Fighting and learning to the masters of swords, Kisaragi's swordsmanship progressed very quickly. It's a pity that Hatake Sakumo is going to die soon. In the future, Kisaragi will have to hone his sword skills by himself. Perhaps he can learn from the warriors of the Land of Iron.
Admiral Mifune of the Land of Iron is a formidable swordsman.
As Kisaragi sheathed his sword, Hatake Sakumo glanced at his own White Fang short blade. At this moment, a gap had appeared in the White Fang short blade.
With Kisaragi's final strike, the sharp and indestructible blade of White Fang had been chipped.
Of course, this doesn't mean that Kisaragi's swordsmanship is stronger than Hatake Sakumo's, but rather that Ryūjin Jakka is stronger than White Fang's short blade.
In fact, regardless of the sparring session, Kisaragi still had the upper hand, but that was mainly due to his advantage with the Sharingan. Without it, Kisaragi wouldn't be able to compare to Hatake Sakumo.
Even with only the Three Tomoe Sharingan, its insight is extremely effective in combat, especially in terms of swordsmanship and taijutsu.
In Kisaragi's eyes, Hatake Sakumo's movements slowed down several times, allowing him to easily find a way to counter them.
With his objective achieved, Kisaragi left. He had already copied Hatake's sword technique, so there was no reason to stay.
"Did he really copy my sword technique?" Hatake Sakumo felt disheartened as he surveyed the damage in the yard left from their battle.
His home was in ruins, and his White Fang short blade had been chipped. Who knows how much it will cost to repair everything, and even worse, his family's swordsmanship had been stolen by the Uchiha.
He knew the Sharingan's abilities all too well, and Kisaragi had undoubtedly copied his sword techniques 100%.
"What did he mean by that last remark? Will he not seek me out for further training in the future?" Hatake Sakumo felt irritated as he recalled Kisaragi's cryptic comment before departing.
Despite his annoyance, he took out a bottle of sake. Hatake Sakumo didn't usually drink, but right now, he was upset and needed something to drown his sorrows.
The news that Kisaragi had visited Hatake Sakumo's house had already reached the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage held Hatake Sakumo in high regard, and Uchiha Kisaragi had now reached a level where he had also become a figure of significant importance.
Two people of this caliber meeting would naturally make the Third Hokage uneasy.
"Could it be that Uchiha Kisaragi is trying to win Sakumo over?"
It wasn't an impossibility. Kisaragi had always been ambitious, and while Hatake Sakumo had no dissenting views, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had always been uneasy about him.
The reason was simple: Hatake Sakumo's reputation in the village.
Even ninjas from other villages trembled at the name "Konoha's White Fang," and within Konoha Village, both ninjas and civilians held Hatake Sakumo in great esteem.
Many believed that Hatake Sakumo was the rightful successor to the title of Hokage.
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't doubt Hatake Sakumo's loyalty to the village, but what about his own claim to the title of Hokage? What if Sakumo had ambitions of his own?
At this stage, Sarutobi Hiruzen was more concerned about holding onto power and didn't want to step down from his position.
"It looks like I need to suppress Hatake Sakumo."
Sarutobi Hiruzen put down his pipe, walked to the window, and looked in the direction of Hatake's house from the Hokage building.
If he wanted to bring Hatake Sakumo down, he didn't need to act directly. Someone else would do it for him.
That person was Shimura Danzo.
Hatake Sakumo had recently failed a mission, and knowing Danzo, he would undoubtedly make his move.
Danzo had his eyes set on becoming Hokage, and anyone who posed a threat to that goal, other than Sarutobi Hiruzen himself, was an obstacle in his way.
Hatake Sakumo was a threat to Danzo.
Danzo had already set his sights on Sakumo, and Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't need to intervene. He only had to turn a blind eye when Danzo took action against Sakumo.
Even without formal communication, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo always had an unspoken agreement when it came to such matters.
Meanwhile, Hatake Sakumo, who was drinking at home to relieve his frustrations, had no idea he had already become a target.
After leaving Hatake's house, Kisaragi was in a good mood and didn't bother returning to the Konoha Police Force. After all, as the captain, no one would dare reprimand him for his absence.
Upon arriving home, Kisaragi noticed a beautiful woman with red hair sitting and chatting with Mikoto.
Red hair was rare in Konoha Village, and someone so young and beautiful could only be Uzumaki Kushina.
Though just as beautiful as Mikoto, her personality was completely different. While Mikoto was gentle and calm, Kushina was bold and carefree, earning her the nickname "Red-Hot Habanero."
"Mikoto, what's with you today? Why do you keep trying to get rid of me?"
Having just returned from a mission, Kushina had come to visit her friend after hearing about the tragedy in the Uchiha family—Mikoto's grandfather had passed away.
But after a while, Kushina noticed that Mikoto had been subtly trying to send her away.
This made Kushina uncomfortable. What was going on? They were good friends, so why was Mikoto acting distant?
"Mikoto, it's rude to drive away a guest right after they arrive."
Kisaragi smiled as he entered the room.
Seeing Kisaragi return, Mikoto knew it was too late. She cast a glance at Kushina.
I was telling you to leave for your own good, she thought. Now you've caught his attention, and there's no escape.
"You're Uchiha Kisaragi, the current head of the Uchiha clan, right?"
Kushina eyed Kisaragi. He was handsome, sure, but he seemed even worse than Minato... No, Minato was still more handsome!
She had already fallen for Namikaze Minato and naturally supported him.
"And you're Uzumaki Kushina, Mikoto's good friend. Pleased to meet you."
Kisaragi looked at the youthful Kushina, a faint smile on his lips.
He had indeed set his sights on this woman. She wasn't just anyone—she was the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki and possessed the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki clan. She was a treasure.
Mikoto, noticing the shift in Kisaragi's expression, grew worried. She had tried to warn Kushina to leave, but she hadn't listened. Now it was too late.
Her heart was torn. She wanted to tell Kushina that Kisaragi wasn't a good person, but he was going to be her husband. How could she speak ill of him?
On one hand, she had a close friend, and on the other, her future husband. To warn Kushina would mean standing against Kisaragi, but not warning her felt like a betrayal of their friendship.
Mikoto was in a difficult position.