Life at the Hatake Residence continued in a delicate balance. Ling carefully maintained his persona as an "ordinary, precocious orphan," doing seemingly clumsy basic training each day while secretly struggling toward the pinnacle of "absolute pure water" under Tobirama's guidance.
Kakashi's observation seemed to have become a routine. Occasional meals and basic ninjutsu scrolls casually tossed his way became the norm. Kakashi still left early and returned late, often carrying a faint scent of blood and an air of exhaustion, but the initial scrutiny in his gaze gradually gave way to an almost indifferent tolerance.
Ling did not dare let his guard slip for even a moment. He knew that beneath the calm surface, the undercurrents had never stopped churning. Danzo's threat hung overhead like the Sword of Damocles, and Ling knew all too well how keen an insight lay beneath Kakashi's indifference.
His training still focused on the [Ice-Breath Concealment Technique] and the Water Blade's Shape Transformation.
Under Tobirama's almost merciless guidance, Ling's fine control of chakra reached new heights. In an unobserved instant, he could now form a Water Blade roughly twenty centimeters long in his palm, its edge glimmering with a dangerous blue light, and keep it stable for over fifteen seconds. He did everything he could to suppress its high-frequency hum, making it almost inaudible.
[Your shape barely passes muster, but your nature transformation is still crude!] Tobirama was never satisfied. [Your Water Blade is merely "sharp," not made for "cutting"! Do you understand the difference? Ultimate speed? Vibration at the molecular level? Infuse it with your will!]
Ling tried making the Water Blade spin, searching for that subtle "point of resonance" amid extreme compression. This was more than ten times harder than Shape Transformation alone. Progress was slow, but he could feel each failure bringing him another step closer to that threshold.
Training in the [Ice-Breath Concealment Technique] was equally arduous. He had to suppress not only his chakra but also his heartbeat, breathing, and even body temperature, striving to become part of his surroundings. When Kakashi occasionally returned late at night, Ling could now catch those exceedingly faint footsteps several seconds in advance and instantly conceal his presence. Several times, he successfully escaped Kakashi's unconscious sweeps of perception.
That afternoon, Kakashi stayed home for once, lounging beneath the veranda, basking in the sun and reading a novel.
Meanwhile, Ling practiced the most basic Taijutsu movements-straight punches and side kicks-against a worn training post in the courtyard that Kakashi had obtained from who knew where. His movements were immature, his strength feeble. He looked utterly harmless.
In his mind, however, Tobirama issued a new instruction: [This is a rare opportunity. Test the Water Blade's actual effect while he's nearby. Use the least possible force and the greatest possible speed to leave a mark in the least conspicuous spot on the post, then cover it up immediately.]
Ling's interest stirred. It was a dangerous probe, but also an excellent chance to test the fruits of his training.
Pretending to be tired, he stopped to catch his breath and "accidentally" pressed his small hand against an uneven scar on the side of the post. His body happened to block Kakashi's line of sight.
[Now!]
Ling's gaze sharpened, and chakra surged through his palm in an instant!
An intensely condensed, pale blue Water Blade less than ten centimeters long extended soundlessly from his fingertips, piercing precisely into the depths of the scar!
Shhk!
An exceedingly faint sound, like a hot knife slicing through butter.
The Water Blade vanished as soon as it appeared, retracting instantly. The entire process happened at extreme speed, its chakra fluctuations reduced to a minimum and masked by the [Ice-Breath Concealment Technique].
Ling's hand remained where it was, as though he had merely leaned against the post. Panting, he secretly felt the smooth cut with his fingertips. The Water Blade had carved a slit roughly two inches deep and as fine as a strand of hair. It was perfectly concealed within the old scar in the wood, almost impossible to distinguish with the naked eye.
It worked! And it barely attracted any attention!
A tremendous sense of accomplishment surged through Ling, but he immediately forced it down and continued practicing Taijutsu while pretending to be exhausted.
Beneath the veranda, Kakashi's hand paused almost imperceptibly as he turned a page.
His gaze never left the book, but the pupil of his exposed right eye briefly contracted.
That instant just now... Though it had been extremely faint, almost perfectly masked by a concealment technique, he had indeed caught a trace of an unusual, supremely sharp chakra fluctuation, along with a barely audible sound unlike an ordinary impact.
That sensation... It had vanished in a flash, so quickly that he wondered whether he had imagined it.
He shifted position with apparent nonchalance, his gaze "accidentally" sweeping over the spot where Ling's hand had rested and over the training post. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. It was still the same battered post.
Kakashi's gaze returned to his book as though nothing had happened.
But he was turning the pages noticeably more slowly.
As the sun sank in the west, Ling finished his practice, his head drenched in sweat-most of it feigned.
Kakashi closed his book, stood, and said lazily, "Come on. Time to eat."
"Okay." Ling obediently followed him.
The two went to Ichiraku Ramen as usual. During the meal, Kakashi seemed a little quieter than normal.
Once they returned home, Kakashi did not go straight to his room. Instead, he leaned against a veranda pillar and watched Ling, then suddenly said, "That training post has been in use for a long time. It's getting flimsy. I'll replace it tomorrow."
Ling's heart gave a violent jolt, but he put on just the right expression of bewilderment. "Huh? Oh... okay."
Kakashi stared at him for several seconds, his dead-fish eyes betraying no emotion. In the end, he merely yawned. "Go to bed early."
With that, he turned and returned to his room.
Ling stood rooted to the spot, a fine layer of cold sweat breaking out across his back.
[He noticed.] Tobirama sounded as though he had expected it. [We don't know how much he knows, but he definitely spotted something unusual. Replace the post? Hmph. It's a warning, and another probe.]
Ling felt a surge of lingering fear, but also a trace of excitement. The results of his training had actually drawn the attention of a ninja of Kakashi's caliber, even if it was only a flicker of suspicion!
[It seems ordinary "mediocrity" is no longer enough for him.] Tobirama sneered. [We need to adjust the plan. Starting tomorrow, you can begin showing your "talent" for "chakra control," within reason and extremely slowly. For instance, you can be a little more "proficient" at tree climbing, and "fail" a little less often when walking on water.]
"Why?" Ling asked, puzzled.
[Because he's already growing suspicious. Hiding everything will only deepen his doubts. Showing a few noteworthy traits in moderation, such as excellent chakra control, will neatly explain that faint, unusual fluctuation. It will also steer his attention toward the relatively manageable conclusion that "this is a child with a talent for control," concealing your true trump cards-the "Water Blade" and "concealment."]
Understanding dawned on Ling. Tobirama was not merely an expert in ninjutsu, but also a master of psychological warfare.
"I understand."
Deep into the night, all was quiet.
Kakashi sat alone in his unlit room. Moonlight filtered through the window lattice, illuminating the gleaming short blade in his hand-not White Fang, merely a standard-issue weapon.
His fingertips lightly brushed the edge.
That fleeting sharpness... faint as it was, that intensely condensed penetrating power was not something ordinary chakra could possess. It was more like... Shape Transformation taken to its absolute limit.
A four-year-old child? With no one teaching him? With nothing but the most basic Three Body Technique scroll?
Was that possible?
Or... did this gray-haired brat harbor secrets even he might not fully understand?
Kakashi's gaze grew unfathomable.
He put away the short blade, and his figure melted into the shadows.
It seemed this "little nuisance" the Hokage had dumped on him needed more "attention."
In the courtyard, moonlight flowed like water, as though nothing had happened.
But beneath the facade of calm, a thunderclap had already sounded in silence. The contest of probes and counterprobes had entered a new stage.
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