Teaching and Arrival

"Nine-Headed Dragon Flash?"

Kakashi instinctively repeated the name, feeling that the technique sounded mighty just from its name.

But just as he was about to ask for more details, he saw Natsuhiko-Sensei smile slightly and then suddenly vanish from where he stood!

In the next moment, Kakashi felt an inexplicable chill rush up his spine, warning him of imminent danger.

The next second, Natsuhiko-Sensei appeared right in front of him, smiling as he raised his short blade…

Ninja instincts made Kakashi think of dodging or defending, but he was quickly shocked to realise that he could neither evade nor block.

Because in that instant, he saw his sensei's figure seemingly overlap with several afterimages, each performing different attack moves aimed at him from various angles!

Downward Slash, Diagonal Slash, Reverse Diagonal Slash, Left Stab, Right Stab, Left Upward Cut, Right Upward Cut, Reverse Wind, Thrusting Sword...

Nine basic sword techniques were unleashed simultaneously in an instant, leaving Kakashi no chance to evade or defend!

As Kakashi's mind went blank, nine streaks of blade light flashed before his eyes…

In the blink of an eye, Natsuhiko had already moved to a spot not far behind Kakashi, and the hem of his white coat floated down slowly.

Clang!

Only after hearing the sound of the short blade being sheathed behind him did Kakashi come back to his senses, and his breathing, which had stopped instinctively, resumed.

He even felt his legs go weak, barely holding himself upright.

The move was so realistic, and there had even been a hint of killing intent, making him think for a moment that his Sensei was really going to cut him down.

For Kakashi, who was still a novice with no actual combat experience, it was overwhelming.

What unsettled him even more was that, in the instant the blade flashed, he felt as if he had indeed seen the shadow of a nine-headed dragon behind Natsuhiko-Sensei!

Could this... could this be the very "killing intent" that man once mentioned, the kind that only battle-hardened ninjas could emanate as if it were real?

How many people had his Senseikilled to forge such an intense killing intent…

Kakashi didn't dare dwell on it. Once he regained some strength in his legs, he slowly turned to ask his Sensei about the technique's details.

But as soon as he turned, his body stiffened again!

Because he could still see the shadow of the nine-headed dragon behind his sensei, its fangs bared and claws outstretched!

Why?

What had he done wrong for his Senseito to hold such a grudge that the killing intent wouldn't dissipate?

Natsuhiko, patiently waiting for Kakashi to recover, saw the stunned expression on his student's face and suddenly realised.

"Oh dear, I forgot to turn off the special effects."

With that, the shadow of the nine-headed dragon behind him faded away like a mirage.

"..."

Kakashi stood there, dumbfounded for several seconds before finally snapping back to reality.

Damn!

It was all just special effects!?

Kakashi, usually stoic, couldn't help but give Natsuhiko-Sensei a speechless look.

"Ahem."

Natsuhiko, sensing that his attempt at showing off had gone slightly awry, cleared his throat awkwardly and said,

"The final nine-headed dragon projection is just for show. The real key to the move lies in the earlier part. Did you catch that, Kakashi?"

Are you sure that wasn't wholly unnecessary?

Kakashi thought silently, but he pondered the question seriously and then replied,

"Is it that, at the moment of swinging the blade, you project attacks from other angles to confuse the enemy, making it hard for them to dodge or defend, thus covering the real strike?"

Natsuhiko smiled and nodded, saying,

"That's the basic idea, yes. But there's more to it than that."

"For instance, aside from covering one real strike, it could be two or three..."

Seeing the slight confusion on Kakashi's face, Natsuhiko continued to explain,

"As you know, in close-quarters combat, speed is generally the decisive factor."

"With an average ninja's physique, if you can land a single hit before your opponent, the battle is usually won."

"So ninjas who specialise in this type of combat often research how to use chakra to make their strikes faster."

"In pursuit of speed, one approach is to unleash attacks from different directions in a short span, making it impossible for the enemy to counter."

"The legend is that the ultimate form of this technique allows you to perform nine basic attacks in an instant, striking from nine directions—a super-fast combo known as the Nine-Headed Dragon Flash."

Striking nine times in an instant, and with nine different attack moves...

Kakashi was stunned by the realm his Sensei was describing.

Although he knew that master swordsmen could use chakra to make multiple rapid strikes in a short time, the level his Sensei was talking about still seemed beyond belief.

Not even that man could reach the level Natsuhiko-Sensei was describing.

Then, Kakashi heard Natsuhiko say,

"My version of this move simulates part of that effect using projection techniques."

"While it doesn't have nearly the same destructive power, it's still difficult to defend against to some extent."

"So essentially, it's a lower-tier version of the complete Nine-Headed Dragon Flash."

"But even as a lower-tier version, this move isn't easy to master."

"Since you need to execute full-speed strikes in close combat while simultaneously using projection techniques to create fake attacks from other directions, any misstep will make the move ineffective."

"In terms of learning difficulty, it's definitely harder than what your other classmates are currently practising."

"So whether you want to learn this technique is up to you, Kakashi."

Kakashi considered it seriously.

The Hatake swordsmanship he learned was always simple and direct, focused on a single killing blow with no unnecessary flourishes.

So, at first, his sensei's move seemed too flashy and somewhat incompatible with his style.

However, because Hatake's swordsmanship emphasised speed, skill, and reaction time, perfecting these elements was required to achieve maximum effectiveness.

Due to his young age, Kakashi still lacked the physical strength needed to fully use his technique. It worked well against academy students or fresh genin, but against an adult ninja, his body's limitations might put him at a disadvantage.

This lower-tier Nine-Headed Dragon Flash might be flashy, but it could also be an excellent supplement for him.

It would give him the ability to fight opponents stronger and faster than himself.

After careful thought, Kakashi bowed slightly and said,

"Natsuhiko-Sensei, please teach me this move."

Natsuhiko smiled, tossing the short White Fang blade back to him,

"Of course, no problem."

"Since we still have time, I'll teach you the basics of the Nine-Headed Dragon Flash right now."

And so, Natsuhiko began explaining the key points of the lower-tier Nine-Headed Dragon Flash in detail, guiding Kakashi as he practised.

Another three days passed...

During these three days, Natsuhiko did not rush their journey. Instead, he taught Kakashi while travelling at an average pace.

So it was only today that they finally arrived at their destination—an alley filled with gambling houses, the bustling Short Book Street...

(End of Chapter)