Three-Color Haki

"Ah, a draw."

He didn't want to say much; if given even the slightest opening, Fei Shi could make him explode with rage.

"Oh my, how did it end in a draw? Have you been reading too many 'Little Imperial Uncle' novels, Kakashi? Is your kidney health failing? You need to practice some restraint."

Kakashi: "..."

I shouldn't have replied!

"Yo, Fei Shi, Kakashi is actually quite strong. This is the final round, the one that decides the winner. Why don't you be the referee?"

Fei Shi was, of course, happy to oblige.

Back when he was training in Konoha, he had met Guy, who was busy sweating out his youth on the training grounds, and they had become friends after working out together.

"Sigh."

Fei Shi was the one person Kakashi didn't want to deal with. Although they were decent friends, he was just too vicious with his words.

Compared to the sharp-tongued Fei Shi, he preferred dealing with the annoying Guy.

"Alright, alright, get ready! On your marks! Get set! Get moving!"

Kakashi stumbled and nearly fell, but he quickly regained his balance and started climbing.

Guy, on the other hand, didn't overthink it and took the lead.

Although the cliff was rugged and uneven, climbing eighty meters still carried its risks.

To train their bodies, they didn't use chakra while climbing, so accidents could easily happen. However, those who were weaker would have safety measures in place.

Their climbing speed fluctuated, but it wasn't long before they reached the summit.

"Hahahaha, Kakashi, I won! The score between us is now three to three. But I will be the final winner, because I am going to become the strongest man!"

"Oh, I see."

Kakashi replied listlessly, just going through the motions.

Right now, he just wanted to go back. If he didn't leave, he'd be caught by Fei Shi...

"Hahahaha, Kakashi, I didn't expect you to lose. I have a way for you to get stronger, want it?"

"No, I'm tired. I'm going back to rest."

If I don't leave now, you'll be the death of me.

"Hey, hey, wait up. I have a technique I want to teach Naruto and the other kids, but it requires someone to spar with. You have more strength for this than Guy—that guy is hopeless at ninjutsu. Besides, I can teach it to you too. I promise, I'm definitely not trying to trick you this time."

Kakashi stopped in his tracks.

Teach the teacher's child?

"Hoo."

Kakashi took a deep breath to steady his mood. Sacrificing himself for his teacher's child was worth it. He walked over to stand about ten meters in front of Fei Shi, wearing an expression of someone resigned to their fate.

Fei Shi: "..."

I've only tricked you a few times, is it really that serious? I'm not some prehistoric monster.

"You little ones, watch closely. What I'm about to use is the technique I mentioned. Learning this requires a very strong physique, so if you want to learn it after seeing this, you'd better train hard. Let's begin, Kakashi. Just attack me with Fire Style and Lightning Style."

As soon as Fei Shi finished speaking, Kakashi began weaving hand signs.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Watching the massive fireball hurtling toward his face, Fei Shi didn't dodge. He covered his entire body in a black substance and tore right through the fireball.

Kakashi was startled. What is that black substance? Is it a new ninjutsu Fei Shi developed? He took a fireball head-on—even if it's a low-level jutsu, the temperature is still very high. To be able to withstand the heat of the flames... interesting.

Hmm, I wonder if I can ask him to teach me this technique.

"Use Chidori."

Kakashi frowned, but quickly wove the signs to unleash Chidori.

But the result was the same; it was blocked by that black substance.

Even Chidori!

What an incredible technique.

Kakashi marveled inwardly.

This guy's combat prowess, cultivation talent, and talent for developing ninjutsu are all so outstanding. What a pity. He opened his mouth, then closed it.

Fei Shi took out a black cloth, folded it several times, and held it over his eyes.

"Kakashi, Guy, attack me with everything you've got. Don't worry about me."

"Right!" x2

They knew a little about Fei Shi's strength, so they weren't too worried. They were just curious about what he was trying to do. Was he going to dodge their attacks while blindfolded? How could that be possible?

But the next moment, they were shocked.

Under their barrage of attacks, Fei Shi appeared completely at ease, even making preemptive dodges the moment they launched their strikes.

It was as if... he could see the future.

They were startled by their own thoughts.

How could a person possibly see the future? Even if it were only for a few seconds, the impact on a battle would be immense.

For ten consecutive minutes, neither Kakashi nor Might Guy managed to land a single hit on Fei Shi. The four children stared with wide eyes; seeing Fei Shi cover his entire body in that black substance to tank ninjutsu and dodge attacks in advance, they felt it was incredibly cool.

"This is what I want to teach you. I call it Haki."

"Haki?"

Everyone was puzzled.

"Yes. The one where I cover my whole body in black substance, I call it Armament Haki. The one where I dodge attacks in advance is called Observation Haki."

"Armament Haki can be applied to your body and weapons. In a sense, it is similar to the Cloud Village's Lightning Release Chakra Mode, but its defensive and offensive capabilities are even stronger."

"As for Observation Haki, it is a method to enhance perception. It allows you to predict the trajectory and method of an enemy's attack; when trained to the pinnacle, one can see a few seconds into the future."

"There is also something called Conqueror's Haki, which can only be cultivated by those with great ambition. Fusing it with Armament Haki to unleash a more powerful attack is a technique called Conqueror's Haki Infusion. You can only learn this once you have mastered both Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki to perfection."

"Conqueror's Haki? What does it do? Surely it's not just for that Conqueror's Haki Infusion, right?"

Kakashi couldn't help but ask.

This thing called Haki had captured his interest. The defensive power that could tank ninjutsu—if he learned that, his chances of surviving while on missions would be much higher.

"Hmm, I'll let you experience it after I finish explaining. To cultivate Armament Haki, you must possess a sufficiently strong physique; Armament Haki consumes stamina, not chakra. As for Observation Haki, the best way to learn is through actual combat—by getting beaten up."

Everyone: "..."

"Yosh! Fei Shi, this is great! Teach me! My youth is starving for this!"

Fei Shi, Kakashi: "..."

What kind of wild words were those? Saying it like that would easily lead to misunderstandings, wouldn't it?

"Fine, fine, I'll teach you. And Kakashi, you should join in too. That way, even if you can't complete a mission, it will be easier to save your life."

"Understood" x2

"Alright, didn't you want to experience Conqueror's Haki? Get ready."

BOOM!

An invisible force surged out from within Fei Shi, and the four little ones instantly fainted.

Seventeen-year-old Kakashi had experienced many life-or-death missions, so his mental fortitude was quite strong; he gritted his teeth and managed to hold on.

Might Guy was the same, shouting that his youth would not allow him to fall, and he also managed to stay standing.

"This is Conqueror's Haki. It can be seen as a form of mental attack—the aura of a king. It can make those with weak wills faint instantly, and it can also be used to resist genjutsu."