Inherited Swordsmanship!

"Let me try it already."

Young Kiyohara looked like a veteran smoker who had gone ten days without a cigarette and suddenly spotted a pack of Furongwang.

Understanding his intention, Kiyohara relaxed his control over his body.

The next moment, Young Kiyohara's consciousness flowed in like water and temporarily took over his arm. He reached out and gripped the brand-new hilt.

It was cool and solid, yet carried a sense of familiarity.

Young Kiyohara controlled Kiyohara's arm and lightly swung the ninja sword.

The blade sliced through the air with a faint whistle.

He tried channeling a trace of chakra into it.

Buzz!

The pale blue ripples along the blade seemed to come alive, glowing faintly as chakra flowed smoothly through the sword.

The resistance to conduction was extremely low. It felt completely different from channeling chakra into other ninja tools.

"Good sword!"

Young Kiyohara could not help praising it aloud.

"Its chakra conductivity is... excellent. If I'd had a sword like this back then..."

There was regret in his voice.

"Then why didn't you make yourself a good ninja sword?"

Kiyohara was curious about what his future self had been thinking.

With his strength, he could have easily earned enough money to buy one.

"Because I felt that strength should not be borrowed from external objects. One should reach the point where even a branch picked up at random can be used to face an enemy."

"..."

Kiyohara felt that this future version of himself was a little too arrogant.

Even Six Paths Madara had been cut in half by Sasuke's chakra-enhanced Kusanagi Sword, and it had not even chipped.

In the Ninja World, having a good weapon and not having one were entirely different things, unless one's fighting style barely used weapons at all.

"Then what did you spend your extra money on?"

Kiyohara continued asking.

"Most of my mission rewards went toward buying all sorts of so-called swordsmanship scrolls circulating outside. You know, while Teacher Maruboshi Kosuke's swordsmanship was superb, the sword arts he knew were limited. I longed to learn from every school and forge my own path...

"Unfortunately, nine out of every ten scrolls on the market were fraudulent or incomplete. I wasted countless amounts of money and time for nothing. There were very few that were truly valuable."

Young Kiyohara said.

"So he was a swordsmanship fanatic—and the kind who was easy to scam..."

Kiyohara suddenly understood, though he was also somewhat speechless.

It seemed that this future self of his had taken plenty of detours on the road to pursuing the sword.

But in the next moment, a sphere of light emerged from Young Kiyohara's body.

The light quickly merged into Kiyohara's body, and he felt his talents change once more.

His "spiritual energy" was further strengthened and increased, while his perception also improved somewhat.

This was clearly a gift from Young Kiyohara's battle-forged swordsman's will and spiritual power.

Immediately afterward, a warm, vigorous life energy flowed through all four of his limbs and every part of his body like a hot spring, nourishing his meridians and muscles.

"This is... the manifestation of Yang-nature talent!"

Kiyohara immediately understood where the warm current had come from.

Young Kiyohara possessed Yang-nature talent, and that portion of his talent had now been added to Kiyohara's own.

It had merged with Kiyohara's originally negligible Yang-nature talent.

This meant that Kiyohara would have a much easier time practicing Medical Ninjutsu in the future.

Finally—and most importantly—came the insights regarding the "sword."

A great mass of techniques and experience concerning the exertion of force in basic swordsmanship, footwork and movement, distance control, and the basic application of chakra in sword techniques flooded into his mind all at once.

Although he had not immediately mastered the profound Konoha-Style Kenjutsu: Willow, his fundamentals and understanding of swordsmanship had been elevated to an entirely new level!

Many obscure principles of force and swordsmanship that had once required repeated pondering now became clear, as though clouds had parted to reveal the sun!

This was the foundation Young Kiyohara had built over twenty years...

Kiyohara was very satisfied. Though he had not fully integrated everything, defeating his former sword-wielding self would be no problem.

He could not wait to test how he felt now.

With the new sword in hand, a thought crossed his mind, and even his hand signs seemed to form a little faster.

Lightning Release: Lightning Current Technique!

Crackle!

Almost the instant the seals were completed, azure arcs of electricity swiftly crawled over the blade, letting out a piercing hiss.

Kiyohara moved with the momentum and swung the sword several times, performing some of the most basic Konoha-style Kenjutsu moves that had just merged into his instincts: diagonal slashes, straight thrusts, and upward cuts.

His movements still appeared somewhat unpracticed, since muscle memory needed time to develop, but the way he exerted force had completely changed.

With every swing, he could clearly feel the complete chain of power traveling from the soles of his feet, through his waist and hips, and into his arm. The sword moved with his body, carrying tremendous force.

True unity of waist and stance!

The shop owner, standing nearby, had a flicker of surprise in his eyes and could not help praising him.

"Your swordsmanship is truly impressive, sir. It's rare to see such solid fundamentals."

Though there was some flattery in his words, he had indeed noticed that Kiyohara's swordsmanship was far stronger than before.

The lightning arcs along the blade gradually faded. Kiyohara sheathed the sword and hung the scabbard at his waist.

He merely smiled slightly at the shop owner's praise, offering no explanation.

He efficiently paid the remaining balance, thanked the shop owner again, and left the store with the ninja sword.

Now that he had fulfilled one final wish, he had to find a way to fulfill the second.

He needed to increase Uchiha Madara's strength as much as possible before Madara began carrying out his mission.

That was why Kiyohara still felt a sense of urgency.

Watching Kiyohara's departing back, the shop owner stroked his chin and muttered to himself.

"A ninja sword forged from Chakra Metal, along with such exceptionally solid swordsmanship fundamentals... He must have trained diligently, step by step, for many years..."

The shop owner simply felt that Kiyohara was no ordinary person. He looked so young, yet possessed swordsmanship that did not match his appearance. Perhaps he was a genius of the sword.

It made him think of the Konoha White Fang. Who could say what Kiyohara might achieve in the future?

"I hope I get to see him again."

The shop owner shook his head. At the same time, he understood that only the living had every possibility ahead of them. If one died, there would be nothing left.

Not long after Kiyohara returned to the base, new mission orders arrived. This time, it was a reconnaissance mission.

They were to head to an area where Kirigakure ninja might have infiltrated, investigate their movements and troop deployment, and gather as much relevant intelligence as possible.

When Kiyohara received the mission, his heart stirred.

This was the perfect chance to test the changes from inheriting the legacy, as well as the power of his new sword.

Moreover... the areas where Kirigakure was active were also places where the Kirigakure ninja Ao might appear.

That would give him more chances to fulfill the second final wish.

The team composition for this mission had changed somewhat. Besides Kiyohara, Kakashi, Nohara Rin, and Genma Shiranui, two members of the Hyuga Clan had been added to the team.

Apparently, the higher-ups had specifically assigned them to strengthen the team's reconnaissance capabilities.

One of the Hyuga clan members was an older man, around twenty years old, named Hyuga Nobuhiko.

The other was a girl who looked eighteen or nineteen, named Hyuga Ginka.

Thinking of their sensitive status as members of the main family, Kiyohara felt that something was off.

Oh no... Could the Byakugan that Kirigakure ninja Ao seized have belonged to them?