Collecting Tōton!

"Are we leaving tomorrow?"

Hanfu had been mentally prepared, but he hadn't expected it to happen so soon!

"Big Brother, the swords are here!"

Gekko Hayate came running out with two wooden swords. "Let's spar!"

"...Okay."

Hanfu's plan had been to let Gekko Hayate practice on his own until he was too exhausted to tell east from west, then step in and guide him through Collection. But with Hayate's father standing nearby, Hanfu couldn't so blatantly "bully" his son, so he had no choice but to brace himself and take the wooden sword.

"Here I come!!"

Gekko Hayate shouted excitedly, raised his wooden sword above his head, and charged at Hanfu with a fierce cry.

He looked like such a chūnibyō that he really did seem straight out of an anime. Still, as his opponent, Hanfu couldn't help feeling a little awkward.

Clack, clack, clack!

The two wooden swords clashed repeatedly in the air. The dull impacts only made Gekko Hayate more excited. His eyes shone as he gradually put more strength into his swings, until Hanfu's thumb webbing began to tingle.

Had the little brother suddenly powered up?

Hanfu held his wooden sword crosswise to block Gekko Hayate's strikes. The tingling in his thumb webbing grew worse, and eventually he had to grip the sword with both hands just to keep blocking.

But Gekko Hayate had been attacking nonstop, and before five minutes had passed, he was already panting. Hanfu quickly lowered his sword and suggested they take a break.

"Big Brother, I'm not tired!"

Gekko Hayate pouted in protest.

"I'm your big brother. You have to listen to me!" Hanfu said solemnly.

"But, but, I..." Gekko Hayate tried to argue.

Hanfu glanced around and realized that Gekko Sekiseki had slipped away at some point.

That made things easier.

Not tired?

Heh.

"Little brother, are you sure you're not tired?" Hanfu asked, eyeing Gekko Hayate with ill intent.

Gekko Hayate nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, though he seemed to sense Hanfu's malice and hesitated with each nod.

"Good, then!"

Hanfu went straight to the point. "Little brother, I noticed that your movements were a little stiff when you were attacking. In my years of sword training, I've learned that your lower and upper body aren't coordinated enough!"

"Coordination? What's that?" Gekko Hayate asked, tilting his head.

Hanfu shook his head in disappointment. "You're asking the wrong question. You should be asking me how to solve the problem of poor coordination!"

Gekko Hayate looked completely bewildered.

"All right. Since you've asked so sincerely, I suppose I'll just have to tell you the answer!" Hanfu said seriously.

"Big Brother, I didn't say anything," Gekko Hayate protested.

"First, you need to do a hundred squats... Let's start with ten." Hanfu poked Gekko Hayate's leg with his wooden sword. "Hurry up, quit dawdling."

Gekko Hayate was utterly confused. He stood there without moving for ages.

"Squats, squats! You know what a squat is, right?" Hanfu said, looking utterly exasperated.

Gekko Hayate shook his head. "No."

"Put your hands behind your back, then squat down and stand up, squat down and stand up. Got it?" Hanfu explained simply.

Gekko Hayate nodded, then hesitantly followed the instructions. Soon, he had finished ten squats.

"Big Brother, I'm done!" Gekko Hayate stood up with some effort, but he still looked like he had plenty of energy left.

Hanfu quickly changed his tune. "A hundred! I said to start with a hundred. You've only done ten. Don't slack off."

"Big Brother, you clearly said ten just now." Gekko Hayate looked aggrieved, but under Hanfu's stern, righteous gaze, he continued squatting with a long face.

Eleven!

Twelve!

Thirteen!

By the time he reached twenty, Gekko Hayate's legs were trembling.

"Big Brother, my legs are so sore." Gekko Hayate was on the verge of tears.

"Then forget the squats. Do push-ups instead. Let's make it a hundred of those, too!"

Gekko Hayate wasn't having it. He loudly protested and demanded a break.

Hanfu had no choice but to use his secret weapon. "I'll do them with you. Whoever stops first is a puppy!"

Hanfu had backed Gekko Hayate into a corner with just a few words, so the boy gritted his teeth and started doing push-ups.

"Ready, go!"

Hanfu started counting. "One, two, three..."

With his hands braced against the grass, Gekko Hayate followed Hanfu's count, straining to keep up with his pace.

But Hanfu... although he really was doing push-ups, he was moving rather slowly. By the time he counted from one to five, he had only finished one, while Gekko Hayate had already done four!

"Eighteen, nineteen, twenty!"

Hanfu finished four push-ups and struggled to his feet. Across from him, Gekko Hayate was sprawled flat on the grass.

"Big Brother, I'm so tired!" Gekko Hayate shouted.

"Then let's take a little break."

Hanfu went over and helped him up. After making sure Gekko Hayate was so exhausted he was nearly falling asleep, he smiled and said, "Hayate Little Brother~"

Gekko Hayate instinctively shuddered and drew in his shoulders. Panting, he asked, "What is it, Big Brother?"

"You promised to teach me your Kekkei Genkai before. Have you forgotten?" Hanfu asked with a smile.

Gekko Hayate nodded faintly, his eyelids growing heavy. "I remember, but, but Kekkei Genkai is something you're born with."

"Don't worry about whether it's something you're born with or something you develop later. You just have to be willing," Hanfu coaxed.

Gekko Hayate nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. "Big Brother, of course I'm willing."

"Good."

Hanfu smiled... and used Collection!

The Green Light Orb in his mind instantly roiled. After a while, a Pale Red Light Spot suddenly surged out of the green glow.

A Pale Red Light Spot?

Hanfu was overjoyed. He immediately wrapped his consciousness around it, and then...

What the heck was this?!

Tōton 1/3 (Kekkei Genkai, incomplete)!

Incomplete?

1/3?

Hanfu was a little confused.

Did he need to collect it three times, then merge them?

Hanfu considered the idea, then quickly gathered his thoughts. Gekko Hayate was already yawning from exhaustion, so Hanfu hurried to keep guiding him, and then...

Collection!

Collection!!

After using Collection Technique twice more in a row, two more Pale Red Light Spots appeared deep in Hanfu's mind. Just as he'd expected, the three Pale Red Light Spots began to slowly merge!

Soon, the three Pale Red Light Spots fused into a Red Stardust, tiny and inconspicuous as a speck of dust, giving off a faint red glow as it bobbed around the Green Light Orb!

Hanfu excitedly wrapped his consciousness around the Red Stardust.

Tōton: Kekkei Genkai!

Success! I really collected a Kekkei Genkai!

Hanfu opened his eyes, breathing so excitedly that he could barely catch his breath. He'd suspected it might work, but actually collecting a Kekkei Genkai had him thrilled beyond words. He could almost see the Sharingan, Byakugan, Mangekyo Sharingan, Hyoton, Shikotsumyaku, and Dust Release beckoning to him.