The funeral speeches did not end until dusk.
Throughout the whole process, Uchiha Tunan felt that he had kept his emotions under fairly good control.
His character setup had been laid out rather successfully.
And that was with the fact that Uchiha Tunan's parents had no close friends.
If they had close friends who witnessed Uchiha Tunan's performance, they would surely have immediately approved of him.
At that, Uchiha Tunan could only shake his head inwardly.
Poor strength, even worse social connections. What a failure.
The next day, Uchiha Tunan, dressed in a white shirt and gold-rimmed glasses, arrived at Kakashi's house early in the morning.
From far away, Uchiha Tunan saw through the Ninja Beast White Dove that Kakashi was standing at the door, looking toward the intersection.
But when Uchiha Tunan appeared at the intersection, Kakashi put on a lazy look, seemingly glanced casually at Uchiha Tunan, then stared fixedly at the rising sun.
As if that newly risen sun in the sky were especially beautiful.
So he already sees me as his closest companion?
If history did not change, Kakashi would obtain the Kamui Sharingan and then die during Pain's attack on Konoha.
Wouldn't that mean I could...
Kamui was an excellent skill. It could greatly improve Uchiha Tunan's ability to preserve his life and ambush others.
Looking at it that way, you're not quite so useless after all.
With that thought, Uchiha Tunan looked at Kakashi with a burning gaze, the corner of his lips curling slightly.
From the corner of his eye, Kakashi saw Uchiha Tunan staring at him with an "affectionate" look and wearing a smile overflowing with passionate camaraderie.
The corner of his mouth beneath his mask unconsciously rose as well. In an indifferent tone, he said, "You came pretty early."
Uchiha Tunan reined in his smile slightly. Bathed in sunlight, he appeared exceptionally gentle as he said:
"Yesterday, before my father's and mother's graves, I promised them that I would work hard to become their pride.
My father taught me that a person must keep his word."
Kakashi nodded and led Uchiha Tunan into the courtyard.
Kakashi casually pointed at Uchiha Tunan's gold-rimmed glasses and said, "I wanted to ask you a few days ago. Is there something wrong with your eyes? Why are you wearing glasses?"
Uchiha Tunan pushed up his glasses with two middle fingers and explained:
"Every night, I study the philosophies and knowledge passed down by the previous Lord Hokages. Maybe the lighting at home was too dim, but I've become a little nearsighted."
Kakashi paused at that, his brows drawing together slightly as he asked nervously, "Does it affect you?"
There was undisguised concern in his voice.
Uchiha Tunan smiled gently and said:
"It does not affect combat much. As long as I activate my Sharingan, nearsightedness is no longer a problem.
Thank you for your concern, Kakashi."
Kakashi's brows relaxed. Realizing that he had lost his composure just now, he turned his face away and said:
"Tch, it's not like I was worried about you."
The wind chime beneath the eaves rang in the gentle breeze.
"Tunan-kun is here."
Hatake Sakumo wore loose loungewear, a short blade hanging from his waist. Sitting cross-legged before the door, he greeted Uchiha Tunan with smiling eyes.
Uchiha Tunan hurriedly placed both hands on his knees and bowed respectfully.
"Lord Sakumo, I am deeply sorry for disturbing your rest so early in the morning."
Hatake Sakumo showed no airs at all. He waved his hand and said:
"It is no disturbance. I am very happy that Kakashi can become your companion.
I should also thank Tunan-kun for keeping Kakashi diligent in his training while I was away from home."
As soon as he finished speaking, Hatake Sakumo noticed Uchiha Tunan staring intently at the short blade at his waist.
"Tunan-kun, do you like swordsmanship too?"
"I know a little about it." Uchiha Tunan adjusted his glasses.
Hatake Sakumo removed the short blade from his waist and gently stroked it. "If you like it, I can teach you some Hatake Style Swordsmanship."
Uchiha Tunan shook his head and said solemnly:
"There is no reward without merit. Besides, just from its name, I can tell that Hatake Style Swordsmanship is Lord Sakumo's family swordsmanship.
How could you pass it on to an outsider like me?"
Hearing Uchiha Tunan's righteous reply, Hatake Sakumo's opinion of him rose a few more notches. His face was full of admiration as he said:
"Your talent is quite good, and you are so close to Kakashi. I do not mind passing this swordsmanship on to you.
Once you learn Hatake Style Swordsmanship, your strength will surely improve greatly when combined with the Sharingan's dynamic vision."
Uchiha Tunan still shook his head firmly and refused:
"Thank you for your generous offer, Lord Sakumo, but I still cannot accept.
As a member of the Uchiha Clan, I already possess the Sharingan.
I should focus on developing ocular techniques. That is the training path suited to me."
He could actually resist the temptation of Hatake Style Swordsmanship and clearly recognize the path that suited him.
What a good child. Kakashi was lucky to make such a companion.
The more Hatake Sakumo looked at Uchiha Tunan, the more satisfied he became. Compromising, he said:
"I will not teach you the essence of Hatake Style Swordsmanship. I will only teach you some basic sword techniques, so you can spar with Kakashi.
That will also help Kakashi improve his swordsmanship. What do you think?"
At the same time, Kakashi turned his gaze toward Uchiha Tunan.
Uchiha Tunan was someone Kakashi had acknowledged. Hatake Style Swordsmanship was precious, but it was clearly not as important as Uchiha Tunan was to him.
Kakashi did not mind in the slightest that Uchiha Tunan would learn his family's inherited swordsmanship.
He even wanted to do his part to help Uchiha Tunan improve his strength.
Facing Hatake Sakumo's goodwill and Kakashi's eager gaze, Uchiha Tunan reluctantly said:
"All right, then. Thank you, Lord Sakumo."
It would be good to learn some Hatake Style Swordsmanship.
That way, once Hatake Sakumo died, he would be able to use it openly and honestly.
Of course, by then, his Hatake Style Swordsmanship might even be better than Hatake Sakumo's.
"You two, come with me."
Having gained Uchiha Tunan's agreement, Hatake Sakumo picked up his short blade and led the two of them to the backyard to begin teaching swordsmanship.
At this point, Kakashi had only recently begun learning Hatake Style Swordsmanship himself.
Hatake Sakumo gave each of them a wooden short blade and began teaching them from the basics.
"Hatake Style Swordsmanship originated from ancient samurai and consists of three stages.
The first stage is learning basic slashes. This process requires countless repetitions, until the blade becomes an extension of your body.
The second stage is learning all kinds of techniques for facing enemies, using the blade in your hand to deal with various opponents.
That requires practical combat training.
The third stage is the essence of Hatake Style Swordsmanship: using Chakra to strengthen the sword techniques..."
Before he could continue, Uchiha Tunan immediately interrupted Hatake Sakumo and said solemnly, "Lord Sakumo, there is no need to explain the third stage to me. Please explain it to Kakashi privately."
Hatake Sakumo paused, then nodded. "All right."
What an upright little fellow.
Even his gaze toward Uchiha Tunan now carried a trace of admiration.
"Then watch first how I slash. For some time to come, you will need to repeat these dull, tedious movements.
Until these movements become instinct."
After saying that, Hatake Sakumo began slashing at a wooden post.
Uchiha Tunan had already activated his Sharingan, capturing Hatake Sakumo's movements as he followed along and slashed at the wooden post before him.
Hatake Sakumo caught sight of the Three Tomoe revolving in Uchiha Tunan's eyes from the corner of his eye and could not help but marvel inwardly.
The Sharingan truly was a powerful ocular technique. At the very least, when learning basic things, it put him far ahead of children his age.
Before you continue