Kakashi and Sakumo Hatake's Test of Namikaze Minato

"Father,"

What happened to your face?

The Hokage world, night.

When Kakashi finished his day of training and returned home, he stood there blankly in front of Sakumo Hatake, sporting two black eyes.

Even with ice packs to reduce swelling and a mask to cover his nose, it was hard to hide the fact that he had been beaten into Pig-Head.

Sakumo Hatake glanced at him with some surprise...

Kakashi, whose white hair was entirely inherited from his father, pretended not to care and said defiantly, "It's nothing."

The man brushed Sakumo Hatake's shoulder, pushed open the door, and went inside.

The rice is still warm in the pot, eat it while it's hot.

"Knew.

The door creaked open and then closed again.

Sakumo Hatake gave a brief instruction without pressing the matter further... It's inevitable for Shinobu to get injured during training, which isn't a big problem; on the contrary... it's a good thing.

Little do they know the principle that more sweat in training leads to less bloodshed in battle?

Sakumo Hatake cut off his distracting thoughts and took out a piece of paper from his pocket to examine it carefully. The paper clearly had the four characters "[Thunder Breathing]" written on it. It was the gift that Roy had given him that morning by concentrating "information flow" with his finger.

Perhaps it was a mutual appreciation, or perhaps it was because they were both swordsmen... Sakumo Hatake never imagined that at this age he would actually meet a "friend who transcends age." Moreover, what made him feel a little wistful was that... he originally went there with the intention of taking the other person as his apprentice, but in the end... he was the one being taught, which was somewhat beyond his expectations.

"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash... Second Form: Rice Spirit... Third Form: Gathering Mosquitoes into Thunder..."

Fourth Form: Distant Thunder...

"Clang~"

The White Fang was drawn, firmly grasped by Sakumo Hatake. The man put away the papers, took a deep breath, and began to wield his sword... Amidst flashes of lightning, brilliant arcs of electricity erupted, illuminating a small patch of the night sky...

Inside, Kakashi heard the noise, picked up a plate, filled it with curry rice, and ate it while holding it in his arms... He quietly appeared at the window, looking into the courtyard through the Moonlight. Those eyes, which bore a resemblance to Sakumo Hatake but with an added air of indifference, blinked rapidly... It was Swordsmanship he had never seen his father display before!

My father's sword wasn't like this... or is he hiding something from me?

Is this actually his real trump card?

The genius Sun-Earring Boy was later dubbed the "Copy Ninja," undoubtedly thanks to the Sharingan. But even so... in the future, Kakashi was able to develop the Rasengan simply by imitating his teacher, Namikaze Minato, and independently evolve it. He also developed the Lightning Chidori and Lightning Blade, which were no less powerful than the Rasengan, using Lightning Release. This demonstrates his exceptional talent, far surpassing his peers!

"Thunder Breathing, Fifth Form: Heat Lightning... Sixth Form: Lightning Thunder..."

The sword moved with effortless grace, lightning crackled like mercury spilling onto the ground, Sakumo Hatake, immersed in his "Breathing Style," danced faster and faster... Gradually... Kakashi's eyes widened, a spoon dangling from his mouth, forgetting even to eat, yet he could no longer catch Sakumo Hatake's movements!

It's too fast... and... it's getting faster and faster...

"It looked slow, so why did it suddenly become so much faster?"

Kakashi was stunned... The young Sun-Earring Boy had only recently entered the Way of the Ninja path and had indeed displayed unparalleled talent in "ninjutsu," but... in terms of "Sword Path," the Sun-Earring Boy was a hundred thousand miles behind "White Fang of the Leaf"!

"This isn't ' Swordsmanship,' it's clearly [Lightning Release]... a [secret technique] that forcibly boosts one's combat power by regulating [independent breathing]!"

"Completely on par with the [Bloodline Limit] families in the village!"

"Thunder Breathing, Seventh Form: Fire and Fire Thunder God!" Originating from Agatsuma Zenitsu's self-created finishing technique, it appeared in the night sky... The Thunder transformed from silver to gold, condensing into a golden thunderstorm that poured into the earth... Sakumo Hatake finished his dance, sheathed his sword, and felt an indescribable sense of well-being throughout his body... It seemed as if every pore, every cell, was leaping with joy...

Irrigated by lightning, its activity is enhanced, as if it were reborn!

"Hoo~" He exhaled a breath of stale air, and with a clang~, White Fang was sheathed Sakumo Hatake, with his back to Kakashi, had a complicated expression on his face, thinking to himself, "I'm in a huge debt of gratitude for this."

Before Kakashi could ask, he blurted out, "Don't overthink it. This isn't mine. I can't pass it on to you without someone else's permission."

Kakashi glanced down at the food; it had lost its heat and, without him noticing, had gotten a little cold.

"Oh~" he said.

The Sun-Earring Boy opened his mouth and mechanically put a spoonful of curry in, oblivious to the oil splattering onto his mask, prompting a sigh from Sakumo Hatake... The boy's mother died young, and he was usually busy with missions, neglecting his upbringing. Perhaps, this was... the reason why Fugaku was a good father, and he wasn't...

"You can take off your mask while eating,"

"The mystery of Ninja is not revealed by their appearance..."

"Oh~" Kakashi slurped up another spoonful of curry and put it in his mouth. This time, he pulled his mask up a little, revealing a bit more. Seeing this, Sakumo Hatake pushed open the door and came in, hanging the White Fang in his hand on the wall. He then ruffled Kakashi's hair and said, "You're done eating? Just put it in the sink. I'll take a shower and wash it when I get back."

With that, Sakumo Hatake took off his Jonin vest, brushed against Kakashi's shoulder, and walked towards the bathroom.

"Tap... tap..." The lights were already on in the room that night.

The flickering lights dragged the shadow of Sakumo Hatake onto the living room floor, causing it to sway along with the light.

It was about to disappear into the restroom.

Kakashi suddenly asked, "Who is it?"

"Father, may I know whose ' Swordsmanship ' this is?"

The Sun-Earring Boy didn't quite understand, but that didn't stop him from thinking it was impressive, especially since he possessed... discerning eyes...

Who? Sakumo Hatake stopped in his tracks, and a face that resembled Fugaku by three parts and Mikoto by seven parts immediately appeared in his mind, along with eyes that were far too mature for his age!

"Uchiha Jin... your Fugaku's son..."

"It's him?" Kakashi was stunned. "What, you know him?" Sakumo Hatake noticed his son's unusual behavior and turned around to look.

Kakashi slowly shook his head. "I don't know him. I've only heard about him from Obito."

"Your teammate Uchiha Obito?"

"Yes." Kakashi shrugged. "I think he admires Uchiha Jin quite a bit. Today, he's the one who beat me up like this."

"Of course," Kakashi added promptly, "He got beaten even worse by me."

"Really?" Sakumo Hatake somewhat surprised. As Kakashi's father, he had communicated with Minato about Kakashi's two teammates, Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin, and knew a little about them... It was said that Uchiha Obito was a loser, always getting beaten up by his own teammate during training, but today he was acting strangely... A glint of light flashed in the man's eyes as he considered a possibility. "It seems he has awakened the Sharingan."

Kakashi, not expecting to be able to hide it from Sakumo Hatake."

A hint of frustration surfaced on the Sun-Earring Boy's cool face. Recalling his training battle with Obito that afternoon, his movements, including the "Substitution Jutsu," were completely exposed to the Sharingan... Kakashi felt an indescribable discomfort and restraint. He had to admit... the Sharingan was truly powerful.

"No wonder..." His suspicion confirmed, Sakumo Hatake gently comforted him, "Kakashi,"

"Now that Obito has awakened his Sharingan, you can't treat him like a loser anymore. You have to learn to rely on him more... After all, he's your comrade, just like Nohara Rin..."

"I know," Kakashi said in a low voice, "Father, to be honest, I never thought he could awaken his Sharingan. Aren't there only a few, according to the teacher?" Sakumo Hatake thought of the two pairs of Sharingan he'd seen that morning—one belonging to Shisui, the other to Roy —and how neither of them were very old, even... that kid Jin had even awakened his own Sword Path domain, "Sword Eye," and fell into a strange silence...

"Whoosh~" A gust of wind blew in from outside the window, extinguishing the last bit of steam from Kakashi's curry rice...

The Sun-Earring Boy's white hair fluttered in the wind. Noticing Sakumo Hatake's unusual behavior, he raised an eyebrow, wondering... if he had said something wrong.

Looking again at Sakumo Hatake, the man had his back to the bathroom. Amidst the turmoil of his thoughts, a bizarre idea suddenly popped into his head... Was it possible—

Can all Uchiha?

In an instant, Sakumo Hatake forcibly suppressed that thought, almost... almost saving... he was startled by his own actions...

"Minato is right, the Sharingan isn't that easy to activate."

"Even within the Uchiha, Obito is considered a genius. You should pay more attention to him." Sakumo Hatake snapped out of his reverie, gave Kakashi a brief instruction, pushed open the bathroom door, and stepped inside... This time, the man unusually took a cold shower, hoping to calm his mind and, incidentally... banish all the absurd thoughts that had surfaced in his head...

"Splash!" The sound of water rang out...

Kakashi, holding a spoonful of his now-cold curry rice, popped it into his mouth. Just as he was about to leave to get a hot spoonful from the kitchen, he suddenly remembered something. Through the bathroom door, he called out, "I almost forgot, Father. That Uchiha Jin you mentioned, he seems to be my teammate now..."

"Squeak-"

The Water Dragon was forcibly twisted off by a large hand!

The bathroom door opened a crack, and Sakumo Hatake's wet head peeked out. "What did you say?"

Kakashi said expressionlessly, "Minato- sensei said this evening that a new member would be joining our team tomorrow, and asked us to take good care of him. Obito asked who it was, and it was said to be Uchiha Jin. That guy... was dumbfounded on the spot."

Sakumo Hatake:

I felt as if a piece of my heart had been stolen. After a long silence, I slowly closed the wooden door to the bathroom.

"I see,"

A faint, mournful voice drifted over, adding to the desolate atmosphere.

Kakashi was utterly baffled. As was customary, new recruits would be tested upon joining the team... This Uchiha Jin, who was admired by Obito and even created his own "Swordsmanship," with his father practicing in the courtyard... what kind of abilities did he possess? They'd find out tomorrow...

Kakashi mechanically shoveled another spoonful of curry rice into his mouth. This time, he accidentally ate a grain of salt that hadn't dissolved yet. The saltiness made his lips twitch uncontrollably, and he put on a mask of pain.

"Carrying a bag of rice up several flights of stairs... Father, the salt hasn't dissolved yet..."

Sakumo Hatake: "Eat it or don't, it's up to you."

Kakashi:

This was the first time I had ever been so brutally attacked by my father's love; for a moment, I froze...

Achoo!

Why did you sneeze?

Hunter World, Kukuroo Mountain, Republic of Padokea.

At the Zoldyck Family Ancient Castle, as evening approached and the sun began to set... Roy, having undergone "poison resistance training" and under the blazing sun, performed a long-awaited "Ten Thousand Swings" (a ritual performed with gratitude). As usual, he left the training room and walked slowly to the basement to "pay respects" to his grandfather, Jager, before continuing his exploration of the Dark Continent... On the way, he happened to encounter Illumi, who had just emerged from the basement.

The foolish little boy stopped when he sneezed, staring at his empty, lifeless eyes... He hadn't seen him for a few days; his skin had become much paler, deathly pale, like a ghost... creepy.

Who knows?

Perhaps it's because the toxins in my body haven't been fully digested, or maybe it was just a sudden whim...

Roy sniffed, and heard the third answer from Illumi—

Maybe someone is thinking about you behind your back.

"Don't tell me it's you?" Roy glanced at him indifferently. "You know, my punches hurt."

"I'm learning [Nian] from my great-grandfather," Illumi said fearlessly, ignoring Roy's raised fist. "Once I master [Jian], my punches will really hurt."

"Then congratulations in advance..." Roy used the Mastered Shadow Step, his figure flashing, flashing, and flashing again, brushing past Illumi's shoulder... This time, the Sun-Earring Boy attempted to imitate Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, using the "Gate of Cognition" to unconsciously display [Shunpo]... His steps were unpredictable, carrying a strange rhythm, and in the blink of an eye... he had left Illumi far behind...

Illumi was startled; his long, straight black hair swayed gently in the breeze created by Roy's touch... When the Sun-Earring Boy came to his senses, the ancient, weathered corridor was empty. There was no trace of his Nii-san; only Illumi remained, seemingly still immersed in that strange rhythm, unable to recover for a long time...

Is this [Shadow Step]?

Why are mine and his different?

With a mix of doubt, confusion, bewilderment, and utter bewilderment... Illumi decided to ask his great-grandfather properly the next day. Lost in thought, he turned away from the direction Roy had gone and headed towards his bedroom, towards the hole...

"Tap... tap..." Two sets of footsteps went in opposite directions.

Roy attempted to imitate [Shunpo], but ultimately only remained at the stage of [imitation]... When he first met Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, he didn't think to activate his Sharingan to observe carefully; he was only thinking about going to a sword duel.

Looking back now, I feel a little regretful...

"Next time... there will definitely be a next time..."

"I suppose if I copied it right in front of him, he... wouldn't have any objections."

A flash of crimson light appeared in his eyes...

Roy smirked as he entered the basement.