Konoha
The Small Woods on the Back Mountain
The morning sunlight fell softly through the woods.
Every so often, a breeze swept through, setting the leaves rustling.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!
The sounds of repeated impacts rang out.
Chihane stood before a boulder twice a man's height, swinging his wooden sword against it again and again.
Several deep cracks scarred the boulder, and Chihane continued striking it, blow after blow.
Faint traces of the wooden sword's strikes could still be seen along the cracks.
How could a wooden sword cut into a boulder? Wouldn't it break?
The answer was simple: Chihane had coated it with Armament Haki.
But even with Armament Haki coating Chihane's wooden sword, hundreds upon thousands of repeated swings would still damage it. He had already gone through dozens of wooden swords during this stretch of training.
"Hah!!"
He counted silently. When he reached the hundredth strike, Chihane let out a full-throated shout and slammed the wooden sword forward with all his strength.
Crack!!!
The wooden sword shattered on impact. The boulder, already riddled with deep cracks, broke apart along those fractures under the force of the blow.
"Phew. I've lost count of how many rocks I've smashed. I've finally gotten a decent grasp of Haki, but when will I be able to cut through metal?"
Looking at yet another boulder he had smashed, Chihane couldn't help showing a hint of helplessness.
Although Chihane wore Zoro's Green Bandana all the time, he still couldn't get a handle on the swordsmanship needed to cut steel.
Zoro's training notes said to listen to the breath of all things, but that was far too vague. He had already mastered Haki, yet he still had no idea how to cut steel.
How much longer would it take him to become a swordmaster? A swordsman who could neither cut steel nor use Flying Slash was in an entirely different league from a swordmaster who could do both!
"System, open my status panel!"
Host: Chihane Hatake Gender: Male Class: Swordsman Strength: Jonin (Elite Jonin at the limit when using the Eight Gates) Swordsmanship: Swordless Style: True Sword: Catching a Blade Barehanded One-Sword Style: Iai: Death Lion's Song One Sword Style: Thirty-Six Pound Phoenixes (locked) Two-Sword Style: Iai: Rashomon Two-Sword Style: Hawk Wave Two-Sword Style: Rising Tower Two-Sword Style: Reverse Rising Tower Three Sword Style: Oni Giri Three-Sword Style: Bull Needle Three-Sword Style: Dragon Twister Three-Sword Style: Tiger Hunt Three-Sword Style: Secret Technique: Three Thousand Worlds Haki: Armament Haki-Coating (Coating-Blackening-Ryuo) Observation Haki-Enhanced Five Senses (Enhanced Five Senses-Sensing Living Presences-Future Sight) Taijutsu: Eight Gates of Death (Fourth Gate) Items: Wado Ichimonji, Yubashiri, Zoro's Green Bandana, Zoro's Training Manual Even in the Shinobi World, where powerful fighters abound, you already possess respectable strength.
After a brief rest, Chihane prepared to resume training. Next up was the Eight Gates of Death, after which he would get a new set of weights.
Just as Chihane reached the middle of the woods and was about to begin, a masked figure suddenly flickered into view.
"Chihane Hatake, Lord Hokage would like to see you."
The masked figure was a member of Konoha's ANBU. He looked at Chihane and spoke in a calm voice.
Chihane was a little surprised, but then nodded.
Naturally, he couldn't refuse a summons from Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi.
That wasn't what surprised him, though. By all rights, Hiruzen Sarutobi should have summoned him long ago.
After the practical ranking assessment that day, given the strength he had displayed,
he should have been summoned immediately. Instead, it had been delayed until now. Chihane had even begun to wonder whether Hiruzen Sarutobi had simply forgotten about him, though that seemed unlikely on further thought.
"All right."
After replying, Chihane followed the ANBU member swiftly toward the village.
As they left, the Anbu ninja couldn't help glancing at the boulder Chihane had shattered and the fragments of the wooden sword scattered across the ground.
A strange look flashed in his eyes, and he couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath!
Hiss!
This boy was terrifying!!
He couldn't help giving Chihane a couple more looks.
If Chihane had merely been a boy with exceptional talent, he wouldn't have paid him much attention.
But Chihane not only possessed exceptional talent, he also worked this hard. That was enough to make even him take notice.
Great talent alone wasn't frightening. But great talent combined with the effort needed to turn it into strength was truly terrifying.
With both talent and dedication, as long as Chihane didn't die before he matured, his future achievements would be almost unimaginable.
At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi was waiting for Chihane's arrival in the Hokage Building...
Following the ANBU member, Chihane soon arrived. They entered the Hokage Building without any obstruction and went all the way up to the Hokage's office at the top.
This was the pinnacle of power and status in all of Konoha.
"Lord Hokage! Chihane Hatake has arrived."
"Send him in!"
Hearing Chihane's name, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression shifted slightly. Sitting in the Hokage's chair, he immediately furrowed his brow a little and took a puff of his pipe, assuming a thoughtful look.
As Chihane entered the Hokage's office, a brief glance was enough to spot Hiruzen Sarutobi sitting there with a contemplative expression. He walked straight up to Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk and bowed lightly.
"Lord Hokage!"
"No need for formalities. Rise."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Chihane with a nostalgic expression. "Seeing you is like seeing Sakumo in his younger days. You're practically cut from the same mold. I remember that he was your age when he, too, distinguished himself in the Ninja Academy's practical assessment!"
"The resemblance is remarkable. Ah, Chihane, you've grown so much in the blink of an eye. I remember holding you when you were only a month old. It feels like yesterday."
Looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi, whom he hadn't seen even once since White Fang's death, now wearing an expression that said, Good boy, I've been watching over you all along!, Chihane played along. "When Father was alive, he always told us to learn from you. He often told Kakashi and me stories about you. He said that without you, Konoha would never have become as prosperous as it is today. I still remember the scene when you spoke about the Will of Fire at the start of the assessment!"
"Where leaves dance, fire burns ever on. Its light will continue to illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout. Those words truly lit the path of my life. Father worked toward that goal his entire life. Rest assured, Kakashi and I will carry on the Will of Fire."
Looking at Chihane, who was already a devoted admirer without needing any indoctrination, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately felt that Sakumo had truly been a fine ninja. He had raised his children so well. If everyone in Konoha thought like Chihane, there would be no need to worry about the village's future development!
With that thought, he stood, walked over to Chihane, and patted his shoulder approvingly, giving him a kindly smile.
"Chihane, you have excellent talent, and you work very hard. In fact, you're already an outstanding ninja."
"I hope that in the days ahead, you'll settle down, train diligently, and carry on the proud tradition of the Hatake Clan. Become a powerful ninja whose name resounds throughout the Shinobi World as soon as you can. If you need anything, come to me. Konoha is your home!"
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