"Everyone, may I ask something."
"In this Tetsu Town, who's the strongest fighter?"
All eyes in the room turned in unison toward the doorway.
Backlit by the light outside, only his unusually tall and burly silhouette could be made out. With broad shoulders and a thick back, nearly two meters tall, he stood like an iron tower, making people instinctively assume he was a battle-hardened, rough veteran.
Yet when he fully stepped inside and the dim yellow lamplight illuminated his face, quite a few people revealed looks of astonishment.
That face was unexpectedly young—still carrying traces of unwashed youthfulness. He looked no more than fifteen or sixteen years old. The contrast between that youthful face and his astonishingly powerful build created a striking visual impact.
"Hahahahaha!"
After a brief moment of surprise, the izakaya erupted into even louder laughter.
A blacksmith with a flushed face—whose arms were thicker than an ordinary man's thighs—slapped the table and shouted in a booming, gravelly voice, "Does that even need asking? Of course it's Arakawa Yoshinori from Arakawa Dōjō in West Town! Or what, did you think it was me?"
His words triggered another round of laughter and the clinking of cups in agreement.
When the laughter subsided slightly, another man who looked like a rōnin stroked the short beard on his chin and sized up the sturdy youth at the door with a hint of teasing.
"What's this, kid? With that build of yours, you've got the makings of something. Thinking of going to Arakawa Dōjō to take a master and learn the craft?"
Without waiting for a reply, he shook his head and continued on his own, "You've come at the wrong time. Arakawa Dōjō only accepts new disciples each year when the snow melts at the beginning of spring—and there are limited spots. Right now…" He took a sip of his drink. "You'll just have to wait a few months."
Amid the teasing and the stares of the crowd, the tall youth seemed as if he hadn't heard any of it. His eyes merely lit up slightly, as though he had found a definite target. The eager expression on his face deepened.
He nodded. His voice remained clear, yet now carried a sharper sense of direction.
"Arakawa Dōjō. Arakawa Yoshinori… I'll remember that."
He paused. His gaze swept across the room where people were still chuckling. The corner of his mouth seemed to curl upward slightly as he uttered a sentence that made the laughter come to an abrupt halt: "But I'm not going there to become a disciple."
"I'm going there to spar."
"Oh, right. My name is Isshin."
The youth who called himself "Isshin" slightly raised his chin. Those calm yet sharp eyes—so mismatched with his youthful face—slowly swept across the entire room. His voice was not loud, but it carried a decisive, unquestionable force, branding itself clearly into everyone's ears: "Very soon, you—along with this country—will firmly remember this name."
As his words fell, he no longer lingered. He turned, pushed the door open, and walked out, his towering figure blending into the deepening dusk and cold wind beyond, leaving behind only a roomful of stunned people.
…
Name: Isshin (Higashino Shinichi)
Occupation: Swordsman
Talents: Genius (Blue), Spirit Sense (Green), Big Eater (Green), Quick-Witted (Green), Diligence Makes Up for Lack of Talent (Green), Innate Divine Strength (Green), Thick Skin and Tough Flesh (Green), Swift as a Rabbit (Green), Swordsmanship Proficiency (Green)
...
This youth called "Isshin" was, naturally, an independent clone Shinichi created using the newly obtained [Clone (Blue)] Entry.
As a registered shinobi of Konoha, Shinichi's main body was constrained in many ways, making it difficult for him to travel freely for long periods or immerse himself in swordsmanship training that differed fundamentally from the shinobi system.
It was also inconvenient for him to rapidly make a name for himself in the Land of Iron—a country that venerates bushidō—purely as a challenger, since that could easily trigger diplomatic complications.
Therefore, an independent "swordsman" clone—one with a relatively clean background and outstanding talent—became the best solution.
And the source of the bloodline genetic material the clone needed to fuse came from the Monkey King, Enma.
Previously, Shinichi had used "tempering the body and exploring nintaijutsu" as a pretext to guide the Third Hokage into having the Monkey King, Enma, instruct him. Besides truly being for tempering his physique, another deeply hidden intention was precisely for this moment.
Granted, when it came to bloodline potential and compatibility, the First Hokage Senju Hashirama's cells might have been the theoretically optimal answer.
But at the current point in time, even Orochimaru might not yet have begun the relevant research, and the only confirmed holders were the Third Hokage and Danzō.
Ask the Third Hokage for them?
Leaving aside that he couldn't explain the source of that information, it would also severely conflict with the "of unquestioned background and straightforward temperament" persona he had painstakingly cultivated, and would inevitably invite unpredictable scrutiny and suspicion.
Approach Danzō?
That would be seeking a deal with a tiger—extremely risky—and it would also mean giving up the Third Hokage, his current biggest backer.
So Shinichi chose the steadier, more feasible path—taking a step back and building "Isshin," this clone body, on the foundation of the Monkey King's bloodline, which offered formidable physical strength and great potential.
What's more, the [Clone] Entry might still have a chance to upgrade to purple in the future. When that time came, it would not be too late to set his sights on legendary materials like the First Hokage's cells.
Although Isshin could inherit only one occupational Entry from the main body and half of the talent Entries—and for the time being could not inherit those ninja-talented traits closely bound to the ninja profession—this clone's strength was still extremely considerable.
Having fused with the bloodline genetic material of the Monkey King, he naturally bore the tyrannical physical strength and resilient physique of the Monkey clan.
More importantly, what Shinichi had meticulously configured for him were uniformly high-quality Entries of green rank or above. This allowed Isshin, in terms of pure physical attributes, swordsmanship comprehension, combat instinct, and growth efficiency, to begin at an astonishingly high starting point.
In raw power, he was even stronger than Shinichi's main body at this stage, which still had to balance the comprehensive development required of a ninja.
The name "Isshin" came from a character in a game from his previous life—a figure revered by the world as the "Sword Saint," whose entire life had been devoted, in a pure and extreme manner, to pursuing the pinnacle of martial skill and swordsmanship.
In his youth, he had advanced with sharp ambition, seeking ever-stronger opponents with an almost greedy posture, repeatedly tempering his sword techniques through countless life-and-death battles, turning each fight into a step toward a higher summit.
This clone of Shinichi's not only borrowed the name from that source; its preset style of conduct and path of growth would also, to a considerable extent, draw from that same core.
On the land of the Land of Iron, which venerates martial prowess, he would challenge the strong in the most direct—and even flamboyantly unrestrained—manner, honing himself through real combat, using that as the fastest way to build a reputation, seize recognition, and temper his swordsmanship.
Shinichi had once consulted his swordsmanship teacher, Yamashita, asking how the road should extend after becoming a formal swordsman—that is, how to explore the higher levels of advancement within the "swordsman" profession.
Yamashita had told him at the time that being a so-called "swordsman" meant he had successfully completed his apprenticeship and mastered the foundational techniques and mental methods. The road ahead required leaving the protection of the dōjō and walking it alone.
It would be a long journey of travel and trials. He would need to measure the land with his own feet, meet friends from all directions with his own sword, and temper his skills through countless bouts—whether friendly sparring or perilous combat.
The depth of that journey would directly determine whether he would stop at being a merely capable swordsman, or have the hope of advancing further, stepping into a new realm of founding his own school—that of a "Sword Master."
A so-called "Sword Master," as the name implies, is already a master qualified to teach the way of the sword.
It means that you have not only entered the inner hall of swordsmanship, but have also formed your own understanding and system. You possess both the qualification and the ability to establish a dōjō and pass on your own "way" to later generations.
However, Yamashita had emphasized with deep meaning that in order to transform from a "swordsman" into a widely recognized "Sword Master," it was not enough to temper one's skill and temperament to perfection. There was also an invisible yet crucial threshold: you had to win the collective recognition of your peers and martial practitioners on this land.
In the place where you hoped to take root, you needed to prove—through methods acknowledged by the local martial community—your strength, your bearing, and your respect for swordsmanship itself.
There were usually three paths.
The first, and the most secure, was to receive a recommendation and endorsement from a highly respected senior master.
The second was to dominate all others in a grand public demonstration or tournament, gaining fame through indisputable results.
The third was to visit, one by one and openly, every renowned dōjō in the area, letting the sword speak—that is, what was commonly known as challenging dōjōs.
Of course, this third path carried the highest risk and was the least encouraged. Many who chose it were either killed or injured during the challenges.
Even if one ultimately succeeded by fortune, the methods were often considered too aggressive to allow true integration into the local circle. Unless one possessed absolutely overwhelming strength and later demonstrated sufficient bearing, swordsmen generally would not choose this route.
Yet no matter which path was chosen, the core was to declare one thing: you have arrived; you are qualified; you have the right to take root here, to branch out, to share your craft and accept disciples, and to become a new and solid part of this martial ecosystem.
Although this clone body of Isshin had a relatively clean background, it was not considered rooted, as his origins were a mystery and he had no foundation.
The first path, which required connections and an unquestioned background, was therefore already closed to him.
The second required waiting for the right opportunity, and in the Land of Iron there was currently no grand demonstration of the appropriate scale.
Thus, in practice, only the third option remained—the most difficult and perilous path, yet also the most direct, and the one most aligned with the preset disposition of "Isshin."
He would knock on doors with his sword, and prove his way through battle.
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