Naruto: Starting as the Third Hokage with Tears in His Eyes

Yagura nodded, but his gaze fell on Kakashi.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke, asking a question that no one had expected.

"Kakashi Hatake,"

His voice was calm. "Could I borrow your knife to take a look?"

Kakashi was taken aback for a moment.

Obito and Rin also looked over curiously.

On Kakashi's back was a replica of his father Sakumo Hatake's White Fang short sword. Although not the real thing, it was still incredibly sharp and was a weapon he never parted with.

He didn't know why Yagura was interested in his sword.

But looking into the other person's calm purple eyes, Kakashi did not refuse.

He took the short sword from his back and handed it over, scabbard and all.

Yagura accepted it solemnly, but did not draw his sword.

He simply ran his fingers along the unadorned patterns on the scabbard, feeling the unique texture of the weapon.

The voice of Isobu echoed in his mind again, but this time it carried a hint of confusion.

Hey kid, what do you need this for?

Yagura did not answer it.

He raised his head, looked at Kakashi who looked puzzled, and spoke again.

"I've heard that your father, Lord Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang of Konoha, wielded his sword for protection."

Kakashi's expression changed, and he nodded.

"So..."

Yagura took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind.

He returned the dagger to Kakashi with both hands, then stood up and bowed solemnly to Kakashi.

"Please teach me swordsmanship!"

"I want to learn how to use weapons to protect what I want to protect!"

These words were like a thunderclap, exploding in Obito and Rin's ears.

Kakashi was completely stunned. He stared blankly at the Kirigakure elder in front of him, who was a head shorter than him but had a resolute expression, and didn't know how to react for a moment.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was in the distance, also stopped and turned around to look at this scene.

A meaningful smile appeared on his face.

The seeds have been planted.

Next, let's see what kind of flowers it will bloom.

The sea breeze, carrying a hint of saltiness and the lingering aroma of roasted meat, lazily swept across the deck.

The night sky was clear and bright, with stars scattered everywhere, like a plate of overturned diamonds.

Kakashi Hatake was completely stunned.

His usually half-open, dead fish-like eyes, which seemed to have no interest in anything in the world, were unusually wide open at this moment.

He looked at the serious-looking young man, the powerful elder of Kirigakure, and for a moment, the string in his brain that was responsible for quick analysis and吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or critical commentary) seemed to have been plucked, buzzing but unable to produce a single note.

Teach him swordsmanship?

A top-tier ninja from Kirigakure wants to learn swordsmanship from a young man from Konoha?

This feeling is even more surreal than Obito showing up at the meeting point on time one morning and even buying breakfast for everyone.

"Hey! Did I hear that right?"

The first to break this eerie silence was, unsurprisingly, Uchiha Obito.

He sprang up from the deck in a flash, his goggles tilting to one side from the sudden movement. Pointing at Yagura, his voice was loud enough to wake even the sleeping fish in the sea, "You! You want to learn swordsmanship from that masked idiot Kakashi? Were you just blown away by that giant octopus's ink?"

"Are you kidding me? This guy's just a show-off with a smug face!"

Rin Nohara was also quite taken aback by this sudden request, but she quickly recovered and tugged at Obito's sleeve, gently advising, "Obito, Elder Yagura is serious."

Obito grunted and shut his mouth, scratching his unruly black hair, looking completely puzzled.

Kakashi is very strong, but...

The idea of ​​having a top expert from another village learn from one's own companion feels incredibly awkward.

It's either a conspiracy or love!

Yagura ignored Obito's shouting.

His eyes remained calmly fixed on Kakashi from beginning to end, patiently awaiting an answer.

On that mature-beyond-his-years face was an unprecedented sincerity, without the slightest pretense.

Kakashi shifted his gaze from Yagura's resolute face back to the short sword that Yagura had just returned.

The tactile sensation of the scabbard still lingered between his fingers—a cool yet solid texture, something he was most familiar with.

Why?

His brain finally started working again.

Why would someone want to learn swordsmanship from me? Because of my father, the White Fang of Konoha? Possibly.

But a strong person will not bow so solemnly just because of a title.

Was it because of the skill he showed when cutting the octopus sashimi? That's even less likely. That kind of knife skill wouldn't amount to anything in a real life-or-death struggle.

Could it be the line, "Your father wielded his sword to protect others"?

Kakashi's heart skipped a beat.

Meanwhile, a storm is brewing in Yagura's mental world.

Hey kid! What are you doing?!

The voice of Mio Isobu, filled with deep dissatisfaction and resentment, rolled around like muffled thunder from the seabed.

[Forget learning those crappy knife skills! Is that even edible? Does it smell like grilled meat? Is it as tender as sashimi? Ask him now! Right now! Quickly ask him what the perfect ratio of wasabi and soy sauce is when he makes sashimi! This is the important thing! It's the most important thing concerning our future quality of life!]

A vein throbbed uncontrollably on Yagura's forehead.

He forcibly blocked out the roar of the tailed beast in his mind, which had completely degenerated into a gourmet (or rather, a glutton), and maintained a calm facade.