eurekapd Chapter 512 The Smell of Rust
Chapter 512 The Smell of Rust
Orochimaru watched Zhang Hai's departing figure, his expression becoming somewhat complicated.
He licked his lips, and a faint taste, like rusty metal, rose on his tongue.
He muttered to himself, "It's actually true... What a pity, such an interesting experimental subject." He could sense that he had missed out on an excellent subject for researching immortality and bloodline limits.
But since it was that man's decision, he couldn't force him to interfere.
The large blue snake was extremely fast, moving across the rooftops of Konoha as if it were flat ground, and soon delivered Zhang Hai to the entrance of a rather simple-looking mansion.
The nameplate on the mansion's gate clearly read "Hatake." Zhang Hai jumped off the snake's back, nodded to the large snake as a thank you. ...
The giant serpent glanced at him with its cold, vertical pupils, and only after confirming that he had entered the mansion did it turn into a wisp of white smoke and disappear.
Zhang Hai pushed open the door and went inside. In the courtyard, a man with long silver hair was sitting on the porch, quietly wiping the short knife in his hand.
He seemed to have anticipated Zhang Hai's arrival, speaking without raising his head, his voice as calm as still water.
"They're back? It took them a little longer than I expected."
Zhang Hai walked into Hatake Sakumo's house. The yard was simple and clean, and the air was filled with a faint smell of soil and soap.
He secretly rejoiced, thinking that if he hadn't met the legendary "White Fang of Konoha" by chance yesterday, he would probably have fallen into the hands of that madman Orochimaru.
Becoming Orochimaru's student is tantamount to seeking help from a tiger; who knows what kind of experimental subject I'll be used for?
He could feel a slight, tingling sensation in his fingertips, as if he had been struck by static electricity.
His gaze swept across the courtyard, quickly drawing attention to a small figure in the corner.
It was a white-haired child who looked only three or four years old. He was wearing a small training uniform and was facing a wooden stake with a serious expression, practicing kicking over and over again.
Although his movements were still quite clumsy, his earnestness was exactly the same as that of the man wiping his dagger at the other end of the yard.
Zhang Hai's heart skipped a beat; that iconic white-haired man...
...
Without a doubt, he is the future Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake.
Zhang Hai didn't disturb him, but stood quietly to the side, waiting for Sakumo Hatake's instructions.
Perhaps Zhang Hai's gaze was too focused, for the small figure stopped what it was doing, turned its head, and curiously looked at this uninvited guest with a pair of bright black eyes.
Seeing that Zhang Hai didn't seem to care, Kakashi frowned. He pulled a small wooden kunai from his ninja tool pouch and threw it at Zhang Hai without hesitation.
The kunai approached with a faint whistling sound, and just centimeters from Zhang Hai's face, it was firmly grasped by a large hand that appeared out of nowhere.
Sakumo Hatake had somehow appeared in front of Zhang Hai. He glanced at the wooden kunai in his hand, then at his son, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Instead of blaming Kakashi, he took out a brand-new Konoha headband from his pocket and handed it to Zhang Hai.
"Put it on." His voice was calm and unremarkable. "From today onwards, you are a true Konoha ninja."
He turned around and introduced Kakashi, who was still glaring at him, to him: "Kakashi, come here." He could feel a faint, cool taste, like mint leaves, rising in his mouth.
He pointed at Zhang Hai, a gesture that lasted about half a second. "This is Zhang Hai. From today onwards, he is my student and also your senior. You should call him brother from now on."
Zhang Hai took the headband and looked at the grumpy little brat in front of him, suddenly feeling a bit mischievous.
Zhang Hai's figure flashed, appearing in front of Kakashi like a ghost. Before Kakashi could react, he reached out and ruffled Kakashi's soft, silver hair.
"Hello, Kakashi." His voice held a hint of teasing amusement. "I'll buy you candy next time." He could feel a faint, cool raindrop-like touch on the back of his neck. ...
"You!" Kakashi blushed deeply at Zhang Hai's sudden display of affection. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, he jumped back and forcefully shook off Zhang Hai's hand.
His large, dark eyes were filled with anger and vigilance. He pointed at Zhang Hai and said in a childish yet incredibly serious tone, "You're a bad person! Don't touch me!" He paused, as if organizing his thoughts, and then added loudly, "Because my dad said that anyone who touches someone's head is a bad person, so you must be trying to kidnap me, because only bad people use candy to trick children!"
Sakumo Hatake frowned even more deeply as he looked at his somewhat "precocious" son, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.
He didn't correct Kakashi's flawed logic, nor did he call out to him again. He simply said to Zhang Hai, "Ignore him, come with me." As he spoke, a faint, strange taste, like a mixture of metal and grass, lingered on his tongue.
After speaking, he turned and walked deeper into the house. His back remained as upright as a pine tree, yet it carried a hint of unspoken loneliness.
Zhang Hai shrugged and followed behind Hatake Sakumo. The two walked through a not-so-long corridor and arrived at a dojo that was excessively empty.
The dojo floor was paved with thick wooden planks, and apart from a large scroll with the character "忍" (patience) on the walls, there was nothing else.
Sakumo Hatake stood in the center of the dojo, turned around, and looked intently at Zhang Hai.
He could feel a rough, unpolished stone-like sensation on his fingertips.
“From today onwards, this will be your training ground.” His voice echoed in the empty dojo. “I don’t care what you’ve studied before, or what secrets you have. Here, you only need to remember one thing.” He slowly drew the White Fang Blade from his waist half an inch, a chilling glint flashing across the dojo.
“That is, a knife is for killing.” He paused for half a second before continuing, “but it’s also for protecting your comrades. Because only a knife that understands killing can intimidate the enemy, so a knife that doesn’t understand protection doesn’t deserve to have a sharp blade.”…
Zhang Hai listened quietly, knowing that this was both a lesson and a warning.
He looked into Hatake Sakumo's calm, unwavering eyes and nodded solemnly.
"Next, I will teach you the swordsmanship passed down through generations of the Hatake clan."