"Meow!"
The cat's cries came intermittently.
Kurenai Yuhi had keen senses and quickly pinpointed the cat's location, but with all the trees, grass, and flowers blocking her way in the jungle, she couldn't move very fast.
Sometimes, she looked as if she was about to catch up, only for the cat to dart into the bushes and disappear in an instant.
"Your speed is good, but you're using it terribly."
Kyoichi shook his head.
It was fine.
She could practice slowly. First, he would have her run a few more rounds so she could understand where her shortcomings lay. His guidance would be more effective after that.
He sat in a tree, mulling over Sword Technique.
Yesterday, he had used Willow Sword Technique against a person for the first time, and he was increasingly convinced that Willow could be incorporated into Iaido.
There was no need to control the target with Genjutsu for that long.
A single instant was enough to cut down an enemy.
Creating a new technique couldn't be done overnight. After all, it hadn't been awarded by the system. Kyoichi had only grasped the basic idea for now, and he needed to broaden his knowledge before he could integrate the techniques further.
"Teacher, I... could I take a break?"
Kurenai Yuhi panted heavily.
She was utterly exhausted. Her hair and clothes were covered in dust and leaves, and none of her usual elegance and composure remained.
But.
She still couldn't catch that cat.
In fact, she felt that it seemed to have gotten faster. She had been able to keep up before, but now it was becoming harder and harder to deal with.
"Take a short break. I'll explain things to you while we're at it. Do you know where your problem lies?"
"Mm."
Kurenai Yuhi nodded.
Poor stamina and a lack of speed.
"You can actually catch up to it in terms of speed. At worst, you can add Body Flicker Technique. But you're not agile enough, and you can't control your own speed."
Kyoichi said, "Second, what about your Genjutsu? Taijutsu isn't your specialty. Once you catch up, why not try using Genjutsu to restrain it?"
"Huh? I can use Genjutsu too?"
Kurenai Yuhi froze.
She had thought she understood, but it turned out she hadn't understood at all.
Genjutsu...
That's right!
She didn't rely on Taijutsu, so why hadn't she used Genjutsu after catching up?
She suddenly saw the light.
Of course.
Kurenai Yuhi knew very well that even with Genjutsu, catching that foolish cat wouldn't be easy.
Using Genjutsu required hand seals!
The cat was extremely agile. While she was still forming hand seals, it might well run away.
She had to combine everything and devise a strategy based on the environment.
She wasn't stupid.
Soon, Kurenai Yuhi's eyes lit up.
"Teacher, I understand now. I'll go catch it!"
Hokage's office.
"Catching cats can count as training?"
The tobacco in the Third Hokage's pipe was nearly burned out, but he didn't notice at all. His face was filled with astonishment.
Most of these cats were pets belonging to nobles.
They weren't particularly fast or difficult to catch, and could generally be dealt with quickly. That was why they were mostly issued as preparatory training for team operations.
However.
Kyoichi had come up with a novel idea and assigned one to Kurenai Yuhi to train her speed and ability to react on the spot.
That was something the Third Hokage had never considered.
After his initial surprise, he actually found it made a great deal of sense!
"The other two... chopping wood and carrying water?"
The Third Hokage first went to look at his own son.
Asuma was carrying water.
He carried two large buckets at a time on a shoulder pole, running from a distant river to the water jar.
Spilled some?
Then he went back for more.
Was this Taijutsu training?
He then used Clairvoyance Jutsu to take a look at Shisui.
Shisui was chopping wood.
The difference was that he used nothing but Sword Technique when chopping. He seemed to be pondering how to split the firewood with the least possible expenditure of energy.
"That kid has far too many strange ideas, doesn't he?"
The Third Hokage took a puff of smoke, only to discover that the tobacco had already burned itself out. His heart immediately ached.
He hadn't gotten a single puff.
What a waste!
After lamenting the waste, Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to the matter at hand and began considering whether this method could be promoted.
It seemed that it couldn't.
Every team was different, so they couldn't all be treated the same way.
More importantly.
He realized that many people in Konoha had become rigid in their thinking—including himself.
Chopping wood, carrying water, and catching cats.
They did indeed view D-rank missions as opportunities to train Genin. Some missions were even created by the village for that purpose, but they had never thought about deliberately honing the Genin through them. Most of the focus was still on developing teamwork.
The method was good, but it couldn't be widely implemented.
At present, it was fine. There was a backlog of missions, so having one team take three at once wasn't a problem.
But normally, if one team took three missions, what would the other Genin do?
Still.
They could have elite teams try to imitate it.
Hiruzen Sarutobi thought to himself.
At the same time, he focused Clairvoyance Jutsu on Shisui.
Could Uchiha Shisui become a second Kagami Uchiha?
"I hope so. Otherwise..."
He let out a sigh and canceled the technique.
In the afternoon, nearing evening.
Kurenai Yuhi finally caught the cat, exhausted beyond measure, and went to turn in the mission. She received the day's payment.
When they returned to Konoha.
At a barbecue restaurant, Kyoichi and the others ran into Team 7, who had completed their mission for the day.
"Shisui! Asuma!"
Obito waved wildly as soon as he saw them, as if he were the one treating everyone to dinner.
Minato Namikaze sat nearby with a radiant smile. He greeted Kyoichi warmly when he saw him.
Seeing that there were empty seats, he pointed at one and said, "Lord Kyoichi, why don't you sit down and eat with us?"
"Sure. Let's order a few more things."
Kyoichi didn't refuse.
Only an idiot would turn down a free meal. Those three brats had filled their stomachs with Ration Pills at noon, so they were probably starving by now.
Kakashi turned his head away, wearing an indifferent expression.
But.
His eyes kept drifting toward Kyoichi's sword.
Minato Namikaze found it amusing.
Kakashi was usually calm, unlike Obito and the others his age. Yet whenever he encountered Kanda Kyoichi, that calm, mature demeanor vanished.
He knew Kakashi was curious. After taking another look, he was surprised as well.
"Lord Kyoichi, is that the same sword that belonged to the Second Lord?"
"I borrowed it from Lord Hokage. What can I say? I'm poor."
Kyoichi sighed.
If he had been as wealthy as the Sarutobi Clan, he could have had a Chakra weapon forged directly, just like Asuma.
Why would he need to borrow a weapon to get by?
At first, the Genin didn't know which sword it was, but after thinking about it, they all recalled it somewhat. "The Sword of the Thunder God?"
"Mm."
Kyoichi drew the Thunder God Sword.
Its blade was long and slender, with an extremely thin edge.
If used for ordinary chopping and slashing, the sword wouldn't withstand more than a few blows before breaking apart. Like the White Fang Short Sword, it was a Chakra weapon and had to be used together with Chakra.
Shisui had studied Sword Technique deeply and also knew a great deal about the Thunder God Sword. He quickly recalled what had happened during that test.
The teacher hadn't even used his full strength!
"The teacher alone is already this powerful. And then there's Konoha... Those people in the clan shut themselves away to guard the Guard Unit and grow more arrogant by the day. They're utterly foolish!"
That was the only thought in Shisui's mind.
He had come to understand some of his clansmen's ideas recently. All they wanted was power and fame. They believed that, as one of the village's founders, the Uchiha had the right to share in its glory and spoils.
But.
The times had changed.
Forget Teacher Kyoichi—even among the Uchiha, how many could stand against Minato Namikaze?
The more he observed, the more relieved Shisui felt about his choice.
The Uchiha would sooner or later be doomed if they relied on those people. Perhaps the clan's future would have to depend on people like himself and Obito.
Before you continue