However, if he wanted to change Hatake Sakumo's fate, the most important thing was still his state of mind.
If Hatake Sakumo had Sasuke's ability to withstand pressure—the kind that let him awaken a One-Tomoe after his entire clan was massacred—then gossip and slander would have had no effect on him.
At that moment, Kakashi suddenly came to find Qingyu.
"I've decided to graduate early."
Qingyu was not surprised to hear Kakashi say that.
Instead, he said,
"Then I'll go with you when the time comes."
Continuing to stay at the Ninja Academy would be a waste of time for Qingyu as well.
He might as well accompany Kakashi on missions and trigger more traits.
All these traits added percentages. Once Qingyu's base stats rose, he would be able to snowball his growth.
"I knew it."
There was a hint of delight in Kakashi's voice.
In his eyes, the only person in the entire Ninja Academy who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him as a genius was Qingyu.
As for Might Guy, he counted as half of one at most.
Though Might Guy's taijutsu was indeed powerful and he was a good person, specializing solely in taijutsu would inevitably become a huge flaw in the future.
But Qingyu had no weaknesses at all.
"Oh, right. There's something else."
Kakashi took a folded sheet of paper from his ninja tool pouch. After unfolding it, it revealed densely packed sketches of jutsu formulas.
Qingyu leaned over for a look and found that they were all notes on researching changes in the nature of Lightning Style chakra.
"I recently discovered that I seem to have some talent for Lightning Style."
Kakashi pointed at a spot on the paper that had been circled several times, his voice carrying a rare trace of excitement.
"I'm trying to generate a large amount of Lightning Style chakra at once to stimulate these cells and activate the body. That way, the activated cells can hold a larger amount of chakra."
Qingyu listened to Kakashi's explanation.
It sounded a little like using one foot to step on the other and fly into the sky, but this was actually the prototype of Chidori!
Lightning Style chakra was more unique than the other basic elements—wind, fire, water, and earth—because it could stimulate the body's cells!
Kumogakure's Lightning Chakra Mode worked on a similar principle. Lightning Style chakra stimulated the cells, increasing the body's activity and greatly enhancing speed and strength.
In the original story, Kakashi had only developed Chidori when he was twelve or thirteen. How old was he now?
Qingyu suddenly realized something. Could it be that his presence had put greater pressure on Kakashi, causing his talent for Lightning Style to awaken early?
"I think this direction has a lot of potential."
Qingyu patted Kakashi on the shoulder, his tone as sincere as could be.
"Kakashi, I fully support your decision."
What Qingyu was thinking was that once Kakashi learned it, copying it would be equivalent to learning it himself, wouldn't it?
[Collectible trait detected: Lightning Style Genius] [D-rank Trait: Lightning Style Genius] [Effect: Possesses the lightning attribute. Training speed for Lightning Style ninjutsu increased by 40%.]
Qingyu looked at the words appearing before him, and the smile on his face grew even more genuine.
Kakashi looked at Qingyu in confusion, unable to understand why he had suddenly become so happy.
He looked down at his messy sketch, then looked back up at Qingyu's smiling face. Something felt off, but he could not put his finger on it.
In any case, Kakashi was very glad to have a close friend like Qingyu.
"Once I develop this jutsu, you'll be the first person I challenge."
"I'll be waiting anytime."
Qingyu withdrew his hand and watched Kakashi leave.
Lightning Style Genius—this trait had come at exactly the right time. He had the Sword of the Thunder God left behind by Senju Tobirama, along with lightning-attribute chakra. He should be able to use it much more smoothly.
Graveyard Mountains.
In the dark underground space, Madara Uchiha sat in an enormous wooden chair.
A White Zetsu emerged from the ground and, as usual, began reporting intelligence from the Shinobi World to Madara Uchiha, much like a daily news bulletin.
Among it all, White Zetsu focused especially on Qingyu.
Over the past six months, everything from Qingyu studying Konoha-Style Swordsmanship under Maruboshi Kosuke, to his grades at the Ninja Academy, to his daily sparring sessions with Kakashi, Might Guy, and the others, was reported in meticulous detail.
After listening, Madara Uchiha fell silent for a moment.
Qingyu's swordsmanship was progressing even faster than he had expected.
Though that commoner Maruboshi Kosuke was only a Genin, his actual strength was quite decent. Teaching the current Qingyu was more than enough.
All of a sudden, Madara Uchiha had an idea.
Izuna's swordsmanship had remained dormant in his hands for far too long.
From the day his younger brother died, those exquisite sword techniques had never again appeared beneath the sunlight of the Shinobi World.
Now, he had found a suitable successor.
The way Qingyu held a blade, those black eyes—everything about him made Madara Uchiha unable to resist looking a few more times.
He wanted to give some of Izuna's sword techniques to Qingyu and see whether the boy could truly comprehend them.
It could also be considered early cultivation.
Madara Uchiha, who controlled the Shinobi World's vast intelligence network, knew very well that war was about to come.
Friction between the five great nations was becoming increasingly frequent, and small-scale conflicts along the borders had already continued for a long time.
A true all-out war was no more than a few years away.
He did not want Qingyu to die on the battlefield like that.
Besides, restoring Izuna's swordsmanship would also allow Izuna to live once more in the Shinobi World.
Madara Uchiha then took a scroll from his robes.
The scroll was already quite old. There were no markings on its cover, but he could reproduce its contents from memory with his eyes closed.
Inside were some of the sword techniques Izuna had used while he was alive.
"Black Zetsu."
Madara Uchiha called out.
Black Zetsu emerged from the shadows, accepted the scroll Madara Uchiha handed over, lowered his head to look at it, then raised his head to look at Madara Uchiha's aged face.
Black Zetsu was utterly speechless.
He was the dignified third son of Kaguya Otsutsuki, the greatest mastermind behind the Shinobi World, an ancient monster who had lived for over a thousand years, and now he had fallen so low that he had to deliver a package to some brat.
But this was an assignment from Madara Uchiha, his unscrupulous boss. Whether he liked it or not, he had to accept it.
And honestly, Black Zetsu was also curious about Qingyu's existence.
A child who had naturally fused the bloodlines of Senju and Uchiha was almost unprecedented in the history of the Shinobi World.
He wanted to see for himself what was so special about this child.
"Find a way to get it into his hands. Don't expose yourself."
Madara Uchiha gave the order indifferently.
"Yes."
Black Zetsu answered, and his figure sank back into the shadows.
On the first day of vacation, Qingyu had just finished his morning run and returned home. Before he could even change out of his sweat-soaked clothes, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.
He opened the door and found Yūhi Kurenai standing outside.
She was not wearing her usual dress today, having changed into casual clothes instead. Her hair was loosely tied behind her head with a red ribbon.
"Qingyu, I heard from Shizune that you want to go out on missions during vacation?"
There was a trace of anticipation in Yūhi Kurenai's voice.
"That's the plan."
Qingyu nodded.
"Staying at the academy is too much of a waste of time. Seeing what real missions are like will benefit us in the future."
Before you continue