Just then, applause suddenly came from nearby.
Clap, clap.
Fang Xu and Kakashi turned their heads at the same time.
A white-haired figure dropped from a tree and stood on the riverbank.
The man wore simple shinobi attire with a sword at his waist. His demeanor was gentle, yet impossible to overlook.
Kakashi froze.
"Father?"
Fang Xu immediately recognized the newcomer too.
White Fang of the Leaf, Hatake Sakumo, a renowned Kendo master in the Shinobi World.
He did not feign ignorance, immediately straightening up and bowing.
"Uncle Sakumo."
Hatake Sakumo smiled and nodded.
"You fought well."
Having said that, he looked at Kakashi.
"You haven't disgraced the Hatake Family."
Kakashi turned his head away.
"I didn't lose."
Hatake Sakumo smiled without calling out his lingering defiance.
Then his gaze settled on Fang Xu.
"Fang Xu, I have a question for you."
Fang Xu immediately said, "Please go ahead, Uncle Sakumo."
Hatake Sakumo looked at the Ninja Tool Pouch at his waist.
"Who taught you the Kendo you used with your kunai just now?"
Fang Xu answered honestly.
"No one."
Hatake Sakumo's brows shifted slightly.
"You taught yourself?"
"Yes."
Fang Xu nodded.
"There's a set of swordsmanship insights at home. I've been practicing from it lately."
Hatake Sakumo pressed further.
"For how long?"
Fang Xu thought for a moment.
"Seven or eight days."
The smile on Hatake Sakumo's face paused for a moment.
Kakashi also turned to look at Fang Xu.
Seven or eight days?
After fighting Fang Xu for so long, he could naturally tell that Fang Xu's swordsmanship was still very raw.
But however raw it was, he had still grasped the basics.
Someone could study a set of insights alone for seven or eight days and already apply Kendo forms in actual combat?
This was no ordinary aptitude.
Hatake Sakumo appraised Fang Xu anew, his tone noticeably more serious.
"To reach this level in seven or eight days, you have an excellent talent for Kendo."
He took a step forward.
"I'm not just being polite."
"Your foundation is still weak, your techniques are rough, and your judgment of distance needs work."
"But finding the right direction on your own is a rare achievement."
Hatake Sakumo looked at Fang Xu, his voice gentle but solemn.
"Fang Xu, you're a Kendo prodigy."
He paused briefly, then said directly, "If you're willing, I can take you as my disciple starting today and teach you true Kendo."
Fang Xu's heartbeat suddenly quickened.
Hatake Sakumo was taking him as a disciple.
Those words carried tremendous weight for him now.
His original plan had been to slowly approach Hatake Sakumo through Kakashi, then find an opportunity to ask for guidance in Kendo.
The Thousand Hands Swordsmanship Insights at home were indeed formidable, but formidable as they were, there were many parts he could only guess at himself.
With something like Kendo, without guidance, a small error could leave him far off the mark.
More importantly, Fang Xu needed a backer.
The Third Hokage had given him war-death compensation and the Lightning Body-Tempering Technique as both an investment and an attempt to win him over.
But if an old bastard lurking in the shadows like Danzo truly set his sights on him, an ordinary background would never be enough to stop him.
If standing behind him was White Fang of the Leaf, the Anbu commander, a top-tier powerhouse who wore the Hokage's half-sleeved robe and enjoyed immense prestige in the village, many people would have to think twice before reaching for him.
Fang Xu had never expected a spar with Kakashi to achieve his goal outright.
Almost without hesitation, he stepped back half a pace, lowered both hands, and bowed deeply to Hatake Sakumo.
"Your disciple, Fang Xu, pays his respects, Teacher."
As he addressed him as Teacher, a great weight lifted from Fang Xu's heart.
This felt good.
So damn good.
His lightning ability was his trump card, and his Exchange Talent was his foundation.
But in a place like Konoha, trump cards alone were not enough.
Without someone protecting him, he could be crushed before he had a chance to grow.
Things were different now.
Hatake Sakumo nodded, his smile deepening.
"Good."
He offered no empty words, merely reaching out to help Fang Xu up.
"Since you've called me Teacher, I'll teach you earnestly from now on."
Fang Xu straightened, his tone steady.
"Rest assured, Teacher. I'll work hard."
The more Hatake Sakumo looked at him, the more satisfied he became.
Talented and levelheaded.
Even more commendably, Fang Xu had not let fighting Kakashi to a draw go to his head.
As long as a child like this did not stray down the wrong path, he would certainly amount to something.
He turned to glance at Kakashi.
Kakashi stood nearby, his hand still resting on his short sword, his one exposed eye showing some displeasure.
His father had just praised Fang Xu as a Kendo prodigy.
Now he had taken him as a disciple on the spot.
Kakashi did not dislike Fang Xu.
But he had been a prodigy since childhood, accustomed to his father's regard and to staying ahead of his peers.
Today, another boy his age had suddenly appeared, someone who could not only fight him to a draw but whom his father had also praised for his excellent talent for Kendo.
It really was not a pleasant feeling.
Of course, Hatake Sakumo noticed.
He deliberately asked, "Kakashi, what's with that look?"
Kakashi turned his face away.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
Hatake Sakumo smiled.
"Why do I get the feeling you're not quite convinced?"
Kakashi's voice was stiff.
"I didn't lose."
Hearing this, Fang Xu could not help glancing at him.
This white-haired kid really wouldn't admit a thing.
Hatake Sakumo did not call him out either, merely nodding.
"You certainly didn't lose."
Just as Kakashi was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Hatake Sakumo spoke again.
"But Fang Xu's talent for Kendo might be better than yours."
Kakashi whipped his head around.
"Impossible."
The word came out very quickly.
Fang Xu was a little surprised too.
"Teacher, I've only just grasped the basics."
Hatake Sakumo waved a hand.
"Talent is talent. Strength is strength."
"Your Kendo foundation is still very weak. If you actually fought Kakashi with a sword, you'd most likely lose."
"But after studying a single set of insights on your own for seven or eight days, you can already apply Kendo's power generation in actual combat. Even Kakashi wasn't that fast back then."
Kakashi fell silent.
Had anyone else said this, he could have rejected it.
But the one saying it was Hatake Sakumo.
His father, and the Kendo master he respected most.
Hatake Sakumo looked at his son, his tone easing a little.
"What, did that get to you?"
Kakashi tightened his grip on his short sword's hilt.
"I'll prove it to you."
"That's the spirit."
Hatake Sakumo smiled. "Your progress has slowed considerably lately. It's not that you haven't been working hard, but that you're too used to being ahead."
"Isn't it good to have someone catch up now?"
Kakashi looked at Fang Xu.
Fang Xu looked back at him.
They had fought for eight or nine minutes just now, and neither had gained a decisive advantage.
Kakashi acknowledged that Fang Xu was indeed qualified to be his opponent.
It was not just his Lightning Mode.
There was also his judgment in battle.
That combination of the Substitution Technique followed by a Lightning Ball would really have cost him dearly if he had not reacted fast enough.
Kakashi let out a breath.
"Fang Xu."
"Hmm?"
"I'll beat you next time."
Fang Xu smiled.
"Anytime."
Kakashi added another remark.
"And don't think becoming my father's disciple means you can keep being the junior disciple."
Fang Xu raised an eyebrow.
"So you want to be the junior disciple?"
Kakashi's eyelid twitched.
"In your dreams."