What Do You Mean, Master Yi?

A single tomoe appeared in Qingyu's pupil, and a flash of crimson light flickered across it.

But he immediately realized they were standing at someone else's door. Copying their host's swordsmanship with the Sharingan right in front of him was rather impolite, so he quickly deactivated it.

Auto-aim really was a bad habit.

Hatake Sakumo noticed Qingyu's movement.

Seeing that Qingyu's eyes had returned to their normal black, he simply smiled.

"It's all right."

Hatake Sakumo waved a hand, his tone calm.

"Many Uchiha have tried to copy my swordsmanship with the Sharingan, but at most, they've only managed to learn a move or two."

Hearing this, Qingyu thought, Just as I expected.

The Sharingan's copying ability wasn't omnipotent.

Even Kakashi, who had created an S-rank ninjutsu at the age of thirteen, could only copy an A-rank technique like the Rasengan with the Sharingan.

As for techniques of greater difficulty, even the Sharingan couldn't replicate them perfectly.

It depended on one's talent.

Hatake Sakumo continued, "Swordsmanship is a tool. How much you can get out of it depends on the person wielding it. Whether you have the Sharingan or not isn't what matters most."

He rested the wooden sword on the ground and looked at Qingyu.

"A true master always keeps the heart of an apprentice. How much you learn depends on whether you're willing to see yourself as a blank sheet of paper."

Qingyu listened quietly.

What do you mean, Master Yi?

Hatake Sakumo's outlook was truly too pure. It was no wonder he couldn't withstand the malice of an online pile-on.

Qingyu wondered, Now that I'm here, can I change how things turn out?

Then he activated the Sharingan again.

A tomoe slowly revolved around his pupil, and Qingyu's vision sharpened.

Hatake Sakumo nodded slightly and raised his wooden sword again.

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

He slowed his movements a little, allowing Qingyu to see the sword's path clearly.

The wooden sword cut through the air with a low whistle.

After his father finished demonstrating the sequence once, Kakashi picked up his own wooden sword and reproduced every movement flawlessly.

"I'm done practicing."

Kakashi lowered his wooden sword and spoke in an even tone, clearly feeling that it was nothing special.

Obito scratched the back of his head. He had been trying his best to remember Hatake Sakumo's movements, but his mind had already turned to mush.

Sometimes, elders in the clan taught swordsmanship to children, and the Ninja Academy did the same.

But Obito was a slow learner.

He'd been thinking about Rin Nohara just now, and by the end, he couldn't even remember whether the final strike had come from the left or the right.

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

Rin Nohara also shook her head gently.

"I found it a little difficult."

"That's all right."

Hatake Sakumo smiled reassuringly.

The more basic something was, the more clearly it revealed a person's talent.

But even without talent, repeated practice could still bring you to a decent level.

"Kakashi has a solid foundation, so it's only natural that he learns quickly. Everyone has different strengths, and swordsmanship isn't for everyone."

Then he looked at Qingyu.

Qingyu stood still, gripping the wooden sword in his hand.

The Sharingan was essentially a display screen.

In Qingyu's eyes, every movement Hatake Sakumo made was broken down into countless frames.

If Qingyu's Sharingan evolved into the Two-Tomoe Sharingan or the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, he could increase the frame rate even further.

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

On top of that, the Sword Fanatic trait he had just obtained from Hatake Sakumo had greatly improved Qingyu's understanding of swordsmanship.

He lowered his wrist, drew his sword, and repeated Hatake Sakumo's sequence of movements.

The smile in Hatake Sakumo's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a look of serious concentration.

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

For a first attempt, the movements were almost identical to Kakashi's.

No, in certain movements, Qingyu's control of his strength was even better than Kakashi's.

Hatake Sakumo pondered for a few seconds, thinking that Qingyu might be particularly suited to swordsmanship.

His rate of progress was truly astonishing.

It made Hatake Sakumo reflect that children didn't always inherit their parents' talents.

Kakashi was clearly more talented at ninjutsu than at swordsmanship.

But Qingyu, born into the Senju—or perhaps the Uchiha—had quite a talent for swordsmanship.

This made Hatake Sakumo curious.

Where was Qingyu's limit?

How far could he go if he trained in swordsmanship long-term?

After all, with his considerable talent for swordsmanship, Qingyu could use the Sharingan to copy countless sword techniques.

With that kind of practice accumulating over time, he would surely become a powerful shinobi who specialized in swordsmanship.

At the thought, Hatake Sakumo's eyes filled with even greater admiration.

What a fine child.

"You have a real talent for swordsmanship,"

Hatake Sakumo said.

"You're much faster at picking this up than Kakashi was when he first started."

Kakashi stood to the side, holding his wooden sword. He didn't argue, but he did take another look at Qingyu.

[Detected collectible trait: White Fang's Insight]

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

[Effect: Grants the ability to recognize others' talents and increases perception by 20%.]

"Insight?"

Qingyuan remembered that the databook had indeed mentioned Hatake Sakumo having this trait. It was why he had immediately recognized that Might Guy would become powerful one day.

In fact, even though it was only his first time meeting Might Guy, Hatake Sakumo's judgment had already proven remarkably accurate.

"Qingyu, have you really not practiced much swordsmanship before?"

Rin Nohara couldn't help asking in a quiet voice.

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

Qingyu answered honestly.

That was all he had learned, aside from the traits he had obtained from Kakashi and Hatake Sakumo.

Obito sat cross-legged on the ground with his arms folded, muttering that Qingyu was just quick at remembering movements. But his voice lacked its usual confidence.

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

"Lord Sakumo, there's something I'd like to ask you."

"Go ahead."

"If I have a specific chakra nature, can I apply chakra nature transformation to a weapon? For example, Water Release chakra or fire chakra, to increase the weapon's power?"

A note of approval flashed in Hatake Sakumo's eyes.

To think of something like this after his first introduction to swordsmanship meant that Qingyu was either knowledgeable or highly perceptive.

Given the speed at which Qingyu had just learned, Hatake Sakumo thought he was both.

After all, infusing an object with chakra was a technique that required considerable chakra control, and the bar was quite high.

Some people lacked the aptitude and could spend their entire lives without ever managing to infuse another object with chakra.

"Applying chakra nature transformation to a weapon is a highly advanced technique."

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

"In theory, anyone with a chakra nature can try it. But in practice, keeping chakra stably infused along the blade and maintaining it without letting it disperse takes considerable skill."

"First, you have to master that nature's transformation completely. Second, you need a high level of chakra control. And then there's the extra chakra consumption to consider."