You're the Most Insanely Talented Swordsmanship Prodigy I've Ever Seen!

Borrow a sword?

For Gekko Hayate and his wife, those two words were even more grating than "borrow money."

The first thing they thought of was the ninja sword they had traded for Konoha-Style Swordsmanship.

Could this kid have failed to learn Konoha-Style Swordsmanship and come to renege on the deal, trying to get that ninja sword back?

At the thought, Gekko Hayate's expression grew even grimmer.

Just then, Uzuki Yugao stepped forward and looked at Sasuke.

"We're not giving that ninja sword back to you."

"After all, we agreed on the terms beforehand, and you accepted them too."

"So we can't refund the trade just because you couldn't learn Konoha-Style Swordsmanship..."

Her stance was firm, her tone certain.

But Sasuke looked slightly taken aback.

A few seconds later, he finally caught on. Waving his hand, he replied with a smile,

"Yugao, you've got me all wrong..."

"Got you wrong?"

Uzuki Yugao was slightly stunned.

Then she asked, unable to quite believe it,

"Are you saying you didn't come here today to get that ninja sword back?"

"Ah..."

Sasuke waved his hand.

"That ninja sword means so much to you two seniors. How could I take away something you love?"

Even Gekko Hayate, who had been silent until now, was dumbfounded.

He turned to Sasuke and asked in confusion,

"But didn't you just say you wanted to borrow a sword?"

"Yeah, but I'm not here to borrow that sword."

"I wanted to ask Senior Hayate to lend me a more durable ninja sword."

"More durable?"

Gekko Hayate and Uzuki Yugao spoke in unison, then exchanged a look, perfectly in sync.

Maybe it was because they had been together for so many years.

Or maybe Sasuke's words had simply been too shocking.

"Wait, if you want a durable ninja sword, why not just go to a ninja tool shop?"

Sasuke understood what Gekko Hayate meant.

Seeing that Hayate understood why he had come, he didn't beat around the bush.

"It's not that I don't want to go to a ninja tool shop."

"It's that the ninja swords they sell are all too low-quality."

"They can't withstand the force of my Dance of the Crescent Moon. Sigh..."

"What?!"

Sasuke hadn't expected his simple honesty to get such a strong reaction out of them.

Was that more shocking than borrowing a ninja sword?

"Um, seniors, what are those looks for?"

"I just want to borrow a sword. It's not like I won't give it back. I have Kakashi-sensei's test tomorrow, so..."

Sasuke asked tentatively, but before he could finish, Gekko Hayate stepped forward, gripped him tightly by both arms, and asked excitedly,

"You're saying the ordinary ninja swords from the shops can't withstand the force of your Dance of the Crescent Moon?"

Sasuke was a little scared by the look on Gekko Hayate's face.

Is this guy going to kidnap me and cut me open for research because my Dance of the Crescent Moon is better than his?

At the thought, Sasuke shuddered and forced out a smile.

"Senior, what are you doing?"

"Hayate, could he be lying?"

Uzuki Yugao frowned and leaned toward Gekko Hayate.

Hayate shook his head, reined in his excitement, and answered cautiously,

"No."

"Yugao, don't forget."

"It was our missing master who told us that once you practiced the Dance of the Crescent Moon to a certain level, you needed a high-grade ninja sword."

"Forget other people—even we haven't reached that level yet."

"If Sasuke hasn't trained to that level, did our long-missing master somehow tell him?"

His reasoning was sound, and Uzuki Yugao immediately came to her senses.

That was right!

The only people in the world who knew this secret were the two of them and their master, who had been missing for years.

If their master had told Sasuke, there was no reason he wouldn't have come to see them after returning to Konoha.

At that thought, Uzuki Yugao and Gekko Hayate both turned to look at Sasuke again.

They stared at him as if they had found one of Konoha's long-extinct rare animals, unwilling to look away for even a moment...

"Uh... Heh, I'm telling the truth, seniors."

"And don't worry, I swear I haven't revealed any of the secrets of Konoha-Style Swordsmanship, so..."

Sasuke had meant to say, so there's really no need to kill me to silence me...

But before he could finish, Gekko Hayate interrupted him again.

"Sasuke, don't be afraid. We won't hurt you."

"Um, could you show us your Dance of the Crescent Moon? That way, we can confirm whether you're telling us the truth."

"This really matters to us..."

Looking at the hopeful expressions on Gekko Hayate and Uzuki Yugao's faces, Sasuke—who hadn't activated his Sharingan—somehow sensed that they meant him no harm.

They were simply filled with pure anticipation.

At that thought, Su Jian nodded.

"Okay..."

Gekko Hayate released Sasuke's arms.

Sasuke didn't waste any time. He stepped back twice and brushed his right hand over his waist.

The next moment, a Kunai appeared in his palm.

Its blade gleamed coldly, sharp as could be.

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke gripped the Kunai and gave a light slash forward.

The next moment, that seemingly casual slash rang through the courtyard with a crisp clash of metal!

With a clatter, half the Kunai fell to the ground!

Gekko Hayate and Uzuki Yugao, who had been watching, narrowed their eyes. Then, in unison, they cried out,

"Wind Slash, minor mastery!"

Wind Slash, minor mastery?

Sasuke mused to himself,

"According to the system panel, Dance of the Crescent Moon: Wind Slash is currently at Level 3, 99%."

"Based on the system's benchmarks, that's about Chunin-level swordsmanship."

Is this what Gekko Hayate means by minor mastery?

With that thought, Sasuke looked at Gekko Hayate and asked respectfully,

"Senior, does minor mastery mean this strange effect where I can snap ordinary ninja tools as soon as I use the Dance of the Crescent Moon?"

Gekko Hayate didn't answer Sasuke for a long time.

At last, he sighed and replied in a low voice,

"This is the sign that the first form of the Dance of the Crescent Moon, Wind Slash, has reached minor mastery."

"I really didn't expect you to reach this level in just a few days..."

"Sasuke, you're the most insanely talented swordsmanship prodigy I've ever seen!"

"This may be a little sudden, but would you be willing to join the Konoha Anbu with Yugao and me?"

His words were very direct, and Sasuke could see the fervor in Gekko Hayate and Uzuki Yugao's eyes.

But he scratched his head and replied a little awkwardly,

"Sorry, Senior Hayate."

"It's not that I don't want to. I've already joined Kakashi-sensei's Team 7."

"And I have Kakashi-sensei's Genin test tomorrow."

"That's why I came crawling to you to borrow a sword..."