I've Already Learned It

The cool night breeze rustled through the darkness, bringing with it an inexplicable chill.

Qin Yu didn't head straight back to the cave to rest. Instead, he turned and walked into the nearby woods, then abruptly stopped.

"You've been following me for a while. It's about time you came out and showed yourselves."

Two figures emerged from the darkness.

In the dappled moonlight, they turned out to be Gekko Kuro Yoru and Gekko Hayate.

"As expected, the student has surpassed the master. You even managed to detect me." Gekko Kuro Yoru possessed Transparent Release.

With this rare Kekkei Genkai, he had become Konoha's most skilled silent killer.

He had thought he could use it to gain the upper hand, but Qin Yu had seen through him in an instant.

"You've been making a point of showing me goodwill in public since earlier, and now you're following me. I assume you need something." Qin Yu glanced back at Gekko Hayate.

"Transparent Release is impressive, but you brought this deadweight along. How could I possibly not notice you?"

Gekko Kuro Yoru gave a helpless smile.

He was hailed as one of the Eight Colors of Konoha, but Gekko Hayate was indeed far behind him.

And compared to the terrifying boy standing before them, the gap was even more immense.

"Qin Yu, don't misunderstand. I followed you this time to resolve the grudge between you and Gekko Hayate." Gekko Kuro Yoru got straight to the point.

"Our Gekko Clan is not only known for its Kekkei Genkai; our greatest specialty is swordsmanship. The Dance of the Crescent Moon, a Konoha technique, is our clan's ultimate sword style."

"People compare me to White Fang of Konoha, Hatake Sakumo, because of this sword style."

Gekko Kuro Yoru's actions took Qin Yu somewhat by surprise.

But now that he had Samehada and the Thunder Blade, Qin Yu had indeed thought about learning some swordsmanship.

Otherwise, if all he could do with ninja blades was swing them around, it would be a disgrace.

Qin Yu had planned to find Kakashi Hatake after returning to Konoha and see if there was any way to obtain Hatake Sakumo's sword style.

He hadn't expected someone to offer one to him.

"Qin Yu, I'm not asking for much. Just protect Gekko Hayate at a crucial moment, and we'll call what happened before water under the bridge. In return, I'll teach you the Dance of the Crescent Moon." Gekko Kuro Yoru spoke urgently.

Qin Yu furrowed his brow and glanced at Gekko Hayate, who looked tense. "Forget it. I don't want something obtained by using a kid as leverage."

Seeing Qin Yu turn to leave after saying this, Gekko Kuro Yoru froze. He hurriedly called out, "Qin Yu, don't misunderstand. I intended to teach you this sword style from the start."

Gekko Kuro Yoru used the Body Flicker Technique to appear before him, his face full of urgency.

For the first time, Qin Yu realized how great a father's love could be.

To make up for such a minor matter, he was even giving away his clan's ultimate sword style.

Still, it was exactly what Qin Yu wanted.

"Qin Yu, please accept it. Otherwise, Hayate will never be at ease." Gekko Kuro Yoru spoke urgently.

There were only two ways to deal with making an enemy of a powerful person.

The first was to kill them.

The second was to live in constant fear, worrying that one day the powerful person might remember what happened, be in a bad mood, and come after you.

What's more, when it came to Qin Yu, Gekko Hayate clearly had only the first option left.

"Can't turn down a gift that's offered. I'll accept it, then." Qin Yu unrolled the scroll.

As he looked over its contents, the system's prompt rang in his mind.

"Detected: S-Class sword style, Dance of the Crescent Moon. Would the host like to use one-click max level?"

"Max it out now." Qin Yu didn't hesitate.

Ding!

"Congratulations, host. The Dance of the Crescent Moon has reached max level."

After sensing the memories of the Dance of the Crescent Moon in his mind, Qin Yu rolled up the scroll and handed it back to Gekko Kuro Yoru.

"Qin Yu, what's wrong?" Gekko Kuro Yoru asked, taken aback.

In his eyes, Qin Yu had held the scroll for only a minute or two.

"Don't tell me you think this scroll is fake?"

When someone went out of their way to curry favor, their greatest fear was being suspected.

That was exactly how Gekko Kuro Yoru felt now.

He had already given away his clan's ultimate technique. If Qin Yu doubted its authenticity too, it would be deeply frustrating.

"No. I've already learned it, so I have no use for the scroll." Qin Yu said calmly.

Gekko Kuro Yoru and Gekko Hayate stared at Qin Yu, dumbfounded.

As an heir of the Gekko Clan, Gekko Kuro Yoru had exceptional talent, yet it had taken him a year to learn the Dance of the Crescent Moon.

Gekko Hayate was a little less gifted, but it had still taken him more than two years.

Still, aside from the first clan leader who had created the Dance of the Crescent Moon, the two of them were considered the most talented inheritors.

Gekko Kuro Yoru, one of the Eight Colors of Konoha, was even hailed as the one who had brought the Dance of the Crescent Moon to new heights.

They had always taken pride in the Dance of the Crescent Moon.

And now Qin Yu had just told them that he had learned it in two minutes.

It was hard to believe.

"Don't believe me?" Qin Yu asked with a faint smile.

Gekko Kuro Yoru was startled, then forced himself to nod along.

He had taught Qin Yu the Dance of the Crescent Moon to settle their grudge and, hopefully, sow some goodwill.

If Qin Yu hadn't learned it, all his efforts would have been for nothing.

Gekko Kuro Yoru didn't want to provoke Qin Yu, but in this situation, he could only go along with it.

"To avoid hurting anyone, let's use branches instead." Qin Yu reached out with his right hand.

Two three-foot-long branches flew into their hands.

"Chakra threads—that's the foundation of a puppeteer!" Gekko Kuro Yoru's expression shifted.

Once again, he was astonished by Qin Yu's incredible chakra control.

"Let's keep it to a light exchange. We'll begin." Qin Yu paid no attention to his reaction.

The moment he looked at Gekko Kuro Yoru, he stepped forward.

"Moon Shadow?" Gekko Kuro Yoru's expression changed dramatically.

He had no time to think. He immediately turned and thrust his branch behind him.

Thwack!

Though the branch in Gekko Kuro Yoru's hand was ordinary, in his grasp it was like a sharp blade.

It cut through the air, chakra surging around it.

Howling winds coiled around the branch, adding to its cutting power.

At the same time, the branch pierced straight through Qin Yu's body.

But no blood spilled. The Qin Yu behind him twisted and faded into nothing.

"I'm behind you." The familiar voice rang out again.

Gekko Kuro Yoru's face changed dramatically.

"Sun-Moon Returning Shadow Strike!"

It was one of the Dance of the Crescent Moon's techniques.

It used afterimages and clones to confuse the enemy and seize the initiative.

If you made a mistake and attacked the wrong target, you would leave yourself open to a fatal counterattack.

Gekko Kuro Yoru had thought Qin Yu was joking.

But now it was clear Qin Yu could perform not only Moon Shadow but also the Sun-Moon Returning Shadow Strike.

It was completely beyond his understanding.