Konoha's Mission Master

Yakumo walked over from a distance and sensed the melancholy in Kakashi's eyes.

"Let's go sit over there."

The three of them sat on the grass.

"Kakashi...you're confused, aren't you?"

“That’s right,” Kakashi replied.

"What you don't understand is why, even though we're both at the Master level, Qianxue is much stronger than you, with the gap between us seemingly insurmountable. You don't understand why your progress is slowing down, while Qianxue is making rapid strides in the Master realm."

"That's right!"

Kakashi's eyes lit up, clearly his secret had been exposed.

"Master-level breakthroughs come from enlightenment, not from learning."

In fact, when you were a child, Uncle Hatake laid an incredibly solid foundation for you, allowing you to make rapid progress in the Hatake Secret Manual. However, this inevitably resulted in your swordsmanship bearing too much of Uncle Hatake's influence.

You didn't walk the path to becoming a master on your own.

Your path to becoming a master is remarkably similar to that of Uncle Hatake, but his master techniques simply cannot perfectly align with yours.

Of course… the advantage of this is that you are closer to breaking through to the master level, and there is not much difficulty in breaking through.

Yakumo patiently explained to the two of them.

"Qianxue's path to mastery was realized through her own understanding."

When Yukotsu Chiyuki was stuck at a bottleneck, Yakumo didn't offer him any guidance; instead, he suggested that he think about it carefully on his own.

Although she broke through much later than Kakashi, Yukotsu Chiyuki's path in master-level swordsmanship was more solid and steady, laying the foundation for her future path to becoming a grandmaster.

"Was my swordsmanship wrong?"

Kakashi asked softly, while he was also thinking about the bottleneck that had appeared in his swordsmanship after he broke through to the master level.

"If swordsmanship is a long journey without end."

You've only temporarily lost your way. What you need to do next is find your direction and then keep moving forward without hesitation.

Yakumo kneaded a black and white bead in his hand and explained with a rare serious expression.

He had recently watched Kakashi and Yukotsu Chiyuki spar and discovered that Kakashi's swordsmanship was remarkably similar to Hatake Sakumo's, almost as if they were cut from the same mold.

Looking at it again today, one can immediately see that Kakashi's sword techniques have many awkward gaps in their connection.

This is not because of a lack of proficiency, but because Kakashi's swordsmanship is not perfectly suited to him, like two metal gears that cannot fit together perfectly.

It can function, but it's difficult to achieve its maximum effectiveness.

Kakashi: "Yakumo, what should I do next?"

"Find your own direction and comprehend your own swordsmanship."

Could you be more specific?

“No…” Yakumo shook his head in reply.

Could it be that he's going to say... first, collect six Master-level Breakthrough Scrolls?

Should we make a slight breakthrough?

Obviously, the answer is...it's impossible to explain.

"Observe the alternation of the sun and moon, comprehend the changes of mountains and rivers, and compare the sword to nature."

Yukotsu Chiyuki generously shared her insights on breaking through to the Master level with Kakashi. Not long after, Kakashi thoughtfully got up to say goodbye.

"Three feet and might are just techniques, not specific sword skills. I hope you can extract the essence from my sword skills, integrate them, and create your own path to becoming a master."

"Understood." You Gu Qianxue nodded.

"Master, I hope you can instruct me in swordsmanship..."

"Alright, let's have a friendly spar."

Yakumo leaped into the air, covering a distance of more than ten meters in the blink of an eye, like a large bird flying close to the ground, and finally landed in the center of the training field.

"bring it on."

With a thousand snowflakes of sorrow, she drew her sword and slashed!

Yakumo parried with his sword, appearing incredibly relaxed and at ease.

Whenever You Gu Qianxue launches a frenzied attack, an irresistible, subtle force will not injure him, but will instead knock him back several meters.

"Ding!"

Yakumo's gaze narrowed slightly as he planted his feet firmly on the ground.

No matter what methods Yukotsu Chiyuki used to attack, she could not break through that ingenious defensive force, and naturally could not cause any damage to Yakumo.

Constant clashes, constant collisions!

Yukotsuki's breathing became slightly disordered. Remembering Yakumo's teachings, she took the initiative to create some distance and adjust her breathing.

"Have you gained any insights?"

"Softness can overcome hardness, and brute force can be neutralized by skillful force."

“Continue…” Yakumo asked with a look of delight in his eyes.

He hadn't expected You Gu Qianxue to be so talented, able to grasp the principle that those who are too rigid are easily broken after only a dozen minutes of sparring.

"This only proves that I am not tough enough, not strong enough."

"Hoo... If my strength could destroy that skillful force."

"So, this is it: the strong can overcome the weak!!"

Yakumo was quite surprised when he heard Yukotsu Chiyuki's answer; it was something he hadn't expected.

With a powerful leap, You Gu Qianxue created two footprints in the ground beneath her feet, gripped her long sword, and jumped up suddenly.

From top to bottom, using gravity, unleash a domineering strike.

His arms grew thicker, veins bulged, and the surface of his arms turned blood red, as if blood was seeping out and forming a net. Powerful chakra burst forth from his body, turning into silver lightning.

This attack has already touched the threshold of the Shadow level.

At this level of attack, Yukotsu Chiyuki was unable to fully utilize her abilities when facing Kakashi, otherwise Kakashi would have been in mortal danger.

Yakumo parried with a rather unremarkable horizontal thrust.

The ultimate power spread upwards from his legs, mixing with the power generated from his waist, and finally reaching his right arm that held the sword. The speed of blood surging in his body suddenly increased, and the sound of a surging river came from his body.

"Sigh." Yakumo sighed softly.

The surrounding crowd had already stopped what they were doing and were watching the two sparring intently, which looked more like a life-or-death battle.

"Ding."

As the weapons clashed, You Gu Qianxue gritted her teeth and exerted her strength.

Yakumo held his weapon horizontally, his right arm as still as a sculpture.

Despite her best efforts, the snow-covered bones could not be moved even slightly.

The next second, that skillful force erupted again, and he flew backward like a wild goose, landing lightly on the ground.

"Do you understand? The right way is to combine strength and gentleness."

Yakumo retracted his outstretched arm and reminded him.

"No, I firmly believe that brute force can overcome skill!"

You Gu Qianxue still stuck to her opinion, but did not continue to attack. The outburst just now was already her full power under normal circumstances.

Unless... you overdraw your body by shattering jade.

The two were merely exchanging sparring tips, not engaging in a life-or-death battle.

"This time, we won't unleash our chakra; we'll just spar using our skills."

Yakumo spoke again.

"it is good."

You Gu Qianxue struck again, as direct and uncompromising as ever, putting all his strength into a relentless attack.

Using his skill in switching between illusion and reality, Yakumo countered the attacks. His legs were like the roots of an old tree, and after hundreds of exchanges, he did not move an inch.

"Continue the attack."

Since you want to use strength to overcome gentleness...

Then you need to be stronger and faster!!

Yakumo Ittō knocked Yukotsu Chiyuki back with a cold shout.

"it is good!"

The two resumed their fight in the blink of an eye.

Yukotsuki's attack methods have not changed at all, and in some cases she has even made the wrong choices.

Combat skills aim to maximize the effect of the force expended during an attack. However, You Gu Qianxue sometimes abandons the most effective solution and chooses to deal with attacks head-on.

This was undoubtedly somewhat reckless, yet perfectly suited to his swordsmanship.

During the battle, Yukotsu Chiyuki's understanding of swordsmanship was steadily improving, a speed of progress that surprised Yakumo.

The two separated in an instant, completely exhausted.

Yukotsuki's face was extremely pale, and her clothes were completely soaked with sweat. On the other side, Yakumo's face remained normal, showing no signs of having been in a battle.

The sun was setting in the west, and night was deepening.

Yakumo and Mori Masako were walking home.

The following day, Yakumo heard from Masako Mori that Kakashi had completed the process of requesting leave from the Fourth Hokage.

He left Konoha alone, supposedly to gain insight into swordsmanship.

During this time, a major event occurred in the ninja world: the Land of Water lifted its policy of isolation and began to establish trade routes with several other major powers.

Currently, the Land of Fire has established diplomatic relations with the Land of Water, and all kinds of seafood are continuously transported to the major cities of the Land of Fire by sea.