Gekko Hayate

Konoha, a street corner.

"Come out. There's no need to be sneaky. We're both ninjas, so let's just talk this out..."

Sasuke walked along, then suddenly stopped, tilted his head slightly, and said in a deep voice.

Whoosh!

As soon as his voice fell, a familiar, graceful figure suddenly flashed into view in the distance behind Sasuke.

"So you had already discovered me. You truly are not simple..."

Su Jian heard this, smiled, turned around, and replied:

"You flatter me, Senior. My level of ninja cultivation is still not worth mentioning in your presence..."

Although Sasuke knew he was the Child of Destiny in this ninja world.

He hadn't become so arrogant that he thought he could act recklessly before he had even fully developed.

After all, there was a world of difference between a Genin and a Chunin or Jonin.

He didn't know what rank of ninja this beautiful woman before him held.

But judging by how she had effortlessly neutralized his Fireball Jutsu earlier, she was definitely stronger than him.

Seeing that Sasuke was speaking very politely, without his previous sharp-tongued attitude, Uzuki Yugao removed her standard-issue Anbu cat mask and said warmly:

"You know why I've come to find you. Ten times the price—I want that ninja sword in your hand..."

As the mask came off, Sasuke was stunned...

He hadn't paid much attention in the shop, but looking closely now:

Her starry eyes shimmered, her lips were like the sun, her nose was high and elegant, and her skin was whiter than snow.

Her long legs were shapely and tall.

It was worth mentioning that the long sword strapped to her back only served to accentuate her ethereal, otherworldly aura, giving her a natural, heroic air!

Swallowing hard, Sasuke stared blankly and said:

"Big sister, I..."

"Fifteen times! ...That is all the wealth I can scrape together right now. Consider it doing me a favor, alright?"

"In the future, if you run into any trouble in Konoha that you can't solve, you can come find me..."

Before Sasuke could refuse, Uzuki Yugao immediately raised her offer...

At this, Sasuke finally snapped out of his daze, sighed, and said:

"Actually, I'm really not short on money. In other words, this isn't about money at all. You see, beautiful lady..."

Sasuke kept calling her "big sister" and "beautiful lady," making Uzuki Yugao's face flush slightly as she asked with an unnatural tone:

"Then... then what do you want?..."

Even as she said it, Uzuki Yugao felt a bit awkward...

Sasuke smiled:

"I see you carry a sword, so you must be a master of the blade. Therefore, if you could teach me some reliable swordsmanship, I would be more than happy to present this ninja sword to you in its entirety..."

Although Sasuke knew the ninja sword was a treasure identified by the system and definitely extraordinary.

But right now, the situation was what it was—she was a Jonin, and he was a Genin.

Plus, this lady was just too beautiful, and he couldn't bring himself to be too difficult.

So, adhering to the principle that it's better to avoid unnecessary trouble, he decided to trade for some equivalent benefits; even if he took a small loss, it didn't matter.

"Swordsmanship?..."

Hearing this, a look of hesitation immediately appeared on Uzuki Yugao's face.

After a long while, as if she had made up her mind, she turned to look at Sasuke and said:

"My swordsmanship is very special. I cannot decide on my own whether to teach it to you, so if you really want to learn, you must come with me to see someone..."

"See someone?"

"Are we going to see your father?"

"Hmm... wait a moment before we go. Since it's our first meeting, I need to make a good impression on the old man. By the way, does he like sake?..."

For some reason, Sasuke felt a bit excited; he suddenly had the feeling of meeting the parents...

Hearing this, Uzuki Yugao realized Sasuke had misunderstood and quickly waved her hands:

"No, no, no! My father passed away long ago. The person I want you to see is my senior brother!..."

"Senior brother?..."

Sasuke's heart instantly felt like a deflated balloon. So, the flower already had an owner...

But on second thought, Sasuke felt relieved. It would be strange if such a beautiful lady didn't have a lover.

Anyway, he was still young, plus he was handsome and possessed high charm stats, so he didn't have to worry about being a "lonely dog" in the future.

As for Sakura...

For some reason, perhaps because he had watched too much anime in his past life, he couldn't say he hated her, but he didn't feel anything for her either...

"Fine, I'll go with you..."

At this point, Sasuke had no way out; he couldn't just go back on his word, agreeing one moment and turning hostile the next.

Thus, feeling helpless, Sasuke had no choice but to follow Uzuki Yugao to meet this mysterious senior of hers.

He had already prepared for the worst-case scenario; if things really didn't work out, he would just take the money and leave.

After all, there were only three days left until the Ninja Academy graduation exam, and every second was precious to him.

He couldn't afford to delay any longer...

Both of them were ninjas, and since both locations were within Konoha Hidden Village, they arrived at the place Uzuki Yugao mentioned very quickly.

It was a small, antique-style residence.

In front of the house was a fairly large courtyard with two cherry blossom trees standing on either side; the flowers and grass were lush, petals were scattered everywhere, and the scenery was quite pleasant.

In the middle of the courtyard sat a long bench.

And on that bench, a man wearing a ninja vest was lying leisurely, basking in the sun.

"You're back, cough cough... and who is this child?..."

Hearing the footsteps of Uzuki Yugao and Sasuke approaching, the man stood up and asked.

Is this her lover?

Why does he look so sickly?...

Seeing the man stand up to size him up, Sasuke looked back without the slightest fear.

The man had long brown hair, wore a ninja forehead protector, and was dressed in a tight-fitting suit covered by a matching vest identical to Uzuki Yugao's.

At a quick glance, this person was indeed a handsome man with good features.

However, upon closer inspection, one would notice something else.

The man's skin was excessively pale, and he had severe dark circles under his eyes.

He would cough every now and then, looking just like a sickly ghost, his entire demeanor listless...

Looks like it's true love, then...

Although the man wasn't bad-looking, Sasuke still felt that this guy in front of him really didn't quite match up to the young lady before him...

Seeing this, Uzuki Yugao hurriedly stepped forward to support the man, saying with some concern:

"Gekko Hayate, are you alright?"

"Heh heh, I'm fine, you don't need to worry..."

The man waved his hand, and as he spoke, he straightened his back a little.

Seeing this, Uzuki Yugao breathed a sigh of relief and turned to explain to the man:

"I don't know his name either, but he obtained the ninja sword that Master lost back then, so..."

Before Uzuki Yugao could finish her sentence, the man's pupils suddenly constricted, and he exclaimed:

"What? Master's ninja sword!..."

The next moment, he realized he had lost his composure.

Suppressing the joy in his heart, he turned to look at Sasuke, who had been silent the entire time, and said excitedly:

"Little brother, the ninja sword in your hand is truly important to us. Could you transfer it to us? We are willing to pay any price!..."

He had called Sasuke a "child" just a moment ago, but now he was already using "little brother."

Sasuke noticed this change very keenly.

However, he didn't answer the man directly.

Instead, he smiled and asked respectfully in return:

"Is your name Gekko Hayate, Senior?..."