After three hours of arduous study, Qile finally gained a general understanding of the bamboo scroll he had painstakingly carried out of the secret room, thanks to Yeling's patient help.
Not only that, but to better study and preserve its precious information, Qile even asked Yeling to help print out the contents of the scroll.
That way, he could return the original scroll intact tomorrow without any worries.
When night had fully fallen and all was silent, Qile lay quietly in his comfortable bed. By the clear, watery moonlight, he carefully examined the sword style he had compiled from his notes.
As it turned out, the scroll recorded the history of an ancient samurai clan—the Genji Clan—which had once controlled the Land of Fire for a time.
According to the scroll, the Genji Clan had once wielded supreme power in the Land of Fire, but for reasons unknown, other forces eventually overthrew them. However, the rise and fall of the clan meant little to Qile at present.
What truly fascinated him was the reason the Genji Clan had once ruled the Land of Fire: a sword style they had created themselves.
It was difficult to say whether ninjas or samurai were better when it came to swordsmanship alone. Still, in a sense, ninjas were not as orthodox or disciplined as samurai.
Ultimately, samurai depended on the blades in their hands to survive. Their swordsmanship had been passed down and honed for generations, reaching a state of perfection.
By comparison, ninjas studied a wide variety of things. Some were skilled in all kinds of weapon techniques, but most still relied on ninjutsu to make their living.
Even Hatake Sakumo, who would later become renowned, was only skilled in single-target assassination techniques, though he had trained them to the pinnacle.
However, when it came to methods with true large-scale destructive power, nothing could compare to those formidable ninjutsu.
Besides, if you compared the swordsmanship fundamentals of the various ninja clans, which one would dare swear that its techniques were better than those of professional samurai?
Once he had mastered the Genji Clan's basic swordsmanship, he could draw on his own abilities and experience to explore and create a sword style uniquely his own.
After all, he still had a whole Chidori Stream waiting to be developed.
Amid all the possibilities filling his imagination, Qile's thoughts gradually drifted away. At last, full of anticipation, he sank into a deep sleep.
The next morning, before the sky had fully brightened, Qile was still lost in a dream when a gentle voice reached his ears. It felt as though he had only just closed his eyes. "Young Master Qile! It's time to get up and practice Hand Seals!" The voice belonged to Yeling.
Qile groggily opened his eyes and looked at Yeling. "Why does it feel like I just fell asleep...?"
Even so, he forced himself to wake up and quickly got up to wash, as he did every morning. Once he was done, he headed straight to the courtyard to begin the day's practice—Hand Seals.
As soon as Qile stepped into the courtyard, he spotted Madara already sitting on the stone bench. Qile hurried over and respectfully greeted him. "Good morning, Clan Head!"
Then he adjusted his stance, held his hands in front of his chest, and spread his feet shoulder-width apart. After taking a deep breath, he began practicing Hand Seals in earnest.
A little while later, Kagami finally appeared in the courtyard. His face was lit up with a smug, radiant smile, like the warm spring sun. It was obvious that he was in a good mood.
That made sense. He must have received praise from his father after bringing the scroll home last night.
The mornings were always especially peaceful. Other than the occasional birdsong and the faint sounds of Qile and Kagami practicing Hand Seals, there was no other noise.
After a morning of practice, Qile finally completed his allotted time for the day. By then, his forehead was covered in sweat and his fingers ached. After taking a short break, they all had breakfast together.
Once the meal was over, Qile could no longer contain his restless excitement. After greeting Madara, he eagerly grabbed Kagami and called for Yeling to follow, then bolted out of the clan grounds like a wild horse.
"Qile, Qile, slow down! There's no need to rush!" Kagami was dragged along at a mad sprint. As he struggled to keep up, he glanced at the surprised looks from the clan members on either side of the street. His cheeks instantly turned as red as if they had been held over a fire.
But Qile was too focused on getting outside to care about Kagami's protests or the looks from everyone around them.
Like a wild horse, he let his excitement and impatience run free, with no time to think about anything else.
Of course, once they were out of the clan grounds, they would have to rely on Kagami or Yeling to lead the way.
Qile simply couldn't understand how Konoha had managed to build its roads into such a tangled maze of twists and turns.
Whenever he walked through them, he felt dizzy and lost, unable to tell which way was north, south, east, or west.
Behind Kage Rock
"Nearly half a month has gone by, and we still haven't seen Qile anywhere! Could it be that the adults in his family won't let him train with us?" Danzo stood atop the towering Kage Rock, gazing toward the Uchiha Clan's grounds as he muttered with a frown.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, standing nearby, shrugged indifferently and replied in a rather bored tone, "Who knows? Though it is a little strange. When I went home and asked my father about him, even he couldn't say who the adults in Qile's family were."
To be honest, both of them liked spending time with the little kid from the Uchiha Clan. Qile was friendly and didn't act like the typical Uchiha. Besides, if he ever got into trouble, people would think twice before doing anything with Qile around.
Of course, it would have been even better if Qile didn't keep bringing up matters concerning the village's upper ranks.
Just as they finished speaking, a man and a woman hurried over to them.
The two wore curious expressions. The woman spoke first. "Danzo, you're acting a little strange! Didn't you once tell Yan and me to stay away from the Uchiha? Yet look at you now—you seem to be hoping to see that Qile you mentioned!"
"What?" Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Danzo immediately shouted, "How could that be? I, Shimura Danzo, would rather jump off Kage Rock than want to be friends with any Uchiha—"
He hadn't finished speaking when Qile's voice came from behind them. "Oh! You're all here."
Before you continue