Cough, cough, cough—
The sharp sound of someone coughing interrupted their focused training.
If it had been anyone else, Chiba might have suspected that he'd gotten a little too close to Tsukikage Kaza and sparked some unnecessary jealousy. But since they were at the Tsukikage Residence, he didn't think twice—
Because this man was actually sick.
He looked terrible.
Chiba observed him carefully, unable to hide his surprise. Good grief… with a body like that, the fact he's still a shinobi is practically a miracle. Even Tsunade would have a headache treating this one.
"Uncle, these are my new teammates," Tsukikage Kaza said cheerfully. "This is Yagyū Chiba, and this is Tenten. I brought them here to practice swordsmanship."
Tsukikage Hayate nodded faintly. "Train seriously. Don't waste the sword techniques others have shared with you."
"Yes!"
Tsukikage Kaza stood up straight at once.
Hayate then turned his gaze toward Chiba. A weak smile crossed his pale face. "Do you have a moment?"
"Uh, yes."
"Come with me. Cough, cough. Tsukikage Kaza, Tenten—you two keep practicing."
He turned slowly and left, coughing as he went.
Chiba quickly followed.
After they walked for a while, Hayate finally spoke . "The Third Hokage asked me to give you a notebook once owned by the second Hokage. I was planning to find you later this week, but I didn't expect you to show up today."
"The second Hokage's notebook?"
"A swordsmanship manual," Hayate explained between labored breaths. "Though I doubt the sword techniques themselves will be of much use to you."
Then, after a pause, he added, "By the way, thank you for helping Tsukikage Kaza with her swordsmanship."
"It was mutual assistance, nothing more," Chiba said modestly.
Hayate took out a small notebook and handed it to him. "If you have questions, feel free to ask me."
"Thank you. Oh—and what I mentioned earlier, you could try that as well."
Hayate blinked, momentarily taken aback.
He… did kind of need it, didn't he?
"But," Chiba continued, "I'd suggest you stop taking missions for now. Your physical condition's already critical. If you rest and avoid combat, you might live a little longer."
Hayate chuckled, his expression calm and faintly amused. "And what good would living longer do me?"
If longevity had been his goal, he never would've chosen to be a shinobi in the first place. His body had been frail since birth—completely unsuited for the profession. But he'd chosen this path, and he had no regrets.
"I'll prepare some medicine for you," Chiba offered. "It won't cure the illness, but it should help ease the symptoms. And when Lady Tsunade returns to the village, maybe—just maybe—she'll be able to find a real cure."
Of course, he knew full well that Hayate's condition was beyond easy repair. Even Tsunade might struggle with it—and at this time, she was still suffering from her own hemophobia, unable to treat anyone at all.
Still, at least this way, he could give the man a bit of hope.
Besides… with a wife that beautiful, it'd be a damn shame to leave her widowed too soon.
"Thank you," Hayate said quietly.
He couldn't bring himself to refuse the kindness. But now he was stuck wondering—how on earth was he going to repay the favor?
When he looked up , Chiba had already flipped open the notebook and started reading, nodding as if he was absorbing every word.
The second Hokage's sword philosophy was simple—
Deception. Speed. Precision.
Use illusions and shadow clones to mislead the opponent, strike with explosive acceleration, and hit the precise point of weakness.
Chiba wasn't skilled in genjutsu, but the mechanical principles and strategic ideas hidden in the text were invaluable.
He pondered for a long time, then inspiration struck—
Iaido slashes… dual-blade style.
The second blade didn't necessarily have to be a real sword. It could be a chakra-forged weapon—or even a chakra needle. That would make up for the lack of deceptive techniques.
Though…
That kind of sword style wouldn't exactly be easy to pass down, would it?
Chiba thought for a moment, then shook his head.
It doesn't matter if others can't use it. I'm not creating this to teach—I'm creating it to become stronger.
The harder the technique, the more it suited him.
He headed back outside and began experimenting.
Hayate had meant to leave to take care of his own work, but now he found himself too intrigued to go.
The Third Hokage had told him that advanced swordsmanship might be wasted on Chiba—yet seeing the boy in motion, he couldn't help but wonder:
What kind of sword art could this kid possibly create on his own?
At first, Hayate could follow the movements. It was standard Iaido practice.
But gradually… he began losing track.
This sword technique…
"Uncle, what's he doing?" Tsukikage Kaza whispered, stepping closer.
She'd already given up trying to compare herself to Chiba—the boy was abnormal, plain and simple. Competing with him only hurt her self-esteem.
Hayate frowned, studying Chiba's form. "It looks like… dual-blade style."
"Dual-blade style?" Tsukikage Kaza blinked, then looked closer.
Sure enough—Chiba's strikes all came from one hand, while the other seemed to perform subtle supporting motions. Normally, dual-blade techniques relied on one weapon for attack and the other for defense. But his flow…
It was strange. Indescribably strange.
"Do you understand it?" she asked.
"Uh…"
"Uncle?"
"It might be some kind of assassination-based sword style," Hayate replied vaguely. "Anyway, the Hokage's expecting me. You take care of them."
And with that, he retreated in haste.
Truth be told, he had no idea what Chiba was doing—but the boy clearly had a method to his madness. Better to leave it be than risk embarrassing himself with a bad guess.
No shame in admitting what you don't understand.
Tsukikage Kaza pursed her lips, unimpressed with her uncle's graceful escape, then turned back to the training grounds.
Seeing Tenten sweating through her drills, she relaxed a little.
At least there was one other normal person on the team. Otherwise she'd feel like a total idiot next to that monster of a genius.
By the end of the day, they were all exhausted.
The next morning, Chiba called for another round of group training—causing both Tsukikage Kaza and Tenten to groan in unison.
There was no escaping it. Training with Chiba was as rewarding as it was exhausting—painful, but strangely exhilarating.
Three days later—
"Well, well," came a lazy voice from above.
Kakashi sat perched on a tree branch, nose buried in his Icha Icha Paradise. "You've been training hard, I see."
"Of course," Tenten shot back, hands on her hips. "Not that we've seen you around much lately. At this point, it feels like Chiba's the one teaching us!"
"Hahaha, capable people get more work, right? So—how about a mission?" Kakashi asked, grinning beneath his mask.
"Mission?!"
"Let's go! Of course we'll go!" Tsukikage Kaza exclaimed, nodding furiously.
Chiba just smiled. He didn't mind either way. Early missions usually meant fetching water, chopping wood, or helping rich ladies catch cats—not exactly thrilling stuff.
"Heh, what if I told you I picked a C-rank mission?" Kakashi teased. "Would that be too much pressure?"
"Not at all!" ×3
Chiba's interest perked up. C-rank missions usually didn't involve real combat, but sometimes they did—bandits, mercenaries, or rogue samurai.
And besides, before they could take higher-ranking jobs, they'd need a few successful missions on their record.
If someone up top had already opened the back door for them, he wasn't going to complain.
"Then meet me at the Hokage's office."
"Yes, sir!"
With a collective whoosh, four figures leapt away through the trees—
heading straight for the Hokage Tower.
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