Sword Drawing Technique

Not long after, all the students and jonin had left.

Watching those young smiling faces leave and set foot on the true path of ninja, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked grave. At the end of the day, they were still children. This damned world.

Suddenly, an ANBU ninja appeared before him, dropped to one knee, and said respectfully, "Lord Hokage, the previous incident involving Hiwa Hyuga has been fully investigated."

"Speak!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, his expression impassive.

"Three Amegakure death warriors infiltrated the village. Two were jonin, and one was an Elite Genin. The jonin stayed behind to cover the retreat, while the Elite Genin abducted Hiwa Hyuga and fled."

"The Elite Genin died halfway through. He had only one fatal wound, to the throat."

Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi considered it briefly and understood. It was likely that hand-sign-free Body Flicker Technique.

At that moment, the ANBU ninja continued, "After comparing intelligence reports, we learned that this Rain Ninja was originally named Asai Mikado. He was only an ordinary Elite Genin, but his older brother, Asai Hane, is an elite Chunin."

"Asai Hane?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained expressionless. A Chunin was not enough to draw his attention, but there had to be a reason this intelligence had been reported to him.

He murmured the name again before recalling it. A trace of surprise appeared in his eyes as he asked, "Is he that Asai Hane who caused such a stir before? The one who assassinated a Wind Country jonin?"

"Yes. Although he failed, he escaped unscathed."

The ANBU ninja answered respectfully, disbelief flickering in his eyes.

If the assassination had succeeded outright, it would not have been particularly surprising.

Ninjas were a typical high-attack, low-defense profession. Anyone could be assassinated.

Even Kage-level experts were no exception.

It was simply extremely difficult.

Yet this Rain Ninja had actually escaped unharmed while being pursued by a true jonin. That was unbelievable.

A jonin was the leader of an official ninja team. Their strength was extraordinary, they were proficient in chakra nature transformation, and the quality of their chakra itself had improved. Even an ordinary C-rank ninjutsu could display immense power in their hands.

For Asai Hane to escape unscathed could only be called the feat of a stunning genius.

"Is that so?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured a few times, a sharp glint appearing in his eyes. Then he turned and left.

"We'll use him to test it, then. I hope he doesn't disappoint me."

Ryōken followed Hatake Sakumo through the streets of Konoha.

Before long, they arrived at a relatively open forest in Konoha's back mountain.

Reaching the center of the clearing, Hatake Sakumo stopped and turned to look at Ryōken without saying a word, a contemplative look in his eyes.

Ryōken raised his head and looked at Hatake Sakumo.

Hatake Sakumo was still very young at this time, yet he already possessed earth-shaking strength.

"Teacher."

Ryōken showed a trace of respect and bowed politely.

In the original story, the White Fang of Konoha had been a tragic hero.

He had violated the ninja code of the time, abandoning a mission for the sake of his comrades.

Because of that, he had been condemned by the villagers. Even the comrades he saved began to blame him.

In the end, perhaps due to the conflict with his beliefs, he chose suicide to prove his innocence.

There was undoubtedly a hidden hand behind it all.

At the time, Hatake Sakumo's strength had shaken the ninja world. The name White Fang of Konoha struck fear into everyone's hearts, and he possessed both strength and prestige.

It could be said that, barring any accidents, he would have become the Fourth Hokage beyond all doubt. No one could have shaken that position.

Naturally, this had made him a thorn in certain people's eyes, someone they wished to eliminate as quickly as possible.

The mission failure had merely provided an excellent excuse.

However, none of that had happened yet. Ryōken could not be sure what darkness lay behind it.

In the end, it was because he lacked the strength to rise above everything. The strong must never allow themselves to be questioned!

With a sigh in his heart, a determined light appeared in Ryōken's eyes. He had to seize his fate in his own hands.

And great strength was the foundation for all of it.

"No need for formalities."

At that moment, Hatake Sakumo suddenly smiled faintly. His expression was gentle and somewhat lazy, without the slightest hint of sternness.

Kakashi had inherited that trait to some extent.

Both were extraordinarily powerful, both were lazy by nature, and both had silver hair.

"Since you chose me as your teacher, I will naturally teach you properly."

"Now, use all your strength and fight me. I'll decide on your next stage of training based on your performance."

A trace of astonishment appeared in Ryōken's eyes, followed by a headache. It looked like he could not avoid getting beaten up.

Hatake Sakumo waved a hand, signaling that Ryōken could begin.

Since it was unavoidable, Ryōken naturally would not shrink back. Besides, a Kage-level sparring partner was hard to find, especially one skilled in swordsmanship.

Facing Hatake Sakumo, an expert who was at least Kage-level, Ryōken had no intention of holding back. From the very first move, he went all out.

Whoosh!

Moving at full speed, Ryōken held his sword in his right hand and appeared beside Hatake Sakumo like an afterimage before slashing down.

Sword light flashed, graceful as a startled swan.

A trace of approval appeared in Hatake Sakumo's eyes. This speed was no weaker than that of a Chunin. Clearly, Ryōken's strength had improved considerably after the combat assessment.

Of course, to him, it was still far too slow.

No one saw how he moved. A flash of light passed, followed by the sound of weapons clashing. A tremendous force surged through Ryōken's hand, numbing the web between his thumb and forefinger. Borrowing the recoil, he retreated several steps in quick succession.

After steadying himself, he looked at the long sword in his hand. A thin crack had appeared on it, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. That was with sword aura reinforcing it. Otherwise, would it not have been cut in two with a single strike?

He looked up at Hatake Sakumo and saw him holding a white short blade flowing with chakra light, staring at Ryōken with an expressionless face.

Once he entered battle, it was as if he had become a different person—serious and calm, even when facing a student like Ryōken.

Seeing this, Ryōken's gaze suddenly sharpened. His eyes seemed to become a sword, incomparably keen.

He lowered his body and gripped the hilt with his right hand. Vast, powerful Sword Intent burst forth violently. It was as though the entire space rang with the howl of swords, bleak and murderous.

The Sword Intent spreading outward suddenly stopped, as if restrained by an invisible hand. It drew back and compressed around Ryōken.

"Interesting."

Hatake Sakumo smiled faintly, surprise showing in his eyes as his interest rose slightly.

At the same time, Ryōken moved. He charged forward at high speed, swift as drifting light.

Halfway through his charge, he activated the skill, Fearless Advance.

"Sword Drawing Technique!"

As those words fell, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, swift as thunder. Dazzling brilliance bloomed, sword light flashing with blinding intensity.

"Hmm?"

Hatake Sakumo paused slightly. Ryōken was already before him, slashing out with sword aura shimmering along the blade.

This hand-sign-free Body Flicker was truly too troublesome. Though Hatake Sakumo had seen it once before, it was still difficult to guard against.

Hatake Sakumo's expression remained blank and his gaze calm. Chakra surged as he raised his short blade, intending to block the strike.

Ryōken narrowed his calm eyes. With a flick of his wrist, the long sword that had been swinging forward at extreme speed suddenly traced a strange arc, attacking one of Hatake Sakumo's openings.

A flash of surprise crossed Hatake Sakumo's eyes. Without hesitation, explosive chakra surged through him, and his speed abruptly increased.

The blade followed his will. The short sword seemed to teleport, instantly appearing before the long sword and catching the strike.

It had happened too suddenly. Even he was forced back several steps, staggering slightly.

If other ANBU ninjas had witnessed this scene, they would likely have been dumbfounded with disbelief.

The figure they revered as a god—the ANBU captain, the White Fang of Konoha who had shaken the ninja world—had actually been forced back.

Even if it was only instruction, it was still unbelievable.