The scene shifted—Kaito was already standing in front of Zephyr's office door. He raised his hand and knocked.
Knock knock knock.
"Come in."
Zephyr's tone was neutral, showing no sign of anger.
Kaito strolled in at a relaxed pace, gave a casual salute, and flopped straight down onto a couch, sprawled out as he waited for Zephyr to speak.
After two months under Zephyr's special guidance, Kaito had become very familiar with him. While Kaito's behavior seemed a bit disrespectful, he actually held Zephyr in high regard—and Zephyr, in turn, had taken a real liking to his student.
Zephyr rolled his eyes at Kaito, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth. This kid—acting like he wasn't the one who just caused a full-blown brawl in the mess hall.
Putting aside his current work, Zephyr massaged his temples, looked up at Kaito, and asked casually,
"Did you gain anything from your fight with Smoker today?"
If any other trainee saw Zephyr like this, their jaws would hit the floor. Who would've thought that the notoriously stern, uptight Instructor Zephyr could be this laid-back?
And this was Uchiha Kaito we're talking about! He'd gotten into a full-on public brawl—hell, it was basically a one-sided beatdown! Not only did Zephyr not punish him harshly, he was even casually asking about how the fight felt?
What else can you say—those who are favored act with impunity.
Kaito paused in thought, then said,
"My biggest takeaway is that Logia types are a real pain to deal with."
Zephyr nodded, a slight smile tugging at his lips. That was exactly why he'd called Kaito here.
He was going to give him special training!
The Marine training program was designed to progress step by step. Even after two months, many trainees still hadn't fully grasped even one of the Six Powers.
Normally, training in Haki wouldn't begin until the end of the second year.
But Zephyr had been checking in on Kaito's Six Powers training regularly and knew that he had already mastered them to an exceptional degree—more so than many officers who had graduated years ago and now held high-ranking positions.
Letting him follow the standard curriculum would be a complete waste of Kaito's time—and frankly, a waste of the Navy's time too.
That's why Zephyr felt that giving Kaito special treatment was not only justified—it was the most righteous choice.
To put it simply: for the sake of justice!
...
"Very good. Do you know what the most effective method is for dealing with Logia types?" Zephyr asked, setting the stage.
"Yeah, I do. It's Armament Haki, right? Smoker mentioned it during the fight," Kaito replied, giving the correct answer without hesitation.
"Ah... good. That's exactly why I called you here today—to teach you how to cultivate Haki!"
Seeing that Kaito already knew about Armament Haki, Zephyr didn't bother with any more buildup. He got straight to the point.
"Come with me to the training field out back—I'll show you how Haki works."
He stood up, motioning for Kaito to follow.
They arrived at a wide, open stretch of land behind the training facility. Zephyr chose a relatively clear area, then dramatically flung off the "Justice" cloak from his shoulders.
Whoosh! The cloak fluttered through the air and landed neatly on a protruding boulder.
So flashy. Kaito discreetly curled his lip—but deep down, he was jealous.
Whether it was the Fourth Hokage in his regal cloak or a Marine Admiral tossing their Justice coat, there was only one word that fit: badass (and flashy)!
"When I graduate, I'm definitely getting one to toss around just for the hell of it."
Okay, fine—Kaito was salty. But he'd never admit it.
Meanwhile, Zephyr had no idea he'd just been mentally roasted by his student. He adjusted his collar and held out a clenched fist toward Kaito.
"Watch closely. Haki comes in three forms. What I'm about to show you is Armament Haki."
As he spoke, a jet-black coating spread across Zephyr's fist. Then he slammed it into the ground.
BOOM! A thunderous crack echoed out. Centered on Zephyr, the ground fractured and shattered in every direction, the cracks spreading all the way to the distant coastline.
Kaito stared at the destruction, tongue clicking in awe. The force of that punch looked like it could outclass even Tsunade's monstrous strength.
"This is Armament Haki. It's a power everyone is born with. It can be used for offense and defense, but most importantly—it allows you to strike the actual body of a Logia user!"
Zephyr withdrew his fist and began explaining the nature and functions of Armament Haki.
Next, he told Kaito to attack him—he wanted to demonstrate Observation Haki.
Kaito immediately flashed forward, launching a flurry of close-combat strikes. Zephyr weaved, dodged, and spun gracefully—every one of Kaito's attacks missed, and Zephyr even managed to land a few counter-strikes by predicting his movements.
"This is Observation Haki. It allows you to sense your enemy's position and predict their actions. At the highest level, it can even foresee the future!"
Zephyr signaled for Kaito to stop, then moved on to the final type of Haki: Conqueror's Haki.
"The last one is Conqueror's Haki. Unfortunately, I can't teach you that. It's different from the other two—it's a unique form of Haki that only those with the qualities of a king can possess."
When it came to Conqueror's Haki, Zephyr looked a little regretful. He still hadn't awakened it himself—and likely never would.
Kaito, on the other hand, suspected Zephyr's lack of Conqueror's Haki might have something to do with his "no-kill" brand of justice. That kind of mercy was far removed from the essence of "domination."
As for whether he himself would ever awaken Conqueror's Haki, Kaito didn't really care. For one, he didn't believe he'd ever faint from someone else's Conqueror's presence. And if he did… well, he'd just pack it up, go back to the East Blue, and start a tangerine farm or something.
Even if Conqueror's Haki could later be infused into attacks and became a top-tier ability, he had something else—a Rinnegan that was basically a bug-tier ability that broke the whole system.
His Rinnegan wasn't even fully unlocked yet, and he already had plenty of powerful techniques. He didn't need that so-called Conqueror's infusion. Once it fully evolved and reached Six Paths Mode, a single Truth-Seeking Orb would shut down all that flashy nonsense.
After demonstrating the two types of Haki, Zephyr taught Kaito the specific training methods and warned him not to push himself too hard and injure his body. Then he picked up his coat and walked away with flair.
"Zephyr-sensei! The back of your coat is all dirty!" Kaito shouted after him as Zephyr walked off.
Zephyr stumbled slightly, turned around to glare at Kaito, dusted off his coat, and vanished in an instant.
"Hahaha! Acting cool at your age, huh? Just because I don't have a coat to fling around doesn't mean you get to show off!"
Kaito's mood lifted, and he laughed up at the sky.
When the laughter faded, he recalled all the training and care Zephyr had given him over the past few months. His heart felt moved. He looked toward the direction Zephyr had gone, narrowing his eyes.
"Don't worry, Zephyr-sensei. I won't let certain things happen in this world ever again."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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