What Master Yi?

A single tomoe emerged in Qingyu's pupils, a scarlet glow flashing and vanishing in an instant.

He immediately realized, however, that he was standing at someone else's doorstep; using the Sharingan to copy sword techniques right in front of the master was somewhat impolite, so he hurriedly deactivated it.

Automatic target-locking was truly a bad habit.

Hatake Sakumo noticed Qingyu's movement.

Looking at Qingyu's eyes, which had returned to their normal black, he smiled instead.

"It's quite alright."

Hatake Sakumo waved his hand, his tone remarkably indifferent.

"Many Uchiha clansmen have tried to copy my sword techniques with the Sharingan, but at most, they could only learn a move or two."

Upon hearing this, Qingyu thought to himself that it was just as he expected.

The Sharingan's copying ability was not omnipotent.

Even someone as formidable as Kakashi, who could create an S-rank ninjutsu at thirteen, found that copying the A-rank Rasengan was his limit.

As for techniques of higher difficulty, even the Sharingan could not perfectly replicate them.

It all depended on one's talent.

Hatake Sakumo continued, "Sword technique is merely a tool; the extent to which it can be utilized depends on the person wielding it. Whether one has a Sharingan or not, neither is the most important thing."

He leaned his wooden sword against the ground, his gaze resting on Qingyu.

"A true master always keeps the heart of an apprentice. How much you can learn depends on whether you are willing to treat yourself as a blank slate."

Qingyu listened quietly.

He couldn't help but think: what Master Yi?

Hatake Sakumo's state of mind was truly too pure; it was no wonder he couldn't withstand the malice of cyberbullying.

Qingyu pondered: since he was already here, could he change this outcome?

He then reactivated his Sharingan.

A single tomoe swirled slowly around his pupil, and Qingyu's vision became sharp and clear.

Hatake Sakumo nodded slightly and raised his wooden sword once more.

"What I demonstrated just now were some very basic sword techniques."

He slowed his movements down, allowing Qingyu to see the trajectory of the blade clearly.

The wooden sword sliced through the air, emitting a dull whistling sound.

After his father finished the demonstration, Kakashi picked up his own wooden sword and replicated the movements perfectly.

"I'm done practicing."

Kakashi put down the wooden sword, his tone flat, clearly feeling this was nothing special.

Obito scratched the back of his head; he had been trying hard to recall Hatake Sakumo's movements since just a moment ago, but his mind was already a complete mess.

Sometimes elders in the clan would teach the children sword techniques, and the Ninja Academy did the same.

But Obito's learning was very slow.

He had been thinking about Rin Nohara just now, and as a result, he couldn't even remember if the final strike had come from the left or the right.

"I didn't quite catch it..."

Rin Nohara also shook her head gently:

"I feel like it's a bit difficult."

"It's alright."

Hatake Sakumo smiled and comforted them.

The more basic something was, the more it actually revealed one's talent.

However, even without talent, one could reach a decent level through repeated practice.

"Kakashi has a good foundation, so it's normal for him to learn quickly. Everyone has different strengths; not everyone is suited for the path of the sword."

He then looked at Qingyu.

Qingyu stood where he was, gripping the wooden sword in his hand.

The Sharingan was essentially a display screen.

In Qingyu's eyes, every one of Hatake Sakumo's movements was broken down into many frames.

If Qingyu's Sharingan were to evolve into a two-tomoe or three-tomoe Sharingan, he could further increase the frame rate.

Sometimes, being just one frame faster than the opponent was enough to decide the outcome.

Coupled with the [Sword Fanatic] trait that had just dropped from Hatake Sakumo, Qingyu's comprehension of sword techniques had increased significantly.

He lowered his wrist, struck out, and replicated Hatake Sakumo's movements from just a moment ago.

The smile in Hatake Sakumo's eyes slowly faded, replaced by a look of earnest observation.

He looked at the wooden sword in Qingyu's hand, then back at Qingyu's eyes.

During their first exchange, the movements were almost identical to Kakashi's.

No, in terms of the force applied at certain points, he handled them even better than Kakashi.

Hatake Sakumo pondered for a few seconds, feeling that this child, Qingyu, might be exceptionally well-suited for swordsmanship.

This rate of progress was truly astonishing.

It made Hatake Sakumo sigh at how children do not always inherit the talents of their parents.

Because Kakashi's talent was clearly higher in ninjutsu rather than swordsmanship.

Yet Qingyu, born to the Senju or perhaps the Uchiha, possessed quite remarkable talent for the blade.

This piqued Hatake Sakumo's curiosity.

Where was Qingyu's limit?

If Qingyu were to train in swordsmanship long-term, what level could he reach?

After all, with such aptitude for swordsmanship, Qingyu could use the Sharingan to copy a vast number of sword techniques.

Accumulating them day by day, he would surely become a formidable sword-wielding ninja.

Thinking of this, Hatake Sakumo's eyes filled with even deeper appreciation.

What a fine child.

"Your talent for swordsmanship is quite excellent."

Hatake Sakumo said.

"You are much faster than Kakashi was when he first started learning these."

Kakashi, standing to the side holding his wooden sword, did not refute this upon hearing it, though he cast an extra glance at Qingyu.

[Trait available for collection detected: White Fang's Insight]

[D-rank trait: White Fang's Insight]

[Effect: Possess the ability to see through the talents of others; increases sensory perception by 20%.]

Insight, is it?

Qingyu remembered that the databooks did indeed mention Hatake Sakumo having such a trait, which was how he could tell at a glance that Might Guy would be formidable in the future.

In fact, even the judgment made during their very first meeting proved that Hatake Sakumo's eye for talent was remarkably accurate.

"Qingyu, have you really never practiced swordsmanship before?"

Rin Nohara couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

"Sister Tsunade taught me some theory, and then there were the basics taught at the Ninja Academy."

Qingyu answered truthfully.

There was nothing else, aside from the traits he had acquired from Kakashi and Hatake Sakumo.

Obito sat cross-legged on the ground with his arms crossed, muttering under his breath that it was just about memorizing movements quickly, though his tone clearly lacked its usual confidence.

Qingyu ignored Obito's grumbling and turned to Hatake Sakumo, asking a question he had been contemplating.

"Lord Sakumo, I would like to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"If I have a specific chakra nature, can I imbue that chakra into a ninja tool? For example, using Water Release or Fire Release chakra to enhance the weapon's power?"

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of approval flashed in Hatake Sakumo's eyes.

To think of such a level during one's first exposure to swordsmanship meant the boy was either well-read or highly intuitive.

Combining this with the learning speed Qingyu had just demonstrated, Hatake Sakumo felt Qingyu possessed both.

After all, imbuing chakra into an object was a technique that tested one's chakra control, and the barrier to entry was quite high.

Some people with poor aptitude could spend their entire lives without ever managing to imbue chakra into an external object.

"Imbuing nature transformation into a ninja tool is a highly sophisticated application."

He raised his wooden sword again, signaling for Qingyu to watch closely.

"Theoretically, anyone with a chakra nature can attempt it, but in reality, the threshold for keeping the chakra stably attached to the blade and maintaining it for a long duration without it dissipating is not low."

"First, one must fully master the nature transformation of that element; second, it requires extremely high chakra control; and finally, there is the issue of additional chakra consumption."