Chapter 44: Taking a Disciple? Or Rather, Accepting a Retainer
"Itachi! Going to train again?"
On the way to the clan's training ground, it was inevitable to run into some members of the UchihaFamily. As the eldest son of the current Clan Chiefand an Uchiha Genius who had created a high-level swordsmanship, there were few Uchiha who didn't recognize him.
"Yeah!" Naruto nodded after seeing who it was, then greeted him politely, "Hello, Uncle Hōtai!"
"Don't be so formal!" Uchiha Hōtai laughed heartily. Then, as if remembering something, he slapped his forehead and pulled Naruto toward his home. "A few days ago, I asked the blacksmiths of the Ninja Cat Clan to forge a ninja sword for me. It's finished now, so I'll give it to you to use."
"Uncle Hōtai..."
"Don't be so quick to refuse. This ninja sword is forged from Chakra Metal. While I can't say its Chakra conductivity rivals a Divine Artifact, it's definitely top-tier!"
Hearing Uchiha Hōtai say this, Naruto sensibly shut his mouth. He knew very well just how much a ninja sword with good Chakra conductivity could enhance his strength.
This Move by Uchiha Hōtai was brilliant, sending a gift that went straight to Naruto's heart.
One must know that Naruto was currently in the second stage of developing the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū swordsmanship—combining swordsmanship with Chakra to create Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū 2.0, which incorporated Chakra application techniques.
"By the way, Uncle Hōtai," Naruto suddenly asked as they were about to reach Uchiha Hōtai's residence, "was this ninja sword specifically made for me, or..."
"This..." Uchiha Hōtai's face stiffened, and an embarrassed expression crawled onto his cheeks. "Forget it, there's no shame in telling the truth." Uchiha Hōtai decided to be honest. "Actually, this ninja sword began its forging three years ago and was only completely finished just now."
Since he decided to tell the truth, Uchiha Hōtaiwent into great detail, recounting trivial matters like how he collected the Materials and how difficult that process was.
Just as Naruto was starting to get bored, Uchiha Hōtai scratched his head sheepishly and brought the conversation back to the sword.
"Actually, I wanted to use this ninja sword myself, but..." Uchiha Hōtai unsheathed the cold, glinting blade and examined it closely, the reluctance in his eyes almost overflowing. "Thinking of Itachi's swordsmanship, I always feel that I'm not worthy of it!"
"Uncle Hōtai, your swordsmanship is also very high, so there's no need to belittle yourself!" Seeing how much Uchiha Hōtai cherished his sword, Naruto gave up the idea of taking it. "You are worthy of this fine blade. Besides, I can see your feelings for it are unusual, so I won't take what you love."
Just as Naruto was about to leave, Uchiha Hōtaigritted his teeth, raised the ninja sword above his head with both hands, and actually bowed his body toward Naruto.
Naruto naturally couldn't accept such a deep bow casually. He stepped aside and quickly helped Uchiha Hōtai up.
"Uncle Hōtai, if there's something on your mind, just say it. Itachi is unworthy of such a great gesture!" This wasn't Naruto being calculating; it came from his genuine sincerity.
"Itachi, I know what I'm about to say might cause you some trouble, but please, you must consider it!"
Hearing Uchiha Hōtai say this, if Naruto still didn't realize there was a hidden motive behind the gift, he would have truly lived two lives for nothing.
"Uncle Hōtai, please speak freely. As long as it's something I can do, I won't refuse!" Naruto's words seemed generous, but he left himself plenty of room to maneuver.
After all, whether he could do it or not depended on what Uchiha Hōtai was asking of him.
"I have secretly studied your Hiten Mitsurugi-ryūswordsmanship..."
As soon as Uchiha Hōtai spoke, Naruto's brow furrowed slightly. In any era, the act of stealing techniques without permission was not tolerated.
Moreover, in the Ninja World, where information was more important than life itself, if one's Moves were leaked and exploited by those with ill intent, the one who would suffer in the end would be oneself.
"Although I used the traits of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan to replicate all of Itachi's sword Moves..." Seemingly not noticing the change in Naruto's expression, Uchiha Hōtai continued to talk to himself, "I can never grasp the Profound Truth of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū. Even if the Moves are identical to yours, the final result is... worlds apart!"
Naruto finally understood when Uchiha Hōtai put it that way, and his heart settled.
Naruto actually knew about the Sharingan's copying ability, but not having awakened his own yet, he didn't know to what extent it could copy.
But after hearing Uchiha Hōtai's explanation, Naruto suddenly realized that no matter how excellent the Sharingan's copying ability was, it only replicated the "form." It was powerless against the "inner" essence or Profound Truths.
From this perspective, no matter how excellent an ability was, it had various flaws. This also served as a reminder to Naruto to be more cautious when finally choosing his rewards.
"Please, Itachi, teach me the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryūswordsmanship, and this ninja sword shall be my Apprenticeship Gift!"
Upon hearing this, Naruto couldn't help but look at his "uncle" in a new light. To be able to set aside his pride and offer such a heavy gift to take a "child" as his master—such boldness was not something an ordinary person possessed.
"I'll accept the sword. Uncle Hōtai, you can train with me from now on." Naruto didn't explicitly agree to the request to be his master. "If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask. I will tell you everything I know."
Naruto's handling of the situation was brilliant. Not only did he maximize his own benefits, but he also acted with perfect social grace.
"Besides, Itachi will inevitably have difficulties to trouble you with in the future, Uncle. I hope you won't refuse then!" After speaking, Naruto even made a show of bowing to Uchiha Hōtai.
Uchiha Hōtai pursed his lips and lowered his head in silence. After a moment, he suddenly dropped to one knee toward Naruto and performed an exceptionally standard Retainer's Salute.
"Today, Uchiha Hōtai acknowledges Uchiha Itachias the lord I shall protect for life. If I ever betray you, I shall suffer the punishment of being sliced by blades and torn apart by chariots!"
Uchiha Hōtai was indeed a bit beyond Naruto's expectations, but it was also within reason. Uchiha Hōtai was simply so amazed by Naruto's performance that he decided to place his bets on Naruto early.
Naruto naturally couldn't refuse an elite UchihaNinja retainer with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
After calmly accepting the salute, Naruto helped Uchiha Hōtai up. "In that case, I'll take the liberty of simply calling you Hōtai!"
Seeing that Naruto had accepted his loyalty and that his attitude had changed so quickly, Uchiha Hōtai wasn't surprised at all; instead, his eyes were full of joy.
"Let's go. We've delayed quite a bit today, and there's still much to train." Naruto hoisted the ninja sword onto his shoulder and led the way out of the house.
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