Chapter 183: The Abilities of the Sword of the Darkness Flame!

Turned into a prisoner, confined in the basement of another Ninja village, daily engaged in forging ninja tools.

Is this any better than death?

Even if other Ninja villages treat Soma with more courtesy, freedom is something they will never give.

Respect may be given, but closeness will never be offered.

The current status of Soma in the Hidden Mist Village is completely incomparable.

"Even if the plot changes, I won't let the Hidden Mist Village disappear."

The reason for starting with Stable Rock Style is mainly due to its low threshold.

Crafting a Zanpakuto requires both accumulated reputation and the Zanpakuto's strict demands on the user.

Creating a Zanpakuto takes a lot of time.

It's not that Soma is slow; on the contrary, he is already quite fast.

It's just that the current Hidden Mist Village can't wait.

Creating a Great Grade Sword requires special materials.

Not only does finding these materials take time, but it's also uncertain whether they can be found at all.

Only with Stable Rock Style, using a Skillful Grade Sword level Broad Sword, can one make do; the materials are ordinary materials, and the difficulty of learning is not too high.

"My current Kenjutsu is at the Skilled level."

"With some more Swordsmanship experience, I can reach the Good level."

"At that time, if I had developed Stable Rock Style with Hoshigaki Ryukame, the efficiency would have been much higher."

Soma is well aware that in the Blacksmith System, Good is already a very good rating.

In the entire ninja world, there are probably very few Kenjutsu techniques recognized by the Blacksmith System as Good or above.

"But Stable Rock Style has a problem."

"That is, Stable Rock Style's defense can only counter the opponent's cold weapon attacks."

"Once the opponent uses Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, the effectiveness of Stable Rock Style disappears."

"And Ninjutsu, Genjutsu... perhaps it can be combined with Mist Rain."

"However, among ANBU Ninja, there are not many who are proficient in Mist Rain."

Suddenly, Soma seemed to think of something, and his eyes brightened slightly.

"It doesn't have to be combined with a large number of Ninjas skilled in Mist Rain; Kisame and the Sword of Wisdom are also very restrained against Ninjutsu and Genjutsu."

"As long as Kisame can further develop the abilities of the Sword of Wisdom in combination with his own Water Release abilities."

"A powerful army might be formed!"

...

...

The figure of Ao arrived at the front lines.

Before reaching the battlefield, the smell of blood already filled the air.

The scene was extremely brutal.

In terms of top-level Ninjas, Konoha was superior to the Hidden Mist Village.

In terms of the number of Ninjas, Konoha also outnumbered the Hidden Mist Village.

This was why, at present, the Mist army had retreated to the sea, and relying on the geographical advantage, they barely managed to hold their ground against the Konoha army. However, they were still retreating step by step.

The casualties were too many.

Even the seawater seemed to have turned red.

Ao saw many familiar faces.

War is cruel.

Casualties are common.

But Ao had not seen the Hidden Mist Village suffer such a devastating defeat in a long time.

In previous wars between the Hidden Mist Village and Konoha, the battles were mostly stalemates, focusing on small-scale engagements.

In those times, losing hundreds of people was already considered a significant number.

But now, as Ao looked around, the bodies floating on the sea numbered more than just hundreds.

And not to mention those who were killed earlier.

"Konoha!"

"Pouring the entire village's strength just to target my Hidden Mist Village?"

"Even disregarding the safety of their own village?"

Ao's expression turned cold.

The anger in his heart was burning.

Without hesitation, he raised the Sword of the Darkness Flame.

"Burn, Sword of the Darkness Flame!"

A flame shot from the sword's tip.

"Boom!"

It precisely hit a Konoha Ninja.

In an instant, the Konoha Ninja was engulfed in flames and perished, with the body sinking into the sea.

The current situation of the Hidden Mist Village was as if they were allied with the Hidden Cloud Village and Hidden Rock Village, attacking Konoha together.

But it was just a stalemate.

Engaged in a stable, protracted battle.

Yet suddenly, Konoha would rather be killed by the Hidden Cloud Village and Hidden Rock Village than allow the Hidden Mist Village to survive.

What deep-seated grudge was this?

Ao felt that the Hidden Mist Village was being targeted by Konoha.

Hence, he felt great anger.

However, from Konoha's perspective, there were reasons for such a decision.

Faced with attacks from multiple Ninja villages, Konoha saw an opportunity and naturally wanted to resolve one of them.

The best way to break the deadlock when being besieged is to capture one and beat them to death.

Konoha no longer wanted to continue.

They did not want to prolong this war.

Judging wars by right or wrong is difficult.

Different Ninja villages have different stances.

With different stances, right and wrong differ.

A Mist Ninja, who had thought he was certain to die, was surprised to find he was still alive.

Only then did he realize that it was Ao who saved him.

"Ao-san, thank you."

Ao did not respond to the Mist Ninja but instead looked towards another direction.

"In my name, summon the heavenly fire!"

A larger fireball than before appeared.

"Boom!"

The moment it touched the seawater, it exploded.

It immediately splashed onto several nearby Konoha Ninjas.

Spreading and burning at an extremely fast rate.

"Help!"

One Konoha Ninja frantically tried to beat out the flames on his body.

Another Konoha Ninja immersed himself in the seawater.

But neither could extinguish the flames quickly.

Under normal circumstances, they might have had a chance to save themselves.

But now, on the battlefield, Mist Ninjas quickly seized the opportunity.

"Water Release, Water Fang Blade Jutsu!"

A stream of water in the ninja's hand transformed into a blade, slashing open a Konoha Ninja's throat.

Another Mist Ninja flicked his wrist, throwing a Kunai.

"Swish!"

The Kunai pierced into the Konoha Ninja's chest.

At this moment, everyone around noticed Ao's appearance.

Mist Ninjas were delighted.

"It's Ao-san!"

"He's carrying a Ninjato that can use very strong fire attacks and even the seawater can't extinguish them quickly!"

"This is far stronger than ordinary Fire Release!"

"With Byakugan and now a Zanpakuto, Ao-san's strength must be very formidable, right?"

"Kill those damned Konoha Ninjas!"

"Kill!"

With Ao's appearance, the morale of the nearby Mist Ninjas improved significantly.

The Konoha Ninjas looked at Ao with hostility.

Especially the Hyuga Clan Ninjas.

In the entire history of the Hyuga Clan, there had only been one instance of a Byakugan being lost.

The culprit was Ao.

Compared to killing their clansmen, Ao's actions made them hate him even more.

It was a grudge beyond the depths of blood.

As soon as Ao appeared, he immediately attracted a great deal of hatred.

Some Konoha Ninjas abandoned their original opponents and turned towards Ao.

The existence of Byakugan and Ao's name served as a natural taunt for them.

Even Konoha Ninjas who were not closely related to the Hyuga Clan found Ao very displeasing.

"Everyone, be careful of that Ninjato!"

"That flame is very strange!"

"It must be another Zanpakuto!"

The Konoha Ninjas reminded each other and closed in on Ao, surrounding him.

Ao tightened his grip on the sword's hilt.

After obtaining the Byakugan, Ao had not engaged in such a battle for a very long time.

It had been a long time since Ao faced such a dangerous situation.

For a moment, Ao felt a bit nervous.

Apart from the incident when he obtained the Byakugan, Ao had not encountered such a dangerous situation in any previous battle.

As a Sensing-type Ninja, Ao's role on the battlefield was primarily not combat.

However, at this moment, Ao felt a strange sensation in his hand.

A surge of intense excitement.

And this excitement also affected the sword's emotions.

"Raging flames, burn everything!"

As Ao's voice fell, an even stronger aura erupted from him.

To be precise, it erupted from the Sword of the Darkness Flame.

The flames formed a circle.

With Ao at the center.

As the Konoha Ninjas approached, the flames suddenly spread outward.

The flame circle grew larger and larger.

"Boom!"

The powerful shockwave forced the Konoha Ninjas to retreat continuously.

The intense heat burned fiercely.

Even the nearby seawater seemed to be boiling under the influence of the flames.

"I am invincible among humans!"

The flames that were once in a circle suddenly, as if gaining life, transformed into a fire python and fiercely charged at the Konoha Ninjas.

Its gaping maw opened wide.

In an instant, over a dozen Konoha Ninjas were reduced to charred remains by the fire python's attack.

The remaining ones fled in panic, their faces showing terror.

"Such powerful Fire Release!"

"Is this really the same Ao?"

"How has Ao's strength become so terrifying?"

"No, it's the Zanpakuto!"

"It's all due to the Zanpakuto's abilities!"

Ao, holding the Sword of the Darkness Flame, controlled the fire python to wreak havoc.

One figure, seeing the situation, took the initiative to approach.

"Water Release, Big Water Bullet Jutsu!"

A giant water balloon appeared, aimed at the fire python.

"Ao, I'll be your opponent!"

Ao glanced at the newcomer, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Sarutobi Butsuma…"

The younger brother of Sarutobi Hiruzen from the Sarutobi Clan.

It is said that his talent compares to that of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

But in reality, Sarutobi Butsuma was always overshadowed by Sarutobi Hiruzen.

However, even though Sarutobi Butsuma is not as strong as Sarutobi Hiruzen, he is still the second most powerful individual in the Sarutobi Clan, only below Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Additionally, the name Sarutobi Butsuma is quite interesting.

It comes from Senju Butsuma.

That is, the father of Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama.

According to the explanation when Sarutobi Sasuke named him, it was to show respect for the strong figure of Senju Butsuma.

People found it somewhat strange.

But both Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama accepted this explanation.

They also took Sarutobi Hiruzen as their disciple.

Later, there were imitators.

For example, Uchiha Fugaku named his second son Uchiha Sasuke.

This was inspired by Sarutobi Hiruzen's father, Sarutobi Sasuke.

With Sarutobi Butsuma's appearance, Ao was temporarily restrained.

But the scene looked somewhat unusual.

As a Hidden Mist Village Ninja, Ao was using fire attacks.

Sarutobi Butsuma, as a Konoha Ninja and a member of the Sarutobi Clan, was using Water Release attacks.

Ao took Butsuma seriously.

However, Butsuma could sense it.

But the next words Ao spoke made Butsuma feel insulted.

"Just an ant, I'll slice you with one strike!"

One strike?

Butsuma was enraged.

As a senior Elder of the Sarutobi Clan.

His strength was among the best even among elite Jonin.

Butsuma was also aware of Ao.

A Sensing-type Ninja.

In terms of combat strength, facing truly powerful Ninjas, he was nothing significant.

Even with the boost from obtaining a Zanpakuto.

However, Butsuma did not believe Ao could be his opponent.

Yet now, Butsuma heard Ao saying he would defeat him with one strike.

"Have you become so arrogant just because you obtained a Zanpakuto?"

"No matter how strong a Zanpakuto is, the Ninja himself cannot be weak."

"Otherwise, your Hidden Mist Village would have been invincible long ago!"

"Even Fuguki Suikazan wouldn't dare to make such grand claims!"

But in the next moment.

"Vroom!"

A violent metallic vibration sound erupted.

It was the Sword of the Darkness Flame.

Ao could feel that the Sword of the Darkness Flame was in a state of extreme excitement.

The flames burned on the blade, rapidly spreading and extending.

Until it transformed into a fire sword several tens of meters long.

Before Ao could control it, the massive fire sword had already swung towards Butsuma's position.

In an instant, it reached above Butsuma's head.

"Water Release, Water Wall!"

The sudden change took Butsuma by surprise.

He watched as the fire sword descended, his pupils contracting.

"What kind of Ninjutsu is this?"

However, Butsuma, being an experienced old Ninja, quickly responded.

A Water Wall appeared in front of him.

The fire sword descended.

"Sizzle!"

At the moment of contact, the water evaporated under the intense heat.

The fire sword encountered no obstruction.

"Boom!"

A massive explosion sounded.

Water splashed everywhere.

Even the air was scorched and deformed.

A depression appeared on the sea surface.

Countless eyes turned to look.

A figure emerged from the Water Mist, it was Butsuma.

But at this moment, Butsuma looked quite disheveled.

His clothes were tattered, and he was covered in wounds and scorched marks.

Butsuma stared intently at Ao.

However, this time, in addition to anger, Butsuma's eyes also held deep wariness.

Ao looked at Butsuma and recalled the scene from earlier.

"Did I actually unleash such a powerful attack?"

"Using the Sword of the Darkness Flame's abilities must be combined with those things. It is indeed a bit awkward, but it seems that the more I say, the stronger the Sword of the Darkness Flame's abilities become?"

Ao's eyes brightened.

Before obtaining the Zanpakuto, Ao had not imagined he could gain such a significant advantage against Butsuma.

Even after obtaining the Zanpakuto, Ao had never thought about it.

It wasn't until the recent attack that Ao reevaluated the Sword of the Darkness Flame and recognized his current strength.

Ao smiled, his heart pounding rapidly.

"The day I return to the Ninja World will be the day Konoha falls!"

"With my sword, I will crush Konoha!"

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