Early the next morning.
Perhaps the excitement of having just learned swordsmanship had yet to fade, but Taiichi woke especially early today.
He slung his Short Sword across his back and stepped out of his room. The sky outside was only faintly brightening as Taiichi sprinted toward the training ground by the river. The riverbank was especially quiet in the morning. Schools of fish occasionally trailed pale moon-white tails through the water, stirring the reflected starlight into fine silver sand. The occasional chirp of insects in the distance could not break the tranquility.
When Taiichi arrived at the riverbank and took in the serene scenery, he felt refreshed. He started with some warm-up exercises, then, after loosening up his body, drew the Short Sword from his back with a reverse grip.
The newly purchased Short Sword flashed with cold light as it left its sheath. Dewdrops clinging to the spine fell into the river, startling several silver fish away. He adjusted his grip according to the Hatake Style Basic Swordsmanship scroll. The red mark on the birchwood hilt rested perfectly against the web between his thumb and forefinger—the key points Kakashi had taught him last night became increasingly clear in the morning breeze.
The first few swings were still sluggish, and the sound of the blade cutting through the air was like a blunt object slicing through cotton. On his thirty-seventh diagonal slash, the blade suddenly let out a clear tremor, and the cloud patterns on its guard flowed beneath the dawn light. Taiichi delightedly sensed that his center of gravity was naturally shifting with the subtle adjustments of his wrist, as though the blade and the bones in his arm were gradually becoming one. Beads of sweat rolled down his tense jaw and dripped onto the iron handguard, yet he continued repeating the chopping motions mechanically, letting the soreness spread from his knuckles to his shoulder blades.
[You practiced Hatake Style Kenjutsu. Related insights have increased!] [Your skill Hatake Style Kenjutsu has improved. Experience +1.] [You focused on practicing Hatake Style Kenjutsu. Genin class experience +1.]
In the river's reflection, the boy's figure overlapped with the swaying reeds. When he completed his thousandth swing, the morning sunlight happened to pierce through the mist, gilding the blade a pale gold. Along the crooked slash marks on the shore, several neatly severed blades of grass trembled in the morning breeze.
After the satisfying workout, a fine sheen of sweat covered Taiichi's body. Seeing that his swordsmanship was about to level up, he suppressed the urge to keep practicing it and switched to ninjutsu instead. There was no helping it—he only had so much time, and he had to practice everything, so he could only allocate some time to each. Whenever this happened, Taiichi thought of the Shadow Clone Technique. He wondered when he would finally be able to learn it.
Taiichi stood by the riverbank and rapidly formed hand seals. Rat—Tiger—Dog—Ox—Rabbit—Tiger. He completed all six seals in two seconds. That was not slow, but compared to Uchiha Itachi's seven seals in one second, it was nothing worth mentioning.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!" Taiichi spat out twelve Fireballs in one breath. They flew in groups of three, forming four triangular formations as they struck in different directions. The Fireballs crashed into the distant water, sending up great clouds of mist.
Taiichi was fairly satisfied with the result. Whether in casting speed, power, or control, it had surpassed the level of an ordinary Genin.
With that in mind, Taiichi formed seals again. It was still the Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, but this time, instead of scattering them, he controlled every Fireball to strike the same spot. Dull boom, boom sounds rang out continuously as that patch of water was relentlessly driven downward.
Next, Taiichi cast the few ninjutsu he knew in rotation until his chakra was nearly exhausted. He did not deliberately refine chakra, allowing the Chakra Refinement Technique to operate instinctively within his body. Though this restored chakra more slowly than concentrating on it, it did not burden his body. After all, this was Konoha, not wartime. Safety was still reasonably guaranteed. It did not matter if his chakra recovered a little slower.
After finishing his morning training, Taiichi put the Short Sword back on his back, returned home to wash up and eat, then prepared to head to school.
Ninja Academy, classroom.
The moment Taiichi stepped into the classroom, he drew the attention of many classmates. After all, he had come to school with a sword on his back today, which was very different from usual.
"Taiichi, are you learning swordsmanship?" Shizune, who was sitting nearby, exclaimed as she pointed at the sheath behind him.
Before Taiichi could answer, Guy had already rushed over like a whirlwind. The sweat on his green jumpsuit had not yet dried, so he had clearly gone running around the school again. "Whoa!" His eyes shone as he stared at Taiichi with the sword on his back. "Are you planning to carry a sword from now on?"
Kakashi also walked over from the side and carefully examined Taiichi. His muffled voice came from beneath his mask. "The grip angle has been adjusted by five degrees. It's more suitable for reverse slashes." When he noticed Obito squeezing into the crowd and stumbling over the sheath, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. What a living treasure.
"What's so impressive about that?" Obito grabbed his Headband and steadied himself. "Our Uchiha Style Swordsmanship is far stronger than this!" He deliberately tossed a Kunai into the air, spun it three times, then caught it. "See that? This is the real—"
"Idiot." Kakashi casually cut in from the side. "Did you forget that you stabbed your own Headband while practicing Shuriken last week?"
Rin hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "Obito is really strong too. Didn't he use Great Fireball to shoot through three targets before?" She then turned to Taiichi, took some medicine from her medical kit, and shook it in her hand. "If you practice while carrying a sword, your shoulder muscles can easily become strained. Do you want me to teach you how to apply hot herbal compresses?"
"Thanks, but there's no need. I know a little Medical Ninjutsu too," Taiichi replied with a smile.
Even Kakashi was stunned. No one knew when Taiichi had quietly learned Medical Ninjutsu, and everyone else looked as if they had seen a ghost.
"That's amazing!" Guy's eyes even brimmed with tears. "Taiichi must be working hard where we can't see him. My burning blood is on fire!"
"Hey, hey! Is that really the point?" Asuma poked his head out from the back row, a half-eaten fry still in his mouth. "I heard the Iai Slash of Hatake Style Swordsmanship can split open waterfalls. When will Taiichi show us a move?"
Yūhi Kurenai, who had walked over, tugged on Asuma's sleeve. "Idiot! True swordsmanship needs to work with chakra flow to unleash tremendous power. Do you think this is some kind of circus act? Besides, Taiichi has only just started learning!"
"My mistake," Asuma quickly apologized.
Taiichi looked at the two of them suspiciously. When had their relationship become so good? But he soon stopped thinking about it. It had little to do with him anyway.
"Actually..." Taiichi gently stroked the cloud patterns on the guard, the coolness of the metal seeping into his fingertips. "When I first learned the basics yesterday, I rubbed blisters into the web of my thumb." He smiled gratefully at Kakashi. "Luckily, someone kept knocking on me with a Kunai handle to correct my posture."
Guy suddenly slammed both hands onto the desk, startling everyone with the loud bang. "Decided! When we spar in Taijutsu tonight, I'll use the Leaf Whirlwind I just learned against your new swordsmanship!" His thick black eyebrows nearly flew off his forehead. "Burn, my youth!"
Everyone broke out in cold sweat.
"Count me in too!" Obito eagerly joined the fun. He jumped onto a desk and pointed at Kakashi. "I want to spar with Kakashi."
"If you don't mind losing again, I have no objections," Kakashi said casually.
The classroom erupted in laughter. Morning light streamed through the windows, outlining the boys in gold. Taiichi gripped the hilt tightly. The metal gradually warmed with his body heat, just like the warmth given by these noisy Companions.
With the ring of a bell, the day's lessons officially began.
As the exams drew near, the number of theory classes at the academy noticeably decreased, and the curriculum became more focused on practical lessons. The proportion of classes such as Ninja Tool Throwing and combat drills had clearly increased. The differences between students became more apparent as well—those with clan inheritances and those without, those who trained diligently and those who loafed around.
That was why Kakashi could enroll at five and graduate at six, while some people had to spend a full six years before graduating.
After school, the Companions who had arranged to spar headed to the small woods.
Once they arrived, Obito was actually the first to back down. The more imposing he had sounded that morning, the more hesitant he was now. But he could not withstand everyone's urging, and in the end, Obito still fought Kakashi.
Obito opened with Great Fireball. Its power had clearly improved compared to last time, but Kakashi remained calm. Without even using ninjutsu, he sprinted swiftly to the side, dodged the Great Fireball's range, then rapidly closed in and engaged Obito in close combat. Obito had already paused slightly after casting ninjutsu, and once Kakashi got close, he became even more flustered. In just a few exchanges, Kakashi seized an opening and knocked him down.
On the other side, Taiichi and Guy began fighting as well. At first, Taiichi wanted to duel Guy with swordsmanship, but after only two exchanges, he had no choice but to abandon the sword and switch to his fists. After all, his swordsmanship was only at the rookie level after one day of training. Holding the sword actually hindered his performance. Sure enough, once Taiichi discarded his blade, he quickly turned the disadvantage around and narrowly defeated Might Guy with a final uppercut.
After the battle ended, Taiichi picked up the sword he had tossed aside and said with a self-deprecating smile, "If I want to fight with a sword, I still need a lot more practice!"
The Companions laughed kindly.
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