Hatake Sakumo

By evening, most of Konoha's training ground was empty and quiet. Most of the people there had finished training and left, leaving only stray gusts of wind to sweep dust across the open ground.

After finishing his work on village affairs, Kagami Uchiha took a leisurely walk through the training ground.

Even from a distance, he sensed a young, unrefined Chakra presence at the far end of the grounds, one that was unusually resilient.

Kagami glanced over and headed deeper in.

As he drew closer, he heard crisp, rapid swishes cutting through the air.

A lone, slender boy stood in the middle of the field.

He looked about eleven or twelve, slight of build and dressed in ordinary training clothes washed clean and faded pale. Sweat had dampened his short hair, plastering it to his forehead.

Kagami Uchiha recognized him at a glance:

The future White Fang of Konoha, the man who would earn the honor of wearing the Hokage's half-sleeve: Hatake Sakumo.

Hatake Sakumo was...

Well... both simple and complicated...

In short, he was born to be a ninja.

Or perhaps born to work himself to the bone.

In terms of strength, he far surpassed the Sannin of his generation. He excelled at close-quarters combat with a short sword and surprise assassinations. His swordsmanship was clean and ruthless, designed to end a fight in one strike.

The White Fang Short Sword was his signature weapon. His Taijutsu and swordsmanship were exceptional, and he had mastered every fundamental ninja skill.

His mission record: 27 S-Rank missions, 123 A-Rank, 266 B-Rank, 384 C-Rank, and 256 D-Rank. He had carried out countless high-risk wartime missions across national borders.

He earned tremendous merit in the Second Shinobi World War, repeatedly dealing devastating blows to enemy villages single-handedly. The name "White Fang of Konoha" rang throughout the Shinobi World, and he became one of Konoha's defining military assets.

By all rights, a man like that should have been utterly cold, stubborn, and unyielding.

Yet he was gentle at heart and cherished his comrades deeply.

In the original story, he abandoned a classified S-Rank mission to save his comrades, putting their lives above the mission rules.

He valued loyalty and friendship, was kind to a fault, and treated those around him with patience and humility.

What Kagami Uchiha found hardest to accept was that, even after abandoning the mission, Sakumo's record of service should have spared him any serious punishment.

Instead, he was shunned by the village for saving his comrades. Even the comrades he had rescued turned around and blamed him.

In the end, he took his own life amid relentless condemnation. What a ridiculous way to die.

Hatake Sakumo was a hero. He should have become one of Konoha's pillars after Hiruzen Sarutobi, yet his life ended so abruptly.

No wonder the Sannin later grew distant from the village. Tsunade ran away from it, Orochimaru went down a dark path, and Jiraiya let a bunch of toads lead him by the nose until he became obsessed with the Child of Prophecy.

Fortunately, Konoha's luck held. A prodigy like Minato Namikaze appeared, and the village barely managed to win the Third Shinobi World War.

For now, the young Hatake Sakumo was wholly absorbed in his training.

In his hand was a standard-issue short Ninja Blade, with none of the luster of a famous weapon. Yet he gripped it tightly.

Again and again, he practiced the most basic downward cuts, horizontal slashes, and thrusts.

The movements were plain and repetitive, without a hint of flair.

But he put his whole body into every swing. His waist and abdomen were taut, his toes dug into the ground, and each movement was steadier than any child's had a right to be.

Sweat dripped from his chin onto the ground and evaporated almost at once.

Still, the boy did not stop. His breathing had long since grown ragged, and his arms ached and trembled, but his eyes remained locked on the empty space ahead, his focus absolute.

He was too engrossed.

So engrossed that he failed to notice someone approaching.

Kagami Uchiha stood quietly several meters behind him. He did not interrupt, merely watched in silence.

The Shinobi World had no shortage of gifted youths whose talent shone as brightly as their confidence.

But a child this young who could endure endless repetition, grind away at the fundamentals with his own flesh and blood, and remain steady as stone was exceedingly rare.

Konoha had another person like that now: Might Duy, the father of the future Might Guy.

When it came to perseverance, that man was more remarkable still.

A trace of approval flickered through Kagami's eyes.

The future "White Fang of Konoha," renowned throughout the Shinobi World, had yet to sharpen his edge, but his proud spirit had already taken root.

Noticing several small but potentially fatal flaws in the boy's movements, Kagami Uchiha finally spoke. His voice was quiet, yet it reached Sakumo clearly.

"You're putting your strength in the wrong place."

The sudden voice made Hatake Sakumo stiffen mid-practice.

He instantly drew back his blade and turned, his back tensing on instinct, his eyes wide with surprise.

He had no idea when someone had come up behind him.

Hatake Sakumo stood frozen after turning around, his fingers tightening slightly around the hilt.

"L-Lord Hokage?"

He looked up at the young Hokage before him, his clear eyes alight with boundless admiration and longing.

"Don't lose focus."

Kagami Uchiha stepped forward, his expression calm, and pointed to the boy's blade and wrist.

"When you bring the blade down, you try to force it with your arm. It looks powerful, but it drains your strength quickly and leaves nothing behind. A proper cut doesn't come from swinging your arm. It comes from driving the weight of your waist and spine through the blade."

As he spoke, Kagami raised a hand and demonstrated half a downward cut through the air.

He used no Chakra. It was only a movement, yet it was compact and steady as stone, and the sound of displaced air was several times deeper and heavier.

"Drop your shoulder and elbow as you cut. Keep the blade on a straight path and drive the force all the way to its tip."

Then he indicated Sakumo's thrusting stance.

"Don't hunch your shoulder or lean forward when you thrust. The moment your shoulder rises, you expose every opening."

"Keep your shoulder down, draw in your abdomen, and lower your center of gravity. Drive the point straight ahead. Make it a little faster and a little steadier, and it'll be enough to defeat an enemy."

In just a few sentences, Kagami pinpointed the heart of every problem.

Hatake Sakumo thought for a moment. He considered his earlier movements against the details Kagami had given him, and understanding dawned at once.

Without wasting another moment, he took his stance again, following Kagami's instructions.

He lowered his shoulders, drew in his abdomen, and planted his weight firmly on both feet. Instead of hacking down with brute arm strength, he drove the motion from his waist and spine, channeling all that force into the blade.

Swish—

The blade cut through the air with a deep, solid sound, no longer the thin whistle it had made before.

Downward cut, horizontal slash, thrust. Over and over, his movements grew far more compact. His openings vanished, and every strike became steadier and more solid than before.

Kagami Uchiha stood to the side with his hands behind his back, quietly watching the boy adjust his stance and correct the way he applied his strength. Faint approval rose in his eyes.

When Sakumo finally stopped and turned back, breathing hard, Kagami gave a slight nod. His tone was gentle but certain.

"Good. You understand quickly. One pointer was all you needed."

"You've built a solid foundation, and you're willing to put in the time to refine it. Your swordsmanship will only grow sharper from here."

At the Hokage's praise, the tips of the boy's ears reddened. His grip on the hilt tightened slightly, and excitement filled his heart. He quickly bowed his head again. "Thank you for your guidance, Lord Hokage!"

Looking at the shy boy before him, Kagami Uchiha could hardly connect him with the devious old schemer who would one day invent the "Thousand Years of Death."

Yes, the very technique that the future Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake, would use:

Konoha's secret Taijutsu art: Thousand Years of Death.

Everyone who had tried it swore by it. Especially for hemorrhoids.

A little-known fact: Hatake Sakumo invented the move and later passed it on to Kakashi. Kakashi claimed his version was less powerful than his father's.