The morning air carried a hint of coolness, a gentle breeze swept across the training ground, rustling the tender leaves of the still-young trees, creating a soft rustling sound.

  Sweat dripped down his temples, falling onto the ground and seeping into the dry earth.

  In the morning light, Tetsuya's figure appeared even more robust and resilient. His upper body was bare, his muscles taut, his lines clear, each push-up causing the muscles of his back and arms to bulge. His breathing was heavy and rapid, his chest heaving with heat, even visibly steaming.

  However, at the same time—

  On his back, Isshin was sitting upright!

  Isshin was leisurely munching on an apple, his left hand swaying gently, his relaxed demeanor a stark contrast to Tetsuya's sweat-soaked and vein-popping exertion.

  "Why hasn't Miyo come yet?"

  Isshin said casually, taking a bite of his apple.

  Tetsuya wanted to answer, but the weight on his shoulders was too heavy, and he couldn't even speak, only managing a labored "Ugh..."

  "I was planning to let you do push-ups until Miyo came," Isshin swayed his feet gently, "but I didn't expect her to be so late."

  "S-sorry! Uncle! Brother!"

  A clear girlish voice came from afar, and Tetsuya struggled to lift his head, seeing Miyo running lightly towards them, her silver-white hair shining in the sunlight.

  Today, she wasn't wearing her usual short twin tails, but had tied her hair up into a neat bun, the stray hairs on her forehead fluttering gently as she ran, and a thin layer of sweat on her forehead gave her fair skin a healthy blush.

  Isshin's eyes lit up, and he waved at her, "Good morning, Miyo-chan! No problem, no problem, your hair looks great! Very cute."

  Miyo touched her newly styled bun shyly, "Mommy said girls should always keep their cutest appearance, so she took a long time to do my hair."

  "Behind cuteness always comes hard work..." Isshin sighed, then ruthlessly pressed down on Tetsuya's back, and jumped off him.

  Thump!

  Without the weight on his back, Tetsuya's body instantly collapsed, falling heavily to the ground, his limbs sprawled out limply, too tired to even speak.

  Miyo ran to his side, squatting down to greet him with a smile, "Good morning, Brother!"

  "Morning..." Tetsuya's voice was weak, as if he had just gone through a hard battle.

  But before he could recover, Isshin had already twisted his neck and said casually, "Alright, go run a lap around the mountain."

  "Huh—!? Run again!?"

  Tetsuya jumped up instantly, looking at Isshin in shock, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard.

  "Otherwise," Isshin gave a mischievous smile, "should I sit back down and continue the push-ups?"

  "I'll run! I'll run right away!"

  Tetsuya turned and ran without hesitation, heading towards the mountain path.

  However, just as he took a step, Isshin's words from last night flashed through his mind—

  "Miyo, who is always being protected, will she feel like a burden?"

  He paused, and the "be careful" that he was about to say was swallowed back down.

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  Instead, he waved at his sister with a smile, "Good luck, Miyo!"

  Miyo, hearing her brother's voice, paused, then gave a bright smile and nodded vigorously, "Thank you, Brother! You too!"

  Isshin, watching the interaction between the siblings, smiled slightly, then turned to Miyo, "Okay, consider your run here as a warm-up, now let me see your skills."

  Miyo clenched her hands and nodded, "Yes!"

  Isshin didn't say anything more, but flicked his foot, kicking the wooden sword on the ground towards Miyo.

  However, he deliberately controlled the force, letting the wooden sword land about two body lengths in front of Miyo, a test to see how far Miyo's "magic vision" could see.

  The sound of the wooden sword cutting through the air was clear, but Miyo's expression didn't show any panic.

  She took a light step forward, accurately grabbing the hilt, then pouted slightly, "Uncle, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"

  "Haha, you caught on?" Isshin laughed, touching his nose, looking satisfied, "Then, let's begin!"

  He kicked up a branch from the ground, holding it firmly in his left hand.

  In the next second, his aura changed instantly.

  His casual demeanor disappeared, replaced by a sharp edge like a blade.

  The air seemed to freeze because of his aura, and an indescribable pressure enveloped Miyo, making her instinctively grip her wooden sword.

  "Come on, Miyo-chan—let me see your current level."

  As soon as he finished speaking, Isshin's figure suddenly darted forward, the branch in his left hand slashing down from above with lightning speed!

  The strike was incredibly fast, even someone with normal eyesight might not be able to react in time.

  However, Miyo wasn't flustered—

  She seemed to have already sensed that the strike would come from above, and had adjusted her body angle to dodge to the side the moment Isshin moved!

  "Oh...?"

  Isshin's lips curled into a slight smile, his eyes flashing with admiration.

  Her movement wasn't just based on instinct—it was a predictive ability to "see" the opponent's movements in advance.

  "Not bad, Miyo-chan, you have a lot of talent."

  However, Isshin's attack didn't stop.

  He wielded the branch, striking quickly from different angles, each strike without hesitation, clean and sharp, like the claws of a hunter suddenly striking.

  Miyo held her breath, relying on her "magic vision" to successfully dodge at every crucial moment.

  However, as time went on, her stamina began to drain.

  She felt like she was caught in a silent storm—nowhere to escape, no room to breathe.

  Realizing she couldn't keep going like this, she jumped back, creating some distance.

  The moment her feet landed firmly on the ground, Miyo was already panting.

  Sweat dripped down her forehead, tracing a glistening path along her flushed cheeks.

  The hair on her forehead was slightly damp with sweat, shining faintly in the morning light.

  The wooden sword was still gripped tightly in her hand, but she knew she had very little stamina left.

  "Your stamina isn't great, Miyo-chan," Isshin said casually, standing still, a faint smile on his face.

  Miyo forced herself to regulate her breathing, trying to recover some stamina, but found her legs trembling slightly, as if she could collapse at any moment.

  But before she could think of a plan, Isshin's figure had disappeared from her perception—

  The next second, a fierce gust of wind hit her.

  Isshin rushed towards her, the branch swinging at her with incredible speed!

  Miyo didn't have time to think, instinctively lowering her upper body, gripping the wooden sword with both hands, holding it in front of her as a defense—

  However...

  "What happened? Didn't hit...?"

  A hint of doubt flashed through Miyo's mind.

  —The magic flow just now clearly showed he was going to attack from the front!

  But the next second, she felt her feet suddenly lift off the ground—

  "Ah!"

  She exclaimed, her whole body kicked by Isshin's foot, losing her balance and falling heavily to the side!

  Thump—!

  Fine dust was kicked up, and Miyo fell to the ground, covered in dirt and grass.

  Isshin casually threw the branch on the ground, reaching out to help Miyo, who was sitting on the ground, "Are you alright, Miyo-chan?"

  Her silver-white hair fell messily on her shoulders, and her cheeks were smudged with dirt, looking quite disheveled.

  But more than that, her expression was filled with confusion.

  "Uncle, weren't you... going to slash down from the front?"

  Isshin couldn't help but laugh at her question, "Haha! I knew it, your 'magic vision' must be judging movements through magic—that is, blood flow, right?"

  Miyo paused slightly, "Magic... flow?"

  "That's right," Isshin bent down slightly, looking at her, "That's why I deliberately raised the branch first, pretending to slash down, concentrating the magic in my body towards my hand, to mislead your judgment."

  "But in fact, my real attack was my foot."

  Miyo seemed to understand.

  "I see... so that's how it is."

  She lowered her head, seeming to think about something, then looked up at Isshin, a smile on her lips, "Uncle, you're really amazing!"

  "Haha, then you should give Uncle a hug, right?"

  "No way!"

  Miyo swung her wooden sword without hesitation, and with a *smack!

  "You're all sweaty, it's so sticky!"

  Isshin was stunned, touching the spot where he was hit, his face filled with helplessness, "Alright, alright..."

  Miyo brushed off the dust from her clothes, "I'm going back to take a bath, I need to get ready for school later."

  "Yeah, yeah, I'm going too."

  The two walked home side by side, the morning sunlight piercing through the treetops, casting their shadows on the ground.

  Isshin stroked his chin, suddenly stopping, his brow furrowed slightly, "I feel like... I forgot something?"

  He thought for a few seconds, but couldn't remember anything, and finally shrugged, continuing to walk.

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