After tidying up the clutter in the courtyard, Hatake Kusuo gave up on training with shuriken, as they no longer offered him much benefit.
Now, Kusuo had a better path to follow.
With the Yoriichi Tsugikuni template in his possession, he had made up his mind to specialize in the sword.
In the future, who's to say he couldn't one day sever Uchiha Madara's head with a single Sun Breathing strike?
He returned to his small home, the inheritance left behind by his late parents. It stood right beside Kakashi's house.
Carefully, Kusuo retrieved a sword from a treasured wooden rack.
This was the ancestral blade passed down in his generation of the Hatake clan.
Its appearance was plain and unadorned, but it was frighteningly sharp. His father had once wielded it to cut down many foes on the battlefield.
For training, it was more than enough.
The cold steel, heavy and ancient in his grip, instantly captivated Kusuo with its deadly feel.
He adapted to it quickly.
It felt almost like he had been born for this, as if he held a natural mastery over the sword in his hand.
Taking a deep breath.
Whoosh, hiss
Whoosh, hiss
Kusuo entered a focused state. His entire body slipped into a strange rhythm, and Yoriichi's astonishing talent guided him as he instinctively sought out the unique feeling of that Breathing Technique.
He felt the flow of the wind.
Slowly but surely.
[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have grasped the basics of the Breathing Technique. By using breath control to adjust the energy of every cell in your body, you are rewarded with Total Concentration Breathing.]
Kusuo's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected that simply trying to use the Breathing Technique would instantly earn him Total Concentration Breathing.
[Kusuo thought: Show portrayal level.]
[Current portrayal level: 1%.]
A translucent system panel appeared before him, and the phantom of a swordsman stood silently at his side.
Kusuo stepped into the courtyard.
He approached a wooden post the size of a grown man and fixed his gaze on it with full concentration.
He bent his knees, gathered strength, leapt, and slashed.
His form was practiced and precise.
The fluid, graceful motion he performed would have seemed impossible for a five-year-old child.
If anything, it looked more like the work of a swordsman who had devoted ten years or more to mastering the blade.
With a single slash, a cold gleam cut through the air.
Thump.
The adult-sized wooden post split cleanly into four pieces, from lower left to upper right and through the center.
The cuts were smooth and neat, like slicing through tofu.
Exhaling deeply, Kusuo stared excitedly at the sword in his hand. The result before him left him thoroughly satisfied.
Judging from these results, I'm already close to genin-level strength at the very least.
Heh, so what if I can't use ninjutsu? Any enemy who dares attack me will fall in a single strike.
Right now, his confidence was sky-high, his still-youthful face beaming with pride.
That's right. Since I'm portraying someone, I should aim to match him in every way I can.
I should go change into something more fitting.
With that, Kusuo dashed back inside. When he reappeared, it was as if he had transformed completely.
Though his body was small and young, he now wore red robes, sun-shaped earrings, and his hair was tied high in a ponytail.
A refined and striking young swordsman had been born.
[Ding! Congratulations, host. Portrayal level increased. Current portrayal level: 10%. Reward: Sun Breathing First Form.]
Kusuo's face showed an expression that said he had expected nothing less.
So as long as I keep meeting the system's requirements and keep moving toward Yoriichi's path, it's only a matter of time before I reach 100 percent portrayal.
I can't wait to test the power of Sun Breathing.
For once, there was a rare trace of nervousness in Kusuo's eyes.
Not for any other reason, but to see what level of combat strength he could now reach.
This next moment was especially crucial.
After a full day of training, the sky had grown dark.
Kusuo stared forward with determination, his gaze young but unwavering.
White mist escaped from between his clenched teeth as he drew his sword forcefully from his waist.
Swish
A sharp arc of sword light burst forth.
In an instant, a roaring fire dragon raced along the blade.
[Sun Breathing First Form: Dance of the Fire God!]
The massive flaming strike spun in a circle and slammed into the courtyard, illuminating the entire space with its fiery glow.
Boom
The ground shook violently.
What's going on?
Why is there such a commotion outside?
Kakashi, holding a short sword and studying the kenjutsu manual his father had left behind, felt the earth tremble beneath his feet. A flash of firelight outside caught his eye.
Oh no, something must have caught fire at Kusuo's place.
Thinking his cousin's house was ablaze, Kakashi sprang up and rushed outside, eager to help.
In a single body flicker, he arrived at the fence separating their homes. But what he saw left him speechless.
This...
The grass was flattened and torn up. Wooden training posts and dummies were scattered in pieces, all cleanly sliced in two. It was obvious this destruction had been caused by a single strike.
And in the middle of it all stood his young cousin, Kusuo.
Sword in hand.
Flames still curled along the blade, casting light on Kusuo's small face and making him look almost divine.
For some reason, that image of the red-clad boy struck Kakashi with a powerful shock.
He understood now.
All of this had been the work of his young cousin.
For the first time, the self-proclaimed genius realized he needed to reevaluate Hatake Kusuo completely.
/////////////////////////
Support me by adding this fic into your library!
100 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter