"Masterful concealment techniques require more than just choosing the right hiding spot. You must also suppress your own presence!"
"Breathing, Chakra fluctuations, heartbeat! If you encounter an experienced enemy ninja, any one of these could betray your position. You must learn to control all three!"
"Of course, beyond these three essentials, there are many other details to consider..."
After familiarizing Kakashi with the Anbu, Dragon began teaching him the art of concealment.
Without a hint of impatience, Dragon meticulously instructed Kakashi in every technique necessary for Anbu operatives.
"Wolf, work hard. Focus on mastering concealment today. You'll start missions tomorrow!"
Dragon gave Kakashi a friendly pat on the shoulder, offered a word of encouragement, and vanished before Kakashi could thank him.
He had imparted all the necessary knowledge; the rest would come through practical experience on missions.
"Breathing... Chakra fluctuations... heartbeat..."
After Dragon left, Kakashi murmured softly to himself.
As soon as Kakashi heard the word "Dragon," he understood the importance and principles behind these key techniques.
He didn't care much about the other details; he just needed to memorize them. He was confident he could execute them properly during missions. The main focus was on these three critical points.
In the training grounds of Anbu headquarters, Kakashi quickly began practicing how to control his heartbeat, breathing, and Chakra fluctuations to achieve stealth and avoid detection by enemies.
He soon realized that heartbeat and breathing were quite similar, both testing human composure and endurance. To remain calm in critical situations and maintain unwavering composure, one needed exceptional mental fortitude. Otherwise, frequent bouts of shock would inevitably accelerate the heartbeat.
"I've mastered breathing and heartbeat control," Kakashi muttered. "But Chakra fluctuations... damn it! The Sharingan constantly drains my Chakra. Controlling its fluctuations is far from simple!"
After repeated attempts, Kakashi quickly learned to control his heartbeat and breathing. Understanding the principles, combined with his natural talent, made the process relatively easy. The real challenge lay in maintaining this control during actual missions.
As for Chakra fluctuations, Kakashi couldn't help but curse his luck.
After an hour of relentless attempts, Kakashi still couldn't properly control his Chakra fluctuations, causing his frustration to boil over.
*What am I supposed to do? The Sharingan keeps draining my Chakra—there's no way I can manage this!*
Kakashi cursed inwardly, convinced that his Sharingan made it impossible to regulate his Chakra fluctuations.
*No, that's not right! The original Kakashi could do it, so I definitely can too. Giving up now would be too soon!*
He immediately rejected the thought. Knowing his predecessor had mastered it, Kakashi calmed down and resumed his efforts, relentlessly experimenting to find a way to maintain control over his Chakra fluctuations despite the Sharingan's constant drain.
After completely calming his mind, it still took half a day before Kakashi finally learned to regulate his Chakra fluctuations while the Sharingan continuously consumed his Chakra.
*Fucking finally! I did it!*
Having finally mastered Chakra fluctuation control, Kakashi muttered a curse under his breath, his mood soaring. *I really do live up to my reputation as a genius!*
*Time to go home and sleep. Tomorrow marks the true beginning of my Anbu career!*
Exhausted, Kakashi left Anbu headquarters. After changing into civilian clothes at a secluded spot, he went to Ichiraku Ramen to fill his stomach before heading home.
Upon returning, Kakashi didn't immediately go to sleep. Instead, he went to the courtyard to practice ninjutsu, kunai and shuriken throwing, and other techniques.
Kakashi was determined to convert all of the original Kakashi's ninjutsu and combat experience into his own.
The only way to achieve this was through relentless practice. His body already possessed muscle memory of these combat techniques and ninjutsu, making the process infinitely easier than starting from scratch.
Practice, practice, and more practice. Kakashi lost track of time, continuing until only a sliver of chakra remained. Exhausted, he finally stopped.
*Huff... huff...*
*So tired...*
Kakashi collapsed onto the courtyard grass, panting heavily. As he replayed his relentless practice in his mind, he realized that the original Kakashi's casting techniques and ninjutsu execution experience were gradually being absorbed into his own being.
It was similar to how Sasuke had reversed Orochimaru's soul absorption technique in the original story, effortlessly absorbing all of Orochimaru's combat experience with minimal practice.
As for Chakra refinement, Kakashi no longer needed to practice it!
Before his promotion to Jonin, Kakashi had already refined his Chakra to Jonin-level proficiency. His internal Chakra was fully cultivated, and its quantity could no longer be increased through refinement. Any further growth would only come gradually with the passage of time and his body's natural development.
Having completely refined the Chakra within his body's cells by the age of twelve, Kakashi truly deserved his title as the youngest genius in history to achieve Jonin status!
However, Kakashi was utterly exhausted. The Sharingan's constant drain on his Chakra remained a persistent problem.
Even daily activities took a toll, and he would have to gradually adapt and adjust on his own.
In the end, Kakashi didn't even remember how he managed to crawl back into bed and fall asleep. He only awoke at five o'clock the next morning.
"Huff! Time to begin my true Anbu life. I need to buy a sword first!"
"I can't let the Hatake Clan's swordsmanship fall into disuse like it did in the original story!"
Awakening refreshed and energized, Kakashi brushed his teeth, washed his face, and muttered to himself as he headed toward Konoha's marketplace.
Meanwhile, in his mind, he recalled every detail he knew about the Hatake Clan's swordsmanship.