Kakashi Wanted Revenge

As noon approached, two figures leaped from branch to branch, one following the other as they headed deeper into the forest of Konoha.

The person in front was Kakashi. His face was cold and his expression numb, his eyes as lifeless as if he were already dead.

After losing his father, his friends, and the woman he loved, Kakashi had now also lost his master and his master's wife. One blow after another had nearly left him unable to recover.

Guy was worried about Kakashi in this state, so he had forcibly dragged him out for a match.

Normally, Kakashi would have refused such a pointless contest, but right now he wanted something to distract him.

"Phew..."

Guy let out a long breath and came to a stop on the shore of a large lake, his legs sinking halfway into the damp earth. He turned to Kakashi, who had just arrived beside him, and flashed a brilliant smile. "Thirty-eight wins and thirty-eight losses. Kakashi, we're tied again."

Kakashi said nothing, only panting heavily.

Competing in a footrace against someone as hopeless at Taijutsu as Guy meant he couldn't let his guard down for even a moment. His body was already at its limit, sweat pouring from his pores and soaking his clothes.

Kakashi gazed at the shimmering, tranquil lake and suddenly felt a little better, as if some of the weight in his heart had left his body along with his sweat.

...If only the village could be as peaceful as this lake.

Kakashi thought,

Then a wave of water came crashing toward him, nearly knocking him off balance.

"Wind? No, it's a Ninjutsu!"

Kakashi came to his senses and immediately assumed a fighting stance. He leaped onto a tree trunk and hid himself.

Guy landed beside Kakashi and grabbed his shoulder. "Don't be nervous, Kakashi. It's not an enemy. Maybe someone's practicing Ninjutsu."

After hearing Guy's words, Kakashi also sensed something was off. If the wave of water had been an attack, its power had been far too weak.

He was about to go investigate who was practicing Ninjutsu when he caught sight of Guy's clothes from the corner of his eye and stopped.

Guy's clothes were soaked through too, but clearly not because of the lake.

Noticing Kakashi's gaze, Guy immediately guessed what he was thinking. Their understanding was that good. Grinning, he said, "I never thought you'd fail to dodge it. That wave wasn't even moving fast."

Kakashi didn't respond. He leaped toward the lake without looking back.

There was nothing wrong with losing a contest to Guy, but what had just happened had embarrassed him. Kakashi wanted to find whoever was practicing Ninjutsu as soon as possible and get a little revenge to save face.

Kakashi wasn't petty, but right now, he wanted to lose himself in the feeling of getting even.

As for whether he could pull it off, Kakashi had no doubts. Judging by the Ninjutsu he'd just seen, the person wasn't very strong—at most, a Chunin.

"Kakashi, wait for me!"

Guy strode after him.

The person who had used the Ninjutsu was nearby, and the two soon caught sight of him.

Kakashi stopped, his eyes narrowing in surprise. "Orochimaru. I can't believe it's him."

"Oh, it's Lord Orochimaru," Guy said, puzzled. "Was that Ninjutsu his? How could it be? Its power was so weak."

Kakashi had the same question as Guy. But so what if he did? Even Guy wouldn't be so reckless as to walk up and ask him outright.

That was one of the Sannin, a major figure in the village.

Guy's puzzlement quickly gave way to a sigh. "Too bad it's Lord Orochimaru. You can't get your revenge now. Let's go."

Kakashi stopped Guy from leaving. "Let's stay and watch."

"That doesn't seem right."

"We won't hide. We'll just watch from here, and if he notices us, we'll say we happened to be passing by."

"Then... all right."

As they spoke, Orochimaru continued using Ninjutsu without pause. Kakashi's keen eye soon noticed something unusual.

"His Ninjutsu is so precisely executed."

"Precise? I can't tell." Guy's eyes widened. "All I can tell is that it's not very powerful. Even a Genin could probably use it."

"You don't understand. Orochimaru is showing off."

Kakashi glanced at Guy's puzzled expression and explained, "He's using the least amount of Chakra while still drawing out the Ninjutsu's full power. That takes an exceptional understanding of Ninjutsu and control over Chakra."

As he spoke, Kakashi turned his attention back to Orochimaru, who was still using Ninjutsu.

He could show off his skills to this extent too, but only with techniques he knew well. Orochimaru could perform so many different techniques, so quickly. The Sannin's reputation was clearly well deserved.

"Oh, I see." Guy looked completely bewildered.

Strong Fist Style was known for speed and ferocity, not delicate Chakra control. Guy himself could barely use Ninjutsu, so he had little understanding of what Kakashi was talking about.

He scratched his head. "There's not much to see. Let's go."

"Fair enough."

Kakashi nodded. Improving one's understanding of Ninjutsu and control over Chakra wasn't something that happened overnight. Simply watching wouldn't help at all.

Just then, Orochimaru stopped showing off and used the Summoning Technique, drawing a sword from a snake's mouth.

Kakashi could tell at a glance that it was an exceptional sword, better in quality than the one passed down in his family. He couldn't help stopping.

"Wait. Let's watch a little longer."

"That's what this sword is called, the Kusanagi Sword?"

Genie gently wiped the saliva from the blade and said, "A good name. A fine sword."

"But you don't seem satisfied with it," Orochimaru said. "You're holding it, yet you're thinking about another sword."

"Is it that obvious?"

Genie nodded, acknowledging that Orochimaru was right. "In the previous world, my host was a swordsman. I spent a long time around swords with him, so it's hard not to compare when I see a new one."

"Was his sword good?"

Orochimaru was very interested in the other world and Genie's previous host. Now that he had a topic to ask about, he wanted to learn as much as he could.

Genie didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "What weapons do shinobi use in the Shinobi World?"

Before Orochimaru could answer, he continued on his own,

"Senbon, Kunai, Shuriken, short blades... shinobi have all kinds of weapons."

"But in the previous world, the Demon Slayers had only swords."

"They had to use swords to hunt Demons whose physical abilities far surpassed their own."

"Often, when a sword broke, its wielder died."

"Tell me, could a sword like that be anything but strong?"

After a brief silence, Orochimaru nodded. A weapon bound up with its wielder's life would naturally be strong. It had to be.

"So don't underestimate the swordsmanship I'm about to show you."

Genie stood with a sword at his side, gazing at the still surface of the lake. "The previous world belonged to swordsmen. They had no flashy Ninjutsu or wide variety of ninja tools. All they had was swordsmanship honed to its peak."

"Actually, I've been worried this whole time that your body is so weak, you might not be able to unleash the full power of your swordsmanship."

"Be prepared to suffer serious injuries."