Chapter 21

If being lazy could make one stronger, Aragami Kyomu wouldn't have stayed up all night pouring sweat.

However, the passive skill "King of Nonchalance" only lasted for one month, automatically disappearing after midnight today, replaced by another passive skill.

[Passive Skill: Reward of Diligence]

[Skill Description: During the skill's duration, maximum action power, maximum body recovery speed, maximum learning ability, and maximum comprehension ability are all boosted.

Note: This passive skill characteristic can only be triggered in a state of effort.]

[Skill Duration: 30 days]

[Message: Every effort you make will be rewarded. Persevere, and your future achievements will be as vast as the stars and the sea.]

(T/N: For the interested, 'Reward of Diligence' is a popular sermon about hard work)

With this passive skill at hand, being lazy had become a thing of the past. Effort would be Aragami Kyomu's theme for the next month.

"Well, it's not bad. Effort brings rewards, it's just a different way to get stronger. The difference isn't that big," Kyomu comforted himself. "Moreover, slacking off for a month, then working hard for another month, balances out perfectly, neither losing nor gaining."

In addition, with the help of the "Reward of Diligence" passive skill, Kyomu could thoroughly study all the combat abilities, combat styles, and combat techniques he had secretly learned over the past month, elevating his strength to a higher level.

However...

"Kyomu!"

Hatake jumped off the wall first, quickly approaching Kyomu's side. "Is this what you call slacking off? Is this what you call being inherently lazy?"

"Why are you..." Kyomu looked at the sudden appearance of Kakashi, full of confusion. "Why are you coming to my house instead of sleeping?"

At the same time, Obito also flipped down from the wall, standing alongside Kakashi , an unusual alliance.

"Kyomu, I've misjudged you. I never thought you were so scheming," Obito stared at Aragami Kyomu. "The way you usually behave, and the effort you put in behind our backs, were you trying to deceive Kakashi and me?"

It could only be said that Kakashi and Obito had truly misunderstood. Kyomu was not the kind of person who would discourage others with words while secretly working hard behind their backs.

"No, have you two misunderstood something?"

"Impossible!" Kakashi and Obito said in unison. "If you hadn't come today, we wouldn't have known the true reason for your improvement!"

"Since you believe what you saw, then I won't explain further." Kyomu shrugged. "I admit it, I am the person you imagined."

"You'll end up with no friends doing this," Kakashi sighed. "Such behavior must be condemned!"

Kyomu clasped his hands together, apologizing sincerely. "I won't do it again. At least for the next month, you'll see an Kyomu who is extremely disciplined, full of execution, and working hard every day."

"Same old rhetoric, huh?" Obito rolled his eyes, then turned his eyes. "Where's the credibility in that? Unless... you promise to train with me in the future, otherwise, we won't let this matter go!"

"Alright, alright. How about training together for a month?" 

"Why another month?" Kakashi Hatake was curious.

"I have a special attachment to the 30 days of a month, can't explain it." Kyomu put on a smug look. "Perhaps, with my talent, one month of effort is enough."

"Tch~!" Kakashi and Obito scoffed, dragging their words. "Believing you would be a ghost!"

"Up to you." Kyomu shrugged, extending an invitation to them. "Want to join me?"

Obito looked at the shuriken Kyomu handed over and thought for a moment before accepting it. "I can, but I can only accompany you for an hour."

"What about you, Kakashi?" Kyomu turned to Kakashi.

"I'm about the same. After all, it's almost a little past midnight now, and I need to reserve some rest time."

"Kids don't need that much sleep. Only those who don't want to become great ninjas are so lazy."

Hearing Kyomu's words, Kakashi and Obito rolled their eyes simultaneously, thinking that this guy in front of them didn't say such things during the day.

What a weird quirk!

"I don't want to deal with you."

"Me neither."

Both of them gave Kyomu disdainful looks, but their actions betrayed them. Being able to train with Kyomu was something both of them had been craving.

"You talk tough," Kyomu muttered softly, "Come on, let's practice throwing techniques first, then swordsmanship, and finally go through ninjutsu again. Before going to school, let's do some physical training."

"Isn't that a bit harsh?" Kakashi couldn't help but click his tongue. "Did you train like this before? Aren't you afraid of overtraining yourself?"

"Your effort will not be in vain. Even geniuses need to work hard, otherwise, what's the difference between them and ordinary people?"

"You were almost like an ordinary person in the previous month, just sneaking around at night..." Obito couldn't help but tease. "Now that I and Kakashi have exposed the truth, you're not pretending anymore, right?"

"No more pretending, no more pretending," Kyomu flicked the shuriken between his fingertips. "Enough chit-chat, do you want to learn or not?"

"We want to learn, of course!" Kakashi and Obito nodded in unison.

"In that case, let's get started." Kyomu nodded. "I'll explain the specific operational techniques first, and the rest will be up to your practice."

Kakashi and Obito immediately became serious, listening carefully to Kyomu's explanation of the throwing techniques he understood.

Time passed quickly, an hour was not nearly enough, and it slipped away in the blink of an eye.

"Why haven't you left yet?" Kyomu frowned, looking at Kakashi and Obito . "Didn't we agree on just one hour?"

"Isn't there still swordsmanship?" Kakashi pretended not to understand. "I noticed many flaws in the swordsmanship you used earlier. Do you want..."

"Of course!" Kyomu interrupted. "I brought my own."

Kakashi took out his own short sword from his ninja tool pouch and waved it at Aragami Kyomu. "Come on, let's continue our unfinished battle from earlier."

"Be careful!"

Kyomu rushed forward with his sword, colliding with Kakashi, who was also holding a short sword. The sharp glints of the blades flashed frequently at this moment.

Obito, watching from the side, was fascinated, unable to help but imitate the movements of the two with his own kunai.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of blade collisions rang out frequently, and Kakashi's expression became increasingly serious.

He suddenly realized that Kyomu's swordsmanship had improved since yesterday during the daytime, and he even felt that Kyomu's swordsmanship was steadily advancing during their sparring.

Although the progress was slow, there was indeed progress.

"Such talent... it's truly amazing!" Kakashi sighed inwardly, but at the same time, he tightened his resolve.

He, Hatake Kakashi, was never inferior to anyone. He had to take this seriously!

Undoubtedly, facing a Kakashi who was serious to the core, Kyomu still fell short in their swordsmanship duel.

But this was not something to be discouraged about. Kakashi inherited the Hatake swordsmanship from his father, Hatake Sakumo, so Kyomu couldn't catch up in just one month.

"Take a break?" Kyomu wiped the sweat from his forehead. "We'll be training in ninjutsu later. Can you handle it?"

Glancing at Kyomu with a strange look, Kakashi wanted to keep up with the pace, but his actual condition couldn't support further training.

The body is a ninja's capital, and Kakashi couldn't afford to overstrain himself just for a momentary victory or defeat.

Shaking his head, "I'm tired. I'm going home to sleep."

"What about you, Obito?"

"I... am too." Obito beat a hasty retreat. "I've been training since school ended. Continuing would risk problems."

Looking somewhat concerned, he glanced at Kyomu. "You should also take care. Don't overtrain."

"Don't worry about him." Kakashi turned around to leave. "Even if you're out of your mind, Aragami Kyomu won't overtrain himself."

"Kakashi!" Obito turned to chase after him. "What do you mean by that?"

"Just that."

"You are..."

As they heard the sound of the two bickering fading into the distance, Kyomu shook his head and smiled. He knew Kakashi was reminding him to be moderate.

But with the "Reward of Diligence," even if the ninja world exploded, Kyomu couldn't overtrain himself. Wasn't saying his body's recovery speed was at its maximum a joke?

Even Uzumaki Naruto wouldn't dare to boast that his body's recovery speed was unparalleled in front of him.

With that in mind, was Kyomu afraid of anything?

No!, train until you drop dead, that's the spirit!

Charge!

(The end of this chapter)