Uchiha Fugaku stared at Kakashi with disbelief written all over his face.
He had honestly expected Kakashi to come with some secret information, some warning about the village's growing hostility. But instead—
Kakashi brought someone here to buy a sword.
For a whole second, Fugaku's mind went blank.
So you didn't come to share intelligence…
You brought someone to bargain with the Uchiha clan?
Of all the possibilities Fugaku imagined, this was the last.
He rubbed his forehead, speechless.
After all… it was just a sword.
If Moonlight Hayate wanted a decent weapon, he could get one in any store in Konoha. If he wanted a high-quality one, he could travel to the Land of Iron or the Land of Craftsmen and custom order it.
Why in the world was he coming here?
For a moment, Fugaku even considered throwing the two out for wasting his time. But he held himself back.
He was the Uchiha patriarch—he needed to keep the bigger picture in mind.
The Uchiha couldn't afford unnecessary conflicts, not when the village already looked at them with suspicion.
So after taking a deep breath, Fugaku forced his expression into something calm and neutral.
"How many blades do you need?" Fugaku asked. "If you want, I can take you to the warehouse and let you choose."
Moonlight Hayate scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Something told him Fugaku wasn't exactly thrilled about this topic… but he was here for a sword, so he forced himself to speak quickly.
"It's not a warehouse blade. I saw a sword carried by a young Uchiha outside the training grounds. I really liked it, so I want to buy it from him—with money, of course!"
Fugaku's brow lifted slightly.
"Whose sword?"
"Uchiha Souji," Hayate replied instantly.
The name hit Fugaku like cold water.
This just got complicated.
If it had been any other young Uchiha, Fugaku could simply order the boy to hand over the weapon. The clan would compensate him with something even better, and the situation would end neatly.
But Uchiha Souji…
Souji was different.
He was someone Fugaku already planned to observe and cultivate—a quiet talent with unusual habits but strong potential.
Taking his sword by force would only leave resentment.
Fugaku stroked his chin thoughtfully. He needed to handle this carefully.
Souji's parents are only Chūnin… they definitely can't afford such a high-quality sword. Maybe the blade is too much for him anyway. Better to replace it with an Uchiha-forged one.
Fugaku nodded to himself.
"Fine," he said. "Go call Souji—and bring his sword."
The Uchiha ninja nearby nodded and instantly vanished.
---
Souji and the Blade
Across the training yard, Uchiha Souji was standing alone, practicing sword swings with intense focus. His blade sliced cleanly through the air, sharp and fast.
In his hands was the Third Generation Onikiri, a blade he had obtained through his mysterious system.
He needed to master it as soon as possible.
Souji knew he wasn't naturally gifted.
He had little chakra, no Sharingan, and no elite teacher.
Ninjutsu? No.
Genjutsu? Impossible.
Advanced techniques? Not happening.
That left him with only three paths:
– Hidden weapons,
– Taijutsu,
– And swordsmanship.
The Uchiha clan was terrible at taijutsu.
Hidden weapons lacked real power.
Swordsmanship, however… the clan actually had an impressive sword-style legacy. And thanks to the system, Souji had learned a special technique: the Flying Blade Flow, a ninjutsu-based sword style that could evolve with chakra.
So he chose the path of the sword wholeheartedly.
And honestly, he didn't want to practice at night anymore.
He still remembered the day Fugaku discovered him.
Since then, training openly was completely fine. Sneaking out at midnight with a demon blade was… too dangerous.
What if he accidentally chopped off something important? His whole future happiness would be ruined.
While swinging the blade, he muttered to himself:
"This is good stuff. System items are way better than those cheap swords outside…"
If he wasn't training right now, he might've hugged the sword and kissed it twice. This was the foundation of his entire future.
One day, if he escaped the ninja lifestyle, he could sell the sword for a fortune.
Enough money for a quiet life in the Fire Capital.
Three wives and four concubines.
A peaceful retirement.
Much better than being a ninja.
Finally finishing his daily self-discipline training, Souji wiped his sweat and took a long breath.
"System," he called in his mind, "sign in for today!"
Ding~ Sign-in successful. Reward acquired: Sword Language Skill.
Souji blinked.
Suddenly, it felt like a new eye had opened in the center of his forehead.
Strange memories filled his mind—techniques, sensations, and knowledge that definitely did not originate from the shinobi world.
This ability let him… see the spirit of the sword.
Communicate with it.
Souji stared at nothing for a second.
"Who would invent such a boring technique… who talks to swords?"
Still, he pulled the Onikiri from his waist and looked at it through his new ability.
A dark mist rose from the blade, gathering into the shape of a grinning, malicious face.
The evil spirit inside the sword surveyed its surroundings, then looked directly at Souji.
After a long silent moment, the spirit slowly raised one misty hand.
And flipped Souji off.
Souji's eye twitched.
"What kind of sword spirit is this?! So rude!"
The spirit clearly disliked him.
It resented the fact that Souji had achieved resonance with the blade without its permission. Normally, only masters approved by the spirit earned such connection.
In other words—
Souji cheated.
So now, the sword spirit hated him.
Just as Souji was about to smack the blade in irritation, a masked Uchiha ninja suddenly appeared behind him.
The ninja froze for a moment.
To him, Souji appeared to be staring deeply into his blade in complete silence, his eyes half-closed in concentration. It looked like some mystical warrior meditation technique—like the legendary sword monks from the Land of Iron.
"He's practicing… sword Zen?"
The ninja suddenly felt admiration rise inside him.
Such dedication. Such talent. This boy is truly something special.
Souji, seeing the strange look, felt confused but remained polite.
"Is the patriarch looking for me?"
"Yes, Lord Souji," the ninja replied respectfully.
Souji blinked.
Lord? Why the sudden respect?
Before he could ask anything, he was already being led toward Fugaku's residence.
Whatever this was…
It definitely wasn't simple.
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