“Let’s go, Asuma.”
Akimichi Domaru sauntered over while chewing on potato chips.
He wore a loose-fitting jacket; his cheeks were round, and there were potato chip crumbs at the corner of his mouth.
“Yeah.”
Asuma Sarutobi grunted in response, his gaze still fixed on Kurenai Yuhi’s back.
Akimichi Domaru followed his gaze for a moment, then looked back, crunching on his chips with an expression of complete confusion.
He didn’t understand; how could girls be better than potato chips?
Why keep trying to get close to her?
“Coming.”
Asuma Sarutobi finally withdrew his gaze, sighed, and followed Akimichi Domaru toward the school gate.
The relationship between the Ino–Shika–Chō clans and the Sarutobi Clan could be traced back to the Sengoku era before the village was established.
The three clans established an alliance oath passed down through generations via earrings, and the Sarutobi Clan was the very witness to this covenant.
Therefore, that round earring on Akimichi Domaru’s ear was a token personally gifted by an elder of the Sarutobi Clan when he was born.
This bond, which had continued from the Sengoku era to the era of ninja villages, was a depth that outsiders found hard to understand.
Consequently, Asuma Sarutobi had good relationships with his classmates from the Ino–Shika–Chō clans.
Or rather, under the instruction of their fathers, even the new generation would quickly become familiar with one another.
…
Hatake residence.
Sakumo Hatake was sitting on the veranda outside the paper sliding doors, wiping his short blade.
Hearing the sound of the courtyard gate being pushed open, he looked up and saw Kakashi leading a few people in.
His gaze swept over Sosuke, Rin Nohara, and Obito, then he revealed a gentle smile.
“You brought friends today, Kakashi.”
Kakashi gave a hum of acknowledgment.
“Father, Sosuke and I are practicing swords together.”
“Is Sosuke also interested in Kenjutsu?”
Sakumo Hatake looked at Sosuke.
Sosuke nodded:
“Yes.”
…
Sakumo Hatake was a tragedy in the original story, ultimately ending up as a pitiful person who gave up a mission to save his comrades, only to be cyber-bullied to death by the very comrades he saved and the public opinion in the village.
However, while one might question Sakumo Hatake’s psychological resilience, his strength was undeniably genuine.
“Is that so.”
Sakumo Hatake was a bit surprised.
After all, in his view, Sosuke could completely follow the path of Tsunade.
“I have always been very interested in kenjutsu, Lord Sakumo.”
For Sosuke, kenjutsu was indeed a path worth delving into.
A Kunai was, to put it plainly, a double-edged dagger; it had plenty of flexibility in close-quarters combat, but it was at a disadvantage when encountering long weapons.
Kenjutsu was different; with a good blade in hand, one could even imbue it with chakra or even Ninjutsu.
Many of the Water Release Ninjutsu developed by Senju Tobirama were designed to be used in conjunction with a short blade.
“An inch longer, an inch stronger”—this principle held in every world.
….
“I see.”
Sakumo Hatake nodded, the smile in his eyes deepening slightly.
“Thank you for looking after my son.”
He was busy with missions on a daily basis and often had to go out to execute them, so he often couldn’t find the time to practice sword with Kakashi.
Now that Kakashi could find a peer with similar interests to practice with, he was genuinely happy in his heart.
With that in mind, Sakumo Hatake stood up, walked to the weapon rack by the courtyard, and took a few wooden swords.
He handed one to Kakashi and kept another in his own hand.
“Since you’re here, let me tell you about some tips for kenjutsu.”
He waved to Rin Nohara and Obito on the other side of the courtyard and gave the remaining two to them.
“You two come over and listen as well; it never hurts to learn a little more.”
Rin Nohara was a bit flattered.
She knew Kakashi’s father was a big shot, and the name Sakumo Hatake was renowned in Konoha.
She walked quickly to the front and sat properly in a kneeling position to the side.
Obito wasn’t as enthusiastic.
He walked over sluggishly and sat cross-legged next to Rin Nohara, muttering to himself, wondering what was so good about learning swords when he was someone destined to awaken the Sharingan in the future.
Learn one Ninjutsu after another; why bother with kenjutsu?
…
Sakumo Hatake stood in front of Sosuke and the others, holding a wooden sword; his aura was completely different from the gentle man just a moment ago.
“The core of kenjutsu does not lie in the moves, but in judgment—judging distance, timing, and even the opponent’s intentions.”
“My lineage of Hatake-style swordsmanship emphasizes speed and precision.
In the face of absolute attack speed and precision, the gap in arm span can be completely neutralized.”
Sakumo Hatake said calmly.
Although it was his family’s swordsmanship, this belonged to the most basic content, and many swordsmanship styles actually shared the same principles; it wasn’t anything special.
The most special point of his swordsmanship was using a unique method to inject Chakra into the katana, which would produce a flash of white light when used.
This was also the origin of his nickname, “White Fang of the Leaf.”
Rin Nohara listened attentively, but her head was actually starting to spin.
She could understand every sentence Sakumo Hatake said, but putting them all together left her a bit confused.
Sword was clearly not where her talent lay.
As for Obito, it was even more like listening to a foreign language.
If it weren’t for Rin Nohara being there, Obito would probably have fallen asleep.
[Detectable collectible trait: Sword Obsession]
[D-rank trait: Sword Obsession]
[Effect: You are naturally keen on swordsmanship; even the most tedious training feels like heavenly music, and swordsmanship talent is increased by 20%.]
[Synthesis: Two evolution paths]
[Path 1: Add ‘E-rank trait: Swordsmanship Foundation’ + ‘E-rank trait: Sword Sense’, can synthesize D-rank trait: Sword Affinity.]
[Path 2: Add ‘D-rank trait: Counter Intuition’ + ‘D-rank trait: Sword Path Mastery’, can synthesize C-rank trait: Natural Sword Body.]
New prompts appeared before Sosuke’s eyes.
Sword Obsession…
Sosuke looked at this trait, feeling a bit surprised.
A sudden new D-rank.
So far, almost all the traits he had dropped from other people were E-rank, except for the time Tsunade was drunk and dropped a D-rank [Great Strength].
Sakumo Hatake casually taught something that was D-rank; he was truly worthy of being called the “White Fang”.
“Having said so much, I might as well demonstrate it once.”
Sakumo Hatake said, holding the wooden sword and walking to the wooden stake target in the middle of the courtyard.
“I can learn it after watching a few times.”
Kakashi said confidently.
Sakumo Hatake didn’t say much, just gripped the wooden sword tightly, his wrist sinking slightly.
Then, he struck.
The movement was very simple, even bordering on plain.
The wooden sword slashed onto the target with the sound of wind.
Sosuke suddenly realized that this was an excellent opportunity to observe the Hatake Clan’s swordsmanship at close range, so he immediately concentrated and entered a state of focus.
[Perseverence.] activated!