Chapter 3: The Iron Duel
The dawn was quiet, but Kaien's breath was not.
He exhaled slowly, his breath forming a faint mist in the cool morning air. In his right hand, he held a short wooden practice sword—nothing more than a training stick to most, but to him, it was a sacred instrument. At the tender age of three, Kaien Hatake stood in a quiet clearing behind the Hatake compound, his crimson eyes closed, his body perfectly balanced.
Each breath was measured. Each movement deliberate. He was not just mimicking Yoriichi Tsugikuni anymore—he was becoming him.
[Template Progress: 12.7%]
The last two years had been grueling. Endless repetitions, visualization drills, meditative breathing, and secret nighttime practice sessions when the village slumbered. He had learned to stand like a warrior. To walk like a swordsman. To breathe like a storm held still in flesh.
He had also trained in secret with his father's discarded blades, practicing the Hatake sword style through pure observation and imitation. No one noticed the blunted training weapons were slowly growing worn.
But today, Kaien would test himself not in theory, not in simulation, but in the real world.
Word had spread quietly in the shinobi underground: a wandering warrior from the Land of Iron had arrived in Konoha. The man, known only as Hozuki of the Ashen Blade, was a ronin—an experienced swordsman who had once served the Daimyō of Iron but now traveled seeking worthy opponents.
Kaien's father, Riku, had no idea how his three-year-old son had managed to arrange a duel. He had assumed Kaien's strange behavior—the long silences, the unusual discipline, the near-obsessive focus on his movements—was merely an early sign of prodigy.
But Kaien was more than a prodigy. He was a legend in the making.
The duel was to take place at the Konoha training fields. Few came to watch—only a few curious jonin and two ANBU observers. The duel was unofficial, yet rumors had already begun swirling through the village like wildfire. A Hatake child, barely a toddler, was challenging a wandering swordmaster. Most believed it a joke.
Kaien arrived in silence, clad in simple gray clothes. His hair, pale silver-white, was tied back in a topknot that made him look far older than his age. He walked barefoot on the grass, his wooden training sword gripped tightly.
Hozuki was already there. A tall man with weathered features and a long scar running from his temple to his chin. He looked down at Kaien and sneered.
"You're the child? This is a waste of my time."
Kaien said nothing.
He bowed low. Deep. Respectfully.
Then he assumed the first stance of Sun Breathing—left foot forward, back foot angled, sword raised over the shoulder.
Sun Breathing – First Form: Dance.
Hozuki's sneer deepened into a frown.
"You're mocking me, boy?"
"No," Kaien spoke for the first time, his voice clear and calm. "I'm honoring the blade."
A murmur went through the spectators.
Riku stood in the background, arms folded, face pale with anxiety.
"Begin!" called the ANBU observer.
Hozuki moved first, a flash of steel cutting through the air. His katana gleamed in the light as he lunged forward, intending to end the duel in a single strike.
Kaien didn't move. He exhaled.
Inhale. Step. Twist. Slash.
His wooden blade met steel. A high-pitched ring filled the field. Hozuki's eyes widened—his sword was redirected. A simple parry, but the force behind it was shocking.
Kaien pivoted, his feet light, his breath steady.
Sun Breathing – Second Form: Clear Blue Sky.
The wooden blade spun in a wide arc, forcing Hozuki back. For the next minute, they exchanged blow after blow. Kaien danced between them like a leaf on the wind. His small frame allowed for evasive maneuvers impossible for adults. Each strike from him was filled with intent, channeled from years of memory and unnatural discipline.
Even the ANBU were stunned.
"He's matching a master swordsman… with a training stick?" one muttered.
"It's not just talent," another said. "That's a style I've never seen. Those forms… They're like flame."
Ten minutes passed.
Kaien's arms ached. Sweat drenched his back. His legs trembled. But his breathing never wavered.
[Breathing Mastery Progress: Lightning +1% | Water +1% | Earth +0.5%]
He pressed on. His crimson eyes locked onto Hozuki's shoulders, watching the slightest twitch, the tiniest movement of muscle.
Then it happened.
Transparent World.
For a brief second, he saw it. The opening.
Kaien exhaled sharply and struck.
Sun Breathing – Seventh Form: Sunflower Thrust.
His wooden blade pierced through Hozuki's defense, stopping just short of the man's throat.
Silence.
The ronin stared in disbelief. His blade trembled in his hand, then dropped to the ground.
"I yield," he said.
Gasps. Then cheers.
Riku stumbled forward, eyes wide, grabbing his son by the shoulders.
"What… are you?" he whispered.
Kaien didn't answer. He simply bowed again to his opponent.
That night, the entire village buzzed with rumors. A three-year-old Hatake defeating a master from the Land of Iron? Unbelievable. Impossible.
And yet it had happened.
[Achievement Unlocked: Defeat a Master Swordsman Before Age 4 – Template Progress +10%] [Hatake Sword Style: Integrated – Basic Level Mastery Achieved] [Breathing Styles Unlocked for Study: Lightning, Water, Earth]
Kaien sat alone in his room that night, blade resting across his lap.
The road was long. But this was the first real step.
He whispered to the night:
"I will master it all. For I am the breath of the sun. And the sword of Konoha."