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Next door, Kurenai couldn't see either of their faces.
After a long moment, the room beside her grew even quieter.
Were they done washing already?
She hurried through cleaning herself, stepped outside, and sure enough—there were Leo and Kakashi.
They were fast.
When Kurenai arrived in the courtyard, both boys were simply resting. Not a single one of them was training.
Now that was rare.
But then again…
She knew what they'd talked about earlier in the hot springs must have hit both of them pretty hard.
That was probably the most genuine, heartfelt conversation their team had ever had.
It was just a shame she didn't feel like she'd contributed much.
"I should get back to training… boost my medical ninjutsu and medical knowledge."
Learning medical techniques was the best way she could support her teammates.
Kurenai made a silent vow—
Before they headed back, she would spend more time around Konoha Hospital. She would study. And she would master more medical skills.
Kakashi, meanwhile, had already gone back to practicing the Rasengan.
As for Leo—
He sat off to the side, staring at his panel and system prompts, deep in thought.
[Name: Leo]
[Age: 7]
[Kekkei Genkai]: None
[Skills]:Transformation Jutsu (Expert), Clone Jutsu (Expert), Substitution Jutsu (Expert), Body Flicker (Master),
Water Style: Wild Water Wave (Expert), Water Style: Water Formation Wall (Expert), Shadow Clone (Proficient), Monster Strength (Proficient), White Fang Kenjutsu (Beginner)
Of all things…
He'd received a reward—just not the one he expected.
[Through your guidance, you've gained the other party's complete trust.]
[You've gained a loyal follower.]
[Reward: White Fang Kenjutsu (Beginner)]
Right now, Kakashi's strongest, most deeply ingrained skill truly was the sword style inherited from his father.
Beginner-level White Fang swordsmanship.
Leo closed his eyes and examined the memories.
The sword style was surprisingly simple.
Cutting, stabbing, chopping…
The basic motions were everything. But within the memories were countless embedded techniques:
Which angles were lethal.
How to swing faster with less effort.
This was a sword style designed for killing.
Even if he never trained as a swordsman, the techniques alone were invaluable.
After a while, he couldn't help but sigh internally—
White Fang really was something.
If this was only the beginner level, then at Sakumo Hatake's prime… his killing technique must have been terrifying.
A blade born purely for killing.
Yet its wielder… was someone who felt deeply, not a cold weapon.
What a waste.
Leo let out a quiet sigh in his heart.
If Hatake Sakumo were still alive and leading the Anbu, the Anbu forces would have been the sharpest blade in Konoha.
He kept reflecting, then picked up a kunai.
Whoosh.
His movements felt noticeably sharper.
A bonus effect?
Leo practiced over and over, testing it carefully, and finally reached a conclusion—
Yeah, he really had improved.
Combined with Sakumo's terrifying killing technique and natural talent…
This must be the foundation of White Fang's swordsmanship.
All the later jutsu and sword arts were just additions—tiles layered onto a house, depending on the user's talent.
"Honestly, calling it a sword style is misleading. It's more like White Fang's personal technique and philosophy…"
From this perspective, Kakashi's swordsmanship, while strong, still didn't match his own style yet.
It would only be after he gained the Chidori and Sharingan that Kakashi truly formed his own approach—
An assassination system built around the Chidori.
What about me?
Leo thought quietly.
Tobirama's kenjutsu involved Water Style and Flying Raijin—far beyond what he could imitate now, and not worth copying outright. What he needed was to absorb the ideas behind techniques like the Dance of the Crescent Moon—study them, merge them.
Besides…
Why must a "blade" be something you hold?
Could Monster Strength be used as a blade?
Leo's mind opened up, and things started to fall into place.
Still—
At this stage, he should practice swordsmanship properly.
Fusion required deep understanding.
Only by understanding swordsmanship could he grasp the subtleties in White Fang's techniques and integrate everything into killing moves that suited him.
Leo's eyes grew clearer. He looked over at Kakashi.
When it came to swordsmanship…
Kakashi was the one to ask.
After thinking a moment, Leo spoke. "Kakashi, I want to learn sword techniques. Can I ask you for guidance? I can teach you some of the insights I've gained from ninjutsu in return."
"You don't have to trade anything. It's just swordsmanship," Kakashi replied.
"Look at you two being all modest," Kurenai said from the courtyard, holding a medical book. "Why not just learn from each other?"
Leo nodded.
"Exactly. Let's learn together. If we exchange what we know, each of us ends up with more knowledge."
He sat down and waved Kurenai over.
"You join in too."
After making sure no one was listening nearby, Leo simply started explaining.
He began with the Body Flicker.
"My Body Flicker is faster because of chakra control and muscle control…"
The difference between "Expert" and "Master" was the level of precision and efficiency in movement.
He explained as clearly as he could.
Kakashi and Kurenai listened intently.
Kakashi, already skilled in speed techniques, understood quickly.
Kurenai struggled a bit, but—
She understood the core ideas.
Still…
The two exchanged a look and sighed with a wry smile.
Knowing something and doing it were worlds apart.
It was going to be difficult.
Even Kakashi knew he wouldn't master it anytime soon. But he also understood that even learning a fraction of these techniques would help immensely.
"It might be tough, but our chakra and physical limits are fixed. If we want more speed through Body Flicker, technique is the only way. In battle, you need controlled speed. When escaping, every bit of extra speed counts."
Leo explained calmly.
Both of them understood.
Kakashi stood up and bowed deeply.
"Thank you."
To him…
Leo wasn't really asking about swordsmanship. He was probably using the exchange as an excuse to teach him these techniques.
Kurenai also bowed sincerely.
Kakashi hesitated for a long moment before speaking.
"You might admire my father's sword style because of his reputation, but honestly… his swordsmanship was just the simplest movements."
He was afraid Leo would come expecting something legendary and leave disappointed.
Leo smiled. "The power comes from the person, not the technique. The same jutsu performed by a teacher or by me can look completely different. That's normal."
"…Good to hear."
Kakashi let out a breath of relief.
Kurenai cut in quickly, "Swordsmanship takes a long time to learn. Why don't I go first?"
She didn't want to feel like she was taking advantage.
"Uh… sure," Kakashi said, sitting back down.
Kurenai's voice softened. "Most of what I know is genjutsu, and the techniques tie into illusion principles. As you know, the basic Clone Jutsu is actually a type of illusion. My father developed a genjutsu clone technique…"
She explained her approach slowly.
Genjutsu combined with clone techniques.
Leo and Kakashi listened with genuine curiosity—
Even if genjutsu wasn't their specialty, learning different perspectives broadened their thinking.
When Kurenai finished, her cheeks flushed.
"During the genin exam, I hadn't mastered the Naraku Clone yet. So… I didn't use it."
"That technique is really useful. You should learn it soon," Kakashi said immediately.
Leo nodded.
In solo combat, its value wasn't huge. But in team combat? Completely different.
Plus…
"If you can layer genjutsu—stack them—the potential gets even bigger."
"Genjutsu… layering?" Kurenai repeated softly, already drifting into thought.
Using the Naraku Clone as the trigger for another illusion…
It was a promising direction.
Then it was Kakashi's turn.
He demonstrated sword techniques step by step.
Leo followed along diligently.
Kurenai tried too, but after a short while, she gave up.
It only took about ten minutes for her to go from beginner to "nope."
It wasn't fear of hardship—she just realized her focus needed to stay on medical skills and genjutsu.
Learning swordsmanship now would only distract her.
But—
If she could master the Body Flicker techniques, it would improve her survival chances.
And that mattered a lot.
Kurenai took that to heart.
"....."