"What kind of shurikenjutsu even is this?!"
After a brief moment of shock, Sasuke immediately started complaining.
What did this move...
Have to do with the floating kunai from earlier?!
Right now, Sasuke's feelings were about the same as Nagato's when faced with advanced mathematics.
Glancing at the storm of blade fragments howling around them, Sasuke's face instantly darkened.
Was this really something he could learn?!"Impressive, huh?" Kaito effortlessly lifted the Executioner's Blade with one hand, casually swinging the fully restored weapon.
Then, with his other hand, he snapped his fingers in front of Sasuke. The surrounding blade fragments, now devoid of power, immediately fell from the air.
"No way..."
"How did you do that???"
Sasuke was genuinely surprised by the blade's recovery. He had heard from Kakashi-sensei that this unique ninja sword could absorb blood to repair itself.
But here was the problem—
He hadn't seen the Executioner's Blade absorb any blood just now!
Kaito naturally understood Sasuke's confusion.
The Executioner's Blade's trait was absorbing iron from blood to restore its form.
Following that logic, when he had shattered the weapon earlier, he had channeled Metal-attributed Spiritual Energy into it.
Perhaps tasting something different, the broken Executioner's Blade—now just a hilt—regrew its missing parts out of thin air, an effect no less impressive than igniting a lightsaber.
Ready to patiently instruct his younger brother, Kaito put on a stern face and began explaining the key points.
"You know about the Executioner's Blade's special trait, right?"
"Yeah, blood absorption for repair."
Hearing this, Sasuke nodded slightly, ears perked up like an eager student.
Kaito raised a finger. "Then let me use a medium arterial bleed as an example."
Sasuke: "...?"
Sasuke was momentarily lost but kept listening patiently.
"Basic capacity is 30 liters per minute."
"Simply put..."
"At that rate, the bleeding is faster than water flowing from a faucet."
At this point, even Uchiha Hikari turned her gaze over, her puzzled expression nearly matching Sasuke's.
"Wait—?!"
"How is this related to what I just asked you?!"
"And isn't this something medical ninjas should study?!"
Sasuke's expression grew impatient.
He had a sneaking suspicion Kaito was messing with him.
"Of course it's related." As he spoke, Kaito condensed a cluster of Metal-attributed Spiritual Energy in his palm and held it out to Sasuke.
"Spiritual Energy—a power different from Chakra."
"Get familiar with it first."
His little brother had taken two Spiritual Energy Pills from Orochimaru earlier that afternoon, pills meant for cultivators at the Qi Refining Stage.
These pills were essentially a shortcut to lowering the difficulty of breaking through to Foundation Establishment.
However...
Kaito hadn't sensed any Spiritual Energy fluctuations from Sasuke today, meaning he likely hadn't opened his Qi Sea. The energy had passed through him without being retained.
"Spiritual Energy?"
Sasuke tilted his head, immediately looking toward their ancestor.
"Our Uchiha clan has this power too??"
Though Sasuke struggled to grasp what this "Spiritual Energy" was, just the name alone made it sound impressive.
Hikari, feeling the dumb kid's gaze, pursed her lips, hesitated, then finally spoke before leaving the scene.
"Kaito, I'll go buy some sunflower seeds for your brother."
Sasuke, baffled, scratched his head, thinking their ancestor had become much more approachable lately.
"Alright! Kaito, teach me how to cultivate Spiritual Energy."
"I'm ready."
Once reassured by their ancestor that this wasn't some prank, Sasuke instantly grew excited."Let's put cultivation aside for now." Kaito waved his hand, temporarily skipping the topic of Sasuke. After all, mastering cultivation techniques and reaching the cultivation stage would take considerable time.
Meanwhile, pairing the Executioner's Blade with a simplified version of the Sword Control Technique could quickly boost Sasuke's combat power.
"I'll arrange for you to attend classes later."
"??"
"You just learned how to repair the Executioner's Blade. Now, I'll teach you how to control those blade fragments."
Kaito's teaching pace was incredibly fast—so fast that Sasuke felt left behind after just a second of hesitation.
"W-Wait a minute!!"
"Something feels off here..."
Sasuke scratched his cheek, looking puzzled, as if he had missed something crucial.
"Are you learning or not?"
"I'm starting now."
Kaito, already forming hand seals, shot Sasuke an impatient glance. Seeing this, Sasuke had no choice but to set aside his doubts and obediently follow Kaito's lead, mimicking the hand seals while using his Sharingan to observe the Chakra flow within his body.
Two hours later...
Sasuke clumsily manipulated a Kunai with Chakra, wobbling like a drunkard in midair, its trajectory unpredictable.
Thunk—
The Kunai hit the target—not a bullseye, but still an encouraging result for Sasuke.
"I did it!"
"Kaito!" Sasuke shouted excitedly, tugging at Kaito's sleeve. "Did you see that?!"
"I learned it!"
Sasuke was overjoyed.
For the first time in years, he had managed to learn a proper Ninjutsu from Kaito without suffering too much.
Especially after Kakashi's guidance, he suddenly realized that Lightning Release training...
Wasn't as difficult as he had imagined.
Not that the "electric pole training method" was bad—it was just that Kaito's methods tended to be life-threatening.
"Alright, alright..."
Kaito yawned and lazily pointed at the remaining ten Shuriken nearby. "Now try those. Make them float first."
Just as he was about to take a quick nap, he saw Sasuke forming seals and directly sending the Shuriken flying toward the target.
"I told you I already got it."
"What's next?"
Sasuke was eager to learn the "Blade Tornado" technique Kaito had demonstrated earlier. He had already grasped the principle—just one more look, and he could master it completely.
"Foolish little brother."
"Let me explain again."
Kaito reached out, grabbed the Executioner's Blade from the ground, and swung it a few times in front of Sasuke.
"First, smash the Executioner's Blade to pieces."
Clang—
Under Sasuke's stunned gaze, Kaito punched the Executioner's Blade into several fragments. Only then did Sasuke realize what had been bothering him earlier...
His face darkened.
"I can't do that."
Honestly...
If he had the strength to casually shatter the Executioner's Blade like Kaito...
Why would he even need flashy Ninjutsu?
Kaito was genuinely shocked by this response. Slowly lowering the Executioner's Blade, he scrutinized his younger brother.
"What about your Lightning Release comprehension?!"
"The Executioner's Blade is metal! It conducts electricity! Idiot!"
Furious, Kaito grabbed the hilt and smacked Sasuke with it. He finally understood—once this kid gained enough power, he stopped thinking and opted for the most brainless approach.
"Ow!"The beaten Sasuke suddenly exclaimed in surprise, his face lighting up as he looked at Kaito. "You mean heating it up!?"
"I get it now!"
Sasuke had some understanding of blacksmithing. Combined with using lightning to heat the metal and then slamming it into the ground...
He could even come up with more variations than Kaito.
For example, first attacking with the Executioner's Blade enhanced with Lightning Release, then using the heated, red-hot melted blade as molten lava to throw at the enemy, and finally finishing the kill with a tornado technique like Kaito had done earlier.
At this moment, Sasuke felt enlightened.
But then a crucial problem with this Ninjutsu occurred to him.
"Wait, how do I repair the Executioner's Blade without Spiritual Energy?"
Kaito pointed to several vital points on Sasuke's body.
"Major arteries... use the enemy's blood. Or your own."
"Kaito, you didn't need to add that last part!"
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Sorry im too lazy to upload lmao