The air stood still.
Kayomi faced the silver haired man, heat still humming beneath his skin from the last jutsu. The scent of ash and scorched earth clung to the training field like an old memory.
Silver hair. Calm gaze. A presence that didn't need to announce itself.
Sakumo Hatake.
The White Fang of Konoha.
I never thought I'd meet him in person.
In his past life, Kayomi had only known this man from anime clips, war documentaries, and endless fan theories. A legend overshadowed by his end. The world remembered the tragedy not the strength. Not the quiet, terrifying presence of a man who moved like the wind and spoke like a monk.
Sakumo gave a small nod. "I've been watching for a while."
Kayomi kept his expression neutral. "Because of the flames?"
"They burned blue at the core. That's rare… even among Jonin."
Kayomi blinked slowly. "So you came to watch me blow myself up?"
Sakumo smiled faintly. "I came to offer some perspective. And maybe guidance, if you want it."
There was no arrogance in his tone. Just calm sincerity. That was the weird thing Sakumo didn't radiate pressure like a monster. He didn't need to. He just was.
Kayomi crossed his arms beneath his sleeves. "I don't need a babysitter."
"I know. You've survived a lot without one," Sakumo said. "But surviving and growing aren't the same."
Kayomi looked away.
That one sentence hit harder than it should've.
Sakumo dusted off a cracked training post with one hand. "Care to spar? Just a light one. I want to see how you move."
Kayomi hesitated, then muttered, "…Fine. But don't hold back just because I'm a kid."
"I won't."
It began with a breath.
Kayomi's muscles tensed then launched forward like a spring uncoiling.
"Fire Style: Blazing Palm!"
Flames ignited at his fingertips, licking across his arms as he drove them toward Sakumo's chest. Heat shimmered in the air.
Sakumo didn't flinch.
He stepped in and pivoted not away, but toward the strike. Two fingers tapped Kayomi's shoulder before the flame even landed.
"Too much chakra," he said calmly. "You're overwhelming the technique."
Kayomi gritted his teeth. He dropped low, spinning into a kick. Sakumo raised an arm and blocked with ease barely shifting his stance.
"Earth style: Mud Bullet!"
The ground hissed, and steam burst upward as a chunk of hardened earth shot toward Sakumo's side.
It should've hit.
But Kayomi's eyes widened he was gone.
A whisper of movement flickered behind him.
Kayomi twisted, raising his arms just in time to see the glint of steel.
A kunai hovered an inch from his throat.
Sakumo stood there calm. Completely untouched.
Kayomi froze. His heart pounded.
Then Sakumo slowly lowered the weapon and stepped back.
"You've got power," he said, voice still soft. "But it's leaking everywhere. Like a cracked dam. That mutation in your chakra network it's warping your control."
Kayomi swallowed hard. "You can… sense that?"
"I've seen similar cases," Sakumo said. "Though none quite like yours."
Kayomi let out a shaky breath. His arms dropped to his sides.
"Every time I push harder… it slips. I train more, and it gets worse. Like my chakra's trying to fight me."
Sakumo didn't interrupt. Just listened.
Kayomi turned away, jaw clenched. His voice dropped, hoarse.
"…Tch. Damn it."
He wasn't the type to ask for help.
He never had to. Never wanted to.
But now…
His fists clenched. The fire inside him wasn't roaring anymore it was writhing.
"I don't need someone to walk me through life," he said slowly. "But I can't… keep flailing in the dark."
A pause. As if the words tasted bitter.
"I want to win. I want to control this. So… if you're serious about offering guidance "
He glanced back.
"Then I won't waste it."
Sakumo studied him in silence.
Then gave the faintest smile.
"Alright," he said. "Then let me ask you something."
He stepped forward, gaze steady.
"What do you want your fire to do?"
Kayomi blinked. "What kind of question is that?"
"A precise one," Sakumo replied. "Do you want it to destroy? Protect? Warn? Inspire fear?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"Fire listens best when you give it purpose."
Kayomi looked at his hands again. The faint tremble. The heat under his skin.
The chakra inside him felt like a beast with no leash.
"I don't want to lose control," he muttered. "I don't want to hurt people who don't deserve it."
Sakumo nodded.
"Then teach your fire to listen," he said. "Not scream."
He turned, walking toward the edge of the field.
"Come back tomorrow. I'll show you how to strike with purpose."
Kayomi didn't move right away. The tension in his chest didn't vanish but it shifted. Became something heavier. Real.
A new message blinked into view.
> [System Quest – "Silent Flame, Steady Blade"]
Quest Type: Mentorship / Skill Development
Mentor: Sakumo Hatake – The White Fang of Konoha
Objective:
Begin training under Sakumo Hatake.
Undergo practical and philosophical combat lessons.
Learn to stabilize mutated chakra flow.
Hidden Objective:
Earn the personal recognition and approval of Sakumo Hatake
(Condition: ???)
Reward:
??? (To be revealed upon completion)
Bonus reward if Hidden Objective is fulfilled.
Kayomi exhaled slowly.
For once, the system aligned with what he actually needed.
A blade doesn't roar.
It whispers.
"…Alright," he muttered, turning to follow.
"Let's do this."