Close to noon, two figures were moving one after another, leaping from branch to branch as they headed deeper into the forest of Konohagakure.
The one in front was Kakashi. His face was cold, his expression numb, and his eyes looked lifeless.
After losing his father, his friends, and the one he loved, Kakashi had now also lost his teacher and his teacher's wife. Blow after blow nearly broke him completely.
Guy was worried about Kakashi's state and dragged him out, insisting on a match.
Normally, Kakashi would have refused such a pointless challenge. But right now, he also wanted something to take his mind off things.
"Whew..."
Guy let out a long breath and stopped at the edge of a large lake, his legs sinking into the damp soil. He turned to Kakashi, who had just arrived at his side, and grinned. "Thirty-eight wins, thirty-eight losses. Kakashi, we're even again."
Kakashi didn't speak, only gasped for air.
Sparring in raw physical strength against Guy, a so-called taijutsu idiot, didn't allow him a moment's rest. His body was at its limit, sweat pouring from every pore, soaking his clothes.
Looking at the sparkling, calm surface of the lake, Kakashi felt a bit better, as if some of the heaviness inside him had been carried out along with his sweat.
…If only the village could stay as peaceful as this lake.
Kakashi was just thinking that when a sudden wave of water splashed toward him, making him stumble.
"Wind? No... ninjutsu!"
Kakashi snapped back to focus, instantly taking a fighting stance, leaping onto a tree branch to hide his presence.
Guy landed next to him and grabbed his shoulder. "Relax, Kakashi. It's not an enemy. Probably just someone practicing ninjutsu."
Hearing that, Kakashi also realized something was off. If it had been an attack, the wave's power would have been way too weak.
Just as he was about to check who was practicing ninjutsu, his eyes caught Guy's clothes. He froze.
Guy's outfit was soaked too—but not from the lake.
Guy noticed Kakashi's look. Their familiarity let him immediately guess what Kakashi was thinking. He grinned. "Didn't think you'd fail to dodge it. That wave wasn't even fast."
Kakashi didn't answer. Without a word, he jumped toward the lake.
Losing to Guy in a spar was fine. But what had just happened embarrassed him. Kakashi now wanted to find whoever had used that ninjutsu and take a little revenge to get his pride back.
Kakashi wasn't a petty man, but right now, he wanted to sink into that feeling of payback.
As for whether he'd succeed, Kakashi had no doubt. Judging by that ninjutsu just now, the user wasn't strong—at most a chunin.
"Kakashi, wait for me!"
Guy ran after him with big strides.
The one who had used ninjutsu wasn't far. Soon the two of them saw the figure.
Kakashi froze, eyes narrowing in shock. "Orochimaru... it's him."
"Oh, Orochimaru-sama." Guy frowned. "That ninjutsu came from him? No way—the power was so weak."
Guy's question was Kakashi's question too. But so what? Even Guy wasn't thick-skinned enough to just jump out and ask.
That was one of the Three Sannin, a big name in the village.
Guy quickly dropped the thought and sighed. "If it's Orochimaru-sama, then nothing we can do. Guess your revenge won't happen. Let's go."
Kakashi held him back. "Let's stay and watch."
"That... doesn't seem right."
"We won't hide our presence. If we're noticed, we'll just say it's coincidence."
"Well... alright then."
As they spoke, Orochimaru's ninjutsu hadn't stopped. Kakashi's sharp eyes quickly picked up the key point.
"This ninjutsu of his—it's so precise."
"Precise? I don't see it." Guy's eyes widened. "All I saw was that it wasn't very strong. Even a genin could pull that off."
"You don't get it. Orochimaru's showing off."
Kakashi glanced at the puzzled Guy and explained, "He's using the least chakra possible, but still drawing out the full power of the ninjutsu. That takes a deep understanding of ninjutsu and incredible chakra control."
As he spoke, Kakashi's gaze returned to Orochimaru, who was showing off his ninjutsu.
This kind of skill Kakashi could also manage, but only with the jutsu he was familiar with. Orochimaru, however, could perform so many, and so quickly. The title of one of the "Legendary Sannin" was truly well-earned.
"Oh, I see." Guy looked completely lost.
The Strong Fist style was known for speed and power, not fine chakra control. Guy could hardly use ninjutsu at all, so he didn't really get what Kakashi was saying.
He scratched his head. "This isn't that fun to watch. Let's go."
"Alright."
Kakashi nodded. Improving ninjutsu and chakra control wasn't something that could be done overnight, and just watching wasn't going to help much.
At that moment, Orochimaru suddenly stopped showing off and instead used the Summoning Technique, pulling a sword from the mouth of a snake.
With a single glance, Kakashi knew this was no ordinary blade. Its quality was even better than his own family's sword, and his steps came to a halt.
"Hold on, let's watch a little more."
…
"This sword… the Kusanagi Sword?"
The Genie gently wiped the saliva from the blade and said, "Good name, good sword."
"But you don't seem satisfied with it," Orochimaru said. "You're holding it, but thinking about another sword."
"That obvious?"
The Genie nodded, admitting Orochimaru was right. "In the last world, my master was a swordsman. I spent a long time with swords back then. Now that I see a new one, I can't help but compare."
"His sword… was strong?"
Orochimaru's curiosity grew. Another world, The Genie's former master—he wanted to dig up as much information as he could.
The Genie didn't answer directly, but asked instead, "In the shinobi world, what kinds of weapons do ninjas use?"
Without waiting for Orochimaru's reply, he continued on his own:
"Senbon, kunai, shuriken, short blades... ninjas use many different weapons."
"But in that last world, those demon slayers only had swords."
"They had to use swords to hunt demons whose bodies were far stronger than theirs."
"Most of the time, when the sword broke, the man died."
"So, tell me—wouldn't a sword like that be strong?"
After a brief silence, Orochimaru nodded. A weapon tied to life itself was naturally strong—it had to be.
"That's why you shouldn't underestimate the sword techniques I'm about to show you."
The Genie stood by the calm lake, sword on his back. "The last world was a world of swordsmen. They had no flashy ninjutsu, no endless types of ninja tools. All they had was swordsmanship, refined to the peak."
"To be honest, I was worried. With your body this weak, I wondered if you could even handle the power of sword techniques."
"Be ready to get seriously hurt."