Chapter 46

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"Pay attention to conceal your attack intent!"

"Kakashi! Where's your brain? Anyone can guess what you're going to do next!"

"Kyomu! Hold back, until the opponent is on the brink of death, you must always reserve three-quarters of your strength for a counterattack. Don't make me repeat myself for the third time!"

Sakumo usually appeared gentle and refined, but when it came to teaching Kyomu and Kakashi, he was an absolute tyrant and executioner.

Under his scolding and repeated beatings, a whole day and half the night's time made Kyomu endure both torment and agony.

Fortunately, in the middle, Guy came to deliver food, providing a rare bit of solace through enjoying delicious meals.

Sakumo was very friendly towards Guy. Firstly, because they seemed to be of a similar age as Kakashi, and secondly, he genuinely admired and respected Guy's character and unwavering personality.

But to be honest, Sakumo was very proud. He could occasionally offer guidance to those like Might Duy, who had the "fool" attribute, but he would not take them as disciples, let alone allow Kyomu's friends to come and observe during his teaching sessions.

This was a serious and normal matter, and Guy and the others had no objections.

Moreover, Guy coming to deliver food was simply to take care of Kyomu and Kakashi, with no other implications.

This actually made Sakumo's attitude towards him even more gentle, secretly deciding to take care of Guy in his own way within his capabilities.

"Don't hang around here, hurry up and leave!" Sakumo kicked Kyomu, "Have I not told you several times today? Don't stand here grinning like an idiot!"

"Teacher, then I'll go home first." Kyomu, with a bruised and swollen nose, bowed in thanks and then ran off.

With no outsiders around, Sakumo then turned to Kakashi. "Son, are you blaming me for being heavy-handed?"

"I've learned a lot, and it's deeply ingrained in my memory." Kakashi, covering his swollen left eye like a steamed bun, couldn't help but clench his buttocks. "I won't make the same mistakes tomorrow."

"Don't wait until tomorrow, digest it well today, or..." He looked up at the night sky, "I'll cooperate with you to practice again."

Kakashi nodded, feeling both pleased and disappointed in his heart.

Although he didn't want to admit it, the gap between him and Kyomu had slowly widened.

It had only been a few months, and he didn't dare to think about the next few years!

Sakumo also noticed Kakashi's worries and patted him on the shoulder. "Kyomu's talent is higher than yours, that's a fact, but if you at this moment..."

"I haven't given up!" Kakashi stood up. "Please begin, Father. I will never let Kyomu stay ahead like this!"

Sakumo nodded with a smile, then proceeded to give Kakashi some special attention.

One was his disciple, the other was his son. Sakumo didn't favor either, but providing additional guidance to his son to practice what he learned that day was just human nature.

He didn't play favorites, he had already balanced things as much as possible. But then again, Kyomu was indeed quite remarkable.

Of course, a 28-fold increase in passive skill effects could also be considered a contribution.

"Don't reveal your own aura, including your breath, your killing intent, and even the impression you give to others!"

"Learn to use any form of backup tactics in battle, including throwing, genjutsu, and even ninjutsu!"

"Kyomu, you idiot! If you combine so many combat tactics, will you turn into a disabled person? Pay attention to coordination!"

"Kakashi! Don't you know your own situation? Ninjutsu is meant for seizing opportunities, not for giving up attacks and standing dumbly in the distance making hand seals!"

"Target, are you standing there to be a target?"

"Kyomu! Pay attention to your stamina, don't always pursue power, at least not at this stage!"

"Kakashi! You useless brat, did I teach you Hatake Swordsmanship like this?!"

Sakumo's temper became increasingly irritable, and Kyomu and Kakashi suffered heavier beatings. By the end of the night, they could only walk with each other's support.

But the next day, Kyomu bounced back to life, and Kakashi was almost the same.

And as the imparting of combat experience deepened, Sakumo's scolding towards Kakashi changed to a mixture of praise and reproach.

And Kyomu finally understood the real reason why Kakashi wore a mask.

He was very handsome, but being teased by his father in such a way, Kakashi naturally couldn't stand it.

As old matters resurfaced, Kakashi practiced even harder, putting pressure even on Kyomu.

Even though he had surpassed Kakashi at this stage, who knew how the passive skills would change next month? If the passive was too lackluster, being overtaken would be a big joke.

Seeing that his method was effective, Sakumo worked even harder to increase the intensity for Kakashi and Kyomu, both mentally and physically, each day.

It was painful, but also joyful.

It wasn't a masochistic tendency, but under Sakumo's blunt and straightforward teaching, Kyomu and Kakashi's combat experience skyrocketed without even shedding blood, and their level of cooperation increased day by day.

Sakumo was naturally pleased, but kept it hidden and continued to nitpick at both of them.

But when a top-tier shinobi from the Kage Level starts feeding you tricks from the basics, how could you complain? Just endure it!

Occasionally, to take care of their bodies, Sakumo would intentionally pause the teaching progress for a day or two, specifically allowing Kyomu and Kakashi to spar for a day or two, enabling them to find inspiration and learn from each other.

After all, always being crushed lacked a bit to form a solid foundation.

Now came Kakashi's nightmare.

In their sparring, he lost nine out of ten times, and his mentality almost faltered.

But Sakumo was a good father who always stood up for Kakashi when he needed psychological guidance, gradually stabilizing Kakashi's mindset.

Although he had to compete with Kyomu day and night, he also needed to compete in the future, and the outcome was uncertain.

Kakashi, full of fighting spirit, was undoubtedly indirectly pushing Kyomu to the limit, forcing Kyomu to get 50,000 ryo from Obito.

With a 32-fold increase in passive skill effects, in the first month of his time in training, Kyomu achieved a new achievement.

Unlocked the character card of Hatake Sakumo with maximum favorability.

Kyomu's genius performance, coupled with his character and emotional intelligence, truly impressed Sakumo.

But Sakumo couldn't always accompany Kyomu and Kakashi in training. Some dangerous missions that he couldn't refuse would suddenly appear and seek him out.

End of the month.

Sakumo concluded his tyrannical torment of Kyomu and Kakashi, donned his military uniform, and led his team out of the village under the cover of night.

Who knew when they would return.

"Kakashi..."

Ten banknotes appeared in front of Kyomu's eyes. Kakashi raised his eyebrows and shook them twice. The sound of money was delightful and enticing.

Although it was the last day of the month, Kyomu's love for money was undiminished.

What if he needed it later?

"Big Brother." Kyomu immediately changed his tone. "Let's submit our early graduation application tomorrow, or-"

"Submit it tomorrow." Kakashi crossed his arms, with a disdainful look in his eyes. "Kyomu, this E-rank mission at the ninja school, we've already completed it ahead of schedule and exceeded expectations, achieving an unprecedented achievement.

So, our next task is to quickly conquer the D-rank path of genin and the C-rank path of chuunin promotion.

And we must ensure that we are still the first!"

"It seems that becoming a dung cleaning boy is inevitable for me..." Kyomu shook his head, saying something very disappointing and inappropriate.

"What do you mean by 'dung cleaning boy'?"

"D-rank missions for genin, apart from cleaning dung, it's picking up trash. What else do you think we will do?"

Kakashi didn't want to talk anymore, carefully thinking about becoming a manual laborer as a genin was indeed quite... humbling.

"Kyomu, we can choose not to carry out missions!" Kakashi suddenly had an idea.

"Big Brother, to become a chuunin, strength is one part, and the number of low-level missions completed is also part of the assessment." Kyomu shrugged, "Unless it's wartime, this is an iron law."

"If this doesn't work and that doesn't work, what do you suggest?"

"Big Brother, you decide, I'll follow your lead." Kyomu waved the banknotes in his hand. "My service attitude is absolutely impeccable, isn't it, Big Brother?"

Kakashi's forehead veins twitched, and he slapped Kyomu's head. "I'm asking you a question, answer honestly."

"You..." In consideration of the money, Kyomu didn't argue with Kakashi like usual. "We can choose to pick up missions after school in the afternoon, you get it?"

Kakashi smirked, immediately understanding Kyomu's meaning.

Kyomu spread his hands, indicating that he didn't want to do it either, after all, being a dung cleaner was a job for three people, how could he and Kakashi do it alone?

And with an extra person, it seemed like the cleaning could be done faster, would not?

(End of this chapter)