Kakashi, You're Just Saying That!

For the next few days, Kyoichi trained every day.

Jōnin?

Just a title.

To survive in a chaotic world, what mattered most was strength, not these empty titles.

Kyoichi understood this well.

Of course.

He had sought out Might Duy and Might Guy to exchange knowledge, fleecing quite a bit from them, but most of it was taijutsu—things like Konoha Violent Hurricane and Reverse Lotus.

Yet none of these were what Kyoichi truly needed; they were only extras.

He had to find new sources!

Relying solely on frugality wouldn't cut it—how many years would that take to train?

Waiting for a rabbit to stumble into his trap would take forever.

Kyoichi ran while pondering.

He had to take the initiative!

After thinking for a long time, he decided to start with the problem children.

For example.

Kakashi Hatake!

As luck would have it, he ran into him now.

"..."

Kakashi sat by the river, tossing the White Fang Short Sword away.

Seeing Kyoichi pass by, he glanced at him sideways for a few seconds, then quickly stood up, ran over to pick up the short sword, and clutched it in his hand before turning his gaze back to the river.

The next moment.

A gust of wind blew, and Kanda Kyoichi appeared behind him.

The Body Flicker Technique was fast!

But Kakashi had already seen it before; what puzzled him was why Kanda Kyoichi had flickered over here.

Kakashi turned to stare at him, silent.

"What are you looking at?"

"???"

Kakashi was completely baffled, having no idea what Kyoichi meant.

"I see you're lost, so I want to beat you up."

Kyoichi's tone was serious.

But.

The next second, he sat down beside Kakashi and said, "Still brooding over the sword technique? In my opinion, I need a sword, and you need to throw yours away—we each get what we want."

"I won't give up!"

Kakashi said decisively.

"That's not what it looked like just now. Wasn't that throw pretty stylish?"

As he spoke.

Kyoichi "swished" and pulled the White Fang Short Sword from Kakashi's hand. The short sword danced in his grip, and the next moment, chakra poured into it, condensing into a blade of azure water light.

Then.

The water light grew denser, eventually turning deep blue.

One slash!

Shwoosh~

The sound of air being cut rang out, the water light flashed, and the ground split open into a deep trench.

"Fine blade!"

Kyoichi couldn't help but praise.

No wonder it was the White Fang Short Sword.

This sword was most compatible with Lightning Release chakra, but Water Release chakra could barely work too. Paired with the "high-pressure" technique Kyoichi had learned from Water Severing Wave, one slash unleashed considerable power.

"..."

Kakashi was speechless.

This sword is mine, right?

Why does it feel like this guy wields it better than I do!

"Returning this to you."

Kyoichi tossed the blade back.

Kakashi caught the short sword, then lunged at Kyoichi in an instant.

His speed was fast.

But—

The moment he struck, the figure before him turned into a block of wood.

Substitution Technique?

Though Kakashi hadn't gone all out, even pulling his strength back at the last second to attack with the flat of the blade, a direct hit wouldn't have hurt Kyoichi anyway.

Even at this close range, he'd still managed to dodge with the Substitution Technique!

"Fast speed, but your movements are too obvious."

Kyoichi chuckled.

The Kakashi of now wasn't weak, but he was still raw in many ways—a far cry from the Kakashi who'd been through countless trials and trained in the Anbu.

"Hmph. I won't give up the sword. One day, I'll beat you!"

Kakashi sheathed his blade and left.

He had an idea now.

Just as Kyoichi had said, since he wouldn't abandon the sword, he'd find a way to improve.

Right now, he was familiar with everything but master of nothing.

It was time to pick a direction!

Since Kakashi didn't want to talk more, Kyoichi wasn't in the mood to argue today either. He'd just been passing by and decided to tease the problem child.

As it turned out.

Problem children were really hard to handle.

Shisui and Asuma caught on with just a hint, but this kid was stubborn as hell, still...

[Completed 'Direction of Growth' instruction.]

[Evaluation: Excellent!]

[Reward: Iaido.]

Huh?

A reward?

Misunderstanding cleared!

Kyoichi couldn't hide his delight.

This kid was all talk—he'd clearly accepted the lesson but still played hard to get.

Good thing the system was here!

Seeing the reward, Kyoichi grew even happier.

Iaido.

Mifune's signature swordsmanship.

At its core, it was essentially the Quick Draw Technique!

This was the best reward he'd gotten recently.

The key point was.

Mifune had his own convictions and didn't train in ninjutsu or chakra; in his hands, Iaido was just a quick-draw move. But Kyoichi wasn't so particular.

Chakra and all that.

If he could use it, he would!

With a system reward, there was no need for extra practice.

"Too bad I don't have a good sword. When will the Seven Ninja Swordsmen invade Konoha? Right, the Thunder God Sword should still be with the Third Hokage. Wonder if I can borrow it."

Kyoichi pondered for a moment and figured it was worth a shot.

It was just sitting there anyway.

Might as well let him use it first.

If that didn't work...

He could trade the Seven Heavenly Breathing Methods.

Having made up his mind, Kyoichi stood up and headed straight for the Third Hokage's building.

When he arrived, Hiruzen Sarutobi was reviewing the early graduation applications sent over from the Ninja Academy.

"Shisui, Asuma... who else should I add?"

Rin Nohara?

That didn't seem quite right.

Rin Nohara had solid theoretical knowledge and exceptional chakra control—she was a fine prospect for learning Medical Ninjutsu, but not a good fit to pair with Shisui and Asuma.

He flipped through the list for a while, then sensed someone approaching from outside.

The main party had arrived.

"Lord Hokage!"

"Kyoichi, have a seat. I was just about to call you in for a chat, but it seems you've come on your own. After your promotion to jonin, are you willing to serve as a squad leader?"

The Third Hokage's face beamed with a smile.

Kyoichi greeted him, then sat down and replied, "Of course I am."

"You've taught those students before. Shisui and Asuma really want to join your squad—both of them have excellent results. If you have no objections, we'll settle it. As for the third member, which one do you think is better?"

The Third Hokage laid out the candidates.

There were mainly two.

Rin Nohara and Kurenai Yuhi.

"Kurenai. Rin is better suited to be trained as a medical ninja. I have some rough knowledge of Medical Ninjutsu, but my skill isn't strong, and she might not coordinate well with Shisui and Asuma."

Kyoichi answered without much thought.

Besides.

That lovesick Obito had been clinging to Rin since school days—Obito's kindness was not unrelated to Rin's influence, and the Third Hokage surely wouldn't want to separate them either.

"Same as I thought. I agree."

The Third Hokage nodded lightly, no longer hesitating, and wrote down Kurenai Yuhi's name.

After finishing, he asked again, "You didn't come just for the squad matter, did you?"

"Yes, Lord Hokage. I've been training in swordsmanship all along, and recently I feel I've grasped some insight, but I lack a suitable chakra weapon... I heard the Second Lord once left behind a personal blade?"

Kyoichi felt a bit embarrassed by the end.

Coming right out to ask for a favor.

Too shameless!

"Ah, there is such a weapon. The Teacher once used it, but that sword probably isn't right for you, is it?"

The Third Hokage instantly understood Kyoichi's intent.

"It's fine. I'm just borrowing it temporarily. When I find a suitable one later, I'll return it to the village. In exchange, I can offer a secret technique I developed myself."