Next door, Kurenai Yuhi couldn't see their expressions.
After a long while, she heard the room next door grow quieter and quieter.
Were they done bathing?
She quickly washed herself and went outside, where she found Kyohiko and Kakashi.
They sure were fast!
Kurenai Yuhi went outside and saw the two of them resting in the courtyard. Neither was training.
How unusual!
But...
She knew their conversation in the hot spring must have deeply affected them both.
This was probably the most heartfelt conversation their team had ever had, wasn't it?
Unfortunately, she didn't seem to have helped much.
"Better get back to training. I need to improve my medical ninjutsu and knowledge."
Mastering medical ninjutsu was the best way to give back to her teammates.
Kurenai Yuhi secretly steeled herself—
Before they left, she would make sure to visit Konoha Hospital often, study there, and learn as much medical knowledge as she could.
Kakashi was still practicing the Rasengan.
As for Kyohiko...
He sat in place, lost in thought as he looked at the panel and its notifications.
[Name: Kyohiko Yoshimine]
[Age: 7]
[Kekkei Genkai]: None
[Skills]:
Transformation Technique (Mastered), Clone Technique (Mastered), Substitution Technique (Mastered), Body Flicker Technique (Master), Water Style: Water Wave (Mastered), Water Style: Water Wall (Mastered), Shadow Clone (Proficient), Strength Enhancement Technique (Proficient), White Fang Sword Technique (Beginner)
He never would have expected this.
He had indeed gotten a reward, but it wasn't the Rasengan he'd anticipated.
[By offering guidance, you have earned the other party's complete trust]
[You have gained a trusted confidant]
[Reward: White Fang Sword Technique (Beginner)]
At the moment, Kakashi's most deeply mastered and strongest skill really was the swordsmanship he'd inherited from his father.
White Fang Sword Technique, at the beginner level.
Sitting off to the side, Kyohiko carefully absorbed the memories.
The sword technique was surprisingly simple.
Cut, thrust, slash...
Those basic movements made up its entirety, but the memories also contained a great many other techniques.
Which parts of the body were most vulnerable.
How to swing a blade with less effort and greater speed.
This was a sword technique for killing!
Even if he never practiced swordsmanship, these techniques were still very useful.
After a while, he mused to himself—
White Fang was impressive!
If it was this effective at the beginner level, one could imagine just how terrifying its killing techniques were at White Fang's full skill.
A blade made purely for killing!
And yet...
Its master had been a deeply emotional man, not merely a weapon...
What a shame!
Kyohiko sighed inwardly.
If Hatake Sakumo were still alive and leading the Anbu, then the Anbu Ninja would be a true spearhead.
He studied the memories, pondered them, then picked up a kunai.
Whoosh!
His striking motion seemed to have improved.
A bonus?
Kyohiko practiced over and over, testing it, and finally reached a conclusion—
It really had improved.
Combined with those terrifying killing techniques and White Fang's own talent...
That was the foundation of White Fang Sword Technique.
The ninjutsu and sword techniques that came afterward were merely bricks and tiles added on top. The rest depended entirely on the user's ability.
"Rather than a sword style, it's more like White Fang's techniques and principles..."
Looking at it this way, Kakashi's swordsmanship was already very strong, but he hadn't yet found a way to use it that suited him.
It wasn't until he gained Chidori and the Sharingan that Kakashi gradually developed his own style—
An assassination system built around Chidori.
What about himself?
Kyohiko pondered.
Senju Tobirama's swordsmanship, combined with Water Style and Flying Thunder God, was beyond his ability to imitate for now. Nor did he need to copy it outright. Instead, he should take in ideas like Dance of the Crescent Moon, study them, and blend them together.
Besides...
Why should swordsmanship be so limited?
Couldn't Strength of a Hundred be a "blade" too?
Kyohiko's mind opened up, and his thoughts grew clearer.
Still...
At the beginning, it was best to practice swordsmanship.
Blending techniques required profound skill.
Only by understanding the blade could he gain a deeper grasp of the techniques in White Fang Sword Technique. Then he could merge them with his own abilities and make them his own, creating a killing technique suited to him!
Kyohiko's gaze gradually cleared as he looked at Kakashi.
As for swordsmanship...
He still needed to ask Kakashi for guidance.
After a moment's thought, he said, "Kakashi, I want to learn swordsmanship. Could you teach me? I can share my understanding of some ninjutsu in exchange."
"You don't need to trade for that. It's only swordsmanship..."
Kakashi said.
"You're both being modest and turning each other down. Why don't we all learn from one another?"
Kurenai Yuhi sat in the courtyard with a medical book in her hands.
Kyohiko nodded along.
"Right. Let's learn from one another. We'll exchange knowledge, and that way each of us will have more knowledge to draw on."
Then he sat down and beckoned to Kurenai Yuhi.
"Kurenai, you should join us too."
As he spoke, Kyohiko carefully sensed his surroundings. After confirming that no one was listening in, he started explaining before either of them could object.
Kyohiko began with the Body Flicker Technique.
"My Body Flicker is faster because of how I control my chakra and muscles..."
The difference between the master level and "mastered" was finer control and more efficient use of power.
He did his best to make the explanation clear and thorough.
Kakashi and Kurenai Yuhi listened attentively.
Kakashi was already good at moving quickly and had put a great deal of effort into the Body Flicker Technique, so he understood it quickly.
Kurenai Yuhi was a little slower.
But...
She understood what Kyohiko meant.
Still...
The two exchanged glances, then smiled wryly.
There was an unbridgeable gulf between "knowing" and "doing."
For them, it was extremely difficult!
Even Kakashi couldn't say he would master it quickly. But it was clear that even learning some of the tricks would benefit him immensely.
"It might be difficult, but our chakra and physical strength are limited. If we want to use the Body Flicker Technique to move faster, we can only focus on technique. In battle, you need to control your speed to deal with your opponent, but when you're running for your life, the faster the better. Every bit of speed counts."
Kyohiko said.
The two understood the reasoning, of course.
Kakashi fell silent for a moment, then stood and bowed deeply.
"Thank you!"
In his eyes...
Kyohiko had said he wanted swordsmanship lessons, but it seemed more likely he'd used that as a way to pass the technique on to him.
Kurenai Yuhi also bowed sincerely in thanks.
Kakashi thought for a long while. A trace of hesitation appeared on his face before he spoke.
"You might admire my father's swordsmanship because of his reputation, but his style is actually made up of the simplest moves."
He was worried Kyohiko had come expecting too much and would leave disappointed.
Kyohiko smiled. "It's the person who's impressive, not the technique. The same ninjutsu can have vastly different results in a Teacher's hands and in mine. That's perfectly normal."
"That's good, then."
Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief.
Kurenai Yuhi hurriedly said, "Swordsmanship takes a long time to learn. Why don't I go first?"
She didn't want to take without giving anything in return.
"Uh... all right, then."
Kakashi hesitated briefly before nodding and sitting down.
Kurenai Yuhi spoke gently. "Most of what I know is genjutsu, and my techniques are related to it. As everyone knows, the ordinary Clone Technique is actually a kind of genjutsu. My father developed a genjutsu clone..."
She slowly explained the principles behind the genjutsu clone.
Genjutsu combined with the Clone Technique.
Kyohiko and Kakashi listened intently—
Even though neither of them knew genjutsu, learning more techniques and seeing a different approach could broaden their horizons and understanding.
Kurenai Yuhi finished explaining in one go.
Then, blushing, she explained, "I hadn't learned Hell Clone yet during the Genin exam, so I didn't use it."
"This technique is very useful. You should learn it as soon as you can."
Kakashi replied at once.
Kyohiko nodded.
In a solo fight, this kind of genjutsu clone wasn't especially useful, but it was different in a team battle.
Besides...
"If you can layer one genjutsu over another, this technique could have even greater potential."
"Layer genjutsu?"
Kurenai Yuhi was slightly taken aback, then fell into thought.
Using Hell Clone to conceal the trigger for another genjutsu...
That was an idea.
Next, it was Kakashi's turn.
He demonstrated the swordsmanship himself, explaining each step as he went.
The other two followed along.
However, after practicing for a while, Kurenai Yuhi quickly gave up.
From beginning to giving up, it took only ten minutes.
It wasn't that she was afraid of hard work. After thinking it over, she felt that her priorities were still "medical ninjutsu" and "genjutsu."
Learning another kind of swordsmanship would distract her.
Still...
If she could learn the Body Flicker Technique's tricks, they could give her one more chance to survive.
That was important!
Kurenai Yuhi made a point of keeping it in mind.
Before you continue