Chapter 31: Shizune's Shock
Once one's insight is sharp enough, they can begin to perceive the flow of chakra—and from there, attempt to replicate other ninjas' jutsu.
Clang!
Another sharp clash of blades rang through the courtyard.
Seiji twisted his blade with a powerful jerk, sending Kakashi stumbling back several steps. No fancy technique—just pure, brute force.
He activated "Cloud Style: Soaring Bird" by stimulating the cells near his wrist. Thanks to his first green passive trait—[Lightning Release Genin = Which improves conductivity and adaptability by 20%]—Seiji could channel even more Lightning Release chakra into his wrists, powering the "Soaring Bird" technique.
The result? Speed paired with force. Every strike he delivered was faster—and heavier.
Crack!
Under the strain, Kakashi's short sword gave way with a sharp snap, breaking clean in two. The blade tip clattered helplessly to the ground.
"It broke…"
Kakashi still held the broken hilt in a defensive stance, sweat trickling down his face.
Seiji slowly lowered his blade, noticing the edge had curled slightly. Might need some maintenance soon, he thought.
[Trait Unlocked: Sword Friends (White)]
Condition Fulfilled: Defeated Hatake Kakashi in a sword duel.
Effect: Chakra cost for sword techniques reduced by 10%.
The familiar voice of the trait panel rang in his mind. Seiji let out a small sigh of relief. At least he got a new trait. A bit of wear on the blade was a fair tradeoff. A little money for maintenance was worth it—especially since opportunities to gain traits were rare.
"Do you want me to compensate you for your sword…?" Seiji asked.
If Kakashi insisted, Seiji would have to stall—he definitely couldn't afford a replacement.
But Kakashi shook his head and sheathed the broken blade. "No need. It was just a training sword."
"…Alright then," Seiji muttered. Must be nice to have a rich dad.
Kakashi had taken on so many missions; there was no way he was short on ryo.
Kakashi kept his head low, staring at the fragments of his broken blade. Seiji stepped forward and patted him lightly on the shoulder.
"Kakashi, do you know why you lost?"
"…Because you have the Sharingan. And maybe also because that sword had been used too long—it was probably close to breaking anyway."
Seiji smirked faintly. Even before his eventual descent into darkness, Kakashi could already be kind of sharp-tongued.
"No, that's not it. Your mind was scattered."
He looked Kakashi in the eye. "They say when Lord Sakumo wielded his blade, it was shrouded in a white glow. But your blade… I didn't see any light."
Kakashi's expression flickered, but he remained silent, pressing those emotions deep down.
"I'm not trying to rub salt in the wound," Seiji continued. "I just want you to know—it's not your fault. Don't let the rumors control you."
If he keeps spiraling like this, how am I supposed to trigger more trait drops?
Seiji just hoped Kakashi would pull himself together and get stronger again. He still hadn't gotten the swordsmanship trait tied to the White Fang style yet.
For now, he only had [Sword Friends], which gave a 10% reduction in chakra consumption.
Still, Seiji was pleased with the trait. Sword techniques, like taijutsu, sometimes required chakra and sometimes didn't. But the stronger the technique, the more reliant it typically was on chakra.
Take the Eight Gates technique, for instance—it worked by unlocking the internal chakra gates of the body, forcibly stimulating the flow of chakra to break through physical limits.
With this trait in hand, if each strike originally required 10% of his chakra, where others could swing ten times, Seiji could swing eleven.
And it could still evolve. Seiji wasn't sure how far this trait could go if fully upgraded—but just imagining how much chakra it might save at its peak was enough to excite him.
"Keep working at it," Seiji said quietly.
Kakashi still didn't respond. He only pressed his lips together and gave a faint nod.
He knew Seiji was right. But the village's treatment of his father left Kakashi confused… and bitter. It made him start questioning whether the importance of missions really did come before comrades.
"…Let's end it here for today."
Seiji took a few steps back, raising his sheathed kodachi with a faint smile. "Next time we spar, you'd better break my sword too. You know—make it fair."
Strictly speaking, this spar wasn't a true win for Seiji. Kakashi had lost his weapon and his will to fight—not the same as being beaten.
But once Kakashi spiraled into his dark phase, even that kind of reasoning might not hold.
Just outside the courtyard, Shizune was still staring at them. A few strands of her black hair clung to her cheek as she watched in stunned silence.
"Seiji's this strong?"
She still remembered the first time she had accompanied Lady Tsunade to give Seiji a checkup—back then, he had been nothing more than a clueless civilian. The only reason he stood out was because he'd luckily awakened his Sharingan.
And yet now, after such a short time, he could already face off against Kakashi—and seemingly hold the upper hand?
"As expected of the Uchiha clan… they really do produce elites."
Shizune sighed inwardly—though she mentally excluded a certain long-time bottom-ranker from that statement.
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The Next Day
News about Sakumo Hatake had spread like wildfire through the Ninja Academy.
"You okay, Kakashi?"
Rin Nohara was the first to find him that morning, her face full of concern.
"I'm fine."
Kakashi's drooping "dead fish" eyes looked even more lifeless than usual. He had already overheard many whispering voices criticizing and insulting his father on the way in.
"Are you really fine…?"
Rin looked at him worriedly. She wanted to help—but had no idea how.
"What are you two talking about?" Obito looked over in confusion.
If it weren't for the recent training sessions he'd had with Seiji, Rin, and Kakashi—where he collapsed into bed each night too exhausted to daydream—Obito would likely still be napping on his desk right now.
"You mean you don't know, Obito?" Rin stared at him in disbelief. How could Obito be this out of the loop?
"I really don't." Obito looked genuinely clueless. What was he supposed to know?
"You two go ahead and talk," Kakashi said suddenly, standing up and walking over to Seiji. "Seiji, do you have time to spar again today?"
"I do," Seiji nodded.
"Hey—Kakashi! Seiji already promised me!" From her seat in the corner, Kurenai Yuhi spun around, puffing her cheeks in protest.
She'd been working hard lately—training extra at home just to one day defeat Seiji.
"It won't take long," Seiji said casually. Two sparring partners? No problem. Sword practice didn't take that much time anyway—he could just put off Kurenai a little.
"…Kakashi…" Rin watched him as he approached Seiji. She bit her lip. "I have to do something for him."
Her gaze shifted from Kakashi to Seiji. That's it. If Kakashi was willing to talk to Seiji, then that meant he trusted him. And if anyone knew how to support Kakashi right now—it had to be Seiji.
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