Line of Moonlight

Hoshi spent a long time explaining to his mother that he had no intention of taking his own life. Watching her walk back to the kitchen while looking back at him every few steps, he no longer dared to try Line of Moonlight again.

It was not until after school the next day that Hoshi dared to begin practicing Line of Moonlight in the spacious training ground.

This time, he did not have to worry about running into a wall. After finishing his practice with Sakumo, Hoshi stayed behind alone to test Line of Moonlight.

Once Line of Moonlight activated, the skill's explosive speed boost sent Hoshi shooting forward nearly ten meters in an instant.

The wooden sword in his hand, wreathed in silver light, traced a long silver streak through the air. For a moment, it truly resembled a beam of moonlight cast down upon the earth.

Elegant, mysterious, and powerful!

Once the dash ended, Hoshi followed through by swinging his gleaming wooden sword at a large tree nearby, its trunk as thick as a bowl.

To Hoshi's astonishment, the wooden sword in his hand actually left a deep slash mark in the tree.

This skill had some real power to it. Looking at the wooden sword in his hand, whose silver glow had yet to fully fade, Hoshi raised it again and slashed at the tree.

Although this strike failed to leave a mark on the tree, Hoshi could clearly feel that his attack speed had increased. This was probably the attack speed bonus described by the skill.

Thirty seconds later, the silver glow on the wooden sword completely vanished, and Hoshi's speed returned to normal.

After using the skill once, Hoshi rested where he stood for a while and adjusted his Chakra. This technique did not actually consume much Chakra for an adult ninja, but Hoshi was only six years old. His Chakra reserves really were too low.

Compared with children his age, Hoshi's Chakra reserves were actually quite substantial. After two months of Transparency Release training, his reserves had already far surpassed those of Jiraiya, Sakumo, and the others.

In the future, he definitely would not be as miserable as Hatake Gojōkai, but for now, restricted by his physical development, there was no escaping his lack of mana.

By Hoshi's estimate, his current Chakra reserves could support at most two uses. If he forced himself to use it a third time, he would probably end up in the hospital.

After resting for a moment, Hoshi activated Line of Moonlight for the second time. The first time had mainly been to test its distance and power; this time, he was going to study the specifics.

The most important question was whether he could turn.

Whether a dash skill could turn was one of the key criteria for judging whether it was any good. After all, battles were not fought across flat, unobstructed ground. If he used a dash in narrow terrain and crashed into a wall like yesterday—

That would not just be embarrassing. It could actually get him killed.

Hoshi took a deep breath and activated Line of Moonlight a second time. This time, he attempted to turn midway through the dash, and the result was quite satisfactory.

Yesterday's collision with the wall had happened only because Hoshi had not been paying attention, resulting in that utterly brainless mishap. This time, with his mind focused, he successfully completed the turn.

The dash from Line of Moonlight was probably similar to Chidori. As long as his reactions were fast enough, he could change direction. But unlike Chidori, this skill was quiet enough, and it did not require the Sharingan for assistance.

The system was Hoshi's targeting system. With the system there, he only needed a thought to change direction, with no need to worry about moving too fast to control himself.

Satisfied, Hoshi sheathed his sword. But the moment he turned around, he jumped in fright.

Sakumo, who had supposedly already left, had returned. He was now staring fixedly at Hoshi, and Hoshi had never seen Sakumo like this before.

Without blinking, Sakumo stared at Hoshi, then grabbed him by the shoulders and asked in rapid breaths:

"What was that technique just now called? It was incredible! I've never seen such exquisite swordsmanship before. Hoshi, can you teach me that move?"

For a battle maniac like Sakumo, seeing such a marvelous sword technique that did not belong to him was practically torture. Still, he had not completely lost his reason. Once he came back to himself, he realized he had misspoken and hurriedly explained in a fluster, "No, that's not what I meant. I mean, we can trade. I can exchange any move from the Hatake Sword Style for it. I just love that move so much."

Looking at the excited, incoherent Sakumo before him, Hoshi patted his shoulder to tell him to calm down before slowly speaking.

"Sakumo, don't panic. Listen to me, and I'll explain."

After calming Sakumo down, Hoshi began thinking about how to console him. This was a skill produced by the system—even Hoshi himself did not know how he had learned it. How was he supposed to teach Sakumo?

But if he told Sakumo that he could not teach him, then given Sakumo's personality, while he probably would not cut ties with him, he would definitely brood over it for a while.

Everyone had a responsibility to care about minors' mental health.

With that in mind, Hoshi thought for a long time before organizing his words and saying, "This technique is a secret art passed down through our Hayate Clan. It requires the Hayate family's bloodline limit to be performed perfectly..."

Sure enough, before Hoshi could finish, Sakumo rapidly turned gray and lifeless. Hoshi could practically see a tiny soul drifting in and out of Sakumo's mouth.

Startled, he hurriedly continued, "But that doesn't mean you can't learn it. I can tell you the theory behind this move, but whether you can develop it will depend on your own exploration."

After Hoshi finished speaking, Sakumo stood there thinking for a moment before suddenly reviving at full health. He grabbed Hoshi by the shoulders and spoke with utmost solemnity.

"Please, you must tell me the theory behind it. No matter what, I will try to develop this technique!"

Left with no other choice, Hoshi began making things up. Though he could not explain how Line of Moonlight worked, he could use other ninjutsu to bluff Sakumo.

For example, Chidori, originally created by Sakumo's son Hatake Gojōkai—ah, no, Hatake Kakashi—would make an excellent substitute.

After all, he was the only one in the entire Ninja World who knew that technique. How it was used was whatever Hoshi said it was. With that thought, Hoshi cleared his throat and began.

"Uh, this technique is called Line of Moonlight. It is a method of rapidly dashing in for an attack. The silver sword light you saw is the special color produced when the unique Chakra formed by my bloodline acts upon the blade.

"This technique is both simple and difficult. At its core, it uses our clan's special Chakra to stimulate and activate the body's cells, creating a short burst of explosive speed. Then it is combined with a sword attack infused with Chakra.

"If you, Sakumo, can find Chakra of another nature to replace my special attribute, then I believe you can use this ninjutsu as well."

After hearing Hoshi's explanation, Sakumo's eyes shone like two two-hundred-watt incandescent bulbs. He took the initiative to bow to Hoshi and said gratefully, "Thank you, Hoshi. You were even willing to tell me about such a secret technique. You truly are my best friend. If I develop any ninjutsu in the future, I'll definitely tell you everything without holding anything back!"

Because I had classes during fifth and sixth period, this chapter came out a little late. Also, unless something unexpected happens, I should be preparing to apply for graduation within the next few chapters. From graduation until the Second Great Ninja War, I may speed up the pacing considerably. I hope everyone is prepared. If any readers would prefer the pace to remain as slow as it is now, you can also leave a comment and let me know.

I'll make adjustments based on everyone's feedback.

Finally, the reader group: Coconut Juice with Green Tea Is Really Delicious! (Group number: 541095593). Everyone is welcome to join.