Sign-In Reward! Nichirin Sword! (2/4)

"Release my hatred?" Sasuke Uchiha climbed to his feet, carefully recalling Kakashi's words.

All this time, he had carried the hopes of everyone in the Uchiha Clan. To catch up to that man and kill him with his own hands, Sasuke Uchiha had lived by almost suppressing his hatred.

Only then could he force himself to grow stronger without stopping!!

"Correct." Kakashi Hatake said, "Only enough hatred can bring out your potential and make you stronger."

Sasuke Uchiha's gaze was somewhat bewildered. This was his first time encountering Kakashi Hatake's style of teaching.

Not only had he not led him down the conventional path of training, he was instead making him understand hatred?

"Kakashi-sensei, I have a question," Sasuke Uchiha said slowly.

"What is it?"

"Where did you get your other eye? I remember the Sharingan is the Uchiha Clan's ocular technique."

Kakashi Hatake froze for a moment, then pulled his mask down slightly, revealing the left eye that had always been covered. Compared to his lazy right eye, his left was far sharper, with a long scar running across it.

"Your guess is correct. It did come from your Uchiha Clan." Kakashi Hatake spoke in a somewhat solemn tone. "It belonged to an old friend. It was the gift he left me in the end. I've survived until now wearing this eye."

To possess the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan and keep wearing it all this time... Kakashi-sensei's bond with that person must have run deep too, right?

Sasuke Uchiha suddenly understood. He got it! Hadn't Kakashi repeatedly made him climb the mountain only to kick him back down to explain this very point?

Kakashi Hatake had always worn the Sharingan. Setting aside the drain each time he used it, he could clearly feel the Sharingan's vitality and even sense that bond.

All of it was driven by hatred!

"I understand!" Sasuke Uchiha bowed to Kakashi Hatake. "Please teach me the true techniques of the Sharingan, Kakashi-sensei!"

"Not quite." Kakashi Hatake shook his head. "The Sharingan's techniques are among the few methods that can only be understood, not taught. You need to develop your own limits!"

"What I'm going to teach you today is a ninjutsu I created myself, originally called Chidori!"

While Naruto and Sasuke began their different training, Tianming, who had been lying asleep at the Aokawa Clan residence, suddenly opened his eyes.

"Ding! A new sign-in mission has been activated!"

"Please proceed to the summit of the high mountain outside Konoha within the time limit to sign in and receive the mission reward!"

It was here! A new mission had arrived just days after his mastery of Lightning Release!

Tianming sprang to his feet, casually informed Karin Uzumaki, and rushed out into the rain.

He braved the rain all the way out of Konoha Village, then climbed through the forest to the mountaintop!

Unfortunately, the heavens were not on his side. The rain only grew heavier, and after several bolts of lightning tore through the sky, a violent storm descended.

Standing atop the mountain, Tianming looked at the silver dragons of lightning dancing wildly amid the thick dark clouds above him, his heart feeling somewhat heavy.

"The host has reached the sign-in location. Sign-in in progress!"

"Sign-in duration: ten seconds. Moving midway will result in mission failure!"

The instant the system's electronic voice sounded, lightning began weaving and converging amid the clouds overhead, its glow illuminating Tianming's face.

Crackle...

Lightning burst from the clouds and struck toward where Tianming stood.

"Damn it! What kind of shitty mission is this? You want me to get struck by lightning?" Tianming's face turned green.

Cursing aside, Tianming remained as steady as an old dog, not moving an inch.

Because he was gambling! Every sign-in mission had been simple!

The most dangerous moment of the previous sign-in mission had been in the Land of Waves, where Tianming had obtained the Tremor-Tremor Fruit!

As the saying went, wealth was found amid danger! It was only lightning! Let's see what this is!

The lightning reached Tianming in an instant. Amid the torrential bolts, a long, solid object took shape!

"Sign-in successful. Sign-in reward: Thunderclap Nichirin Sword! Thunder Breathing!!"

Ten seconds passed. The solid object formed from lightning before Tianming shed its glow, revealing itself to be a pitch-black katana.

The sword felt warm and smooth in his hand, slightly heavy, yet astonishingly suited Tianming.

"It's actually this?"

Nichirin Swords came from the world of Demon Slayer! Paired with their corresponding Breathing techniques, they were powerful weapons for slaying demons.

And the one in Tianming's hand was a lightning-attribute Nichirin Sword!

Clang!

Tianming gripped the hilt and drew the blade. The moment the Nichirin Sword left its sheath, lightning curled around it! Bright yellow lightning patterns were engraved across the blade, making it incredibly flashy and handsome!

Thunder roared and lightning flashed as he slashed through the air!

Tianming held the Nichirin Sword and swung it a few times, finding it increasingly comfortable to wield. He had not expected the sign-in reward to be a matching set?

The previous reward had been mastery of Lightning Release! This one was a lightning-attribute Nichirin Sword.

"I might as well comprehend the Breathing technique too." Tianming sheathed the Thunderclap Nichirin Sword and sat cross-legged in meditation.

As the name implied, a Breathing technique involved sensing the power around one through breathing! Understanding the principle, Tianming immediately released a measured amount of lightning-attribute chakra, then took a deep breath!

The lightning-attribute chakra entered through Tianming's nostrils and flowed through every limb and bone! At once, the sound of thunder rang out within his body.

"Hah!"

Tianming drew his sword like lightning and slashed! A straight blade of light cleaved the small hill before him cleanly in two!