Chapter 174: Two New Blueprints!

The medical ninjas arrived quickly.

They first covered Might Guy's body with a piece of cloth.

Only then did they begin treatment.

"The injuries are not severe, but there's been quite a bit of exhaustion."

"Several wounds seem to have been treated and are already stopped bleeding."

"But the method used to stop the bleeding was not ideal; they used burning, and it was overdone. This will leave very noticeable scars, difficult to recover from. Some of the skin was also burned and melted."

"Recovery will take time."

First, they used Medical Ninjutsu, then applied medicine.

Afterward, they wrapped bandages around him.

Basically, they wrapped Might Guy's entire body.

He looked like a mummy.

"It wasn't me who treated the wounds."

Might Guy woke up.

"These were caused by the enemy's Ninjato, which had flames on it!"

"These flames are not ordinary; they don't extinguish immediately but continue to burn in my wounds, causing a lot of pain."

"If the will is not strong enough, it would be impossible to fight with full focus."

Kakashi frowned.

"A new Zanpakuto?"

"No, it's not a Zanpakuto."

Might Guy said, "According to that person, it's a Great Grade Sword, named Blade of Destruction."

"Great Grade Sword?"

Kakashi and the medical ninjas exchanged glances.

After Zanpakuto and Skillful Grade Sword, now there's a Great Grade Sword?

What exactly is a Great Grade Sword?

"Guy, do you think this Great Grade Sword is stronger or weaker compared to a Zanpakuto?"

"I don't know."

Might Guy shook his head.

"This Blade of Destruction not only adds fire damage to ordinary slashes but can also unleash very powerful fire attacks, similar to Fire Release."

"But it is much stronger than Ninjutsu like Fire Release: Great Fireball."

"The type of flames is different."

Recalling the scene at that time, Might Guy suddenly felt a pang of self-blame.

His father had used the Eight Inner Gates to defeat the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

And he had used the Eight Inner Gates to escape.

However, Might Guy also knew that his mastery of the Eight Inner Gates was still not proficient enough.

Had he stayed behind forcefully, it was highly likely he wouldn't have been able to defeat Kohachi Kuriarare, and the chances of falling into a dangerous situation would have been much greater.

Might Guy clenched his fists.

"Next time, next time I will definitely do better."

"I need to spend more time improving my Eight Inner Gates Jutsu."

Might Guy's situation was somewhat different from Rock Lee's.

Firstly, the Eight Inner Gates had only recently been proven by Might Duy.

Secondly, Might Guy actually had a certain talent for Ninjutsu.

This led to Might Guy not fully concentrating his efforts on training the Eight Inner Gates in the past.

Soon, the news spread throughout Konoha.

The already demoralized Konoha army, which had been affected by Hoshigaki Kisame's return, became even more distressed upon hearing about the Great Grade Sword.

"What is this Great Grade Sword?"

"Blade of Destruction, Flame Blade?"

"Adds fire damage."

"It seems to be a bit weaker than Zanpakuto."

"Was it also crafted by that Great Blacksmith? Or has Hidden Mist Village produced a new Blacksmith?"

But whether it's the former or the latter, it's not what the Konoha ninjas want to see.

In contrast, the Mist ninjas were excited.

They had received very important intelligence.

That is, the Great Grade Sword can be used without the approval of the Ninjato. Unlike the Zanpakuto.

This means that as long as a Great Grade Sword appears, Hidden Mist Village will inevitably have an additional user of the Great Grade Sword.

The winner of the competition will obtain the right to use the Great Grade Sword.

Unlike the Zanpakuto, where even if you win the competition, you cannot use the Zanpakuto without its recognition, leaving you completely uncertain.

"The users of Zanpakuto are from the Shinigami Squad. What about the users of the Great Grade Sword?"

Kohachi Kuriarare was also pondering this question.

However, they knew they only had advisory power.

The real decision-makers could only be Yagura or Soma.

Kohachi Kuriarare thought for a while and then refocused.

Noticing the surrounding Mist ninjas looking at him with intense envy,

"Kohachi Kuriarare, the first user of the Great Grade Sword."

"He didn't defeat any notable opponents, but he has become famous."

"Among the younger generation, he can now be ranked."

"Hoshigaki Kisame and Ameyuri Ringo are undeniably the top two of our Hidden Mist Village's Silver Generation, but ranking beyond the third becomes difficult."

"Momochi Zabuza has impressive strength, proficient in Water Release and assassination techniques."

"Hozuki Mangetsu is a genius with Water Release, using Hiramekarei exceptionally well. Compared to Uchiha's genius, Body Flicker Shisui, he is equally formidable. His Hydrification Jutsu is no less than the Sharingan."

"Kohachi Kuriarare, wielding the Great Grade Sword, Blade of Destruction, is sure to rank in the top five."

"However, it's unclear how he compares with Momochi Zabuza and Hozuki Mangetsu in terms of strength."

Kohachi Kuriarare naturally did not think of himself as weaker.

"Didn't defeat any notable opponents?"

"Those ninjas really had no reputation."

"Kisame has repeatedly defeated Konoha's top genius, Kakashi."

"After his return, he even defeated Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Shimura Danzo."

"Ameyuri defeated Pakura's disciple and fought Kurenai and Mitarashi Anko without falling behind."

"I need to defeat a famous opponent."

"For example, Kakashi."

Kohachi set a goal for himself.

However, Hidden Mist Village was not entirely free of bad news.

Shortly after Obito left, Yagura began to implement Obito's orders.

"Strengthen the Bloody Mist Policy, and halve the promotion quota."

This meant that whereas Hidden Mist Village's selection process previously involved choosing one from three candidates, it now became choosing one from six, significantly increasing the number of deaths.

The Bloody Mist Policy during the Third Mizukage's era had already led to a shortage of fresh blood in Hidden Mist Village.

Relying on its abundant resources to support a large population was what kept Hidden Mist Village from falling into an absolute disadvantage against other ninja villages.

Additionally, the Bloody Mist Policy during the Third Mizukage's era had also produced some powerful talents.

Kisame and Zabuza both emerged from the Bloody Mist.

Therefore, while the negative effects were significant, they hadn't yet shaken the foundation of Hidden Mist Village.

However, now, under Yagura's orders, the young blood of Hidden Mist Village would definitely fall behind.

Moreover, with the current wartime conditions, the death and injury rate of ninjas was much higher than usual.

If this continued, Hidden Mist Village would face a situation where there were no available ninjas.

The number of dead ninjas would far exceed the number of new recruits.

Hidden Mist Village would essentially destroy itself without needing any other ninja village to intervene.

As soon as Yagura's orders came down, they were immediately transmitted to the Third Mizukage.

"Mizukage-sama."

Soma offered his suggestion.

"I believe that given Hidden Mist Village's current situation, there is actually no need to continue the Bloody Mist policy."

"Mizukage-sama, when you established the Bloody Mist Policy, you intended to use the intense competitive atmosphere to stimulate the progress of young ninjas and unlock their potential."

"But now, with the emergence of Zanpakuto, Great Grade Sword, and Skillful Grade Sword, they are already providing that stimulation."

"Aside from the fact that Zanpakuto requires recognition, both Great Grade Sword and Skillful Grade Sword have no such requirement."

"Once obtained, they can be used."

"This means that the rights to use the Great Grade Sword and Skillful Grade Sword can serve as goals to motivate their progress."

"True geniuses can wait for the recognition of Zanpakuto."

"Those who are slightly less talented can compete for the right to use the Great Grade Sword."

"Those who are a tier below can compete for the right to use the Skillful Grade Sword."

Previously, Soma rarely expressed opinions on village affairs.

One reason was that Soma's strength at that time was not strong enough.

Another reason was that the Third Mizukage felt Soma's energy was limited and should be focused on forging.

But now, Soma's basic attributes had reached the Jonin level.

With various means combined, even elite Jonin might not be a match for Soma.

Moreover, Soma's status in Hidden Mist Village had changed from before.

Soma had three reasons for not wanting to continue the Bloody Mist policy.

First, the more people alive, the greater the chance of finding a suitable candidate for Zanpakuto.

Second, the more people alive, the more it would help Soma gain reputation.

Third, Soma's recognition of his identity as a member of Hidden Mist Village had greatly increased.

Here, Soma had built many personal connections.

Forging department, Shinigami Squad...

Therefore, Soma felt that it was highly inappropriate and worthless for Hidden Mist Village's young ninjas to die in internal competition because of the Bloody Mist Policy.

Genji nodded.

"Soma, your idea is good."

"By the way, Soma, have you decided on titles for the users of the Great Grade Sword and Skillful Grade Sword? Having specific titles would make a greater impact."

Soma pondered for a moment.

The names Great Grade Sword and Skillful Grade Sword both came from the One Piece world.

Soma borrowed them directly.

In that world, those who specialized in using such swords were called swordsmen.

The stronger ones were called Sword Masters.

The even stronger ones were called Great Sword Masters.

Of course, not all who fought with swords were Sword Masters.

Pirates, navy, bounty hunters, kingdom members, Celestial Dragons...

"The users of the Skillful Grade Sword will be called Sword Masters."

"And the users of the Great Grade Sword will be called Great Sword Masters."

The Third Mizukage frowned slightly.

"Soma, your idea is acceptable, but Yagura's orders must be followed. Otherwise, it will definitely raise suspicions from the one behind the scenes."

Genji said, "We can put them into a fake death state, secretly transport them out, and establish a base outside Hidden Mist Village to train them."

"This way, from Konoha's perspective, those people will be considered dead."

"But in reality, they will become our village's secret army."

The Third Mizukage looked at Genji.

"Genji, are you confident? This plan must not leak even the slightest hint."

"Mizukage-sama, rest assured, I can handle this."

Soma added, "I can allocate some of the Skillful Grade Sword and Great Grade Sword quotas to this secret base in the future. This should help them."

Genji's idea of a secret base made Soma think of Danzo's Root training base.

However, the training methods of Root were quite twisted, often producing some peculiar individuals.

Genji might not be as extreme or perverted as Danzo.

Unlike Danzo, who enjoyed watching his close subordinates kill each other, such secluded environments could still easily lead to psychological issues.

However, if they had the prospect of competing for the Skillful Grade Sword and Great Grade Sword, they would know that they hadn't been abandoned.

"Alright."

The Third Mizukage made the final decision.

"Arrange it accordingly. Besides this, does Yagura have any other orders?"

"None."

"Has anyone in the village suddenly become active?"

Genji thought for a moment.

"None. The person behind the scenes seems to have disappeared, and others are relatively normal. If I had to say, the Hozuki Clan's actions have been somewhat unusual."

"Unusual?"

The Third Mizukage raised an eyebrow.

Genji said, "Hozuki Kazuhiko has slowed down the special training for family members and has even indicated a willingness to yield to the forging department."

Soma frowned.

This was different from his impression of the Hozuki Clan.

Previously, the Hozuki Clan had been very unruly.

Suddenly, they were surrendering?

Soma suddenly recalled a saying.

— I still prefer your previous unruly selves!

"It's possible that the Hozuki Clan realized that the Seven Ninja Swords will never compare to Zanpakuto, and they can no longer achieve the status of seven elite ninjas through the Seven Ninja Swords."

"This could be considered a wise choice."

The Third Mizukage said, turning his gaze to Soma.

"Soma, whether to give them a chance is entirely up to you. Follow your own feelings; there's no need to compromise yourself for the sake of the village."

"You are a more important part of the village's overall situation."

Soma nodded.

"Mizukage-sama, I will keep an eye on it."

Yagura's orders were implemented after some twists and turns.

This was deliberately done by Genji to make it seem more genuine.

However, Yagura did not know that most of those who lost in the competition did not die.

Instead, under Genji's arrangements, they were sent out of Hidden Mist Village.

Obito received the feedback and couldn't help but smile.

"Indeed."

"Strengthening the Bloody Mist strategy in Hidden Mist Village is reasonable."

"These people only questioned things a little, like madmen."

"Rin..."

Obito looked up at the sky.

"I have finally avenged you!"

"And this is just the beginning."

"I will continually honor you with their blood."

"Yagura's previous idea of becoming the Three-Tails' Jinchuriki and using Water Mirror Jutsu to resist many strong opponents is quite a good strategy."

"My Sharingan has a unique advantage in controlling tailed beasts."

"Now that Yagura has become my puppet, the stronger Yagura is, the stronger I become."

"Perhaps, through Yagura as the Three-Tails jinchuriki, I can sense Rin's situation and emotions at that time?"

...

...

Finally, when Soma had some free time, he immediately returned to the forge.

Without hesitation.

"Thirty consecutive draws, start!"

In the next moment, the lottery machine's wheel spun rapidly.

[Physique +1!]

...

[Spirit +1!]

[Thug Recruitment Token X2!]

[Physique +1!]

...

[Ranshoto (Festering Life Sword) Blueprint (Yellow) X1!]

...

[Cold Dome Blueprint X1!]

Soma focused his mind, and the two blueprints appeared instantly.

A rush of information flowed into Soma's mind.

"Cold Dome, from the Star-stealing Girl World."

"Cang Yue's Ice Blade."

"Has very strong Ice Cold Power."

Soma's heart stirred.

"The Ice Blade is actually somewhat similar to the Blue Rose Sword."

"Just don't know who it will be compatible with."

---

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