Flaw

After Fugaku left, Bai Ye did not deliberately keep in touch with him. Communication at the front was inconvenient, and both of them were busy on their respective battlefields with no time to write letters. Still, Bai Ye occasionally heard news of Fugaku from the elders of the clan.

"Fugaku's Sharingan evolved again."

"From one tomoe to two? Seriously?"

"Absolutely true. A Chunin over in Hidden Rain Village was forced back by a single Great Fireball."

Bai Ye had been moving supplies when he heard that news. He carried a box of soldier pills from the warehouse onto a transport cart, dusted off his hands, and continued with the next box. All he thought was: Fugaku had grown stronger again, Minato was also training under Jiraiya, so he could not fall behind.

After Bai Ye's injuries had fully healed, he continued working in the medical unit during the day and studied the Yin Healing Wound Destruction Tsunade had given him in his tent at night.

The contents of the scroll were indeed complicated, and it would take quite some time to fully master them. Moreover, Tsunade had not given Bai Ye much time.

Bai Ye had been summoned to Jiraiya's side at Tsunade's suggestion.

"That unreliable guy is short on people." Tsunade tossed a mission slip before Bai Ye. "He has an operation that needs manpower. Go."

"What operation?"

Tsunade's tone was thick with impatience. "You'll know when you get there."

Bai Ye took the mission slip and left the medical unit. He collected supplies from the camp's distribution station, then departed that same day with a logistics squad.

The Land of Rain lay west of the Land of Fire, and the two countries shared a border. The Hidden Sand Village front-line stronghold was at the southwestern border of the Land of Fire. Traveling northwest for roughly three days would bring one into the Land of Rain. Bai Ye had never been there before, but he had heard of its rain. It was said to fall without end all year long, that its skies were always gray and its ground forever muddy. After the war erupted, this small country, already damp to begin with, had become the most brutal meat grinder. The armies of Konoha, Hidden Sand Village, and Hidden Stone Village slaughtered one another across this land time and again, while Hanzo, the leader of Hidden Rain Village, bore the burden of three fronts alone and refused to let any of the great nations gain an advantage.

Three days later, Bai Ye stood at the entrance to Konoha's command headquarters on the Land of Rain front.

Following the address written on the mission slip, Bai Ye found Jiraiya's tent.

The tent was larger than those around it and stood on the highest ground at the center. Bai Ye lifted the flap and walked inside.

There were only two people in the tent.

Jiraiya sat cross-legged on a camp bed, his long white hair falling over his shoulders. He held a book that was half-read. Four words were written on its cover. Bai Ye glanced at it but did not make them out. Still, Jiraiya turned the pages slowly, as if reading with great focus.

Minato sat on a folding chair opposite Jiraiya, holding a kunai and carving something into it. When he saw Bai Ye enter, he looked up, his eyes lighting up.

"Bai Ye!"

Minato wore the familiar smile Bai Ye knew well, but a closer look revealed that he had changed somewhat. The battlefield in the Land of Rain was more brutal than the Hidden Sand Village front, and Minato's gaze had become deeper than before.

Jiraiya closed his book and looked Bai Ye over from head to toe. His gaze paused on Bai Ye's eyes for a moment before falling upon the chakra-conducting blade at his waist.

"The sword," Jiraiya said. "Can I see it?"

Bai Ye drew the blade from his waist, held its edge downward, and offered it with both hands.

Jiraiya took the sword and gripped its hilt. His fingers rubbed over the anti-slip cord wrapped around it, then he turned the blade over and examined its patterns and metallic sheen. He flicked the blade with a finger, producing a crisp hum.

"A chakra-conducting blade," Jiraiya said. "Its conduction efficiency is fairly good, but the forging technique is not top-tier. It was probably made by a clan craftsman, not a dedicated swordsmith."

Bai Ye nodded.

Jiraiya handed the sword back. "Who taught you swordsmanship?"

"Hatake Sakumo."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Hatake Sakumo's disciple?"

"Mm."

Jiraiya's gaze lingered on Bai Ye's face for several seconds. Then the corner of his mouth curled upward into a meaningful smile.

"Interesting," Jiraiya said. "A disciple of Konoha's White Fang, the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, and Tsunade—that stingy woman—even gave you special training... Kid, you've got some powerful backing."

Bai Ye said nothing.

"Bai Ye isn't just good with a sword—his taijutsu is incredible too!" Minato cut in from the side. "His Flash Step is so fast that even I can't catch him!"

Jiraiya turned to Minato. "You can't catch him?"

"I can't!" Minato said in a tone that made it sound like something to be proud of.

Jiraiya turned back to Bai Ye, and his gaze grew a shade more serious.

"Come with me." Jiraiya stood, lifted the tent flap, and walked out.

Bai Ye and Minato followed him outside.

Beyond the tent was a stretch of gravel ground ruined by rain, its surface riddled with pits. Rain was still falling, fine threads striking the gravel and splashing up countless tiny droplets. Jiraiya walked to the center of the clearing, turned around, and slipped both hands into his pockets.

"Use Flash Step on me," Jiraiya said. "Attack me at your fastest speed."

Bai Ye looked at Jiraiya, confirming that he was serious.

"Don't hold back. I can take it." Jiraiya's tone was casual.

Bai Ye placed a hand on his sword hilt.

Minato retreated to the edge of the gravel field and squatted down, resting his chin in his hands as though watching a performance.

Lightning Release chakra began compressing beneath Bai Ye's right foot, and his body shot forward. The rain was blasted aside, trailing a white mist behind him. His blade left its sheath, Lightning Release chakra pouring into it as a pale blue electric glow lit along the edge. The lightning in the curtain of rain shone brighter than usual, like a bolt of lightning held in his hand.

The slash cut toward Jiraiya's right shoulder.

Jiraiya did not dodge.

He caught the blade between two fingers.

Bai Ye froze.

The blade stopped less than ten centimeters from Jiraiya's right shoulder, clamped tightly between those two fingers without moving an inch. All the force Bai Ye had poured into the sword vanished the instant it touched those fingers, like a stone thrown into a swamp, sinking without a sound.

Bai Ye tried to pull the sword free.

He could not move it.

Jiraiya released his fingers, and Bai Ye's sword regained its freedom.

"Not bad," Jiraiya said. "Your speed and angle are both good, but the way you generate force is flawed." He pointed at Bai Ye's waist. "You use the Hatake clan's method of exertion. The waist is the axis, the shoulder is the lever, and the sword is the point. The advantage of this method is stability. Its disadvantage is that it's slow."

Bai Ye said nothing, but he listened intently.

"Hatake Sakumo's physical ability is far greater than yours. With the same method of exertion, he can move like lightning. You, on the other hand, are a beat slower." Jiraiya put his hands back into his pockets. "Your advantage is speed, but your method of exertion is limiting that speed. Your Flash Step is already fast, but your sword cannot keep up with it."

"The sword can't keep up with Flash Step," Bai Ye repeated.

"That's right," Jiraiya said. "Your body can already move into position, but your sword is still behind, half a beat too slow. Think about it. Flash Step lets you suddenly appear before your enemy, but your sword takes half a beat longer to slash. In that half beat, an experienced Jonin has more than enough time to react."

Bai Ye lowered his head and looked at the sword in his hand. Rain struck the blade and evaporated against its faint electric glow, turning into wisps of extremely fine white mist.