Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Feeling the pressure in the air dissipate, Haneda finally lowered the slightly heavy wooden short sword, and his legs gave out as he slumped to the ground.

The pressure Sakumo had exerted on him was overwhelming.

This sense of powerlessness was something Haneda had never experienced in both his lives combined.

After Haneda regained his composure, Sakumo spoke again:

"You felt the will in the sword, didn't you?"

"All the techniques I used are just the basics. You know them too, but the sword in your hand is far lighter than the one in mine."

At this, Haneda recalled what it had felt like to face Sakumo just now.

It was like being trapped in a genjutsu, with time slowing down and no way to escape.

Haneda nodded and said, "It felt like some kind of genjutsu, messing with my brain."

"It's a bit like Hell Viewing Jutsu, making you see something terrifying."

"But the fear didn't come from within me, it came from outside. From you."

"Right." Sakumo nodded slightly, then looked over at Kakashi. "And you, Kakashi?"

"The same as Haneda," Kakashi replied.

"Haneda is right. This will is similar to genjutsu, but it's also different."

"Genjutsu affects the opponent through their five senses, while willpower doesn't need to."

Sakumo continued, his terrifying aura seeping out once again.

"This is the first form of will: completely releasing your killing intent or aura from your body and soul."

"Many strong individuals can do this."

"I once saw the Second Hokage release his aura, and when he did, most people couldn't even bear to look at him."

After speaking, Sakumo quickly withdrew his aura.

He now looked completely ordinary, but Haneda, with his Sharingan active, could sense that there was something terrifying contained within Sakumo's sword.

"This is the second form of will: controlling your will and condensing it onto the sword."

"In this form, most people can't feel it. Only at the moment they come into contact with the blade does the will explode."

"This form is good for hiding your intent and landing a lethal strike, but it's not useful for extended combat."

"Remember, for a samurai, it's a contest of will. But for a ninja, it's about who survives."

"That also means ninjas can add something extra to their swords."

"For example, chakra."

"And the essence of Hatake swordsmanship lies in the combination of chakra and swordsmanship, and the merging of will with the sword."

Sakumo paused here.

He unsheathed the short sword on his back and concentrated his chakra onto it, giving it a gentle swing.

An invisible blade flew out, leaving a shallow cut on the ground.

"This is just with neutral chakra. Hatake swordsmanship most commonly pairs with wind and lightning chakra."

"At the Academy, you should have learned about the properties associated with these two chakra natures, right?"

"Wind represents cutting power, useful in close to mid-range combat."

The nature of the chakra on Sakumo's sword changed, condensing like a sharp edge.

He swung again, and a large boulder six or seven meters away was instantly sliced in half, leaving only a thin, straight line.

"Lightning is more dispersed and works better at mid to long-range."

This time, Sakumo's blade crackled with electricity as he swung it.

With a flash of lightning, a tree more than ten meters away had its trunk split apart by the strike.

Boom!

The large tree, several dozen meters tall, toppled down, kicking up clouds of dust.

Unlike the wind chakra cut, the area struck by the lightning chakra was jagged and uneven, like it had been torn apart by gears.

Meanwhile, the Root members hiding in the tree canopy were drenched in cold sweat.

If that strike had hit them, they would be dead for sure!

At this moment, Sakumo sheathed his short sword and said calmly:

"The flexible application of Hatake swordsmanship requires different chakra combinations."

"In short, close-range uses wind, long-range uses lightning."

"As for mastering the will behind the blade... To be honest, without at least ten years of practice, you won't grasp it."

"Even the samurai of the Land of Iron, after decades of grueling training, have only a handful of people who've achieved it."

"This is why I recommend you study Uchiha-style kenjutsu, Haneda."

Hearing this, Haneda smiled and replied:

"Uncle Sakumo, you said yourself that advanced sword techniques don't differ much."

"Within the Uchiha, I doubt there's anyone whose sword skills can surpass yours. I'd rather learn from you."

"And since I have both wind and lightning attributes, doesn't that make me perfectly suited for Hatake swordsmanship?"

At this, Haneda flashed a confident smile.

Seeing this, Sakumo didn't argue further and instead smiled back, saying:

"Alright, let's head to Yakiniku Q. If we don't go now, there might not be any seats left."

...

Konoha Village, Yakiniku Q.

The three of them rented a private room upstairs.

The decor was classical and simple: a table and four wooden stools around it.

In the middle of the table was a grill, and the three of them casually picked a seat.

At that moment, a young, pretty waitress came in with a menu, smiling as she said:

"Welcome. What would you like to order?"

Though she addressed the group, her smile was clearly directed at Sakumo.

Sakumo took the menu and casually handed it to Haneda.

"Haneda, you go ahead and order first. Don't worry about me."

"Sure." Haneda nodded slightly and quickly glanced over the menu.

Ah, the struggle of indecision...

Haneda decided not to think too much and said directly, "One order of pork belly with lettuce, and an iced orange juice, please."

"I thought you said you don't drink soda, Haneda," Kakashi said offhandedly.

"Soda is delicious. Who says adults don't like it?"

"And besides, I'm a kid."

Haneda didn't feel embarrassed at all and fired back immediately.

He handed the menu to Sakumo with a smile. "Uncle Sakumo, what about you?"

"Two C-combo grilled meat sets..."

Sakumo had been planning to order sake, but after hearing Haneda's words, he figured drinking in front of two kids wasn't the best idea. So, he added:

"And two iced orange juices as well, please."

Kakashi quietly rolled his eyes at both Haneda and his father.

'So much for leaving the decision to me—Dad still ordered for me in the end...'

After the waitress left, the three finally relaxed and began chatting.

"Uncle Sakumo, no sake today?" Haneda asked curiously.

Sakumo waved his hand and replied:

"Three taboos of the ninja, Haneda. Three taboos..."

"As ninjas, we have to be ready for orders at any time. Alcohol clouds the mind, so I usually avoid drinking."

Hearing this, Kakashi discreetly rolled his eyes again.

These days, his father had been drinking every night.

As soon as you stepped into his room, you could smell the thick scent of alcohol...

Noticing Kakashi's eye-roll, Sakumo blushed slightly and laughed it off.

"Haha... By the way, Haneda, what made you and Kakashi skip class this morning?"

"Hmm, skipping class isn't a good habit."

Sakumo tugged at Kakashi's pants under the table, smiling as he spoke.

Hearing the words "skipping class," Haneda immediately thought back to his efforts to win Sakumo over to the Uchiha side.

***

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