Genius Novelist Thunder Fire Sword

"All done!"

Namikaze Minato interrupted their conversation, saying, "Try my Fire Style Pitch-Black Super Delicious Fourth Style!"

"You're coming up with names no one else can understand again."

Kushina Uzumaki took the grilled fish and shot him a glare.

"Couldn't help it."

Namikaze Minato scratched his head and broke into a smile.

Hikawa silently took a bite of the grilled fish.

Eating dog food was worse than eating grilled fish.

"How does it taste?"

Kushina Uzumaki turned to Hikawa and asked.

During their chat just now, she'd already learned about this pretty kid's situation.

A war orphan, currently lodging at Yuhi Shinko's place—a bit like her own experience, pretty tragic.

"Delicious."

Hikawa nodded emphatically.

"Next time you get a chance, try some of my cooking."

Kushina Uzumaki said with a cheerful smile.

"Sure."

Hikawa naturally had to agree.

Though running into Kushina Uzumaki was an accident, getting on good terms with them had no downsides.

Especially Namikaze Minato.

During the Third Shinobi World War, it could add a few more guarantees.

"Kushina."

Namikaze Minato cleared his throat lightly as a reminder.

Kushina Uzumaki, same as last time, had used a Sealing Technique to trap the Anbu guards and sneaked out on her own.

Going by what she said, she'd do it again.

"What?"

Kushina Uzumaki clenched her fist and asked, "Is my cooking not good?"

"It's good."

Namikaze Minato answered instantly.

"That's more like it."

Kushina Uzumaki knew his hidden meaning, but being stuck inside the Barrier was just too boring.

Hikawa felt like he'd been force-fed another mouthful of dog food.

The meal ended amid casual conversation.

Hikawa said goodbye to them and returned to Konoha.

The sky had darkened, and the streetlights on both sides lit up.

He felt like at any second, a crow would fly in, followed by the figure of Uchiha Itachi.

Luckily, the night of the massacre was still far off, and he wasn't a ninja from the Uchiha Clan anyway.

As he walked, Hikawa opened the entry panel.

The progress bar for the E-Rank Entry 'Seven Ninja Tools' had already reached 70%.

The Exploding Tag's proficiency was rising faster than he'd imagined.

This was probably the power of spending money.

As the saying went, only with salary could you create happiness.

The progress bar for the E-Rank Entry 'Scholar' was about the same, just waiting for the final dance of the Final Exam.

"I'm back!"

Hikawa casually pushed open the door and started changing his shoes at the entrance.

Yuhi Kurenai heard the sound, jumped off the sofa, and darted out like a little white rabbit.

Yuhi Shinko, sitting across from her, couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

He felt his status was under serious threat.

"Hikawa, why are you back so late?"

Yuhi Kurenai put her hands on her hips, asking indignantly, "And you didn't tell me in advance!"

That's the real point, isn't it?

Hikawa looked at her adorable, puffed-up face and said with a smile, "I ran into Namikaze Minato."

"Who's Namikaze Minato?"

Yuhi Kurenai didn't react at first.

"You actually met Minato?"

Yuhi Shinko asked in surprise.

"I met him at the Fourth Training Ground."

Hikawa casually made it up on the spot. "Maybe he saw that my bones were extraordinary and invited me to eat grilled fish."

"The Hokage-sama must have mentioned you to him."

Yuhi Shinko said thoughtfully.

"Huh?"

Yuhi Kurenai's eyes went wide. "The Hokage-sama already knows about Hikawa?"

"What do you think?"

Yuhi Shinko patted her head and said with a smile, "He did beat up Asuma."

"It was a spar."

Hikawa said seriously.

"Alright, let's talk inside."

Yuhi Shinko shot him a glare, grabbed Yuhi Kurenai, and turned to leave.

"...?"

Hikawa was momentarily stunned.

What's going on?

It's not like I parked a ghost car under your house.

"Uncle Shinko."

Hikawa closed the door, entered the living room, and said directly, "I want to learn swordsmanship."

Hayate Gekko and Uzuki Yugao were younger than him, and he didn't know Maruboshi Kosuke, so his only option was to ask Yuhi Shinko.

"Why do you suddenly want to learn swordsmanship?"

Yuhi Shinko asked in surprise.

"My Chakra is insufficient right now, and I can't learn new genjutsu, so I want to learn swordsmanship for self-defense."

Hikawa had already prepared his explanation.

Yuhi Shinko nodded slightly.

The reasoning was solid; he had no reason to refuse.

This is what a genius is.

Yuhi Shinko said with some emotion, "I'll teach you swordsmanship later."

"Huh?"

Hikawa instinctively showed a look of doubt.

"You little brat!"

Yuhi Shinko bristled with indignation. "As a genjutsu user, is it a problem for me to know some swordsmanship?"

Swordsmanship was a type of taijutsu, and taijutsu was one of the basics for a shinobi—genjutsu users had to learn it. Otherwise, if their genjutsu failed, they'd just be waiting to die.

"No problem!"

Hikawa quickly stood at attention and said seriously, "Thank you, Uncle Shinko!"

"I want to learn too!"

Yuhi Kurenai raised her little hand.

"Kurenai."

Yuhi Shinko softened his tone and said, "Once you've mastered genjutsu, I'll teach you."

"Alright."

Yuhi Kurenai understood that there was a huge gap between her and Hikawa.

Wanting to learn everything might lead to learning nothing.

"Wait for me outside."

Yuhi Shinko stood up and went into the room.

Hikawa waited a moment, then saw him come back out with two wooden swords.

"The swordsmanship I'm teaching you is called Konoha-Style Swordsmanship. Though it's basic, don't underestimate it."

Yuhi Shinko casually tossed him a wooden sword and said, "If you put your heart into studying it, you can create your own secret sword techniques."

Hikawa immediately thought of Maruboshi Kosuke—his Konoha Style: Willow was exactly a fusion of Konoha-Style Swordsmanship and genjutsu.

"Then let's start with the simplest."

Yuhi Shinko flicked his wooden sword and said.

"Yes."

Hikawa nodded solemnly.

Night fell, and moonlight spilled across the earth.

After two hours of study, Hikawa finally triggered a new entry.

[E-Rank Ninjutsu Entry: Swordsmanship Ninja (Not Acquired).]

[Trigger Condition: Konoha-Style Swordsmanship reaches Beginner level.]

[Current Progress: 5%.]

The lesson ended. Hikawa took a bath and returned to his room.

Though a bit tired, he didn't go straight to sleep. Instead, he took out a pen.

After thinking for a long time, he began writing a creative concept and outline for a novel.

The work he chose was "Taimanin."

Two more days passed.

Early morning.

Hikawa ran along the streets as usual. After two laps, he entered the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore.

He soon met Tsuchihashi and handed over the "Taimanin" concept and outline he'd written.

"That fast?"

Tsuchihashi asked casually, "What's your friend's name?"

"Thunder Fire Sword."

Hikawa paused, then said, "His pen name."

"Pen name? I get it."

Tsuchihashi gave a knowing smile.

What do you get?

Hikawa's scalp tingled. He couldn't imagine how mortifying it would be if his friend's identity ever came to light.

Tsuchihashi smiled and began reading.

But soon, his smile vanished, replaced by a very serious expression, and finally, sheer elation.

"Your friend is a genius!"

Tsuchihashi said excitedly, "This kind of ninja setting is unheard of—it's going to sell like crazy!"