In Konoha, in a small clearing behind an orphan's cottage.
A black-haired boy who looked only five or six, his frame slightly thin, was swinging a wooden sword with meticulous care.
Whoosh!
The wooden sword cut through the air with a faint rush of wind.
The boy's movements were not fast, and were even somewhat clumsy, but his expression was unusually focused, his gaze far too sharp for a child.
His name was Ye Chuanliu, a transmigrator whose soul came from another world.
A few months earlier, he had taken the place of an orphan with the same name in this world, becoming one of Konoha's countless war orphans.
Along with him had come a special advantage called the [Inheritance System].
And the man the system had selected for his inheritance was none other than the man who stood at the pinnacle of swordsmanship-the World's Greatest Swordsman, Dracule "Hawkeye" Mihawk!
Nine hundred ninety-seven, nine hundred ninety-eight, nine hundred ninety-nine...
Ye Chuan counted silently. His arms had begun to ache from the repetitive movements, and fine beads of sweat had formed on his forehead, but his grip on the sword remained steady.
One thousand!
Only when his thousandth swing fell did his tense body relax slightly. At the same time, that familiar voice rang out in his mind right on cue.
[Daily task: Swing your sword one thousand times (1000/1000) completed.] [Inheritance experience gained: +1] [Inheritance template: Dracule "Hawkeye" Mihawk] [Current inheritance progress: 0.8%]
Almost the instant the system notification ended, the scene before Ye Chuan's eyes suddenly blurred and twisted!
His consciousness seemed to be stripped away and cast into a pitch-black sea of surging waves, flashing lightning, and rolling thunder.
He "saw" an equally young silhouette standing alone on a small boat, holding the indistinct outline of a sword.
Ye Chuan could "feel" the bone-deep cold and "hear" the howling wind and deafening thunder around him.
The paths of the wind and the patterns of the waves all seemed to become lines that could be severed in those golden hawk eyes that were "his"!
It was an almost instinctive power of perception!
An imperious understanding that brought everything in the world into the domain of the sword!
The scene receded like the tide. Ye Chuan still stood in the same spot, his eyes tightly closed.
He did not move immediately, instead carefully absorbing the new, instinct-like understanding in his mind.
An understanding of "observation," of "severing," of "the existence of the sword"...
Only after a long while did he slowly open his eyes.
"So this is... the talent of the World's Greatest Swordsman?"
Ye Chuan could not help tightening his grip on the wooden sword, his knuckles whitening slightly from the force.
"These were only the fruits of the most basic sword practice when he was a few years old, yet the understanding of swordsmanship they contain... is already this extraordinary."
Ye Chuan could not help thinking of himself.
For months, he had persisted in swinging his sword a thousand times every day, without a single interruption.
With an adult's soul and willpower, he could indeed endure more hardship and focus better than children his age.
But without the system, relying on his own insight alone, he feared that even a lifetime spent practicing basic sword swings like this might not let him grasp one ten-thousandth of the essence he had just experienced.
Sometimes, the gap between one person and another really was greater than that between a person and a dog.
"Truly... a talent I could never hope to match." Ye Chuan gave a self-mocking smile.
Compared to a monstrous genius like Dracule Mihawk, his so-called "transmigrator advantage" from that little extra strength of soul was hardly worth mentioning.
But precisely because of that, he was all the more grateful for the [Inheritance System].
What he lacked in talent, the system could make up for!
"Even if our starting points are worlds apart, as long as I keep going one step at a time, keep accumulating inheritance experience, and keep absorbing his insights..."
Ye Chuan's gaze grew firm and sharp once more.
"One day, I'll be able to unleash a sword strike that cuts through everything, too!"
This world was far more fascinating, and far more dangerous, than the seas Mihawk had inhabited in his childhood!
The shadow of the Nine-Tails' Rampage had yet to fade completely. Judging by the timeline, the tragedy of the Uchiha Clan's massacre was probably close at hand as well.
Not to mention the Akatsuki, which would collect the tailed beasts and spark the Fourth Shinobi World War in the future, or the Ōtsutsuki Clan lurking even deeper in the shadows...
In this terrifying world, where villages, nations, and even the world itself could so easily face destruction, without sufficient strength, a so-called transmigrator was nothing more than slightly unusual cannon fodder.
At that thought, Ye Chuan took a deep breath and raised his wooden sword again.
Whoosh!
The wooden sword swept out. Its speed and power were still immature, but its path seemed more direct and incisive, faintly carrying a sense of "cleaving" the air.
"Still a long way to go." Feeling his body's limits, Ye Chuan shook his head.
A surge of exhaustion and intense hunger interrupted his attempt.
This six-year-old body was still too frail.
He had Hawkeye's understanding and insights, but without sufficient strength and stamina to support them, his body inevitably fell short of his intentions.
"Food, rest, and then... the Ninja Academy."
Ye Chuan leaned the wooden sword against the wall and dragged his weary body over to push open the creaking wooden door behind him.
The furnishings inside were extremely simple: a single bed, a small table, a chair, and a low cabinet in the corner. There was nothing else.
This was the bare-minimum housing Konoha provided for war orphans, maintained on a monthly allowance from the village that barely covered food and clothing.
Ye Chuan had no particular complaints about it.
Simplicity meant peace and quiet, with no one to disturb him.
Instead, this solitude let him better settle down to train and think, and bore some resemblance to Hawkeye's solitary, aloof path of swordsmanship.
Taking two cold, hard rice balls out of the cabinet, Ye Chuan ate them in small bites, his face expressionless, as his thoughts turned to the new life about to begin.
"The Ninja Academy. I start tomorrow, don't I?"
The Ninja Academy was the starting point of this world's system of power.
Chakra extraction, the Three Basic Ninjutsu, shuriken throwing, basic taijutsu, ninja theory... these were all foundations a ninja would depend on in the future.
I'll focus on swordsmanship, but I can't neglect a ninja's fundamentals.
Ye Chuan silently laid out his plans.
Chakra is the foundation. I have to master it.
Taijutsu concerns physical strength and directly affects my swordsmanship. I need to take it seriously, too.
The Three Basic Ninjutsu are the foundation for survival and taking action. They're just as important.
As for shuriken and theory classes... a general understanding will do.
The most crucial issue was how to hide his swordsmanship inheritance.
He had no desire to attract the attention of Konoha's higher-ups as soon as he enrolled, especially that ever-haunting Danzo.
Until he had enough strength to protect himself, keeping a low profile while growing stronger was the best course.
His swordsmanship could only serve as a hidden trump card, practiced when no one was around.
At school, it would be enough to perform above average or show a little talent in taijutsu.
Once he had laid low long enough to reach one hundred percent of Hawkeye's inheritance, that would mean possessing terrifying strength at Kage Level, or possibly even beyond it.
Even if he could not defeat those true monsters, that kind of power would absolutely be enough to establish himself in this world and live freely!
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