From the night of genocide, marching towards the strongest.

A strange sound rang out, and the lightning in Kakashi's hand actually cut off the lightning on Sasuke's sword, leaving a small but noticeable cut on the blade.

'Finally, I've seen this move!'

Upon seeing the technique he had been dreaming of, Sasuke didn't have time to worry about his weapon; he simply flipped backward and retreated.

Before he could even land, Kakashi moved swiftly, creating a whooshing sound, and followed closely like a leech.

Sasuke was forced to retaliate, but this time he didn't use Uchiha-style swordsmanship or Fire Release swordsmanship, but rather a technique originating from the same source as Kakashi's—

White Fang Knife Technique!

Perhaps it was because Sasuke's first meeting with him left such a deep impression on him.

Perhaps it was the favor Sasuke had subtly cultivated earlier that had taken effect, and he was also a member of Obito Uchiha's clan and the only surviving member of the Uchiha clan.

It's also possible that Kakashi simply finds Sasuke more pleasing to the eye.

From the perspective of the original timeline, although Naruto Uzumaki was the son of the Fourth Hokage, Kakashi paid more attention to Sasuke in terms of teaching, and even secretly tutored him in private.

A year ago, thanks to Sasuke's deliberate contact, he became Kakashi's apprentice and received his guidance.

Because Sasuke was skilled in swordsmanship, Kakashi not only taught him some ninjutsu, but also his family's White Fang sword technique.

Clang clang!

The sounds of swords clashing rang out continuously, with flashes of lightning and white light streaking across the blades. The two fought with incredible speed, their movements creating afterimages that dazzled onlookers.

"Alright, alright!"

Kakashi took a step back, caught his breath, and then spoke.

"Okay, Kakashi-sensei."

Sasuke nodded, took a few heavy breaths, and then sheathed his katana.

Looking at Sasuke's calm expression, Kakashi remained silent for a moment before sighing, "Sasuke, your strength now surpasses what I was back then."

Kakashi became a Jonin at the age of twelve, setting a record as the youngest Jonin, although this was partly due to the war and the village's consideration for his father.

However, his own strength is close to that of a Jonin, or at least a Special Rank 1.

The reason why Kakashi was only close to becoming a Jonin at that time is because when he first became a Jonin, he encountered Hikari, a Jonin from Iwagakure, and suffered a crushing defeat. His left eye was blinded, and his White Fang short sword was broken.

Finally, with the death of his best friend and the aid of his Sharingan, he unleashed his full power in battle and killed an Iwa ninja, thus officially possessing the strength of a Jonin.

Sasuke is also twelve years old now, which means that Sasuke now has the strength to fight Jonin head-on.

This shows how highly Kakashi regards Sasuke.

Chapter 46 Is the friend you mentioned yourself?

However, this assessment is still based on the premise that Kakashi Hatake is unaware that Sasuke has already awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan.

Otherwise, Kakashi's opinion of Sasuke would be even higher!

"Does that mean I now possess the strength of a typical Jonin?"

Sasuke nodded, indicating that he understood, but in his heart he was making some guesses.

So, if I were to awaken my Sharingan now, I could even put up a fight against an elite Jonin.

"I suppose so." Kakashi nodded slightly and continued, "However, although your strength has reached this level, your practical experience is still very lacking. In the future, even if you encounter an enemy who looks much weaker than you, remember not to be careless, otherwise, you may easily be caught off guard and suffer a setback."

"I understand. Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. I will be more careful in the future."

The combat experience Kakashi was referring to was not the experience of sparring or competing with someone like the two of them, but the experience of fighting to the death.

Except for a very few people, most people in the ninja world, no matter how strong they are, are not considered ninjas.

In a life-or-death struggle, you don't need any fancy or elaborate ninjutsu. All you need is a simple kunai to lightly slit your neck and kill them.

Sasuke has no shortage of experience in sparring and competition, but he lacks experience in life-or-death battles!

"Speaking of which, you'll be graduating from the Ninja Academy in another month."

Kakashi's lips curled into a smile, and his eyes curved into crescent shapes.

"I wonder who will be your Jonin instructor. With your current strength, he'll be in big trouble!"

Sasuke smiled slightly and said, "I do hope that my mentor, Kakashi-sensei, will still be Kakashi-sensei. After all, I still have a lot to learn from him."

“Sasuke, you’re a genius, and I don’t have much more to teach you.” Kakashi shook his head, then continued, “However, there is one ninjutsu I created that I haven’t taught you yet. This ninjutsu can be said to be my core ninjutsu, and my fighting style is basically developed from this ninjutsu. It doesn’t matter whether I am your instructor Jonin in a month or not. I will teach you this ninjutsu during this time.”

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei!"

Sasuke expressed his heartfelt gratitude, even though he had ulterior motives in approaching Kakashi from the beginning.

Sasuke still remembers Kakashi's careful guidance throughout that year.

Perhaps in the future, Sasuke will most likely not follow the path Kakashi expects.

Although our positions may differ in the future, this friendship will remain.

Sasuke sighed inwardly and asked, "Is the ninjutsu Kakashi-sensei talking about the one that cut off my Lightning Release just now?"

“That’s right, that ninjutsu is called Lightning Blade!” Kakashi nodded. “However, what I’m going to teach you now isn’t Lightning Blade, but Chidori!”

(Regarding whether Chidori and Raikiri are the same ninjutsu, opinions vary. Kakashi and Guy have both said that Chidori is Raikiri, but the official guidebooks have completely distributed the indexes of Raikiri and Chidori in different areas, and even specially opened a new section for Raikiri, indicating that it is S-rank. In this book, it is set up to be similar to the relationship between Rasengan and Giant Rasengan.)

"Its sound is like a thousand birds singing in unison, hence the name Thousand Birds!"

"Raikiri is an improved version of Chidori. I once used this technique to cut through the lightning in the sky, so I named this technique Raikiri!"

Seeing Sasuke nod in understanding, Kakashi continued, "Chidori combines chakra nature transformation and form transformation. It gathers lightning chakra in the palm to form a high-intensity electric current, possessing extremely strong penetrating power and destructive force. It can also create powerful chakra physical activity to stimulate the user's legs and hands, thereby enhancing the user's thrusting speed and lightning penetrating power!"

"Watch closely and remember my hand seals!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Kakashi quickly formed three hand seals: Ugly, Rabbit, and Monkey. Lightning Release chakra instantly gathered in his hands, forming a high-intensity electric current that emitted a sound like a thousand birds chirping.

"Have you memorized the hand seals?"

Seeing Sasuke nod, Kakashi dispelled the lightning of Chidori.

"Next, I'll tell you about the training methods and key points of Chidori..."

Kakashi explained carefully, and Sasuke listened attentively. When Sasuke didn't understand something, he would ask questions, and Kakashi would patiently answer them one by one.

Half an hour passed before Kakashi finally stopped.

"These are the training methods and key points of Chidori."

"Did you understand everything?"

Sasuke nodded slightly: "Understood!"

"Sasuke, you truly are the most talented genius I've ever met. You've grasped the secrets of Chidori so quickly," Kakashi praised, then added, "However, while you understand it, mastering Chidori is no easy feat."

Seeing Sasuke remain silent, Kakashi smiled, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes, and said calmly, "The training of Chidori is extremely difficult. Even if you are a genius, in my calculations, you will need at least half... What!?"

Before he could finish speaking, Kakashi's eyes widened in disbelief.

Sasuke had already formed hand seals, and his right hand was now filled with intense lightning, emitting a sound like the chirping of a thousand birds.

"........"

Kakashi remained silent...

"........"

Sasuke remained silent...

The two looked at each other, falling into an eerie silence.

Finally, Sasuke spoke up: "It doesn't seem as difficult as Kakashi-sensei said."

Sasuke himself was somewhat incredulous at how quickly he had mastered this ninjutsu.

Although he had prepared for more than four years earlier than the original owner, and his talent was also greater than the original owner's height.

A year ago, he learned many Lightning Release ninjutsu under Kakashi's tutelage as a prerequisite.

but......

That's a bit too fast...

"Cough...cough..." Kakashi's eye twitched, and he coughed a few times to ease the awkwardness.

"Although Sasuke, your talent has exceeded my expectations, mastering Chidori in such a short time, there is one thing I still want to emphasize to you."

"The weakness of Chidori is that it requires you to rush towards your opponent quickly to perform a thrust, but because you are too fast, you may not be able to see your enemy clearly and be countered. Therefore, it needs to be used in conjunction with the Sharingan to maximize its effectiveness!"

"You haven't awakened your Sharingan yet, so I suggest you don't use this ninjutsu for now!"

Seeing Sasuke nod, Kakashi's expression turned serious: "Unbeknownst to you, you are about to become a ninja, Sasuke. I am sorry for what happened to you. I hope you will not wallow in hatred and neglect the important comrades around you."

"Of course, I don't mean for you to forget the past, but rather to remember the past, cherish the present, and live in the moment."

Seeing Sasuke's still calm expression, Kakashi sighed inwardly, his expression turning wistful and nostalgic as he said, "I have a friend who was once like you... he..."

"Kakashi-sensei, is the friend you're talking about yourself?"

Before he could finish speaking, Sasuke interrupted Kakashi, who was trying to make up a friend out of thin air.

Kakashi: ".........."

Chapter 47 The Test of Surgery.

The Hokage Building, office.

The Third Hokage sat in his chair and smiled kindly at Kakashi Hatake, who was now in his office. "Kakashi, you've come quite quickly."

"I dare not neglect the orders given by the Third Hokage," Kakashi said respectfully.

After a few simple pleasantries, the Third Hokage asked, "Kakashi, you've been in contact with Sasuke for about two years now, haven't you? What do you think of Sasuke's personality?"

Kakashi pondered for a moment, organized his thoughts, and said, "He is calm, rational, and hardworking. He is composed and unhurried in the face of adversity. Occasionally, he can be sharp-tongued and make thought-provoking remarks. Perhaps due to what has happened to him, he rarely shows his emotions. Overall, he is a calm, hardworking, and introverted child."

The Third Hokage chuckled and teased, "So, Sasuke is quite similar to you when you were young, Kakashi."

Kakashi nodded silently.

After two years of getting to know Sasuke, he did indeed see a reflection of his own childhood in him.

Having also experienced a major upheaval, he shut down his inner emotions, occasionally uttering sharp words, burying himself in rigorous training, single-mindedly increasing his strength, wanting to prove something.