When he saw Arata again, Gekko Hayate fell silent.
The faint dark circles beneath the boy's eyes and the flattened grass underfoot told him everything: the kid had been training here since the very first day and, even when he rested, had probably only dozed briefly on the spot.
What kind of madness was this?
He had to admit, he was already considered hardworking among his peers. But even he only trained for half a day before he couldn't resist meeting up with his friends at the dumpling shop on Snack Street, treating himself to dumplings in place of sake.
And if the weather turned snowy and windy, then taking a little break was only natural.
But now, faced with such a stark contrast, Gekko Hayate suddenly felt that all his past hard work had only been something he'd congratulated himself for.
At the same time, an inexplicable certainty thundered through his mind.
This boy named Arata would definitely master the Dance of the Crescent Moon before he did! No, not just that—he would certainly surpass his achievements!
After only one day apart, Gekko Hayate's opinion had changed completely.
When they first met, he had even coldly remarked, "You won't be able to learn my kenjutsu."
"Hayate-sensei."
Noticing his arrival, Arata Uchiha stopped his daily sword swings and greeted him.
Even though the man looked only seven or eight years older than him, Arata respectfully called anyone who could teach him ninjutsu, taijutsu, or other knowledge "sensei."
And just as Hayate could see, Arata hadn't gone home for two nights. He had devoted himself entirely to training in Konoha-Style Kenjutsu.
When he grew tired of swinging his sword, he practiced ninjutsu. When he ran out of chakra, he began to meditate. After meditating, he started another round of training, beginning with weighted runs.
Yashiro Uchiha and Izumi had both visited during that time.
But neither had disturbed Arata's training. They had quietly left supplies behind and slipped away.
Yashiro Uchiha could completely understand Arata's desire to surpass Itachi and escape being called "the second Itachi." Though he felt sorry to see the eight-year-old pushing himself to such extremes, Arata had made his choice. So he should see it through!
Izumi had also sensed the deeper reason.
Her team leader had casually mentioned over the past two days that Itachi's habit of doing as he pleased had already stirred discontent within the clan. It might be a good thing if Arata took over Itachi's position in the Anbu.
"Cough, remember to balance work and rest."
After a brief moment of eye contact, Gekko Hayate finally replied with a slight cough.
His opinion had changed, and for a moment he genuinely didn't know how to face the kid before him.
But Arata didn't concern himself with such details. He immediately asked, "Sensei, when using the Dance of the Crescent Moon against an opponent, should I leave all control to the clones?"
"Or should the original body support them?"
That was the biggest problem he faced right now.
With his Sharingan, he had copied the kenjutsu, and after two days of training, he had made some progress. At the very least, he no longer had his original body and clones interfering with or obstructing one another.
But that was still far from what Arata wanted. He hadn't come close to fully drawing out the fluid, uncanny qualities of Konoha-Style Kenjutsu.
Even while resting and meditating, he kept reviewing and examining the technique in his mind. The only flaw he could identify was the forced hierarchy between the original and the clones.
The biggest difference between the B-rank Shadow Clone Technique and the E-rank Clone Technique was that the former could think and fight independently, and even withstand a certain amount of damage.
Naturally, though, a clone's strength could never compare to that of the original.
So Arata had instinctively assumed that the essence of the Dance of the Crescent Moon was to use the clones to confuse the opponent, allowing the original to find an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.
As a result, the distinction between the primary and secondary attackers was too obvious, leaving the movements without any sense of flow.
Arata had wanted to try attacking freely, but he had run out of chakra again, so he could only return to his daily sword-swinging practice.
"This kid..."
Listening to Arata's question and his proposed solution, Gekko Hayate concealed a flicker of shock in his eyes.
He had only performed the Dance of the Crescent Moon once!
Yet the kid before him had grasped its basics in just two days and found the biggest challenge in the technique. With his diligence and impressive talent, Hayate finally understood why the Third Hoshikage had entrusted him with this task and then asked him to pay close attention to the boy's performance.
"And after the original supports them?"
"What happens once the clones manage to get close to the enemy?"
In response to Arata's questions, Gekko Hayate calmly countered with questions of his own.
He had once fallen into the same misconception and had the same doubts. Only after repeatedly practicing and pondering the technique had he broken out of that mindset and examined the problem from the outside.
Centering the technique on the original wasn't wrong in itself.
After all, a clone was still just a clone. Breaking through without any real strength would be pointless.
But deliberately emphasizing the original could never create a perfect deception, either.
So the real key was balance!
That was why he had spent three years refining this technique.
"Let go of the fixed idea that the original must be in charge, and use the clones as cover. Find the balance between the two. That's what you need to learn."
Looking at Arata as he sank into thought, Gekko Hayate added more.
He didn't know why he had so easily shared his experience.
Perhaps it was because the kid trained with such mad intensity?
Perhaps because he had already grasped the first clue, and it was only a matter of time before he understood the rest?
Or perhaps it was because of that one phrase: "Hayate-sensei."
"I understand."
Gekko Hayate's final words were like a lamp shining on a dark road, clearing away all the doubts in Arata's heart.
Through two days of training, Arata had worked out the first problem on his own.
Now Hayate-sensei had pointed him straight to the final question, saving him a great deal of time spent correcting mistakes.
"Cough. Can you use your Sharingan?"
"I'll perform it once more. Be ready."
With a slight cough, Gekko Hayate picked up a branch from the ground about as long as a katana.
At the same time, a single tomoe appeared in Arata's eyes.
"I'm ready."
"Sorry for the trouble, Hayate-sensei."
This time, the title carried even more sincerity.
On the fifth day,
when Gekko Hayate returned to the training ground, the shock hidden in his eyes was no longer concealed. If anything, he had already gone numb.
Three identical figures darted nimbly among the giant trees in his field of vision. As light and shadow crossed, one of them abruptly appeared at the front and decisively drew his sword, slashing horizontally.
"Crack."
The wooden training post snapped in two. As wood chips flew, the blue-clad boy silently sheathed his sword.
On the panel.
Stage Quest: Kenjutsu Mastery.
Quest Status: Uchiha Style Kenjutsu (Mastered), Konoha-Style Kenjutsu (Mastered), Quest Complete!
"It took him nearly half a year to reach that level!"
Looking at the boy, whose dark circles had grown even heavier, Gekko Hayate felt his heart give a faint pang.
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