Chapter 6

At night, the stars shone brightly.

In the small training ground within the compound, Yagumo, holding the short blade he had bought in the evening, began to imitate Kakashi Hatake's techniques, mimicking them as best he could.

Kakashi's 24 sword techniques can roughly be divided into six categories: thrust, slash, thrust, cut, chop, and horizontal. Each category has different variations in different aspects. The few techniques Yagumo was practicing at the moment were from the slash and thrust categories. Compared to Kakashi's fluid and natural movements, his own attempts seemed somewhat awkward.

Kakashi's sword techniques emphasize speed, so he chose a light and nimble short blade, abandoning the pressure of defense and strikes for more direct damage.

It's about skill rather than strength, and about intent rather than technique.

However, even though Yagumo understood this, he could not replicate Kakashi's sword techniques. The subtle techniques in the details could not be learned through observation alone without proper guidance.

"No, I can't be impatient... I still have six days."

The next day at noon, he borrowed "Introduction to Sword Techniques," "How to Use a Sword," and "A Brief Discussion on Sword Techniques" from the library. He decided to temporarily abandon his study of medical basics and focus all his energy on sword techniques. In the afternoon, he continued to pretend to read books while observing Kakashi's sword practice, gaining more insights the second day.

It's worth noting that today, for some unknown reason, Hiraizumi did not try to snatch Yagumo's homework. Instead, he was scolded by the homeroom teacher, Shimizu Keisuke, for not doing his homework and was sent out to stand as punishment.

At night, Yagumo practiced the simplest sword techniques in the training ground: basic swings, slashes, thrusts, horizontal blocks, advancing swings, retreating horizontal blocks, advancing thrusts, and horizontal downward chops.

After studying "Introduction to Sword Techniques," Yagumo realized that learning anything is like building a skyscraper; only by laying a solid foundation can one continue to expand upwards.

Assuming Kakashi's demonstrated sword techniques are on the third floor, and he is a complete beginner, even if he tries to imitate as much as possible, he can only achieve a level of awkwardness because he lacks the foundational skills to support such imitation.

In the training ground within the compound, Yagumo, wearing a thin shirt, practiced the basic eight techniques, his movements becoming increasingly fluid. Sweat gradually formed on his body, turning into white steam that rose from his head.

"Huff."

Rapid breathing echoed in the training ground. Yagumo's arms grew heavier, but he gritted his teeth and continued to persist.

The books mentioned that when swinging a sword, one must maintain a steady breathing rhythm, without becoming disordered. One should adjust their breathing frequency to match the movements of the sword. Although this does not strengthen the body, it at least prevents one from getting out of breath during practice...

Of course, it sounds simple, but it is extremely difficult to do. As time passed, Yagumo's arms, waist, and even legs became extremely heavy, as if filled with countless bags of lead.

Maintaining steady breathing became increasingly difficult. Finally, his breathing became disordered. After completing a standard downward chop, Yagumo sheathed his sword, sat cross-legged, and rested to recover his strength and adjust his breathing.

Sitting in meditation, he felt the shape, weight, and sharpness of the sword on his leg. The book said that the weapon is an extension of the body, so one should not treat the sword as an external object but as part of oneself.

After about ten minutes, Yagumo drank a large mouthful of cool water from a glass and stood up again to practice his sword techniques. He was serious about completing his mission...

As a former king of hard work, he had created countless legends and records, which led to his obsession with missions, ultimately causing his sudden death in his previous life.

Once... twice... three times...

Until his breathing became disordered again, and he collapsed on the ground.

After resting, he got up again, his eyes determined, with a hint of madness and obsession.

The next day, Yagumo, with his sore body, began his painful yet joyful morning run. He only returned to normal after the warm energy from the mission washed away most of the soreness.

On Wednesday night, Yagumo practiced the basic eight techniques as usual. Two days and eight hours of training had made him much more proficient and natural.

A gentle breeze blew through the surrounding grass, carrying away the sweat from Yagumo's body. In the deserted training ground, the young boy continued to accumulate strength.

On June 10th, Thursday night.

Training ground.

This time, Yagumo did not start training immediately but opened the skill panel he had not checked for a long time.

【Personal Skills】

Active: Water Bullet Introduction 50/100 [Accelerate]

Basic Sword Techniques Introduction 60/100 [Accelerate]

Gold Coins: 400

With a slight mental command, he tapped the "Accelerate" option for Basic Sword Techniques, and 400 gold coins instantly disappeared.

"Enjoy the game, and may you have a pleasant experience."

A flood of memories of practicing sword techniques surged into his mind. Under the impact of these memories, Yagumo was momentarily stunned. When he came to his senses and touched the sword on his leg again, he felt an incredible sense of familiarity.

The entry for Basic Sword Techniques on the skill panel rapidly increased in proficiency until it reached 100, and the word "Introduction" became ethereal, gradually being replaced by a new level.

Active: Basic Sword Techniques Proficient 0/200 [Accelerate]

At that moment, it felt as if he had broken through some kind of restriction and entered a higher level. Yagumo opened his eyes and clenched his fists, feeling that this breakthrough had made his body stronger and his vitality more robust.

With this question in mind, Yagumo opened his personal panel.

【Personal Panel】

Name: Yagumo

Age: 7

Constitution: 4.8 (Endurance, Resistance, Recovery)

Strength: 3.5 (Weightlifting, Attacks, etc.)

Agility: 4.0 (Nerve Reaction, Running, etc.)

Intelligence: 4.3 (Learning Ability, Mental Resistance)

Chakra: 6.2 (10 points to become a genin)

This... Yagumo was somewhat stunned. The breakthrough in Basic Sword Techniques had increased his constitution and strength by 0.4 each, equivalent to the gains from two and a half days of daily missions, which was a pleasant surprise.

This improvement should be a direct result of the proficiency breakthrough, as he did not receive any attribute points when he used gold coins to accelerate Basic Sword Techniques yesterday.

After drinking a few mouthfuls of cool water, Yagumo stood up again. This time, his sword movements were no longer awkward. The sword shadow flashed, even with a touch of beauty and a chilling coldness.

A withered leaf flew in from a distance, carried by the breeze. Yagumo focused his gaze, held the sword with both hands, and chopped downward.

The sword light flashed, and the withered leaf was instantly split into four pieces in mid-air. Yagumo exhaled deeply and shook his head, unsatisfied with the result.

On Wednesday afternoon, he had seen Kakashi Hatake slice a flying leaf in half with a single stroke, leaving a straight, smooth cut while the rest of the leaf remained intact.

That was a perfect cut, effortlessly controlling extreme violence in a single line. Only such a cut could penetrate armor, severely injure, or kill the ninja inside.

He still had a long way to go...

Now, what troubled him was how to obtain sword techniques from Kakashi and practice them to the introductory level in the remaining three days. Was there no other way but to find an opportunity to initiate a conversation with Kakashi?

Giving up... is impossible...