Having Dinner Together From Now On

Hatake Sakumo walked over to Fang Xu and raised a hand to adjust his fingers.

"You're gripping too tightly. The sword will be slow."

"Too loose, and the sword will fly away."

"Keep your wrist flexible. Don't let your shoulder stiffen."

Smack.

The bamboo sword lightly tapped Fang Xu's shoulder.

"Don't shrug."

Fang Xu immediately corrected his posture.

Hatake Sakumo then walked over to Kakashi.

"You have problems too."

Kakashi's body stiffened.

Smack.

The bamboo sword struck his wrist.

"You're too used to fast blades. You rush your opening move too much."

"True speed isn't moving first in a panic. It's moving when you should, and doing it in one step."

Kakashi pursed his lips and reset his stance.

For the next two-plus hours, the backyard held only the sound of bamboo swords cutting through the air and Hatake Sakumo's corrections.

"Steady your feet."

"Let your waist lead your hands."

"When you chop down, don't smash down."

"Withdraw your sword."

"Again."

Fang Xu swung his sword over and over.

His arms were sore, and so were his shoulders.

But every time he was corrected, he could feel his movements becoming smoother.

The Attribute Panel did not appear before his eyes, but he could clearly feel the foundations of his swordsmanship being corrected bit by bit.

Kakashi did not slack off either.

He had been somewhat unconvinced at first, but by the end, his expression was even more serious than Fang Xu's.

Because Hatake Sakumo was right.

In the past, his talent and speed had hidden the flaws in many of his movements.

Now that he was rebuilding his foundation, he realized that he still had quite a few gaps.

By the time the sky darkened, Hatake Sakumo finally spoke.

"That's enough for today."

Fang Xu put down his bamboo sword, his arms swollen with soreness.

Kakashi had sweat on his forehead as well.

Hatake Sakumo looked at the two of them and nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad."

"Go wash your hands. Dinner."

Fang Xu had intended to say goodbye.

But his stomach growled before he could.

Kakashi glanced at him.

"So you really did come here to mooch a meal."

Fang Xu was perfectly frank.

"Replenishing food after training is also part of cultivation."

Hatake Sakumo laughed.

"That's right."

Dinner was lavish.

There was grilled fish, pan-fried meat, rice, miso soup, and a plate of vegetables.

Fang Xu had initially wanted to remain a little restrained.

But after practicing swordsmanship for over two hours, his body had expended a great deal of energy.

Combined with the fact that Lightning Body Tempering had already increased his appetite, he quickly began eating without reservation.

Hatake Sakumo did not show the slightest disdain. Instead, he kept urging Fang Xu to eat more.

"When you train your body, you can't afford to go hungry."

"When you come here to practice swordsmanship in the future, have dinner with us too."

Fang Xu's hand holding his chopsticks paused.

The words were simple, yet they warmed his heart.

He had been away from home for a long time in his previous life.

After transmigrating here, this body had been orphaned as well.

He ate alone, trained alone, and alone calculated how he could survive.

It had been a long time since he had felt this kind of sincere care from an elder.

Kakashi ate with his head lowered beside him. He said nothing, but he did not object either.

Hatake Sakumo placed another piece of fish in Fang Xu's bowl.

"You're building your foundation now. Don't rush to pursue power."

"Swordsmanship is like ninjutsu. The steadier your foundation, the stronger you'll become later."

Fang Xu nodded seriously.

"I understand, Sensei."

Fang Xu ate his fill that night.

And he ate with a sense of peace.

By the time he left the Hatake residence, the night had deepened.

Hatake Sakumo saw him to the door.

"Be careful on the way."

Kakashi stood beside him and said flatly, "Don't be late tomorrow."

Fang Xu smiled.

"Don't worry."

As he walked home, though, his heart was anything but calm.

Someone like Hatake Sakumo should not have met the ending he did in the original story.

Driven to suicide by rumors, consumed by the title of a village hero—that was far too stifling.

Fang Xu looked up at the night sky and silently made up his mind.

Since he had already taken Hatake Sakumo as his teacher, he would definitely change whatever could be changed in the future.

He absolutely could not let the White Fang of the Leaf walk that road to death again.

When he reached his front door, Fang Xu suddenly stopped.

Someone was inside.

He had checked the doors and windows before leaving.

Yet now, a faint sound came from the living room, like wrapping paper being crumpled.

The relaxed look vanished from Fang Xu's face in an instant.

He did not open the door immediately. Instead, he took out a kunai from his ninja tool pouch and held it in a reverse grip.

The lock had not been damaged, but someone was definitely inside.

Anyone who could enter his home silently without leaving obvious traces was no ordinary thief.

Fang Xu gently pushed open the door.

The door opened.

The room was dim, and he pressed his finger against the switch by the wall.

Click.

The lights came on.

A blonde woman sat at the table in the living room.

A pale green robe draped loosely over her tall frame, and she carried an imposing presence.

She propped her face up with one hand while holding the snacks Fang Xu had hidden with the other, half a piece still between her teeth.

The diamond-shaped mark on her forehead was especially striking.

Tsunade.

Fang Xu recognized her at a glance.

One of the Three Ninja, the First Hokage's granddaughter, a true Senju princess.

But he did not expose her immediately. Instead, he tightened his grip on the Kunai and deliberately put on a stern face.

"Who are you?"

"Breaking into someone's home and stealing my snacks."

"Isn't that a bit too much?"

Tsunade crushed the snack with a crunch and looked up at him.

She looked Fang Xu over a few times, then suddenly smiled.

"Drop the act, brat."

"The instant you walked in, you withdrew your killing intent faster than anyone."

"When you saw the mark on my forehead, your fingers even loosened a little."

"And you're still pretending not to know me?"

Tsunade tossed the remaining half of the snack into her mouth, her tone teasing.

"Brat, your acting is terrible."

Having been exposed so directly, Fang Xu did not stubbornly keep up the act.

With a flick of his fingers, he put the kunai back into his ninja tool pouch, then pulled out a chair and sat across from Tsunade.

"Since Lady Tsunade has already seen through me, I won't keep acting."

Fang Xu glanced at the opened snack wrappers on the table.

"You didn't come looking for me this late just to steal snacks, did you?"

Tsunade swallowed the last bite of her snack and said righteously, "Is there anything wrong with an elder checking on a junior's life?"

"No."

Fang Xu nodded.

"Then what was the result of your inspection?"

"Too few snacks. Average taste."

Tsunade casually tossed the wrapper aside and looked at him.

"Brat, you've got some nerve, talking to me like that."

Fang Xu did not respond to that.

He had already guessed part of the reason.

The Third Hokage had visited just last night, and today Fang Xu had taken Hatake Sakumo as his teacher.

Given the Third Hokage's personality, he would definitely go through Fang Xu's file again.

His identity as a descendant of a Senju branch family had most likely already been exposed.

Combined with the lightning and swordsmanship talent he had displayed over the past few days, it was not strange at all that the Third Hokage had summoned Tsunade.

Fang Xu looked up and asked directly, "Lady Tsunade, if you have something to say, just say it."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"You're straightforward."

She leaned back against the chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

"The old man wants me to take you as my disciple."

After saying that, she deliberately paused and stared at Fang Xu's face, wanting to see how this brat would react.

Surprise? Excitement? Overwhelmed with gratitude?

After all, she was one of the Three Ninja, the First Hokage's granddaughter, and one of Konoha's true top-tier powerhouses.

If it were any other child at the Ninja Academy, hearing those words would probably make them jump up on the spot.