Just at this moment, applause suddenly sounded from not far away.
Clap, clap.
Haruto and Kakashi turned their heads at the same time.
A white-haired figure fell from the tree and stood on the riverbank.
The man was wearing simple ninja attire, with a sword at his waist.
His temperament was gentle, yet it made people unable to ignore him.
Kakashi was taken aback.
“Father?”
Haruto also immediately recognized the newcomer.
Konoha’s White Fang, Sakumo Hatake, a well-known swordsmanship expert in the Ninja World.
He did not play dumb and immediately straightened up to salute.
“Uncle Sakumo.”
Sakumo Hatake smiled and nodded.
“You fought very well.”
After saying this, he looked at Kakashi.
“You didn’t disgrace the Hatake Family.”
Kakashi turned his head away.
“I didn’t lose anyway.”
Sakumo Hatake smiled and didn’t expose his bit of unwillingness to lose.
Afterwards, his gaze fell on Haruto.
“Haruto, I have a question I want to ask you.”
Haruto said immediately, “Please go ahead, Uncle Sakumo.”
Sakumo Hatake looked at the ninja tool pouch at his waist.
“The swordsmanship you used with a Kunai just now, who taught it to you?”
Haruto answered truthfully.
“No one taught me.”
Sakumo Hatake’s brows moved slightly.
“Self-taught?”
“Yes.”
Haruto nodded.
“There is a copy of Senju Swordsmanship Insights at home, and I’ve been practicing according to it for a period of time recently.”
Sakumo Hatake pursued the question.
“How long have you practiced?”
Haruto thought about it.
“Seven or eight days.”
The smile on Sakumo Hatake’s face paused for a moment.
Kakashi also turned his head to look at Haruto.
Seven or eight days?
He had fought with Haruto for so long just now, so he could naturally tell that Haruto’s swordsmanship was still very green.
But however green it was, it was still an entry-level mastery.
A person self-taught based on insights for seven or eight days, and could use the framework of swordsmanship in actual combat?
This was no longer ordinary comprehension.
Sakumo Hatake re-examined Haruto, his tone noticeably becoming serious.
“To be able to practice to this degree in seven or eight days, your talent in swordsmanship is very good.”
He took a step forward.
“That’s not polite talk.”
“Your foundation is still thin, your technique is crude, and your distance judgment still needs polishing.”
Sakumo Hatake looked at Haruto, his voice gentle yet solemn.
“Haruto, you are a swordsmanship genius.”
He paused for a moment and said directly, “If you are willing, starting today, I can take you as my student and teach you true swordsmanship.”
Haruto’s heartbeat suddenly sped up.
Sakumo Hatake taking a student.
These four words carried too much weight for him right now.
His original plan was to slowly contact Sakumo Hatake through Kakashi and then find an opportunity to ask for advice on swordsmanship.
That copy of Senju Swordsmanship Insights at home was indeed powerful, but powerful as it was, he could only rely on guessing for many places.
For something like swordsmanship, without someone’s guidance, a small difference meant a huge gap.
More importantly, Haruto needed a backing.
The Third gave a consolation grant and the Lightning Body Forging Technique; that was an investment and also a form of winning over.
But old fellows like Danzo who hid in the shadows—if they really targeted him, an ordinary background simply couldn’t block them.
If Konoha’s White Fang stood behind him, if the Anbu Commander stood behind him, if a top-tier powerhouse who wore the Hokage haori and had extremely high prestige in the village stood behind him, then many people would have to weigh things carefully before reaching out.
Haruto hadn’t expected that a spar with Kakashi would directly accomplish his goal.
He hesitated almost not at all, took half a step back, lowered his hands, and bowed deeply to Sakumo Hatake.
“Disciple Haruto greets Teacher.”
As this “Teacher” was called out, a heavy stone in Haruto’s heart fell to the ground.
Awesome.
So awesome.
Lightning ability was his trump card, and Exchange Talent was the foundation.
But in a place like Konoha, having just a trump card was not enough.
Without someone protecting him, he might be crushed to death before growing up.
Now it was different.
Sakumo Hatake nodded, the smile on his face growing stronger.
“Good.”
He didn’t say many empty words, but just reached out to steady Haruto.
“Since you call me Teacher, I will teach you earnestly from now on.”
Haruto straightened up, his tone very steady.
“Please rest assured, Teacher, I will definitely work hard.”
Sakumo Hatake looked at him, and the more he looked, the more satisfied he became.
Good talent, stable disposition.
What was even rarer was that Haruto didn’t get carried away just because he tied with Kakashi a moment ago.
This kind of child, as long as he didn’t stray off course, would definitely become a person of talent in the future.
He turned his head to glance at Kakashi.
Kakashi stood to the side, his hand still pressing on his short sword, the single eye exposed outside looking somewhat displeased.
Father praised Haruto as a swordsmanship genius just now.
And now he took him as a student on the spot.
Kakashi didn’t dislike Haruto.
But he had been a genius since childhood, used to being valued by his father, and used to walking ahead of his peers.
Today, a peer suddenly appeared who could not only fight him to a tie, but was also told by his father that his swordsmanship talent was very good.
This feeling was really not very comfortable.
Sakumo Hatake naturally saw it.
He asked intentionally, “Kakashi, what kind of expression is that?”
Kakashi turned his face away.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
Sakumo Hatake smiled.
“How come I feel like you seem somewhat unconvinced?”
Kakashi’s voice was stiff. Get faster updates on g.com.
“I didn’t lose.”
Hearing this, Haruto couldn’t help glancing at him.
This white-haired guy had a really stubborn mouth.
Sakumo Hatake didn’t expose him either, just nodded.
“Indeed, you didn’t lose.”
Kakashi was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when Sakumo Hatake’s next sentence came.
“However, Haruto’s talent in swordsmanship might be even better than yours.”
Kakashi whipped his head around.
“Impossible.”
These three words were spoken very quickly.
Haruto was also somewhat surprised.
“Teacher, I’ve just started.”
Sakumo Hatake waved his hand.
“Talent is talent, strength is strength.”
“Your current swordsmanship foundation is still thin; if you really fought Kakashi with swords, your chances of losing would be very high.”
“But you only relied on a set of insights to self-teach for seven or eight days, and you were able to apply swordsmanship exertion into actual combat. Back then, even Kakashi wasn’t that fast.”
Kakashi fell silent.
If these words were spoken from someone else’s mouth, he could refuse to acknowledge them.
But the one saying these words was Sakumo Hatake.
He was his father, and also the swordsmanship powerhouse he recognized the most.
Sakumo Hatake looked at his son, his tone a bit lighter.
“What, stimulated?”
Kakashi gripped the hilt of his short sword tightly.
“I will prove it to you.”
“That’s right.”
Sakumo Hatake smiled, “Your progress has slowed down quite a bit during this period. It’s not that you aren’t working hard, but that you are too used to being ahead.”
“Now that there’s an extra person catching up, isn’t that good?”
Kakashi looked at Haruto.
Haruto also looked at him.
The two of them had fought for eight or nine minutes just now, and neither had gained an absolute advantage.
Kakashi admitted that Haruto indeed qualified to be his opponent.
Not just the Lightning Mode.
But also that kind of on-the-spot judgment.
That Substitution Technique followed by the lightning ball—if he hadn’t reacted fast enough, he would have suffered a big loss.
Kakashi let out a breath.
“Haruto.”
“Hmm?”
“Next time I will win against you.”
Haruto smiled.
“Anytime.”
Kakashi added another sentence.
“Also, don’t think that just because you took my father as your teacher, you can always be the junior fellow apprentice.”
Haruto raised an eyebrow.
“Then do you want to be the junior?”
Kakashi’s eyelid twitched.
“You’re overthinking it.”