Special Sword Fanatic, Hatake Sakumo's Teachings

"Let's go, Asuma."

Akimichi Domaru strolled over slowly, munching on potato chips.

He wore a loose-fitting coat, his cheeks were round and plump, and there were chip crumbs clinging to the corners of his mouth.

"Yeah."

Sarutobi Asuma responded, though his gaze remained fixed on Yūhi Kurenai's retreating back.

Akimichi Domaru followed his line of sight for a moment before looking away, crunching loudly on his chips with a face that screamed, "I don't get it."

He couldn't understand it; how could a girl be better than potato chips?

Always trying to get close to her—what was the point?

"Coming."

Sarutobi Asuma finally withdrew his gaze, sighed, and followed Akimichi Domaru toward the school gate.

The relationship between the Ino-Shika-Chō trio and the Sarutobi clan could be traced back to the Warring States period, long before the village was founded.

The three clans had established an alliance oath passed down through generations via earrings, and the Sarutobi clan served as the witnesses to this pact.

That was why the round earring on Akimichi Domaru's ear was a token personally gifted by a Sarutobi elder at the time of his birth.

This bond, which had persisted from the Warring States era into the era of hidden villages, was a depth of connection that outsiders found difficult to comprehend.

Consequently, Sarutobi Asuma maintained good relationships with his classmates from the Ino-Shika-Chō clans.

Or rather, under the guidance of their fathers, even the new generation would quickly become familiar with one another.

At the Hatake residence.

Hatake Sakumo was sitting on the veranda outside the sliding paper doors, wiping down his short blade. Hearing the courtyard gate creak open, he looked up to see Kakashi leading a few people inside.

His gaze swept over Qingyu, Rin Nohara, and Obito, and then he revealed a gentle smile.

"You brought friends home today, Kakashi."

Kakashi gave a hum of acknowledgment.

"Father, I'm going to practice swordsmanship with Qingyu."

"Is Qingyu interested in swordsmanship as well?"

Hatake Sakumo looked toward Qingyu.

Qingyu nodded.

"Yes," Qingyu said.

The character Hatake Sakumo was a tragedy in the original story, ultimately ending as a pitiable man who abandoned a mission to save his comrades, only to be cyber-bullied to death by those very comrades and the public opinion of the village.

However, while one might question Hatake Sakumo's mental resilience, his strength was undeniably, genuinely formidable.

Chiyo and her grandson Sasori were both geniuses; clearly, Chiyo's daughter-in-law and son were nothing special, and they were eventually killed by Hatake Sakumo.

The fact that Chiyo lived for so long afterward without ever managing to take revenge was proof enough of Hatake Sakumo's power.

"Is that so?"

Hatake Sakumo was somewhat surprised.

After all, in his view, Qingyu could have easily followed the path of Tsunade.

"I have always been very interested in swordsmanship, Lord Sakumo."

For Qingyu, swordsmanship was indeed a path worth cultivating deeply.

A kunai was, frankly, just a double-edged dagger; while it had plenty of agility in close-quarters combat, it was at a disadvantage when facing long weapons.

Swordsmanship was different; with a good blade in hand, one could even imbue it with ninjutsu.

Many of the Water Release ninjutsu developed by Senju Tobirama were designed specifically to be used in conjunction with a short blade.

An inch longer, an inch stronger—this principle held true in any world.

"I see."

Hatake Sakumo nodded, the smile in his eyes deepening.

"Thank you for looking after my son."

He was busy with missions on a daily basis and often away, so he rarely found the time to practice swordsmanship with Kakashi.

Now that Kakashi had found a peer with similar interests to spar with, he was genuinely happy.

Thinking of this, Hatake Sakumo stood up, walked to the weapon rack at the edge of the courtyard, and took four wooden swords.

He handed one to Kakashi, but kept another in his own hand.

"Since you're here, I'll teach you a few tricks of the trade regarding swordsmanship."

He waved to Rin Nohara and Obito on the other side of the courtyard, handing the remaining two wooden swords to them.

"You two come over and listen as well; it never hurts to know a little more."

Rin Nohara felt somewhat flattered.

She knew that Kakashi's father was a big figure, and the name Hatake Sakumo was a resounding presence in Konoha.

She walked over quickly and sat down properly in the seiza position to the side.

Obito was not nearly as enthusiastic.

He shuffled over, sat cross-legged next to Rin Nohara, and muttered to himself, wondering what was so good about learning swordsmanship when he was destined to awaken the Sharingan in the future.

He should be learning ninjutsu one after another, so why bother with swords?

Obito's assessment was that it would be better to spend the time maintaining his yellow goggles.

Hatake Sakumo stood in front of Qingyu and the others, holding a wooden sword, his temperament now a world apart from the gentle man he had been moments ago.

"The core of swordsmanship does not lie in the moves, but in judgment—judging distance, timing, and even the opponent's intentions."

"My lineage of Hatake Style Swordsmanship emphasizes speed and precision. The blade does not need to be long; an inch shorter means an inch more dangerous. In the face of absolute speed and accuracy, the gap in arm reach can be completely erased."

Hatake Sakumo said calmly.

Although this was his family's swordsmanship, it belonged to the most fundamental content; many sword styles actually shared the same principles and were not particularly unique.

The most special point of his swordsmanship was the unique method of injecting chakra into the katana, which would produce a flash of white light when used.

This was also the origin of his nickname, the White Fang of the Leaf.

Rin Nohara listened intently, but her head was already starting to spin.

She could understand every sentence Hatake Sakumo said, but put together, they left her somewhat dazed.

Swordsmanship was clearly not where her talents lay.

As for Obito, it was as if he were listening to a heavenly script.

If not for Rin Nohara being there, Obito would likely have fallen asleep.

[Detected collectible trait: Sword Fanatic]

[D-rank trait: Sword Fanatic]

[Effect: You possess an innate sensitivity toward swordsmanship; even the most tedious training feels like music to your ears. Swordsmanship talent increased by 20%.]

[Synthesis: Two evolutionary paths available]

[Path 1: Add "E-rank trait: Swordsmanship Foundation" + "E-rank trait: Sword Sense Awakening" to synthesize D-rank trait: Sword Affinity.]

[Path 2: Add "D-rank trait: Counter-Attack Intuition" + "D-rank trait: Sword Path Mastery" to synthesize C-rank trait: Sword Bone.]

New prompts appeared before Qingyu's eyes.

Sword Fanatic...

Qingyu looked at this trait, feeling somewhat surprised.

Could it be something similar to Absolute Pitch?

And this [Sword Fanatic] was actually D-rank.

Up until now, almost all the traits he had dropped from others were E-rank; only that time when Tsunade was drunk did he get the D-rank [Great Strength].

Hatake Sakumo's casual teaching was already D-rank; he was truly worthy of being the White Fang of the Leaf.

"Having said so much, I might as well demonstrate it once."

As Hatake Sakumo spoke, he gripped his wooden sword and walked to the wooden target post in the courtyard.

"I can learn it after watching a few times," Kakashi said confidently.

Hatake Sakumo did not say much, merely tightening his grip on the wooden sword as his wrist sank slightly.

Then, he struck.

The movement was very simple, even bordering on plain.

The wooden sword whistled through the air and cleaved into the target.

Qingyu suddenly realized this was an excellent opportunity to observe the Hatake family's swordsmanship at close range, so he immediately focused his mind, entering a state of concentration.

[Persistent Perseverance] activated!