Early the next morning.
Perhaps because the excitement of learning Kenjutsu hadn't faded yet, Taiichi woke up exceptionally early.
Strapping the short sword to his back, he stepped out the door. The sky outside was just beginning to lighten as Taiichi headed toward his training spot by the river. The riverside in the early morning was exceptionally tranquil. Occasionally, schools of fish could be seen dragging moon-white fins through the water, churning the reflected starlight into fine silver sand. A few chirps of insects from afar did little to break the silence.
Arriving at the riverside, Taiichi felt refreshed by the serene scenery. He did some warm-up exercises to loosen his body, then drew the short sword from his back with a reverse grip.
The newly purchased short sword flashed with a cold glint as it left the sheath. Dewdrops condensing on the spine of the blade fell onto the river surface, scattering a few silver fish. He adjusted his grip according to the Hatake Style Basic Kenjutsu scroll—the red marks on his palm from the birch handle fit perfectly into the web of his hand. The key points Kakashi taught him last night became even clearer in the morning breeze.
His first few swings were still awkward, the sound of the blade cutting the air like a blunt instrument dragging across cotton. By the thirty-seventh diagonal slash, the blade suddenly emitted a clear, resonant hum, the cloud patterns on the tsuba flowing in the dawn light. Taiichi was delighted to sense that his center of gravity was flowing naturally with the micro-adjustments of his wrist, as if the blade and his arm were gradually merging into one. Sweat dripped from his tense jaw onto the handguard, but he continued to mechanically repeat the slashing motion, letting the soreness spread from his knuckles to his shoulder blades.
> [You practiced Hatake Style Kenjutsu. Your comprehension has improved.]
> [Your skill Hatake Style Kenjutsu has leveled up. Experience +1]
> [You focused on Hatake Style Kenjutsu practice. Apprentice Ninja Class Experience +1]
...
In the reflection on the river surface, the boy's figure overlapped with the swaying reeds. When the thousandth swing was completed, the morning sun pierced through the mist, plating the blade in pale gold. On the slanted cut marks on the bank, a few neatly severed blades of grass trembled in the morning breeze.
Finishing the invigorating workout, Taiichi's whole body was steaming with sweat. Seeing that his Kenjutsu skill was about to level up, he suppressed the urge to continue training with the sword and switched to Ninjutsu practice. There was no helping it; time was limited, and he had to train everything, so he could only allocate a bit of time to each. At times like this, Taiichi would think of the Shadow Clone Jutsu and wonder when he could learn it.
Standing by the riverbank, Taiichi began to form hand seals rapidly. Rat - Tiger - Dog - Ox - Rabbit - Tiger. Six seals completed in two seconds. This speed wasn't slow, but compared to Itachi Uchiha's seven seals per second, it was really nothing.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Taiichi spat out twelve fireballs in one breath. Grouped in sets of three, they flew in a triangular formation toward four different directions. The fireballs hit the distant water surface, sending up large plumes of steam.
Taiichi was relatively satisfied with the effect of this jutsu. Whether in terms of casting speed, power, or control, it exceeded the level of an average Genin.
Thinking this, Taiichi formed seals again. It was Phoenix Flower Jutsu once more, but this time, instead of spreading them out, he controlled every fireball to smash into the same spot. Dull thuds of "boom, boom" rang out continuously, and the water surface in that area was constantly depressed by the impacts.
...
Next, Taiichi cycled through the few jutsu he knew until his Chakra was nearly bottomed out before stopping. He didn't deliberately refine Chakra, allowing the Chakra Refining Technique to operate instinctively within his body. Although this made Chakra recovery slower than focused refinement, the advantage was that it didn't strain his body. After all, this was the Leaf Village, not a war zone, so safety was somewhat guaranteed. Slow Chakra recovery didn't matter.
Finishing his morning training, Taiichi strapped the short sword back on, went home to wash up and eat, and got ready for school.
Ninja Academy, Classroom.
As soon as Taiichi stepped into the classroom, he attracted the attention of a large number of students. After all, he came to school carrying a sword today, which was very different from his usual appearance.
"Taiichi, are you learning Kenjutsu?" Shizune, who was nearby, pointed at the scabbard on Taiichi's back and exclaimed.
Before Taiichi could answer, Gai rushed over like a whirlwind. The sweat on his green jumpsuit hadn't dried yet; clearly, he had just been running laps around the school again. "Whoa!" He stared at Taiichi and the sword with shining eyes. "Are you planning to carry that sword around all the time from now on?"
Kakashi walked over from the side as well, scrutinizing Taiichi carefully. A muffled comment came from under his mask: "You adjusted the grip angle by 5 degrees. More suitable for reverse-grip strikes." He noticed Obito stumble over Taiichi's scabbard while trying to squeeze into the crowd, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. What a pair of clowns.
"What's so great about that!" Obito grabbed his forehead protector to steady himself. "Our Uchiha style Kenjutsu is way more powerful than this!" He deliberately tossed a kunai into the air, letting it spin three times before catching it. "See that? That's true..."
"Idiot," Kakashi interjected nonchalantly. "Did you forget you stabbed your own forehead protector while practicing shuriken last week?"
Rin hurriedly smoothed things over. "Obito is very strong too! Didn't his Fireball Jutsu burn through three targets last time?" She turned to Taiichi, taking out some medicine from her medical pouch and shaking it. "Practicing with a sword on your back can strain your shoulder muscles. Do you need me to teach you how to use herbal hot compresses?"
"Thanks, but no need. I know a bit of medical ninjutsu too," Taiichi replied with a smile.
Now even Kakashi was surprised. They didn't know when he had quietly learned medical ninjutsu. Everyone looked at him like they had seen a ghost.
"So cool!" Gai burst into tears again. "Taiichi must be working hard in places we can't see! My youthful blood is burning!"
"Hey, hey! Is that the point?" Asuma poked his head out from the back row, half a fry hanging from his mouth. "I heard the Hatake Style Iai draw can split waterfalls? When is Taiichi going to show us?"
Kurenai walked over and tugged on Asuma's sleeve. "Idiot! True Kenjutsu requires Chakra flow to unleash its full power. Do you think this is a circus act? Besides, Taiichi just started learning!"
"My bad," Asuma apologized quickly.
Taiichi looked at the two suspiciously. Since when are they so close? But he quickly dismissed the thought; it didn't really concern him.
"Actually..." Taiichi gently stroked the cloud pattern on the tsuba, the metallic coolness seeping into his fingertips. "Just learning the basics yesterday gave me blisters on the web of my hand." He smiled gratefully at Kakashi. "Thanks to someone tapping my hand with a kunai handle to correct my posture."
Gai suddenly slammed both hands on the desk, the loud noise startling everyone. "Decided! When we spar tonight, I'm going to use my newly learned Leaf Whirlwind against your new Kenjutsu!" His thick eyebrows almost flew off his forehead. "Burn, my youth!"
Everyone sweatdropped.
"Count me in!" Obito didn't want to miss out on the fun. He jumped onto a desk and pointed at Kakashi. "I'm going to challenge Kakashi!"
"If you don't mind losing again, I have no objections," Kakashi said casually.
Laughter erupted in the classroom as morning light streamed through the window, gilding the young ninjas in gold. Taiichi gripped the handle of his sword. The metal gradually warmed with his body temperature, just like the warmth given by this noisy group of friends.
A bell rang, and the day's classes officially began.
With exams approaching, the number of theory classes decreased significantly, and the curriculum leaned more toward practical lessons. Ninja tool throwing and combat drills increased noticeably. The distinction between students became even more pronounced: those with clan heritage versus those without, those who trained hard versus those who slacked off.
This was why Kakashi could enter at 5 and graduate at 6, while some people had to attend for the full 6 years before graduating.
...
After school, the group of friends who agreed to spar headed to the small woods.
Once there, the first to back down was actually Obito. As majestic as he sounded in the morning, he was that cowardly now. But he couldn't withstand everyone's egging on, and in the end, Obito fought Kakashi.
Obito opened with a Fireball Jutsu. The power was significantly higher than last time, but Kakashi didn't panic. Without using any ninjutsu, he ran quickly to the side, dodging the blast radius, then dashed in close to engage Obito in hand-to-hand combat. Obito had paused slightly after casting the jutsu, and with Kakashi closing in, he flustered. Within a few moves, Kakashi seized an opportunity and knocked him down.
On the other side, Taiichi and Gai also started fighting. At first, Taiichi tried to use Kenjutsu against Gai, but after just two moves, he had to abandon the sword and use his fists. After all, his Kenjutsu was only at a one-day rookie level; holding the sword actually hindered his performance. Sure enough, once he dropped the sword, Taiichi quickly turned the tide, narrowly winning against Might Gai with a final uppercut.
The battle ended. Taiichi picked up the sword he had discarded and mocked himself, "If I want to fight with a sword, I need a lot more practice!"
His friends laughed good-naturedly.