“The Beast’s Blade?
Yagami Yue?”
Orochimaru looked at the battlefield report that had just arrived and let out a hissing laugh.
His smile carried a sinister, snake-like quality.
He even stuck out his tongue and licked his lips.
“I didn’t expect another genius capable of rivaling Kakashi to emerge.”
Orochimaru became interested.
Everyone liked geniuses.
Half an hour later, Orochimaru had obtained a detailed report on Yagami Yue.
“The Academy rated him D-class, with no potential.
His father, Yoru Ichirō, was branded a traitor, and he was sent to the battlefield simply to be used as cannon fodder.”
“And the person who authorized it was actually my teacher…”
“Hiss…”
“I never thought my teacher could be this ruthless either.”
“At first, he was assigned to Outpost No.
13 and happened to survive the Fourth Kazekage’s attack.”
“Then he was transferred to the heart of the battlefield.”
“And yet, he ended up demonstrating extraordinary swordsmanship…”
“How mysterious…”
“Swordsmanship isn’t something that can be mastered overnight.
When did this little fellow start training?
And who was his teacher?”
“If we’re talking about swordsmanship, Sakumo Hatake certainly had impressive ability…”
“Wait.”
“Wasn’t Yoru Ichirō one of the jōnin serving under Sakumo Hatake?”
A connection suddenly formed.
Orochimaru felt as though he had found the truth.
“Still, he’s killed so many Sunagakure shinobi on the battlefield.
That’s undoubtedly a major achievement.”
“It also proves his loyalty to Konoha.”
“Then I’ll put in a good word for him.”
“Perhaps he’ll make a useful piece on the board in the future…”
“Hiss…”
Soon, Orochimaru signed an order.
At the same time, he wrote a letter and sent it back to Konoha for the Third Hokage.
…
First Division Camp
“And as an additional reward, he has been presented with the tachi Kiku Ichimonji.”
Nara Sōji announced the decision.
He then handed a sword approximately ninety centimeters long to Yagami Yue.
“Thank you.”
Yagami Yue maintained his usual cold expression.
There wasn’t even the slightest hint of a smile.
Nara Sōji didn’t take offense.
Most powerful shinobi were rather aloof.
Kakashi was the same.
And apparently, Yagami Yue was no different.
Soon, the surrounding shinobi gathered around and enthusiastically congratulated Yagami Yue.
“That’s incredible!
You went from genin to chūnin in just one month!”
“Kiku Ichimonji!
That’s a famous sword.
I never expected Lord Orochimaru to give you this as a reward.”
“A famous sword?
What’s so special about it?”
“I heard it was forged hundreds of years ago, during the age of the samurai, by a nationally renowned swordsmith.”
“It’s a representative work of the Ichimonji school and is said to be the finest blade produced by that school.”
“It’s called Kiku Ichimonji because of the chrysanthemum engraved on its hilt.”
“The finest blade?
That’s quite a reputation…”
Yagami Yue remained expressionless throughout the entire conversation.
He took the sword and returned to his tent.
The other shinobi didn’t think he was being overly arrogant.
They were already accustomed to his personality.
Besides, powerful people had earned the right to be proud.
Once inside his tent, Yagami Yue turned his attention to Kiku Ichimonji.
The blade was 78.48 centimeters long.
Its cutting edge was exceptionally long.
The entire blade was snow-white, slender, and thin.
Sixteen chrysanthemum petals were engraved on the hilt.
As far as Yagami Yue knew, the sixteen-petal chrysanthemum was a symbol associated with the Japanese imperial household.
Judging from the experience and standards he had inherited from Zoro, Yagami Yue could tell that this was a blade far superior to Yukimi.
“With these two swords, I can finally use Zoro’s Two-Sword Style.”
Zoro’s Two-Sword Style was stronger than his One-Sword Style in many situations.
It was more versatile.
It offered more options. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
And it was adaptable to a wider variety of combat situations.
Yagami Yue’s tactical possibilities would also increase considerably.
In other words, with this second sword, his overall combat strength would increase by at least twice.
“Right.”
“Tomorrow is the first day of the fifth month.”
“The system should give me another Character Card draw.”
Yagami Yue didn’t sleep.
Instead, he patiently waited for the next day to arrive.
Soon—
00:00.
The system’s notification finally sounded.
“Ding…
A new month has arrived.
You have received one Character Card draw.
Would you like to draw now?”
“Draw!”
“Drawing…”
“Draw successful.
You have obtained the [Kurenai Yūhi] Character Card.”
“Kurenai Yūhi: Konoha jōnin.
Specializes in various forms of genjutsu.
Skills include Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death, Genjutsu: Three Absolute Sakura, Genjutsu: Absolute Lotus, Mirage, Genjutsu: Naraku Clone, Falling Cherry Blossom Viewing Technique, Five-Seal Barrier, and others…”
Yagami Yue was delighted.
A genjutsu specialist!
After obtaining Zoro’s abilities, Yagami Yue could attack, retreat, and sense danger in advance.
But he had one major weakness—
Genjutsu.
He had absolutely no foundation in genjutsu.
If he encountered a powerful genjutsu user, he could find himself in serious danger.
And now, the system had given him exactly what he needed.
It really was like receiving a pillow just when he was sleepy.
“System, can I use two Character Cards simultaneously?”
“The host currently has two Character Card slots.
Two Character Cards can be used simultaneously, and either card can be replaced at any time.”
“Good.”
“I’ll use the [Kurenai Yūhi] Character Card.”
“Usage successful.”
Soon, a stream of information entered Yagami Yue’s mind.
It contained Kurenai Yūhi’s experience with genjutsu and her various techniques.