A single tomoe appeared in Kiyohane’s pupil, and a flash of scarlet light passed through his eyes.
But he immediately realized that this was someone else’s home.
Using the Sharingan to copy swordsmanship right in front of the host was somewhat impolite, so he quickly deactivated it.
Automatically turning on aim assist really was a bad habit.
Sakumo Hatake noticed Kiyohane’s movement.
Looking at Kiyohane’s eyes, which had already returned to their normal black, he smiled instead.
“It’s all right.”
Sakumo waved his hand, his tone very calm.
“Many Uchiha have also tried using the Sharingan to copy my swordsmanship, but at most, they only managed to learn a move or two.”
Hearing that, Kiyohane thought to himself that it was indeed as expected.
The Sharingan’s copying ability was not omnipotent.
Even someone as powerful as Kakashi, who could create an S-rank ninjutsu at thirteen, had reached his limit copying an A-rank Rasengan with the Sharingan.
As for techniques of even greater difficulty, not even the Sharingan could perfectly reproduce them.
That depended on talent.
Sakumo continued, “Swordsmanship is a tool.
How far it can be brought out depends on the person using it.
Whether you have the Sharingan or not isn’t the most important thing.”
He planted the wooden sword on the ground, his gaze falling on Kiyohane.
“A true master always carries the heart of an apprentice.
How much you can learn depends on whether you are willing to treat yourself as a blank sheet of paper.”
Kiyohane listened quietly.
All he could think was, What is this, Wuju Bladesman?
A mindset like Sakumo Hatake’s was indeed too pure.
It was no wonder he had been unable to withstand the malice of public condemnation.
Kiyohane wondered: since he was here now, could he change that ending?
Then he activated his Sharingan again.
A single tomoe slowly rotated around his pupil, and Kiyohane’s vision became clear.
Sakumo nodded slightly and raised the wooden sword again.
“What I demonstrated just now was some very basic swordsmanship.”
He slowed his movements a little, allowing Kiyohane to clearly see the path of the blade.
The wooden sword cut through the air, letting out a dull whistle.
After Sakumo finished demonstrating once, Kakashi picked up his own wooden sword and reproduced the movements completely.
“I’m done practicing.”
Kakashi lowered the wooden sword, his tone calm.
Clearly, he did not think this was anything special.
Obito scratched the back of his head.
Since earlier, he had been trying hard to remember Sakumo’s movements, but his mind had already turned into mush.
Sometimes, elders in the clan also taught swordsmanship to children, and the Ninja Academy did the same.
But Obito learned very slowly.
“I didn’t really understand it…”
Rin Nohara also gently shook her head.
“I think it’s a little difficult.”
“It’s all right.”
Sakumo smiled and comforted them.
The more basic something was, the more it revealed a person’s talent.
But even without talent, through repeated practice, one could still reach a decent level.
“Kakashi has a solid foundation, so it’s normal for him to learn quickly.
Everyone has different strengths.
Not everyone is suited to the path of the sword.”
Then he looked at Kiyohane.
Kiyohane stood in place, gripping the wooden sword in his hand.
The Sharingan was, in essence, a display screen.
In Kiyohane’s eyes, each of Sakumo Hatake’s movements had been broken down into many frames.
If Kiyohane’s Sharingan evolved into the two-tomoe or three-tomoe Sharingan, it would further increase the frame rate.
Sometimes, being one frame faster than someone else was enough to decide victory.
On top of that, the [Sword Fanatic] trait that had just dropped from Sakumo had greatly improved Kiyohane’s understanding of swordsmanship.
He lowered his wrist, swung the sword, and repeated the movements Sakumo had just demonstrated.
The smile in Sakumo Hatake’s eyes slowly faded, replaced by a serious, observant expression.
He looked at the wooden sword in Kiyohane’s hand, then at Kiyohane’s eyes.
For a first attempt, his movements were almost identical to Kakashi’s.
No, in certain points of force application, he handled them even better than Kakashi.
Sakumo pondered for a few seconds, then felt that Kiyohane might truly be very suited to swordsmanship.
That rate of progress was indeed surprising.
It made Sakumo sigh inwardly.
Children did not always inherit the talents of their parents.
Kakashi’s talent was clearly higher in ninjutsu rather than swordsmanship.
But Kiyohane, born of the Senju and Uchiha bloodlines, actually possessed considerable talent in swordsmanship.
That made Sakumo somewhat curious.
Where was Kiyohane’s limit?
If Kiyohane practiced swordsmanship over the long term, what level would he reach?
After all, with his talent for swordsmanship, Kiyohane could use the Sharingan to copy a large number of sword techniques.
Accumulated day after day, he would definitely become a very strong sword-type shinobi.
Thinking of that, Sakumo’s appreciation deepened.
What a good child.
“You have excellent talent in swordsmanship,” Sakumo said.
“You learn these things much faster than Kakashi did when he first encountered them.”
Kakashi stood nearby, holding his wooden sword. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Hearing this, he did not refute it.
He only gave Kiyohane another look.
[Collectible trait detected: White Fang’s Insight.]
[D-rank Trait: White Fang’s Insight.]
[Effect: You possess the ability to see through another person’s talent.
Perception ability increases by 20%.]
Insight?
Kiyohane remembered that the databook did indeed seem to mention something like this about Sakumo Hatake.
That was why he had been able to tell at a glance that Might Guy would become powerful in the future.
In fact, even if it was only a judgment made upon first meeting someone, it proved that Sakumo’s eye for talent was extremely accurate.
“Kiyohane, have you really not practiced swordsmanship much before?”
Rin Nohara could not help asking quietly.
“Tsunade-nee taught me some theory, and then there are the basics from the Ninja Academy,” Kiyohane answered honestly.
There really was not much else.
Apart from the traits he had obtained from Kakashi and Sakumo Hatake.
Obito sat cross-legged on the ground with his arms folded, muttering softly that it was just memorizing movements quickly.
But his tone was clearly not as confident as usual.
Kiyohane ignored Obito’s muttering and turned to Sakumo Hatake, asking the question he had been considering for some time.
“Lord Sakumo, I’d like to ask something.”
“Go ahead.”
“If I have a specific chakra nature, can I attach that chakra nature to ninja tools?
For example, Water Release chakra or Fire Release chakra, to enhance a weapon’s power?”
A trace of approval flashed through Sakumo’s eyes.
To think of this level of application during his first proper exposure to swordsmanship meant he either had broad knowledge or high comprehension.
Combined with the learning speed Kiyohane had just displayed, Sakumo felt Kiyohane possessed both.
After all, attaching chakra to an object was actually a skill that tested chakra control heavily.
The threshold was quite high.
Some people with poor aptitude could spend their entire lives unable to attach chakra to another object.
“Attaching chakra nature transformation to ninja tools is a very advanced application,” Sakumo said.
He raised the wooden sword in his hand again, signaling for Kiyohane to watch carefully.
“In theory, anyone with a chakra nature can attempt it.
But in practice, making chakra adhere steadily to the blade and maintaining it for a long time without dispersing is not easy.”
“First, you must fully master that nature transformation.
Second, the requirements for chakra control are very high.
There is also the issue of additional chakra consumption.”
…