the instructor of a school or dojo.

In general, a teacher acting as a substitute within the dojo is similar to having a second master.

Katori Shinto-ryu, the foremost of all sword styles, is hailed as a perfectly preserved cultural treasure of Japan, the first and only martial art in history to be officially recognized, and has dojos throughout the country.

The current head of the Iishino family in Chiba Prefecture is the 24th generation.

This branch, located in Kyoto, has been developed by the Naito family.

Genichiro Naito was on good terms with several friends from the Metropolitan Police Department, so they agreed to participate in the team kendo tournament.

More than a decade ago, Genichiro Naito had already won the national individual kendo championship.

Kai Uesugi watched his seniors chatting not far ahead from the rest area inside the Budokan, among them was Genichiro Naito.

"Junior brother, they are considered to be of the same generation as our master. Do you know how difficult it is for us to get here every year?"

Although Uesugi Kai had never witnessed the scene, he could roughly understand some of it.

These young people coming to the semi-finals is like middle school students participating in a college knowledge competition. In the four teams, anyone you pick is a more senior and experienced person.

It's impossible not to feel pressure in such an environment.

Kai Uesugi fought his way to the semifinals, and seeing his seniors win fewer games than they lost, he also felt the pressure they were under.

The senior students are outstanding among their peers, but it is inevitable that they will lose some matches in the National Kendo Tournament, which is full of masters and seniors.

"Isn't confidence something you develop through competition? Junior brother, we were the team champions in the last and the year before that, and this year will be no exception."

Kai Uesugi knew that he couldn't decide the outcome of a team match on his own; the performance of his seniors was also very important.

I remember in the first few matches, Nanmyu Maru and Koshin Kagami even beat those old men from the Metropolitan Police Department.

The match hasn't started yet; it's in the preparation stage for the semi-finals.

"Junior brother, how do you cultivate your swordsmanship? We never see you at the dojo."

"It's very ordinary, just follow the method."

"Your moves and sword style look anything but ordinary."

"It depends on understanding. For example, seeing can be divided into two types: 'observation' and 'seeing'. 'Observation' means to feel with your heart and see with your heart, while 'seeing' means to see with ordinary eyes. 'Observation' and 'seeing' need to complement each other to be effective."

"What do you mean?"

“In a match, we need to observe the opponent’s initial moves and feints. That’s ‘seeing’. But what if the opponent changes their moves and uses feints to deceive your eyes? Can we still use ‘seeing’ to observe them then?”

Seeing this, Hu Xinjing said thoughtfully, "'Observation' means to experience with your heart, not to observe one spot, but to grasp the opponent's overall attack and range of motion..."

Uesugi Kai nodded to Kusunoki: "What Senior Brother Huxin said is right. A skilled opponent will make your eyes deceive you. Senior Brother Kusunoki lost several times because of his opponent's changes of moves and feints."

That being said, the theory explains it very clearly.

However, applying these insights to actual combat cannot be achieved overnight, so Uesugi Kai could only share his methods for dealing with opponents with his seniors.

This competition cannot be won by him alone.

###Chapter 382 Innocent True Transmission of Kaori Shinto Style###

"Ahem, the Tenshin Shinden Katori Shinto-ryu can be summarized in one sentence: it is the origin of Japanese Kendo... The ancestor, Sakakibara Kunzan, who created the Yuishin Itto-ryu, also learned some techniques from the master at the Katori Shinto-ryu dojo during his travels."

"Isn't Sakakibara Kimiyama a medical student?!"

"Hey, don't interrupt!" Sakakibara Isshin said seriously, then his expression returned to normal. "Of course, the patriarch was indeed from a family of healers. He traveled the world for more than ten years, during which time he met many famous figures and schools. After a long time, he finally settled down and left behind the One-Sword Style of the Heart that has been passed down to this day."

“My beloved student.”

Kai Uesugi, who was sitting idly below, raised his head.

"Didn't you fight Ishibashi of the Katori Shinto-ryu once before?"

"Ah."

"I watched the recording of your match that day. Your opponent used a wooden katana of the Keishin-ryu style and didn't use any of the techniques of the Katori Shinto-ryu style..."

"Before entering the Katori Shinto school, disciples sign a blood oath with the Katori Ōkami, a pledge made with blood. This oath requires all disciples to keep the secrets of the Shinto school a secret, prohibits casual duels, and maintains secrecy even with family members..."

"You don't have much practical experience, and you've almost never fought against the Katori Shinto style. You might be at a disadvantage in some techniques in tomorrow's semi-final. Also, that old guy Naito is not easy to deal with. Let me teach you a few tricks to counter his Katori Shinto style."

......

Kai Uesugi, dressed in kendo armor, gazed at the very center of the arena.

This team competition was a hassle that his cheap master had signed him up for. Originally, he only needed to participate in the individual competition and fight his way through to advance. Now that he's in the team competition, the risk has become much greater.

Fortunately, my senior teammates were very helpful and didn't lose to the opposing team at the crucial moment.

They truly deserve to be called a team that has won the championship twice in a row.

All he needs to do is win that crucial game at the right moment.

Kai Uesugi looked at Genichiro Naito, who was sitting next to him.

The cheap master said he was quite difficult to deal with.

In Sakakibara Isshin's eyes, a formidable opponent must be someone with a name and a reputation.

Considering his status as a teacher training college graduate...

Uesugi Kai decided to make an exception and take a look at his attributes.

......

After bringing up the system that was about to rust.

Kai Uesugi placed the item to be viewed above Genichiro Naito's head and stared at the row of transparent text above his head.

【Kendo: Lv10】

[Innocent Shinto Style Kaori Shinto Style: Lv7]

Master.

He's still a very skilled player.

Kai Uesugi took another look at his kendo attributes.

【Kendo: Lv10】

【Niten Ichi-ryu: Lv4】

[Presentation Stream: Lv6]

【One-Sword Style: Lv6】

School level is a branch of Kendo, equivalent to the level of familiarity with a particular school.

Kendo is fundamental; it's about reaction.

The skill level refers to the level of familiarity with each specific technique.

For example, Uesugi Kai learned the unique "Face-of-the-Sword Technique" belonging to the Yushin Ittō-ryū style from Sakakibara Isshin. After practicing it to a high level, the skill level of the Yushin Ittō-ryū style will increase.

Once the swordsmanship level reaches Lv10, it will not be increased further.

However, based on Uesugi Kai's experience these days, even if one reaches Kendo Lv10, there will be differences in strength depending on the individual.

And right now, this Naito Genichiro has actually reached Kendo Lv10 and also has a style level of Lv7.

This demonstrates that he has reached a level of mastery over his own school of techniques.

Sakakibara Isshin's One-Sword Style is only at Lv8.

Naito truly deserves to be the teacher of the Katori Shinto school in Kyoto.

After a long wait, the competition was finally about to begin.

First, the referee enters the arena, followed by all the contestants, who enter in order from vanguard to general. The ten contestants from both sides bow to each other, then bow to one another before leaving the arena to begin the match.

This match is arranged according to the order of ranking, that is, forwards vs. forwards, second forwards vs. second forwards, and generals vs. generals.

In the first round, the forward match was between Senior Brother Nan and an opponent who was eight years older than him. Senior Brother Nan was relatively short, but his opponent did not hold back and immediately used the Katori Shinto-ryu's On-the-Face Tachi to attack him. His opponent was clearly skilled and kept using his height advantage to launch strong attacks. After two rounds, the two sides were evenly matched.

Starting from the third round, the opponent clearly changed tactics, and his overall style seemed to have suddenly become a different person.

Hanamaru Hiroki, watching from the stands, recognized what it was—the Katori Shinto-ryu naginata technique, a sword style evolved from the naginata technique. Although it was destined to be unsuitable for swordsmanship, its strength lay in the unexpectedness of its moves. In the next two matches, Senior Brother Kusu lost to this upward slash technique evolved from the naginata.

Despite the initial defeat, Nanmyu Maru was not entirely without merit.