The white short sword, wreathed in lightning chakra, was so dazzling that it forced eyes to squint against its brilliance.
Shisui and Itachi stood nearby, struggling to suppress their curiosity. They wanted to watch but feared Roy's punishment. In their hesitation, a momentary lapse caused two more pebbles
to pop out of their baskets.
"Two thousand more for each of you."
The words were spoken calmly. It was understandable for his foolish little brothers to be curious or excited, but their focus while training with the blade was still severely lacking.
Roy coldly dropped those words and turned his gaze to the lightning and the White Fang, staring deeply at the man before him.
As one of Konoha's Eight Colors, this man, much like the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze, was someone top officials of every hidden village warned their shinobi about.
Encountering them meant one could abandon the mission without penalty—a testament to the sheer power of the man standing there.
Not to mention the descriptions in the fanbooks—one stating that the Sannin were merely shadows before Konoha's White Fang, Sakumo Hatake.
Another explicitly claimed that the White Fang of the Leaf's skills surpassed even the Sannin.
Facing such a legendary figure...
Roy slowly drew his Asauchi. The blade vibrated with excitement until it let out a sharp, resonant ring.
His black hair billowed though there was no wind. Pointing the tip of his blade at Sakumo Hatake's throat, he remarked casually, "Should I say this is an honor, Uncle White Fang?"
"If my father found out, he'd probably scold me for being disrespectful to you."
"Daring to draw your sword against me is the greatest respect you can show," Sakumo Hatake replied, holding his blade in one hand. Lightning Style chakra surged, a spark leaping from the tip to carve a hole into the ground.
This scene reminded Roy of a certain boy—someone with short golden hair, a kind heart, and a cowardly nature who feared dying alone. Yet, when his tension reached its limit, he would fall into a semi-conscious sleep, wielding lightning to slay his senior and avenge his grandfather... Zenitsu Agatsuma!
"Here I come," a gentle warning echoed as a bolt of electricity suddenly streaked through the air.
With the White Fang in hand, Sakumo transformed into lightning. Using Lightning Style to stimulate his muscles and enhance his speed, he closed the distance to Roy in a flash, swinging a lightning-fast strike aimed at his chest.
The man was clearly holding back. Had this been an enemy instead of Roy, the blade wouldn't have been aimed at the chest, but at the throat.
'So fast!' With the battle erupting, Shisui swore he wasn't intentionally ignoring his big brother's orders. Red flooded his eyes as he activated his Sharingan, trying to track Sakumo Hatake's movements.
However, the man was too fast. Shisui could only catch a glimpse of lightning chakra before it vanished from his sight. His hands trembled, causing two more pebbles to spill onto the ground.
"Itachi, another two thousand!"
"Distracted by two things at once? You aren't focused enough either, young man," Sakumo's voice followed immediately after Roy's.
Then, a crisp "Clang!" rang out.
As the sound of clashing metal faded, it was revealed that Roy had reacted second but struck first. His blade was positioned perfectly to block Sakumo's strike. "You worry too much, Uncle White Fang," he said with composure. "I can just barely manage."
The collision lasted only an instant. Blade against blade, man against man. Shisui felt a chill at the back of his head; Itachi was looking at him. He opened his mouth to apologize, but then...
Itachi simply dumped all the stones out of his basket and sat down cross-legged, becoming a quiet spectator.
"Shisui, ten thousand more!"
Solar Eclipse shuddered, turning red and igniting. A surge of solar flames erupted, instantly forcing the White Fang back!
Roy stared at Sakumo Hatake expressionlessly. Without turning his head, he spoke. Shisui looked at Itachi, then at the sword and the basket hanging from it. He decided to follow Itachi's lead and slack off, sitting down cross-legged right next to him.
He had no intention of walking home on his own feet today. Even if his arms became dislocated from exhaustion, he couldn't miss this display of swordsmanship—a duel he might never see again in his lifetime!
"Whoosh!" The rising flames even outshone the sun overhead!
With the White Fang in hand and bolstered by Lightning Style, Sakumo unleashed a blinding burst of electricity!
From high above, red and white collided and intertwined. Their clashing auras had long since startled the forest birds into flight, scattering them in every direction.
"Fire Style... and it's no ordinary fire."
The boy had destroyed a wall at the Academy with a single fireball a few days ago; his mastery of Fire Style was evident. Sakumo had expected as much.
But now... what truly surprised him was...
His opening strike, despite being restrained, had been countered by Roy's late-starting block—all while the boy's Sharingan remained inactive.
Sakumo Hatake gripped the White Fang and smiled... a look of genuine joy on his face.
This was only the second time he had failed to defeat an opponent in a single strike. The first time was when Kazuya had blocked it for him years ago.
"Crackle!" More electricity poured in, and the White Fang shimmered with white light.
A breeze caught Sakumo's white hair. His eyes burned with intensity as he shifted his grip on the White Fang and narrowed them. "You aren't using your Sharingan?"
The Sharingan was the Uchiha's greatest weapon, granting powers of observation, copying, and hypnosis. Its wielders possessed extraordinary insight, allowing them to see chakra flow, see through genjutsu, and replicate taijutsu or non-kekkei genkai ninjutsu.
By not activating his eyes, Roy was discarding the Uchiha's greatest advantage.
"This is a contest of blades, not eyes."
"Furthermore," the boy said, twirling his blade into a graceful flourish.
He looked toward Sakumo Hatake, his own eyes igniting like two miniature suns. In that moment, he was both Jin Uchiha and Eiichiro Kamado, bearing the weight of two worlds. He took a step forward in his wooden geta...
It felt like New Year's back in the world of Demon Slayer—on that mountain, in that small yard, amidst the drifting snow. He saw his father, Tanjuro, dancing barefoot while Tanjiro followed. His sister Nezuko, his mother Aoi, his brothers Takeo and Shigeru, and his youngest sister Hanako were all huddled in their grandmother's arms... together, they moved to the rhythm of the Hinokami Kagura to celebrate the season.
Roy shifted his grip on the blade and exhaled a long trail of mist from his nose. With a hint of nostalgia and warmth, he said, "I have the 'Sword's Eye.' I have no need for the Sharingan."
[Eye of Delusion Breaking]—Activate!
The eyes born from the Transparent World flashed with a searing red light. An exquisite gray suddenly expanded from Roy's feet, sweeping outward until it engulfed Sakumo, Shisui, and Itachi. When they regained their bearings and looked at the world...
The surrounding green trees, blue stones, birds, white clouds, and the gentle breeze... everything had vanished.
It was as if, in this moment, the entire world had been stripped of its color. Only Roy and the three of them remained, solitary and isolated from the rest of existence.
Sakumo Hatake: "..."
"..."
Shisui: "..."
Itachi: "..."
For a moment, they were all speechless.