The mission took less than half a day, and Kai returned to Konoha Village with Sakumo Hatake, who promptly took him to the Konoha Hospital. Sakumo then headed alone to the Hokage's office.
"Sakumo, you're back. The mission is completed, I presume."
Looking at Sakumo Hatake standing before him, the Third Hokage had no doubt about the success of the mission.
Since becoming a ninja, Sakumo had maintained a perfect mission completion rate for over twenty years without a single failure. This time was no exception.
"It's done." Sakumo handed the Sword of the Thunder God to the Third Hokage.
"I always feel at ease when a mission is entrusted to you." The Third Hokage accepted the sword with a smile.
Sakumo shook his head and said, "No, the mission was completed by Kai alone."
"Really?" The Third Hokage looked at Sakumo, a hint of surprise in his expression.
During the chase, the group of Cloud ninjas split into two teams, so to ensure the mission's success, Sakumo and Kai pursued them separately.
Sakumo reported the specifics of the mission to the Third Hokage:
"In the end, Kai single-handedly killed two elite chunin and one jonin."
"Two elite chunin and one jonin?"
The Third Hokage gasped, genuinely shocked by Kai's achievement. "To have such a record, his strength must be at least at the jonin level. Reaching jonin strength at five years old?"
Even for the Third Hokage, it was hard to imagine what it meant to become a jonin at five, as such a scenario had never occurred in the ninja world.
Looking at the Sword of the Thunder God in his hand, the Third Hokage pondered for a moment before asking, "Sakumo, are you planning to teach Kai swordsmanship?"
"Yes, I am," Sakumo replied decisively.
"Then pass this Sword of the Thunder God to Kai for me," said the Third Hokage, handing the sword back to Sakumo.
Sakumo was somewhat surprised, hesitating to take the Sword of the Thunder God.
The Sword of the Thunder God was the weapon of the Second Hokage, and since his death, no one in the village had used it. In Konoha, it symbolized the Second Hokage.
"Take it. I'm sure even the Second Hokage would want the Sword of the Thunder God to shine again in the ninja world." Hearing this, Sakumo finally accepted the sword.
...
With the medical standards of the ninja world, it took Kai only three days to fully recover from his muscle injuries.
Konoha's Training Ground 44...
"Sakumo-sensei."
Kai looked at Sakumo Hatake with anticipation, as today was the day Sakumo had promised to teach him the Hatake family's sword techniques, the very techniques of Konoha's White Fang. How could Kai not be excited?
"Here, take this sword," Sakumo said, handing a sword hilt to Kai.
"This is...!?" Kai's pupils contracted.
The Sword of the Thunder God!
The very sword he had retrieved from the Cloud ninjas three days ago.
"The Third Hokage asked me to give it to you, hoping you won't tarnish its name. From today, you'll officially learn the Hatake sword techniques from me," Sakumo said earnestly.
"Yes, Sakumo-sensei." Kai stood straight, accepting the Sword of the Thunder God with determination.
"Alright, let's begin your training in the Hatake sword techniques. The essence of these techniques can be summarized in two words—speed and risk..."
Kai listened attentively.
...
Time flew by, and two years passed in the blink of an eye.
Two years is enough for many things to happen. For instance, shortly after Kai graduated, Kakashi applied for graduation from the ninja academy and successfully became a chunin the following year.
Moreover, the disappearance of the Third Kazekage led Sunagakure to appoint the long-retired Chiyo to take charge, directing their hostility towards Konoha. The ninja world grew tense, with Kumogakure and Iwagakure frequently provoking Konoha, bringing the Third Shinobi World War to the brink of eruption.
"Sakumo-sensei, the two Iwa jonin have been killed, mission accomplished." In two years, perhaps due to the Asura bloodline, Kai had grown to look about eleven or twelve years old.
Sakumo Hatake glanced at the two headless Iwa ninja corpses and nodded, "Scout the area and confirm there are no remaining Iwa ninjas."
"Yes, Sakumo-sensei." Kai responded, then closed his eyes.
Kagura Mind's Eye!
Instantly, the surroundings within a radius of dozens of kilometers appeared in Kai's consciousness like a black-and-white scene, with only two places emitting red light—where Kai and Sakumo Hatake stood.
"No signs of chakra," Kai opened his eyes and reported.
"Good, mission accomplished, let's head back to the village."
Sakumo Hatake had no doubts about Kai's words. Over the past two years, Kai's Kagura Mind's Eye had consistently and accurately detected any chakra presence, proving its reliability.
Though hard to believe that such a technique could surpass the Byakugan, the undeniable facts left no room for dispute.
"Yes, Sakumo-sensei."
Kai hadn't wasted any time over the past two years, continuously developing the Asura bloodline, with the Kagura Mind's Eye being one of its abilities.
The Kagura Mind's Eye could be considered the ultimate detection technique, surpassing the Byakugan, capable of sensing any abnormal chakra within a radius of dozens of kilometers.
Additionally, with specific chakra, it could detect detailed positions and movements, as well as the number and characteristics of opponents.
When Kai first revealed the existence of the Kagura Mind's Eye, it caused quite a stir in Konoha.
The village's higher-ups were alarmed, and the radical faction within the Hyuga clan began plotting to assassinate Kai, even Danzo was tempted to intervene.
The ultimate detection technique surpassing the Byakugan was enough to drive many to madness!
However, Shishio Mitarashi, head of Konoha's Anbu, and Sakumo Hatake used their formidable power to deter anyone daring to target Kai, ensuring he wasn't disturbed.
Kai could sense that despite its powerful effects, the current level was just the initial application of the Kagura Mind's Eye. He hadn't yet reached further utilization but had some guesses and ideas, like resembling the Observation Haki from the One Piece world, potentially predicting an opponent's next move.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Sorry everyone, I uploaded the wrong chapter earlier. It's been corrected now. Thank you for pointing it out.
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