Sakumo Hatake's Astonishing Power

After discussing more of the intricacies of their complete strategy in depth, from top to bottom, Hikari suddenly shifted the conversation towards a different kind of engagement.

Eager to gauge his own progress and understand the benchmark set by one of the world's current strongest shinobi of this era, he respectfully requested a friendly spar with Sakumo.

It was an opportunity to measure himself against a true powerhouse, to see where he stood on the spectrum of strength within the shinobi world during this moment of time, and how someone of Elite Jonin's level of strength fared against someone like Sakumo in general.

Sakumo, rejuvenated by their conversation and the potential path forward they'd outlined, readily accepted Hikari's request. The prospect of a friendly spar seemed to further lift his spirits, adding a lightness to his mood that had been absent earlier. With a smile that spoke of his renewed vigor, he positioned himself opposite Hikari in the courtyard, ready to engage.

As they faced off, the air between them crackled with anticipation. Hikari, serious and focused, regarded Sakumo with high respect due to a shinobi of his caliber and career.

Sakumo's smile, however, hinted at the joy he found in the simplicity of a spar against a friendly and trusted junior whom he had quite a high opinion of after the previous conversation, a stark contrast to the weighty political discussions that had preceded. 

"Hikari-kun, please don't take offense at my decision to forego using my sword in our spar today. My swordsmanship, which focuses on swift, decisive strikes meant to quickly conclude battles, poses a significant risk in a friendly match. It's not that I doubt your abilities, but at this juncture, engaging you with full force in that style could be perilous.",

"However, I believe that in a few years, you'll be fully prepared to face such a challenge head-on and all-out then. Until that point, I hope you understand my caution and accept it. Let's look forward to a spar where we can both unleash our full strength in the future...",

Sakumo said, maintaining a serious demeanor yet softening his words with understanding and a sincere look of encouragement on his kind-looking face, which was quite standard for him.

"Sakumo-san, I'm not offended at all, as I'm quite aware of my current limits myself. You explaining all of this directly is already giving me a lot of respect, which I'm not sure I deserve at this point. Let's get started then, I hope that you at least won't hold back now in a state even without your sword as well...", Hikari responded, his voice carrying a mix of respect and anticipation. He knew that this spar would be a great source of information on many things.

As soon as Sakumo gave the nod to begin, Hikari activated his Byakugan, pouring chakra into it to enhance its capabilities to the fullest.

He understood that to track Sakumo's movements, he'd need every advantage his dojutsu could offer. Yet, even with his Byakugan's power, and its innate talent in perceiving things in 'slow-motion', Hikari was taken aback by Sakumo's sheer speed.

By the time he registered Sakumo's initial movement, the elder shinobi was already closing the distance between them rapidly with just one initial foot movement and 'push' at the start of the motion.

In response, Hikari summoned the chakra to his hands, forming the Twin Lion Fist. He recognized that against Sakumo's swift advances, precision attacks were less likely to land.

The broad, sweeping nature of the Twin Lion Fist would be his best chance at catching Sakumo.

But Sakumo, ever the adept fighter, altered his path with another mere touch to the ground, circling behind Hikari like a shadow.

Reacting on instinct, Hikari then initiated the Rotation. But Sakumo, leveraging his mastery of chakra control and his profound understanding of combat tactics, found an opening.

As Hikari's Rotation came to an end, Sakumo emerged from the ground up, his chakra-enhanced hand gently pressing against Hikari's neck — a silent declaration of victory.

Hikari, still catching his breath from the quick succession of events, turned to Sakumo with a mix of awe and confusion. "How did you...?" he began, genuinely puzzled by the techniques Sakumo employed to circumvent his defenses.

The moment Hikari initiated his Rotation, expecting to create an impenetrable barrier around himself, Sakumo vanished from his enhanced field of vision—a feat that left Hikari stunned.

"Sakumo-san, when my Rotation started, you were completely out of my sight. Then, you reappeared from beneath, as if the earth itself was just another path for you...", Hikari said, his voice laced with shock and curiosity. 

Sakumo chuckled at Hikari's astonishment before moving his hand back and coming in front of Hikari again, a lightness in his voice that contrasted the seriousness of their quick spar.

"Actually, what you witnessed is part of my expertise. My primary skill lies in concealing my presence in various ways, which sets the stage for my second specialty: ending confrontations with minimal strikes...", He shared, his explanation shining a light on the depth of his shinobi artistry.

"What I did just now...", Sakumo continued, "Was utilize the cover provided by the wind generated from your Rotation technique.",

"I seamlessly merged myself with it, then quickly submerged into the earth, using my chakra for concealment in various fashions that come with experience, becoming one with it without causing any disturbance. I waited there, beneath the surface, for your technique to complete its course.",

"Once it did, I emerged behind you. This method of concealment, along with my kenjutsu, forms the cornerstone of my reputation as a formidable shinobi. And earth and wind are not even the only things I get very experienced in concealing myself in. For our clan's kenjutsu, concealment is a kind of a prerequisite if you want to be successful in it, due to its nature."

Hikari absorbed Sakumo's explanation, the initial shock gradually giving way to deep admiration and contemplation, "That's incredible, Sakumo-san...",

Hikari finally responded, his tone reflecting both respect and a newfound understanding of the level of complexity that even the seemingly 'simplest' shinobi principles, like basic stealth capabilities and theories, could be brought on by the most experienced shinobi like Sakumo.

Meanwhile, Hikari couldn't help but acknowledge the deep level of trust Sakumo had placed in him by sharing such critical aspects of his abilities in the midst of his next speech, 'For him to disclose these intricacies behind his exceptional speed, secrets, and taboos that most shinobi would guard extremely closely speaks volumes...', Hikari quickly thought, noticing the significance of what Sakumo had revealed and the bond it implied between them already.

"Your ability to seamlessly integrate with your environment, to the point of becoming virtually undetectable, even to the Byakugan, speaks volumes about your mastery...", Hikari praised. 

Sakumo offered a modest smile at Hikari's praise, downplaying his own achievements with the wisdom of a seasoned shinobi.

"Hikari-kun, your words honor me, but what you've witnessed today is largely a matter of experience — something you're still acquiring. The quick conclusion of our spar stems from your unfamiliarity with confronting opponents of my level, not a lack of skill on your part or the lack of performance of your dojutsu.",

"When you activated your rotation, you were somewhat prepared to track my movements, yet a portion of your focus was scattered, and you were not fully attuned to detecting shifts in the environment that I could exploit...", Sakumo explained gently.

"With your Byakugan, you possess the capability to detect even the subtlest shifts, including someone moving through the earth, as I did. It's just a matter of honing and increasing your attention to the area beneath you at all times during battles against opponents of my level...", Sakumo responded, his tone both encouraging and instructive.

"Traversing the earth with chakra stealthily isn't just a specialty of mine; it's a skill that many high-level shinobi develop over time and one you can master as well. It's essential to remain fully present and focused, especially when utilizing your dojutsu...", Sakumo concluded.

"Thank you for the insight, Sakumo-san. Your advice is invaluable. If I may, though, I'm curious about another aspect of your abilities—your extraordinary, almost 'otherworldy' to me, kind of speed. One of the strengths of my Byakugan is its ability to perceive actions at such a rate that movements seem almost to slow down, allowing me to react accordingly.",

"Yet, during our spar just now, your speed was such that I couldn't even fully register your approach until you were nearly upon me. How do you achieve that level of speed, where even the Byakugan's advanced perception struggles to keep up?",

Hikari inquired, seeking to understand the nuances behind Sakumo's exceptional agility and speed, which seemed to challenge even the heightened capabilities of his dojutsu.

Sakumo let out a chuckle before delving into an explanation that shed light on his remarkable speed, "Ah, I see where your curiosity stems from. Speed is another prerequisite of our clan's kenjutsu technique.",

"Besides the basic Body Flicker technique that many shinobi utilize, I incorporate Lightning Release to enhance the speed of my leg movements. Additionally, I use Wind Release not only to further propel myself forward but also to create a covering veil around me, which serves the dual purpose of masking my approach later if needed and aiding in my attack...",

He paused for a moment, allowing Hikari to absorb the information before continuing, "There's also the ancient Samurai Step technique I've adapted to my style — it's all about precision in movement; I also used it for my second step during my rush against you just now. Additionally, over the years, I've also trained to instantly open and close the First Gate, which gives a significant boost to my speed during my first step without sacrificing my control or precision. This combination of techniques enables me to achieve such incredible velocities."

Sakumo smiled, acknowledging Hikari's keen interest. "And that's why your ability to react to me at all impressed me. Many shinobi, even those stronger than you now in general, often resort to different tactics when facing me, as reacting directly to my speed can be challenging; honestly, they don't even manage to see me at all during battle, so they give that up and focus on countering me in other ways.",

"So, Your ability to even attempt a response is commendable and speaks volumes of your potential. It's a rare quality, one that you should continue to refine and build upon.",

His words were both an explanation of his own abilities and an encouragement for Hikari.

The revelation of Sakumo's complex integration of techniques left Hikari profoundly astounded, 'To think of the complexity involved in harmoniously blending so many diverse principles into a singular, unparalleled technique of movement, and to achieve such mastery relatively early in life, in his early thirties...',

Hikari pondered internally, his true admiration for Sakumo deepening, 'It's no wonder he's considered a powerhouse, surpassing even the Sannin officially and the Third Hokage now unofficially too, in sheer combat prowess, in my opinion. He may even be the 'first' in the entire world...',

'The continuous cautious and fearful stance they've taken towards him makes perfect sense now. Given Sakumo's current capabilities, one can only speculate about the heights he might have reached had he continued to evolve unhindered while still in his prime in the original series. This can't be completely accidental, in my opinion; I'm now interested in the Hatake clan, too. It's impossible for any ordinary clan to produce a shinobi of this caliber; there are probably some secrets there to dig about their history; I'll have to go into researching it later.',

'With such extraordinary speed as his foundation, there are few within the shinobi world who could stand as his equal. So this is what an Elite Jonin against a Late Kage level shinobi fight amounts to...',

'And when factoring in the probably similarly earth-shattering kenjutsu of his... it's nearly unimaginable the level of threat he could pose to even the most formidable opponents.',

This insight into Sakumo's abilities not only intensified Hikari's respect for the legendary shinobi before him but also prompted a reevaluation of his understanding of this world's potential.

It was a humbling moment for Hikari, one that expanded his perception of what was achievable by 'natives' of this world, and that was without any 'special bloodlines'.

'Yet, this underscores a crucial truth: regardless of one's personal might, there's a threshold of power beyond even the Kage level that must be crossed to stand alone against some politically powerful individuals like the Hokage, and even that can't help you in the mental battles within oneself against your inner demons.',

'Therefore, despite his legendary strength, Sakumo's story in the original timeline ended in complete tragedy. Now, having altered his path already to some extent, I'm curious to see the effects this will have. What changes will Sakumo's continued existence bring to this world...?', Hikari reflected, intrigued by the possibilities his intervention might've unlocked.