Do You Really Know the Truth?

Their speeds were nearly synchronized.

Clang!

After that instant clash, both landed at the same time.

Crack!

The kunai in Hatake Kakashi's hand snapped, leaving him unable to continue fighting. After all, it was a standard-issue ninja tool and could not compare to a personal weapon in durability.

The katana in Uchiha Feng's hand, however, only had a small chip in its blade. It was a treasured possession of the Ninja Cat Clan, a famed sword forged by a master.

The two stood back to back, neither with any intention of continuing the fight.

Uchiha Sasuke, watching from afar, was completely stunned.

Even with his Sharingan activated, he had only seen blurry shadows during their initial burst of speed.

Though it had looked as if they exchanged only one move in midair, they had actually traded several blows. Throughout that exchange, his two-tomoe Sharingan had seen nothing at all.

Damn it, he's only two or three years older than me, yet he has that kind of strength? Kakashi... can he really help me take revenge?

Countless thoughts surged through Uchiha Sasuke's mind.

"What powerful swordsmanship. Heavenly Star One-Sword Style? Or perhaps... In any case, your swordsmanship has already reached a bottleneck. No wonder you came to Konoha to spar."

Kakashi picked up the broken kunai from the ground and returned it to his ninja tool pouch.

"It's a family swordsmanship. But the White Fang of Konoha's swordsmanship doesn't seem as astounding as the legends claim." Uchiha Feng sheathed his katana.

Both of them had held back during that exchange, but it was already enough to reveal a few things.

"You really are an annoying brat!" Hatake Kakashi's expression stiffened. He truly had not grasped the essence of the White Fang of Konoha's swordsmanship. "But teaching you should be more than enough!"

Uchiha Feng looked at Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Sasuke. They really were equally stubborn.

Provoked by Uchiha Feng's expression, Hatake Kakashi began giving him a serious assessment.

"The swordsmanship you've mastered has reached the peak of 'strength,' but it lacks 'intent.' Your swordsmanship must have been personally taught by a swordsmanship master. However, that master condensed his own swordsmanship into a single iaijutsu strike. It may look like one slash, but it contains a lifetime of combat experience.

"But you only learned that one strike. You did not learn even a trace of his combat experience.

"Simply put, that strike is indeed powerful, but it has neither setup nor follow-through. You'll quickly run out of momentum, and your movements will be full of openings."

Hatake Kakashi's words were like an arrow piercing straight into his heart.

His swordsmanship had perfectly inherited Yajirobe's, but he lacked Yajirobe's instincts honed in the wilderness. That was why his swordsmanship had such flaws.

"And what about you? How much of the White Fang's swordsmanship have you learned?" Uchiha Feng refused to back down, needling Hatake Kakashi in return.

Hatake Kakashi had neglected his Hatake Swordsmanship for a long time and had even gone down the wrong path. During his time in the Anbu, he had used Hatake Swordsmanship solely to kill, completely running contrary to the protective meaning behind it.

"Our swords both lack a certain intent. But now, I've found mine!" A sharp light burst from Uchiha Feng's eyes.

He drew the katana in his hand. As he swung it, black lightning collided around the blade, striking the ground and leaving black scorch marks.

"What was that? Like a god high above, looking down upon everything?" Hatake Kakashi stared at Uchiha Feng's transformation in disbelief.

The blade aura he had displayed just now was controlled, dark, and sinister, yet brimming with lethality. Like a god who knew every hidden truth and wished to control everything in the world.

"Though I don't know what your sword intent is, I can already see its danger. Your sword is too fast, just like mine once was.

"Be careful not to hurt your own comrades by mistake. Your reaction speed needs long-term training."

Hatake Kakashi's words were filled with warning.

But beneath that final remark was sincere advice.

Back then, he had blindly pursued power without being able to control it. In the end, he had only been able to adapt to the speed of Lightning Cutter after receiving a transplanted Sharingan.

So what about Uchiha Feng now?

"Thank you. I've gained a great deal. Can we begin training now?" The sensory ability Uchiha Feng possessed, combined with the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan, could perfectly avoid that flaw.

The cards' talents were constantly improving his own potential. Though Tien's third eye had not grown from his forehead, it had still brought an earthshaking change to his perception.

What he urgently needed now was foundational swordsmanship training. Yajirobe was simply a natural talent whose swordsmanship had been developed through battle.

"We can begin. Your foundation seems somewhat unstable, though it belongs to another system. I'll teach you some basic training now."

Kakashi began carrying out his mission seriously.

A chain appeared in Uchiha Feng's hand, with a stone tied to it as he trained his wrist strength.

Whoosh, whoosh!

While guiding Uchiha Feng, Kakashi also found time to instruct Uchiha Sasuke.

The agreed time soon came to an end, and Uchiha Feng sensed his own progress.

Although Kakashi had given up training in swordsmanship, the foundation the White Fang of Konoha had laid for him was the most solid. It was more than enough to guide Uchiha Feng as he was now.

His gaze fell upon Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Sasuke nearby.

Kakashi was currently teaching Sasuke taijutsu, following the same approach as Might Guy.

Noticing that Uchiha Feng had finished training, Kakashi raised his head to look at the sky.

"Today's training is over. From what I can see, what you lack is a foundation. For future sessions, I'll provide a training regimen to make up for that. I have other matters to attend to, so we'll stop here for today."

After speaking, Hatake Kakashi looked toward Uchiha Sasuke, preparing to leave.

"Teacher Kakashi, I want to train a while longer. You can leave first." Uchiha Sasuke was sweating profusely as he struck a tree branch and spoke to Hatake Kakashi.

Hatake Kakashi nodded. He needed to find Sarutobi Ippei and have him fulfill his promise to review the mission records from back then.

So he did not pay much attention to Uchiha Sasuke.

Uchiha Feng's sensory ability detected someone watching them nearby—or rather, watching Sasuke.

Fortunately, this was a training ground. No matter how well the observer hid, they could not get too close to the two of them.

"Uchiha Sasuke, let's have a taijutsu match!" Uchiha Feng looked at Uchiha Sasuke.

Sasuke was somewhat surprised. Why was he inviting him again?

"You'd better accept. There are things I need to discuss with you, but we must avoid the people watching you." Uchiha Feng's voice rang directly inside Sasuke's mind.

Sasuke raised his head and looked at Uchiha Feng in confusion.

Uchiha Feng looked as usual. His katana rested at his waist, and his hands took the opening stance of the Crane Hermit School, making it seem entirely like a sparring match.

Like a puppet on strings, Sasuke assumed a stance as well. It was full of openings, but he endured the discomfort and activated his already aching Sharingan.

"Do you see the distance? That used to be the Uchiha Clan's compound. What is it now?" Uchiha Feng's voice continued to ring in Sasuke's mind.

It had to be said that Dumpling's telepathic ability was a miraculous power that perfectly evaded surveillance.

The only flaw was Sasuke's reaction.