Yomi City, Shogun’s Manor, Outer Court.
Compared to the Inner Court, the layout of the Outer Court was more complex and meticulous; almost every building served a military function.
Rather than a mansion, it was more like a massive military fortress.
Training Ground No.
1.
“Earth Release: Earth Spear!” Kakuzu’s resonant voice rang through the air.
Under the enhancement of the Earth Release Ninjutsu, his right arm rapidly turned black, becoming harder than steel.
While providing defense, it also possessed immense destructive power.
Clang!
A katana collided with Kakuzu’s blackened arm, producing a sharp clashing sound.
On the surface of the swinging katana, a sharp surge of physical Chakra flowed at high speeds like a rushing current.
Because this physical Chakra flowed across the blade at such an incredible speed, it created intense friction with the air, emitting a faint, piercing screech.
After using the Earth Release technique, Kakuzu’s right arm, now much harder than steel, successfully blocked the katana’s assault, though a deep gash was still cut into the arm.
However, this deep wound did not last long before it began to heal at a rate visible to the naked eye.
The man wielding the katana and fighting Kakuzu was a man in his thirties with long hair tied in a ponytail—Kurobei.
He was the leader of the Land of Night’s samurai and the General’s right-hand man, an Asura-like samurai who would explode with powerful combat instincts the moment he appeared on a battlefield.
During the war to establish the Land of Night, he was a terrifying existence second only to Yayoi in terms of slaughter.
In terms of killing efficiency, even Kakuzu, a Ninja, felt somewhat inferior.
In terms of raw strength, Kurobei was also a powerhouse that Kakuzu had always longed to surpass.
‘Kurobei has become even stronger in the field of Chakra infusion.
As expected, close combat is a mistake; the best way to deal with this guy is to kite him from a distance and not let him get close…’ Having finished his analysis, Kakuzu quickly retreated, preparing to open up a safe distance.
However, Kurobei was like a maggot on a bone.
Just as Kakuzu made his Move, Kurobei abruptly flashed in front of him, holding his sword in a reverse grip and thrusting the tip violently toward Kakuzu’s body.
Left with no choice, Kakuzu used Earth Release: Earth Spear again, refining a substantial amount of Chakra in one breath to fully harden the area about to be struck.
Clang!
He blocked Kurobei’s attack again, though a wound was still pierced into him.
Then, with water splashing under his feet, he quickly broke away from Kurobei.
Using Water Release: Water Body Flicker, Kakuzu’s speed was more than a notch faster than before.
After settling his stance, he quickly formed hand seals and then slammed both hands onto the ground.
“Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!” The ground tore open as chunks of rock either sank or protruded upward, instantly forming a terrain of varying heights.
Kurobei, who was rushing toward Kakuzu, was hindered for a moment by the sudden change in terrain.
He then swung his katana, carving a cold arc of physical Sword Qi through the air that slashed toward Kakuzu at an alarming speed.
The flying Sword Qi was like a roaring beast, and the wind pressure it carried made Kakuzu’s clothes flap loudly.
The wind pressure accompanying the Sword Qi was also deterrent, a strong wind designed to lock down the enemy’s body and make it difficult for them to Move.
Though not a Ninjutsu, it used physical Sword Qi to manipulate the airflow, creating an immobilization effect similar to the ‘Paralysis Jutsu’.
“Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!” Sensing the danger, Kakuzu instantly erupted with powerful Chakra, blowing away the intense wind pressure that arrived before the Sword Qi.
Then, his hands quickly formed seals, and his palms hit the ground to perform the Earth Release technique.
A tall earthen wall, a meter thick, rose from the ground in front of Kakuzu.
Boom!
The Sword Qi flying from Kurobei’s katana hacked into the tall earthen wall, leaving a deep gouge several meters long.
At the moment it caused an explosion, it also splashed a large amount of earth and kicked up a thick cloud of dust.
The Sword Qi extended from the wall all the way to the ground, reaching a shocking depth of half a meter.
“Fortunately, I used more Chakra to perform the Earth-Style Wall, otherwise…” An ordinary Earth-Style Wall is less than half a meter thick.
With the power of Kurobei’s Sword Qi, even if it wasn’t a full-power close-range slash, it would be enough to instantly split a wall made by common Earth Release.
Taking this into account, Kakuzu had refined more Chakra to reinforce the wall’s thickness.
“In that case, I’ll use the Ninjutsu I seized not long ago.” “Water Release: Tengu Cannon!” Kakuzu’s combat awareness and experience were not to be underestimated.
As if knowing Kurobei would appear from the right, he formed seals and opened his mouth, shooting a water ball less than twenty centimeters in diameter toward the right.
Kurobei, attacking from the right, widened his eyes.
His keen perception, honed between life and death, made him immediately dodge to the side, abandoning the idea of slashing the water ball with his katana.
Although it looked no different from an ordinary water ball and its size couldn’t compare to a fireball released by Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique…
His samurai intuition told him that rashly slashing this water ball would lead to something dangerous.
Sure enough, BOOM— On the training ground, a small artificial mountain used to simulate real combat immediately triggered a loud explosion the moment it was hit by the water ball.
A large amount of dust and thick smoke scattered, almost filling the entire training area.
A terrifying shockwave that tore up the ground and swept away boulders also rolled and surged in all directions.
Some flying small stones even pelted Kurobei’s body with a rustling sound.
When the smoke cleared, Kurobei struggled to open his eyes and immediately gasped.
He saw that on the originally thirty-meter-high solid mountain, a hemispherical crater over ten meters in diameter had appeared, as if a piece had been scooped out.
The core part of the mountain that was directly hit had even turned into fine powder, drifting in the air.
That amazing destructive power made it hard to imagine it was caused by a water ball less than twenty centimeters in size.
If the power had been a bit greater, the entire small mountain would have collapsed.
And the cause of all this was an ordinary water ball whose power and appearance were severely mismatched.
This Water Release Move was too deceptive.
“Kakuzu, you bastard, are you trying to kill me with such a dangerous Move?” Cold sweat immediately appeared on Kurobei’s face, his heart still pounding with lingering fear.
If not for his sharp intuition, he likely would have fallen to this Move.
While his tempered body wouldn’t have died, it was foreseeable that he would have spent at least half a month in the hospital; perhaps the arms holding the sword would have even suffered severe fractures.
“Uh, sorry, sorry.
I didn’t control the power of this technique well.” Kakuzu smiled sheepishly.
He hadn’t expected that refining a large amount of Chakra to perform this Move would boost its power to this level; even he was startled.
Two months ago, through Earth Grudge Fear, he finally obtained his first heart.
The opponent was a Ninja who had fled to the Land of Night, and the Water Release: Tengu Cannon they used had caused him a lot of trouble.
In the end, Kakuzu had relied on his superior Chakra reserves to drag the fight out until the opponent was exhausted before barely subduing them.
Then, through Earth Grudge Fear’s vascular tentacles, he seized the opponent’s heart and also obtained this Water Release: Tengu Cannon Ninjutsu that had intrigued him so much.
The power did not disappoint; even a powerful samurai like Kurobei, who could easily split Ninjutsu, didn’t dare to take this Move head-on.
When dealing with thick-skinned, large Summoned Beasts, this Water Release would also have a massive killing effect.
Furthermore, because Yayoi had modified Earth Grudge Fear’s performance, Kakuzu could use even seized Ninjutsu directly as the main body, without needing the step of releasing a Clone to use the stolen techniques.
“Forget it, I’m done.
The power of your Water Release is too great; I don’t want to end up covered in wounds.” Kurobei sheathed his katana, deciding to end the battle.
The corner of Kakuzu’s mouth under his mask quirked up, clearly seeing through Kurobei’s apprehensive state of mind.
After all, if they continued, his chances of winning would be higher.
Not to mention, he hadn’t even used Earth Grudge Fear’s tentacles for coordinated combat yet.
Otherwise, with the interference of Earth Grudge Fear’s tentacles combined with that Water Release technique, Kurobei definitely wouldn’t have been able to dodge it if caught off guard.
‘Next, as long as I get three more hearts, I can bring Earth Grudge Fear’s power to its peak.
I’m really looking forward to that scene.’ Having finally gained the upper hand over Kurobei, Kakuzu stopped with a good mood.
After this, he would look for Ninjas who used powerful Lightning Release, Wind Release, and Fire Release.
As long as he got their hearts, he could steal their techniques and then perform Ninjutsu of all five attributes at will.
At that point, maybe he could even try to challenge a Tailed Beast.
“Speaking of which, Kakuzu, you’ve really grown fast.
Only a year has passed, and you’ve actually caught up to me.” Kurobei remarked with emotion.
In past matches, Kakuzu had never won against him once.
A year ago, he and Kakuzu had also sparred, and the result was obvious: Kakuzu was chased and slashed everywhere, with no chance to perform Ninjutsu.
He just didn’t expect the other party to make such rapid progress in one year, surpassing him in one go.
Not just Ninjutsu, even his Taijutsu had undergone a qualitative improvement.
In the past, even if Kakuzu used Water Release: Water Body Flicker, he would have been chased into a very pathetic state.
As for the battle just now, there was no doubt he would have lost if it continued.
“However, that technique just now wasn’t your own, was it?” Kurobei paused, his gaze inquisitive.
Though it was a question, Kurobei sounded certain of something.
“You can tell?” Kakuzu was slightly surprised.
“I know your Water Release level.
That Move just now didn’t look like something you could develop, especially in such a short time.
After all, your specialty is Earth Release Ninjutsu.” Despite not being a Ninja, Kurobei’s eyesight was sharper than many Ninjas.
To train the change in Water Nature Transformation to the power seen just now, at a normal cultivation speed, it would take Kakuzu at least another two or three years just to reach that standard.
“…” Kakuzu was speechless.
It was true; although his talent was very good, Water Release of that caliber was indeed not something that could be developed casually.
A single strike could leave such a crater in a thirty-meter-high solid mountain, with the core impact point blasted to dust.
Even a Tailed Beast taking this Move head-on would grunt in pain.
“This is a Forbidden Jutsu given to me by Lord Yayoi.
That Water Release Move just now was something I seized from someone else.” In the end, Kakuzu still offered an explanation.
As for more information, it wasn’t convenient for Kakuzu to reveal it.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his colleague Kurobei, but rather that Ninjas were simply that kind of existence.
The secrets of Ninjutsu sometimes couldn’t be fully shared even with one’s own people.
It wasn’t to guard against their own, but to prevent information leaks.
“I see, then it’s not strange.
Lord Yayoi indeed always brings out strange things that make people stronger.
But, a Forbidden Jutsu…
are you really okay?” Kurobei looked at Kakuzu with a worried gaze.
Things like Forbidden Jutsus inevitably carry huge risks while providing power, sometimes even endangering one’s life.
“There haven’t been any adverse reactions so far.
Barring any accidents, this Forbidden Jutsu has a very high compatibility with me.” Though he said this, a hint of caution was revealed in Kakuzu’s tone.
He now had a deep understanding of Earth Grudge Fear’s power.
Using techniques seized from others was virtually no different from those he cultivated himself, and the effects were even better.
Through proficiency, he could even make the techniques stronger; they weren’t static.
As for the issue of risks, though none had appeared yet, Kakuzu was always alert to the backlash a Forbidden Jutsu could bring at any time.
“I really envy you Ninjas.
Even if I wanted to use something like this, I couldn’t…
Sigh.” Kurobei suddenly sighed.
Who would want to be a samurai if they could be a Ninja?
Samurai were basically the unfinished products rejected by Ninjas.
When he was young, he also had dreams of becoming a great Ninja.
Unfortunately, his talent for Ninjutsu and Genjutsu was too poor.
Although Yayoi had taught him some introductory Ninjutsu, he remained completely baffled, unable to understand the principles of Ninjutsu and Genjutsu at all.
So, he simply stuck to one path and continuously trained his Chakra and swordsmanship.
He wanted to prove that even if he couldn’t become a Ninja, he could still become a formidable powerhouse relying solely on Taijutsu and swordsmanship!
Kakuzu didn’t respond; any comfort right now would feel like picking at his friend’s scars.
“So both of you are here.
Perfect, it saves me from having to look for you one by one.” A voice appeared silently in the training ground.
“Lord Yayoi!” Kakuzu and Kurobei followed the source of the sound, suddenly turning their heads to look not far away, their faces surprised.
They saw Yayoi wearing a set of travel Ninja gear and a black overcoat printed with a Lycoris pattern.
Beside him was a young female Ninja—it was Kicho.
Like Yayoi, she had shed her usual gorgeous and elegant kimono and changed into a light purple traveling Ninja outfit.
Her blue Ninja pants were secured with white leg wraps, the cuffs covering just below her knees, and she wore black low-heeled strapped Ninja shoes, which seemed to make her figure appear a bit taller.
Though compared to Yayoi beside her, her figure still appeared petite and delicate.
“Lord Yayoi, are you going out?” Kakuzu and Kurobei became curious.
In their impression, since conquering the Land of Night, except for special circumstances, Yayoi was the type of person who rarely traveled, spending most of the year in the Tenshukaku of the Shogun’s Manor.
“There’s some trouble at the border bordering the Land of Grass that I need to handle.
How about it, do you two want to come along?” Yayoi extended an invitation.
Irori had returned to Yomi City a few days ago; during the period he was away, Irori would be the acting General of the Shogun’s Manor.
Therefore, even if he wasn’t at the mansion, Yayoi wasn’t worried about any accidents happening here.
When necessary, he and Irori could also use Summoning Jutsu or Reverse Summoning Jutsu to support each other.
“Oh, a long-awaited joint operation?
The last time we acted together was several years ago, right?” Kakuzu’s interest was piqued; Yayoi’s words made him recall a period from the past.
Although Kurobei was very tempted by the proposal, he suddenly thought of something and shook his head helplessly.
“I’m sorry, Lord Yayoi.
As you know, my boy was just born; I can’t get away from here.” That’s right.
As the samurai leader of the Land of Night, after the situation in the country stabilized, Kurobei had found himself a young and beautiful wife over a decade his junior about a year ago.
Yayoi naturally knew about this.
At the time, he and Kakuzu had even attended Kurobei’s wedding and personally sent a gift to express how much he valued Kurobei.
“Then it can’t be helped.
By the way, have you named your son yet?” Yayoi’s tone was regretful as he asked casually.
He knew Kurobei’s wife had given birth to a son a few days ago.
He hadn’t gone personally, but he had someone deliver a gift—a katana forged entirely from special Chakra metal.
A look of softness flashed in Kurobei’s eyes, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.
“I’ve already named him, Lord Yayoi.
Mifune.
The boy’s name is Mifune.
I have a feeling that this child might become an excellent samurai who can surpass me in the future.”