Chapter 226: Man Like a Sword X Konoha's White Fang's Request for Guidance
It was him... Konoha's White Fang!
"It's Uncle White Fang!"
The large tree was split in two, the cut surface smooth as a mirror... As the dust settled, it revealed the man wearing a green Jonin flak jacket, along with the short sword carried on his back that had harvested countless lives.
Shisui and Itachi stopped their movements and turned to look, a few rays of light suddenly blooming in the young ninjas' tender eyes.
The former was worshipful and excited... as if seeing an... idol!
The latter was thoughtful, quietly glancing at his Nii-san. He silently squatted down to gather the spilled stones back into the basket, hung it on the tip of the sword, and continued to swing...
A gentle breeze blew, swaying their bangs...
Behind the crashed tree, Konoha's White Fang—who had shocked the ninja world with his Chakra short sword "White Fang", having single-handedly completed 27 S-rank missions, including killing Sasori's parents, and whose battle record and current strength were above the Sannin as a true Kage-level figure—didn't mind being discovered at all. He smiled slightly, waved at them, and said, "Sorry, I didn't interrupt your training, did I?"
The man had come uninvited, his peripheral vision catching the nearly hundred-meter-long trench on the ground created by the crescent moon slash Roy had just casually thrown... His gaze shifted and finally settled on Roy, stepping over the fallen tree and walking slowly towards him.
"The training ground is shared by everyone. Uncle White Fang doesn't need to apologize, just make yourself at home..."
Roy sheathed his sword, faced White Fang, and glanced sideways at Shisui: "I remember I didn't tell you to stop, did I?"
Oops... got too excited!
Shisui's small frame trembled. He hurriedly copied Itachi, gathering the fallen stones back into the basket, hanging it on the sword tip, and continuing to swing... The snow-white sword light rose, but without his previous concentration. He kept getting distracted and dropping a few stones. Clearly... White Fang's arrival made it hard for him to stay calm.
"Shisui of the Body Flicker" and "Konoha's White Fang" were both ninjas known for their "speed", just that one relied on the visual prowess of the "Sharingan", and the other was driven by "Lightning attribute" Chakra. It's hard to say... that Shisui making a huge name for himself on the battlefield in the future wasn't influenced by Sakumo Hatake.
"Shisui,"
"Nii-san, I'm here."
"If I see you drop a single stone again,"
"Itachi... you add a thousand swings."
"Why Nii-san? It's my fault, why should Itachi be punished for me?"
Shisui asked in confusion, his hand movements deforming again due to distraction, and with a wobble, he dropped two stones.
"Because you are brothers, and also comrades... Two thousand..."
Brothers... comrades... Tap... tap... Footsteps echoed...
Hearing the boy's words and observing his actions, Sakumo Hatake stepped up to Roy and stopped. Seeing Shisui say "Oh", lower his head dejectedly, reset his stance, and continue swinging his sword—this time not daring to get distracted again—he said leisurely, "I used to only think your swordsmanship was formidable, a good seedling for practicing the sword. I didn't expect,"
"Your resolve to be so deep as well."
"The Will of Fire burns endlessly; it's all taught by the school." Roy opened his right hand, catching a falling leaf, and held it under the sunlight, looking at its distinct veins and vibrant green. That handsome face, three parts like Fugaku and seven parts like Mikoto, inexplicably... exuded a calm and peaceful aura, making Sakumo Hatake stare blankly. After a moment, he smiled elegantly...
"The school certainly doesn't teach people to blow up the school."
"Believe me, every student has dreamed of blowing up the school. Hasn't Uncle White Fang thought about it?"
"Me?" Sakumo Hatake was stunned. He actually rubbed his chin and pondered for a long time, saying, "I haven't blown up a school, but..."
The man winked mischievously at Roy: "I did corner someone in the bathroom and beat them up once."
Uh... Roy looked at him sideways. You... you were actually a bully back then?
The impression was collapsing... Seeming to notice the boy's suspicious look, Sakumo Hatake imitated his expression and glared: "What, he stole my sword, can't I beat him up?"
"Then he indeed deserved a beating." So that was it. Roy said seriously, "A sword is a swordsman's life."
"Yes, a sword is a swordsman's life." Sakumo Hatake watched the boy release the green leaf, letting it twirl and drift away with the wind. A trace of sorrow flashed in his eyes as he said slowly, "Unfortunately... now even if I wanted to beat him, I can't."
"Dead?"
"Dead."
Sakumo Hatake looked up at the sky faintly, the ethereal white clouds seemingly like the silhouette of an old friend: "You probably won't believe me if I say it, but he still died to protect me."
"I believe it," Roy looked up at the sky with him on this bright, sunny noon, accompanying the two children practicing the sword beside them, and said deeply, "Father once told me that hitting is intimacy and scolding is love. For him to die to protect Uncle White Fang, he must have acknowledged you as a comrade in his heart."
Sakumo Hatake was slightly stunned. Indeed, as Roy said, that guy had died smiling back then.
Sakumo Hatake still remembers what he looked like: chubby, with a full beard, liked to hold a foxtail grass in his mouth when he had nothing to do, and frequently made fun of him... Kazuya.
"Fugaku?"
"Doesn't sound like something he would say."
Sakumo Hatake returned to his senses, looking at the boy again, his eyes filled with appreciation as he said, "Honestly, I'm liking you more and more."
Roy smiled, showing his white teeth, and said brilliantly, "Many people say that, Uncle White Fang, you're not the first."
"Heh heh heh... is that so?" Sakumo Hatake was dumbfounded. He looked seriously at the boy in front of him, "I believe it."
Then his gaze moved down, settling on the sword in the boy's right hand. The Asauchi was perfectly straight, just like his White Fang, without the slightest curve, just like the person... didn't seem like someone who would lie. After a while, he said, "Roy, can you hand me your sword to take a look?"
"Solar Eclipse?"
The Asauchi trembled, letting out a sharp sword cry, as if responding to Roy's call.
To achieve Bankai, one must know its true name!
Hearing this sword cry, Sakumo Hatake murmured repeatedly, "Solar Eclipse,"
Looking up again, he laughed involuntarily. "It seems it's not very willing."
The man bowed slightly to the Asauchi: "Sorry, I was presumptuous."
Roy lowered his eyelids, running a tender finger along the blade of the Asauchi, from the hilt, the guard, the edge, to the tip, caressing it once, and spoke for it: "Excuse the joke, Uncle White Fang,"
"The child has been with me since it was young and only recognizes me, so... it's a bit shy with strangers."
Since young? Sakumo Hatake's eyes moved slightly. He originally thought this sword should be a gift from Fugaku to his son, but it seems... it's far more than that.
Shiiing
Another sword cry. Compared to the sharp one before, this time... Solar Eclipse enjoyed Roy's massage, extremely delighted, even... the sword tip couldn't help but tilt upwards slightly...
Roy felt its mood and gently patted the blade to signal it to be quiet. At this moment, he looked up again at Sakumo Hatake, and the boy said deeply, "Uncle White Fang didn't just come specifically to chat with me, did you?"
"Of course, chatting is also... chatting about swords!"
Konoha's White Fang unsheathed the short sword on his back with a clang. He looked at the boy solemnly and said, "Jin, I can't look at the sword, so... I ask for guidance in swordsmanship."
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you