The next afternoon.
The training ground at the Hatake residence.
It was called a training ground, but it was really just a clearing carved out behind the house.
When Nohara Moku arrived, he found Kakashi already standing there.
Wearing a dark blue training outfit and holding a wooden sword, he was repeating a sword-swinging motion—raising the sword, slashing down, retracting it, and raising it again.
Once.
Again.
And again.
Moku stood at the courtyard entrance for a few seconds, silently sighing to himself: "Is this what a genius is? Like this at six years old?" In his past life, at six years old, he was still playing with mud and competing with the neighborhood kids to see who could pee farther.
"You're here?"
Kakashi stopped his movement and glanced at him sideways.
"Yeah." Moku walked over. "How long have you been practicing?"
"A while."
Moku glanced at the damp patch on his back but didn't call him out on it.
Sakumo Hatake walked out of the house, holding two wooden swords in his hands.
"Moku, catch."
Moku reached out and caught it; the wooden sword was heavier than he had expected.
Sakumo Hatake walked up to the two of them and sized Moku up.
"Have you practiced with a sword before?"
"No." Moku answered honestly. "I've never touched one at all."
Sakumo Hatake nodded, not surprised.
"Then we'll start with the basics." He looked at Kakashi. "Kakashi, demonstrate the most basic sword-holding stance for him."
Kakashi nodded and resumed his stance.
Sakumo Hatake explained from the side: "You can't hold the sword too tightly, nor too loosely. Too tight will make your movements stiff, and too loose will cause it to be knocked away during a clash."
He paused, his tone becoming a bit more serious. "Remember, the sword is an extension of your arm, not just a tool."
Moku listened carefully, trying to imitate Kakashi's stance.
"Lower your wrist a bit more."
"Relax your shoulders."
"Spread your feet and lower your center of gravity."
As Sakumo Hatake spoke, he reached out to help adjust Moku's posture.
By the time he finally got the stance right, Moku was already covered in a thin layer of sweat.
"Hold this position for the time it takes an incense stick to burn."
Sakumo Hatake stepped back two paces and sat cross-legged under the nearby veranda.
"Kakashi, you do it too."
Kakashi silently stood next to him and assumed the same stance.
An incense stick's worth of time. It didn't sound long.
But when you actually have to hold a position without moving, every second feels infinitely stretched.
Slowly, Moku's arms began to ache, his shoulders grew stiff, and his legs started to tremble.
That soreness seeped out from deep within his muscles, as if someone were tapping his bones with a small hammer.
He sneaked a peek at Kakashi beside him. Kakashi was motionless, not even his breathing rhythm disrupted.
Persevere. Just a little longer.
He stared into the void in front of him, his mind beginning to wander—could the system release an "automatic AFK stance" feature? Or maybe add a "stamina doubling" buff for him?
Unfortunately, the system remained quiet, without any response.
Just when he felt he couldn't hold on any longer and his knees began to shake, Sakumo Hatake's voice finally sounded.
"Time's up."
Moku let out a long breath, nearly collapsing to the ground.
He quickly steadied himself, put down the wooden sword, and shook out his numb arms.
Sakumo Hatake walked over, his eyes showing a hint of approval as he looked at him.
"Not bad for your first time holding it this long. Better than I expected."
In the days that followed, Moku's life completely became a "three-point line" routine.
Morning to check in at the Ninja Academy, afternoon to practice swordsmanship at the Hatake residence, and evening back to the Senju Ancestral Home to collapse onto his bedding and fall asleep instantly.
Rin Nohara, seeing him return every day looking like he was "about to fall apart," felt terrible for him and kept finding ways to cook delicious food for him.
Today it was stewed meat, tomorrow fish soup, and the day after that, various nutritionally balanced side dishes.
"Eat more, build up your strength." Rin Nohara would always gently put food in his bowl, her eyes full of concern.
Moku would wolf down the food, feeling so touched that he was a mess, thinking that he must have saved the galaxy in his past life to have such a wonderful sister.
Shizune, seeing him like this, would occasionally hand Moku a cup of tea, her eyes carrying a subtle, schadenfreude look of "so you have days like this too," but the smile on her lips was genuine.
Tsunade wouldn't say anything on the surface, but every night she would go into Moku's room to tuck in the covers for him when he was fast asleep in a chaotic heap.
And on Kakashi's side—the relationship between the two was quietly changing amidst their daily "mutual suffering."
At first, the two basically didn't speak, each practicing on their own. There was a three-meter gap between them, like two parallel lines.
Later, they would occasionally exchange glances during breaks.
Even later, Moku began to initiate conversation. "Kakashi, how long do you practice every day?" "Kakashi, how do you make that movement look so standard?"
Kakashi's answers were usually just a few short words, or he simply wouldn't answer at all.
But Moku didn't mind. Because he discovered that although Kakashi wouldn't say anything, every time he asked a question, Kakashi would intentionally or unintentionally demonstrate it for him during the next practice session.
This guy. Tough on the outside, but soft on the inside.
Half a month later. On the training ground, Moku finally began to learn the first style of swordsmanship.
Sakumo Hatake stood behind him, correcting his movements hand by hand.
"Keep up with your footwork; the sword and the person are one."
"Relax your wrist, don't stiffen it."
"Yes, that's it."
Moku swung the sword with full concentration, sweat sliding down his cheeks. After finishing the entire set of movements, Moku stopped, panting.
Sakumo Hatake looked at him, a flash of satisfaction in his eyes. "You're improving fast."
Moku chuckled twice.
Sakumo Hatake took a few steps closer, looking at him seriously. "Your body coordination is very good, and…"
He paused. "You have an intuition for the sword."
Moku was stunned. Intuition?
Sakumo Hatake explained: "Many beginners practicing the sword think about 'what to do next,' so their movements are disjointed, section by section."
He gestured. "But you are different. You seem to know where the sword should go; your movements are connected."
Moku blinked, thinking to himself: "Well, that's only natural."
Then he looked at his system panel: [Hatake Swordsmanship · Basics]
This allowed him to know the specific techniques when learning Hatake Swordsmanship.
Then Moku looked at another one: [Beginner Taijutsu Mastery X1]
And this could improve his physical fitness and learning speed for Taijutsu.
With these two "straight-A student halos," he naturally felt that practicing wasn't as strenuous.
Sakumo Hatake didn't know the twists and turns in his mind; he just looked at him seriously. "Since you have this talent, you must practice well. Don't waste it."
"Received Favorability from Sakumo Hatake + 1"
"Received Favorability from Sakumo Hatake + 1"
"Received Favorability from Sakumo Hatake + 1"
"Acquired: Hatake Swordsmanship · Advanced"
Moku met those serious eyes, suppressed his smile, and nodded solemnly. "Yes! Thank you, Uncle Hatake!"