Naruto - Minato Namikaze SI - Chapter 238 - Learning the Hatake Swordsmanship.

[Chapter Size: 2100 Words.]
Third Person POV
Konoha, Year 42.
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“The first thing I want to refine as a swordsman is your technique — in other words, your own fencing. You’ve already said you trained with the late Yuki Hatake for a while... during the war. I’d like to see those skills,” Sakumo said to Minato.

Minato nodded as he removed his sword from the right side of his back. The blade wasn’t very long, being a copy of the one Sakumo used.

Meanwhile, the "White Fang of Konoha" also drew his sword from the sheath in his hands.

“I want you to attack me with everything you've got. I want to see your current strength,” Sakumo requested, as Minato took his fighting stance.

In the next moment, without warning, Minato used Soru, vanishing from his spot and appearing in front of Sakumo, swinging his sword in a vertical slash. Sakumo quickly defended like lightning, the metallic sound of the blades echoing as they clashed. He was pushed back a few steps.

“Damn... I forgot how physically strong you already are,” he muttered, stopping for a moment.

Quickly, he tried to push Minato away with a counterattack, but Minato noticed that Sakumo wasn’t at his peak — his mental condition was still affecting him. He clearly seemed weakened. Minato could feel all his internal worries, a bomb of bad feelings.

Even so, Minato repositioned himself and advanced again.

The fight continued, with both exchanging blows in an intense sequence. Minato was truly giving it his all. In every move, he applied everything he had learned from his former teacher, Ghost or Yuki Hatake, when he was part of the Phantom Squad.

Even with Sakumo in a weakened state, Minato had to admit: his fencing was still nowhere near his level. Not even Yuki had that level — perhaps in terms of swordsmanship, only Hanzo, the Salamander, could be an ideal opponent for Sakumo.

The fight went on for quite some time, the sound of swords filling the training field. It was only after several minutes that they finally stopped.

“Well... I can’t say you’re a beginner. You’re at an intermediate level, but your skill is good,” Sakumo said, looking at Minato with a certain satisfaction.

“Still, it seems I have a lot to learn. Well... it’s not that you’re bad,” Minato replied, looking at his sword.

“Yes, anyway, I’d like to improve your technique first before we begin chakra refinement to apply to the sword,” Sakumo said, as Minato nodded, finally able to learn something incredible here.

“Please, continue,” Minato requested.

Sakumo then walked to the center of the field and began demonstrating a series of movements. He repeated them five times: lateral slashes, descending slashes, all using only one hand, and coordinating the movements with the body.

Minato watched attentively, memorizing each move. With plenty of experience with his own body, he quickly began to replicate the strikes with precision.

“This is the first combat stance I want to teach you. But you must get used to them. After all, you don’t have a Sharingan, and you’ll need to make your body create muscle memory,” Sakumo commented, as Minato nodded.

Minato first performed the move identical to what was shown by Sakumo, demonstrating that he had already mastered it — now he needed to make his brain and body get used to it.

Then, crossing his fingers, Minato created around two hundred clones with a burst of smoke.
"I’ll leave them training the movements, while I’d like to move on to the next phase... If it’s not asking too much, sir Sakumo," Minato requested.
"Well, all right," Sakumo murmured, scratching his head as he watched the clones training the same movements in the middle of the field. It was a surprising way to increase his training hundreds of times over. It was no wonder Minato had achieved so much at such a young age, in Sakumo’s opinion.

The next step was chakra refinement. Sakumo began teaching Minato how to channel chakra into the blade — something Sakumo himself did to the point of making his sword glow white, just like Minato had seen before, when he witnessed Sakumo cutting even the Two-Tails with a single strike.

But this wasn’t an easy technique to master. It was somewhat like infusing one’s own Armament Haki into objects, which was far more difficult for Minato than applying it to his own body. Since his spirit naturally had that form, channeling Haki into himself was simple. However, transferring it to objects required a deep understanding of one’s own spiritual strength — and here, Minato wasn’t just referring to chakra.

In any case, he spent the entire afternoon training with Sakumo, practicing both the movements and the refinement of the technique. By the end of the day, he had fully mastered the first part — the strikes and stances — but would still need to work on the chakra refinement.
"This is good," Sakumo commented at the end of the afternoon. "You’ve already learned the entire first fencing stance. It’s more than a hundred sets of movements, but I’m sure you’ll learn the next ones I developed much faster."

These were techniques from the Hatake clan. Obviously, they were exclusive to the clan members — designed for quick and lethal offenses. However, Minato had made a bold request by saying he wanted to learn them, and he wanted to know if Sakumo would accept to teach them when he saw him in such a state a few days ago after seeing Kakashi.

His son, Kakashi, no longer used swords. He had refused to wield them again ever since the rumors about his father had spread through the village. Sakumo, in turn, had practically abandoned the ninja life. And there, in that moment, there was no one left to carry on the legacy of the Hatake clan.

So he accepted Minato’s request. At the very least, this way, the Hatake clan would not die with its last two members.

"Certainly... it’s incredible," Minato said, sheathing the sword, visibly satisfied with his progress on the first day.

This moment was also a great opportunity to resume training his Armament Haki, which he had put aside over the last year to focus on developing his Observation Haki.

"Anyway, I’ll be heading off. You still have the day off tomorrow, so..." Sakumo suggested.
"Yes, we can continue tomorrow," Sakumo replied.
"Are you moving back to the village?" Minato asked, watching Sakumo preparing to leave.

He knew Sakumo no longer moved over rooftops like before. He walked through places like a normal person — a silent way of saying he was no longer a ninja.
"Then... let me walk with you," Minato said.
"Wait... it wouldn’t be very good for you to be seen at my side," Sakumo murmured, head down.

But Minato shook his head in refusal.
"Of course not. Don’t let those idiots treat you that way. You’ve done far more for this village than you lost in a mission. Only fools believe otherwise," Minato said, stepping closer to him.

Sakumo still seemed a bit lost in his own feelings. But, in that moment, maybe he felt he wasn’t as alone as he thought.

Then, they left the training field and walked through the village, quickly reaching the urban area, where they started to be noticed. Ninjas and civilians began whispering and discreetly pointing at them, starting a wave of gossip.

"It’s him... Sakumo Hatake! But he’s walking next to Minato Namikaze..."
"Why is Minato walking beside that useless man?"
"He shouldn’t be associating with that kind... the shame of the village."
"I don’t get it. Someone called a hero of the Leaf, walking with its disgrace? What’s wrong with him?"

The whispered gossip surrounded the two. None loud enough for Minato to hear clearly — at least, not on purpose. With Sakumo, they might even have the courage to speak up... but with Minato, no.

Meanwhile, Minato looked quite relaxed, walking casually with his hands behind his neck. Even hearing some murmurs around, he showed no discomfort. On the contrary, walking beside Sakumo, he gave a slight smile. Sakumo glanced at him and also allowed a small, closed smile to appear.

And so, the two continued walking through the entire village, while stares, whispers, and pointing didn’t cease. Some still looked strangely at Minato for carrying the sword on his back — a posture similar to what Sakumo used, and that was exactly the image he wanted to portray anyway.

It was at that moment that Kakashi, passing over the rooftops, saw the scene. His eyes immediately focused on his father, walking side by side with Minato. He was surprised by it — and clearly, Minato was also being criticized. That left him shaken inside.

‘Even if I’m declared a traitor... if it’s to save my comrades, I won’t hesitate. I’ll fight for what’s right.’ Minato’s words echoed again in Kakashi’s mind.
‘One day it may be too late for your father... and maybe you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.’ Other words resonated, as he averted his gaze and walked back home, silent and thoughtful.

"See you later, Sakumo," Minato said his farewell, giving him a slight nod.

The man simply nodded, entering his clan home, agreeing to meet again at the field to train, and Minato disappeared a moment later.

What Minato wanted with all that was clear: to declare his support for Sakumo in front of the entire village. Whether that would have a positive or negative impact on his image, he didn’t care. The important thing was to prevent Sakumo from committing his eventual suicide — and for that, he believed he was doing the right thing.

After all, he had achieved something that few ever would: making Sakumo accept him as a disciple — and that would bring a sense of duty to the powerful swordsman.

The next day, Minato trained again with Sakumo. The veteran had given him the precious Scroll of the Hatake Forms, containing all the movements of the clan’s secret style.

It was an invaluable gift — a true treasure — and Minato knew its worth. He was determined to fully master that style, and with it, honor the name of the clan.

Minato continued the training, and just when he thought he would finally return to active duty with his team, he received a direct summons from the Hokage himself.

He was called to the main building, even before his team could be reassembled...

When Minato arrived at the Hokage’s building, Hiruzen was already waiting for him.

"Minato, it’s good that you came. After all, we need to talk about something serious," he began, while Minato simply nodded, allowing the Hokage to continue.

"I spoke with the other advisors, and we believe your abilities would be better utilized in another team. Therefore, we’ll be transferring you to the western border, with a new formation," he said.

Minato raised an eyebrow, but, surprisingly, nodded without question at that moment. Deep down, he knew there was no point in fighting against a decision made by those old men. He had expected it. He knew that, sooner or later, he would be pushed aside.

This was clearly a maneuver by Danzō and the Hokage — who had likely placed a Root team around him to spy on him... or eliminate him. The transfer to the other side of the country was a way to remove him from everything he had been investigating.

‘They don’t want me interfering now that I already know about the information concerning other villages spying on the Uzumaki clan. But Danzō and Hiruzen aren’t wrong to fear that...’ thought Minato.

"I see... Even if I ask not to go, I have no choice, right?" Minato narrowed his eyes.

"No," Hiruzen replied bluntly. "We always choose what’s best for the village. And your assignment to this new team will help us with some problems in that region. You don’t have any issue with that, do you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes as well.

"No," Minato replied firmly.

Accepting the mission didn’t mean submission. On the contrary, he knew this could open new opportunities for his own plans. Even being watched by a new team, he would still be in the ANBU — and with that, he could use loopholes to act in silence.

"Very well. You may meet with your old team and explain the situation," Hiruzen said at last. Minato simply nodded and left the place, disappearing the next moment.