People in Demon Slayer: The Journey That Began with Demon Slayer

Although Moonlight Hayate lost, he wasn't resentful; instead, he was extremely excited.

Yosuke had always trained him with the most basic swordsmanship, but even so, Gekko Hayate was still far superior.

This time, Yosuke only slightly revealed his strength, leaving Gekko Hayate completely helpless. How could anyone not be excited at the thought of learning from Yosuke?

"That concludes today's training."

Yosuke looked at Hayate Gekko and said, "To celebrate your promotion to Jonin, Hayate, it's my treat today. I'll take you out for barbecue. Itachi, you come too."

Uchiha Itachi was taken aback for a moment: "Can I do it too?"

Yosuke's formidable strength had completely won over Itachi Uchiha, who couldn't help but admire him.

"Of course, let's go together!"

Inside the barbecue restaurant in Konoha, Hayate Gekko and Itachi Uchiha were very reserved.

Although Yosuke did not agree, Gekko Hayate had long regarded Yosuke as his teacher.

Uchiha Itachi, on the other hand, felt a little embarrassed that Yosuke had treated him to barbecue since it was only their first meeting.

The grilled meat was served, and seeing that neither of them had touched their chopsticks, Yosuke chuckled and teased, "What? Are you planning to grill it and then serve it to you?"

Hearing Yosuke's teasing, Hayate Gekko and Itachi Uchiha finally started eating.

Yosuke, who no longer needed food, ate a few pieces of grilled meat as a token gesture before starting to drink alcohol.

Seeing that Itachi Uchiha had put a lot of white sugar in the sauce dish made Yosuke somewhat uneasy.

"Itachi, aren't you afraid of getting cavities from eating so much candy?"

Uchiha Itachi said shyly in a low voice, "I prefer sweets."

Thinking about what he had heard on the street about the Nine-Tails, Yosuke thought he could ask Hayate Gekko.

"Hayate, I heard people talking about the Nine-Tails on the street. Do you know what the Nine-Tails is?"

Moonlight Gale's chopsticks paused for a moment.

Seeing this, Yosuke waved his hand and said, "If you can't say, you don't have to. I was just asking casually."

Hayate Gekko said, "Actually, almost everyone in Konoha knows about this, so there's no harm in telling them."

Hayate Gekko began to speak in detail: "The Nine-Tails is one of the Tailed Beasts, and also the strongest Tailed Beast. Each Tailed Beast is extremely powerful, and every time they appear, disaster strikes."

Therefore, in order to control the Tailed Beasts and to obtain their powerful strength, the idea of ​​sealing the Tailed Beasts with sealing techniques was conceived, and thus the Jinchuriki were born.

Every ninja village considers Jinchuriki their most powerful military force. However, Jinchuriki carry the risk of going berserk. When a Jinchuriki becomes emotionally agitated or their chakra weakens, the seal weakens, causing them to go berserk. Therefore, people fear Jinchuriki.

Itachi Uchiha nodded in agreement. Hayate Gekko was absolutely right. Although he was only four years old, he knew that his mother, Mikoto Uchiha, and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Kushina Uzumaki, were friends.

Yosuke finally realized that the evil, hateful, and powerful force he felt during his last encounter with Kushina Uzumaki actually came from the Nine-Tails.

Chapter 164 Training Uchiha Itachi

Several clues appeared in Yosuke's mind, but he couldn't connect them because he was missing a crucial factor: who was the pregnant woman carrying Naruto Uzumaki?

If it's Kushina Uzumaki, then it should be called Naruto Namikaze, not Naruto Uzumaki.

Yosuke speculated that Kushina Uzumaki might have other unknown clansmen in Konoha.

Preconceived notions led Yosuke into a dead end.

"Itachi?" A boy who looked slightly older than Itachi, wearing a Konoha headband and with a katana hanging on his back, appeared in the barbecue restaurant.

"Still water?"

When Itachi Uchiha saw his close friend from the same clan, his face immediately lit up with a smile.

Uchiha Shisui saw Yosuke and Gekko Hayate having a meal and said, "Itachi, you've found your partners too. My teammates and I finished training today and were thinking of having a meal at a barbecue restaurant. I won't bother you then."

Uchiha Shisui bowed very politely to Yosuke and Gekko Hayate, then followed his companions to another empty seat.

Uchiha Itachi always had a blank expression and a cool demeanor. Except for today when Yosuke let him watch the training up close, when his face showed a joyful expression, he always had the same expression.

"Is Itachi your friend?"

Itachi nodded his little head: "Yes, he is my close friend and kinsman."

Yosuke looked at Uchiha Shisui, who was chatting and laughing not far away. The clothes behind Shisui's companions did not have the Uchiha clan insignia, which meant that they were not from the same clan.

Yosuke thought to himself, "These Uchiha people aren't as difficult to get along with as Asuma said."

After finishing his meal, Yosuke went to the counter to pay.

Yosuke was speechless when he heard the bill; he never expected a barbecue to be so expensive.

Fortunately, Yosuke placed bets on each sparring match with Asuma, allowing him to squeeze some money out of Asuma, the son of the Hokage. Otherwise, he might not have been able to afford to pay for all that money.

It was already late when they left the barbecue restaurant. Yosuke, Hayate Gekko, and Itachi Uchiha parted ways.

At night, Yosuke discovered that no one was watching him anymore.

After all, no one likes to be constantly monitored, which is one of the few benefits of cooperating with Danzo.

Early the next morning, Moonlight Gale knocked on the door of Yosuke's inn.

“Mr. Yang Jie, I may not be able to come and cultivate with you for a while.”

"What's wrong?"

Hayate Gekko explained, "I've been assigned a top-secret mission, so I have to report for duty right now."

"Looks like you've been quite busy since becoming a Jonin. Go on, you can train again after you finish your mission."

"Yes!" Moonlight Gale bowed and left the inn.

In the afternoon, although Gekko Hayate went on a mission, Yosuke still went to the forest.

Meanwhile, in the woods, Itachi Uchiha's small figure was already waiting.

"Lord Yosuke." Itachi Uchiha bowed to Yosuke with great courtesy.

Not seeing Moonlight Gale, he asked in confusion, "Hasn't Mr. Gale arrived yet today?"

Yosuke explained, "Hayate has gone on a mission."

Itachi Uchiha couldn't hide his disappointment. If Hayate Gekko wasn't there, it meant there would be no training session today.

Yosuke chuckled and ruffled Itachi Uchiha's hair: "I'll train you alone today."

Itachi Uchiha looked at Yosuke with surprise.

"However, my training is very rigorous, you know. Can you handle it?"

Uchiha Itachi said with great determination, "I can definitely hold on!"

"Alright! Let's begin training. Follow me, Itachi."

Yosuke led Itachi to the top of a mountain. The entire mountain was covered with dense forests, with loose rocks everywhere and many obstacles.

“Itachi, you are different from Hayate. Hayate’s habits are already set, so I can only train him to target his weaknesses. But you are different. Everything about you is still unsettled. You are a rough diamond, so I plan to start teaching you from the very basics.”

Yosuke's serious expression made Itachi Uchiha unconsciously swallow, sensing that Yosuke's training would be extremely difficult.

"Your current training is very simple: just keep going down and up the mountain."

"Going up and down the mountain? It's that simple?"

Itachi was somewhat incredulous. Although he was only 5 years old, Itachi, born into the Uchiha clan who revered martial prowess, had already undergone systematic training, making going up and down the mountain far too easy for him.

Yosuke smiled mysteriously and said, "Simple? I hope you won't back down later."

"There are two things you need to do before training. First, you are not allowed to use chakra. Second, you cannot take shortcuts by climbing trees. You can only go up and down the mountain on solid ground."

“I understand!” Itachi Uchiha nodded.

"Now that you understand, let's begin!"

As Yosuke finished speaking, Itachi Uchiha began to rush down the mountain at top speed.

Yang Jie sat leisurely on a rock, took a wine flask from his waist, and began to sip.

Itachi Uchiha didn't understand Yosuke's training method and felt that Yosuke was looking down on him. He was determined to reach the destination as quickly as possible and make Yosuke take him seriously.

However, Itachi Uchiha was distracted and did not notice a loose stone under his feet. He stepped on it, lost his balance, and fell. Because it was downhill, he continued to roll down the mountain until he hit a tree and stopped.

"Pain pain pain..."

Itachi Uchiha rubbed his back, which was covered in abrasions, and struggled to his feet before continuing his descent down the mountain.

During his descent, Itachi Uchiha inevitably made a mistake. By the time he reached the foot of the mountain, he was covered in dust and bruises, and his strength was completely exhausted.

Looking at the mountain that he should normally be able to climb easily, Itachi Uchiha began to doubt himself, and a seductive voice appeared in his mind.

"Can I still climb up now? Or should I just use chakra and take the shortcut up the tree... anyway, Yosuke-sama won't be able to see me."

Itachi Uchiha shook his head, trying to clear the sound from his mind.

"Uchiha Itachi! As the pride of the Uchiha clan, I absolutely cannot allow such a thing to happen! Don't disappoint Lord Yosuke!"

Uchiha Itachi looked up at the mountaintop, his eyes filled with determination, and once again embarked on the mountain climbing journey.

As they made their way up the mountainside, Itachi Uchiha felt like his lungs were about to explode. Every breath was accompanied by excruciating pain, and his legs were swollen. He could only lean on a piece of wood and limp as he continued up the mountain.

In the end, Itachi Uchiha reached the summit through sheer willpower, but he was also in a terrible state, lying on the ground panting heavily.

Yosuke looked at Uchiha Itachi with a mocking expression: "How was it? Still think it's easy?"

Itachi Uchiha was no longer able to respond to Yosuke's teasing and just wanted to rest.

Chapter 165 Uchiha Fugaku

After a long while, Itachi Uchiha finally recovered.

"Tell me your thoughts on the process of going up and down the mountain."

Uchiha Itachi thought for a moment and replied, "It's difficult, more difficult than I imagined. Without using chakra, my stamina is depleted very quickly, and I can't concentrate. It's as uncomfortable as having my hands and feet tied."

"Very good. Being able to recognize your shortcomings means you have made progress. The purpose of this training is to strengthen your physique. If we assume chakra is water and your body is a container, then the larger the container, the more water it can hold."

Itachi Uchiha nodded thoughtfully. No one had ever talked to him about his physical abilities. From beginning to end, the elders in the clan had always said that the Uchiha clan relied on the Sharingan. As long as one awakened the Sharingan, one could join the ranks of the strong.

"In your world... cough... your ninjas are naturally very physically gifted, but chakra is not everything. True strength lies in one's own abilities. When chakra runs out, one's own physical attributes become extremely important, enabling one to survive difficult battles."