Kakashi, You're All Talk!

Over the next few days, Kyoichi trained every day.

Jonin?

Just a title.

To survive in troubled times, what mattered most was strength, not these empty official positions.

Kyoichi understood this very clearly.

Of course.

He had sought out Might Duy and Might Guy to exchange pointers and learn from them, shearing off quite a bit of their wool. Most of it concerned Taijutsu, such as Konoha Violent Hurricane and Reverse Lotus.

But none of that was what Kyoichi needed most. At best, they were just bonuses.

He had to increase his sources of income!

Just cutting expenses wouldn't do. How long would it take to train that way?

If he waited for rabbits to throw themselves at him, he would have to wait until who knew when.

Kyoichi pondered as he ran.

He had to find a way to take the initiative!

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

For example—

Kakashi Hatake!

As luck would have it, he ran into him this time.

"..."

Kakashi sat by the river and threw the White Fang Short Sword away.

When he saw Kyoichi passing by, he shot him a sidelong glance for several seconds. Then he quickly stood up, ran over to retrieve the short sword, and only looked back at the river after gripping it tightly in his hand.

The next moment.

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

The Body Flicker Technique was fast!

But Kakashi had already seen it before. What confused him was why Kanda Kyoichi had used the Body Flicker Technique to come over.

Kakashi turned his head and stared at him in silence.

"What are you looking at?"

"???"

Kakashi looked utterly bewildered. He had no idea what Kyoichi meant.

"You look lost, so I wanted to beat you up."

Kyoichi's tone was utterly serious.

However.

The next second, he sat down beside Kakashi and said, "Still thinking about Sword Technique? Listen to me. I need a sword, and you need to throw one away. We each get what we need."

"I won't give up!"

Kakashi replied decisively.

"That's not what you were doing just now. Didn't you look pretty cool when you threw it?"

As he spoke,

Kyoichi swish-ed the White Fang Short Sword out of Kakashi's hand. The short sword danced through his fingers. In the next moment, chakra flowed into the blade, and a dazzling blue light condensed into an edge.

Then,

the watery radiance grew denser and denser, eventually turning deep blue.

One slash!

Whoosh!

The sound of air splitting rang out. A flash of watery light passed, and a deep fissure split open across the ground.

"What a fine sword!"

Kyoichi couldn't help praising it.

It truly was worthy of being the White Fang Short Sword.

The sword was most compatible with Lightning Release chakra, but Water Release chakra could barely be used with it as well. Combined with the "high-pressure" technique Kyoichi had learned from Water Severing Wave, its power was quite impressive when unleashed in a single slash.

"..."

Kakashi was speechless.

That was his sword, wasn't it?

Why did it feel like this guy handled it better than he did?

"Here."

Kyoichi tossed the sword back.

Kakashi caught the short sword and suddenly charged at Kyoichi.

He was extremely fast.

However,

the instant the blade pierced him, the person before Kakashi turned into a wooden log.

Substitution Technique?

Although Kakashi hadn't used his full strength—in fact, he had reined himself in at the last moment and attacked with the back of the blade—even if he had really struck Kyoichi, it wouldn't have hurt him.

At such close range, he had still managed to evade with the Substitution Technique!

"Your speed is fast, but your attack was too obvious."

Kyoichi smiled.

Kakashi wasn't weak now, but he was indeed somewhat immature in every aspect. The gap between him and the Kakashi who would later experience so many things and train in the Anbu was enormous.

"Hmph. I won't give up the sword. Sooner or later, I'll defeat you!"

Kakashi sheathed his sword and left.

He had a direction now.

As Kyoichi had said, since he refused to give up the sword, he had to find a way to improve.

At present, he was familiar with everything but excelled at nothing.

It was time to choose a path!

Since he clearly didn't want to talk anymore, Kyoichi couldn't be bothered to argue with him today. He had only happened to pass by and tease the problem child a little.

The facts proved it.

Problem children really were difficult to deal with.

Shisui and Asuma understood things immediately, but this kid was stubborn as a mule. Even now, he still...

[Completed the "Developing a Direction" lesson.]

[Evaluation: Excellent!]

[Reward: Iaido.]

Hmm?

A reward?

The misunderstanding was resolved!

Kyoichi couldn't help looking delighted.

This kid really was all talk. He had clearly accepted Kyoichi's guidance, yet he still insisted on putting on this act of saying one thing while meaning another.

Thank goodness for the system!

Seeing the reward made Kyoichi even happier.

Iaido.

Mifune's proudest Sword Technique.

In essence, it was simply the Quick Draw Technique!

This was the best reward he had received recently.

The key point was,

Mifune had his own beliefs and didn't cultivate Ninjutsu or chakra. In his hands, Iaido was merely a Quick Draw Technique, but Kyoichi didn't have so many scruples.

As for chakra—

If it could be used, he definitely would!

The system's reward required no additional practice at all.

"What a pity that 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. I wonder if I can borrow it for a while."

Kyoichi pondered for a moment and felt that there really was a chance.

It was just sitting there unused anyway.

It might as well serve him first.

At worst...

he could trade it for the Seven Heavenly Breathing Methods.

Having made up his mind, Kyoichi rose and went straight to the Third Hokage's Hokage Building.

When he arrived, Hiruzen Sarutobi was looking over the early-graduation materials sent from the Ninja Academy.

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

Rin Nohara?

She didn't seem suitable.

Rin Nohara had a solid foundation in theoretical knowledge and extremely strong chakra control. She was an excellent candidate for learning Medical Ninjutsu, but she wasn't very suitable to team up with Shisui and Asuma.

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

The person in question had arrived.

"Lord Hokage!"

"Kyoichi, sit. I was just about to find you for a chat, and here you are. Now that you've been promoted to Jonin, would you be willing to serve as a team leader?"

The Third Hokage beamed.

After greeting him, Kyoichi sat down and answered, "Of course."

"You previously taught that group of students. Shisui and Asuma both want to join your team, and their grades are excellent. If you have no objections, we can settle them. Which of the others do you think would make the best third member?"

The Third Hokage selected the candidates.

There were mainly two.

Rin Nohara and Kurenai Yuhi.

"Kurenai. Rin is better suited to being trained as a Medical Ninja. Although I have a basic understanding of Medical Ninjutsu, my strength is ultimately limited, and she might not work as well with Shisui and Asuma."

Kyoichi answered without much thought.

Besides,

that lovesick fool Obito had been clinging to Rin ever since they started school. Obito's kindness was inseparable from Rin's influence. The Third Hokage probably didn't want to separate the two of them either.

"I had the same thought. I agree."

The Third Hokage nodded lightly. Without further hesitation, he wrote Kurenai Yuhi's name down.

Only after finishing did he ask, "You didn't come here because of the team, did you?"

"That's right, Lord Hokage. I've been practicing Sword Technique all this time, and recently, I feel like I've grasped some of its secrets. Unfortunately, I don't have a suitable chakra weapon... I heard that the Second Lord left behind a personal weapon?"

By the end, Kyoichi himself felt a little embarrassed.

He was openly asking for benefits.

That was shameless!

"Er, there is such a weapon. My teacher used it before, but that sword probably isn't very suitable for you, is it?"

The Third Hokage immediately understood what Kyoichi meant.

"It's fine. I only want to borrow it temporarily. Once I find something suitable, I'll return it to the village. In exchange, I can offer one of the secret techniques I developed myself."