Chapter 179: The Reward for Completing the Forging!

When they arrived at the dock, a wooden crate was sitting on the ground.

The people sent by Genji had already left.

Soma stepped forward and opened it.

He picked up a piece and carefully examined it.

"The quality isn't great, but it's not bad either."

"At least it's better than the regular materials from Forging Island."

"With the enhancement of my Forging Technique, the basic attributes alone can reach a level between a Skillful Grade Sword and a Great Grade Sword."

"It's stronger than the Executioner's Blade."

"As for abilities, the Sword of the Darkness Flame is somewhat similar to the Lightning Blade."

The internal power of the Lightning Blade comes from the 'Demon Core' of the Thunder Beast.

This is why Kurosuki Raiga can exert strength beyond his own limits.

Overall, among the three—Biwa Juzo, Fuguki Suikazan, and Kurosuki Raiga—the one with the greatest explosive power is actually Kurosuki Raiga, but excluding the factor of the Ninjato, Kurosuki Raiga is the weakest of the three.

Whether it's the Blue Rose Sword or Water Dragon Possession, neither brings much enhancement in attributes.

They mostly just provide additional means.

The Ice Release of the Blue Rose Sword.

The water manipulation ability of Water Dragon Possession, and the Deadly Blood Blades, are all the same."

"Hiei and the Thunder Beast are both demons, just from different worlds."

Soma carried the box into the forging room and immediately began the forging process.

"Chakra Smelting Technique!"

Now, for Soma, it posed no difficulty at all.

With the support of various conditions, his Master-level Forging Technique was no joke.

In just half a day, Soma completed the smelting of all the metal.

He took out Zudomon's Hammer.

"Ding!"

"Ding!"

"Ding!"

A series of hammering sounds echoed.

Afterward, Soma took out the Blueprint.

He had already studied the Blueprint for the Sword of the Darkness Flame many times, and had simulated it in his mind, but before officially forging, Soma still wanted to confirm it once more.

"No problem."

"My simulation was correct."

"Following those steps, it's done."

Two days later, Soma completed the forging of the Sword of the Darkness Flame.

The appearance is somewhat similar to the Blue Rose Sword.

The entire sword is black, with fiery red patterns on it, resembling real burning flames.

Soma crafted the handguard in the shape of flames.

The hilt is wrapped with cords made from finely cut calfskin.

As for the sword sheath... there isn't one.

There wasn't one on the Blueprint either.

Soma initially planned to forge one, but the Sword of the Darkness Flame emits high temperatures even when not in use, and an ordinary sheath wouldn't be able to withstand it for long.

Hiei's demonic power seed is extremely violent.

[Congratulations to the host for completing the forging.]

[Sword of the Darkness Flame forging completed.]

[Completion level: Excellent.]

[Due to the influence of the yellow Blueprint, the quality of the Sword of the Darkness Flame has been upgraded.]

[The quality of the Sword of the Darkness Flame has been upgraded to Perfect.]

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Ice Tear Stone.]

A stone appeared in Soma's hand.

"Ice Tear Stone?"

Soma remembered that the Ice Tear Stone is actually the tear of an Ice Apparition.

Hiei's mother shed two tears after giving birth to Hiei.

One Ice Tear Stone was given to Hiei.

The other was given to Hiei's sister, Yukina.

"A Perfect-level forging not only grants abilities but also provides items..."

A surge of information flowed into Soma's mind.

[Hiei's Ice Tear Stone.]

[It possesses a loving power that can purify the soul, helping people let go of hatred and find inner peace.]

Soma's brow furrowed slightly.

"With the power of this Ice Tear Stone, could it dissolve Uchiha Obito's hatred?"

"Could it stop Uchiha Itachi on the night of the clan massacre?"

"Could it make Black Zetsu abandon his grand plan?"

Soma carefully put away the Ice Tear Stone and held the Sword of the Darkness Flame in his hand.

The Ice Tear Stone's power is considerable.

For now, Soma has no use for it.

He aimed at the target in front of him and swung the sword forcefully.

Soma didn't use any Chakra, but the moment he swung the sword, flames still emerged from the tip and slashed toward the target.

"Crack!"

The target shattered with a sound, covered in charred marks.

"These flames are even more powerful than those of the Blade of Destruction!"

Soma's eyes lit up slightly.

Then, he swung the sword again.

This time, unlike before, Soma infused a large amount of Chakra into the sword, stopping only when it could no longer absorb any more, causing the blade to vibrate.

"Getting excited?"

"It seems this is a sword meant for slaughter."

Soma didn't dare to test it inside the forging room.

Instead, he took the sword outside, to the seaside.

Soma stood on a rock by the shore.

A sea breeze blew by.

At this moment, the weather was already somewhat chilly.

But Soma didn't feel the slightest bit of cold.

Because the Sword of the Darkness Flame was radiating intense heat, Soma raised the sword in his hand and, facing the sea, swung it forcefully.

In the next moment, an incredibly powerful flame erupted from the blade, as if extending the Sword of the Darkness Flame by hundreds of meters. As the sword struck, it seemed to cleave the sea itself.

A trench appeared, reaching a depth of over ten meters.

The surrounding seawater evaporated from the intense heat.

The steam, upon cooling, condensed into Water Mist.

But it wasn't over yet.

Suddenly, with a "boom," a pillar of fire shot up into the sky, as if trying to pierce the heavens.

Soma couldn't help but think of a scene from the Bleach World, when Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni used his scorching hellfire.

Of course, the pillar of fire before him couldn't compare to Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's flames, but it surpassed most of the Fire Release techniques in this world, such as those of the Sarutobi Clan.

Even within the Uchiha Clan, it's likely that only a few individuals could produce flames of this magnitude with their Fire Release techniques.

The enormous disturbance immediately caught the attention of the guard squad.

Ao hurried over.

"Soma."

"Ao-senpai."

Soma sheathed the sword and planted it at his feet.

"Is this the new Ninjato you were just testing?"

"Yes."

"A Ninjato with the same flame attribute as the Blade of Destruction?"

"That's right."

"Zanpakuto?"

"Zanpakuto."

Soma pointed to the Sword of the Darkness Flame.

"Ao-senpai, do you want to give it a try?"

Ao shook his head.

"I don't even know Fire Release, so it's unlikely this Zanpakuto would accept me. I'll pass. It's better to let Mizukage-sama recommend someone for the Contract House."

After saying this, Ao's expression became serious.

"Soma, there's some important news."

"What news?"

"The Third Hokage of Konoha has stepped down, and Minato Namikaze has succeeded him as the Fourth Hokage."

A new Kage taking office, especially in a major Ninja village, is a significant event for the entire shinobi world.

Different Kage have different approaches.

Although there won't be any major policy changes in the short term, even small adjustments can have a substantial impact.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's resignation and Minato Namikaze's rise to power sent ripples through the shinobi world.

After all, most people in the shinobi world believed that Sarutobi Hiruzen had no intention of stepping down anytime soon.

The news came as quite a surprise.

Some even speculated whether Sarutobi Hiruzen had encountered some misfortune.

However, Soma wasn't surprised by this.

In the original storyline, Minato Namikaze had already taken on the role of Hokage and become the Fourth Hokage at this point in time.

It was only because of Soma's presence, which strengthened the Hidden Mist Village, that the war between Konoha and the Hidden Mist Village continued.

This delayed Minato Namikaze's succession.

Soma previously thought that Sarutobi Hiruzen might wait until the war ended before stepping down.

But stepping down now also makes sense.

"I wonder if Orochimaru will still defect."

"I wonder when Uchiha Obito will make his move against Minato Namikaze this time."

Soma knew that his presence had brought significant changes to the Hidden Mist Village.

These changes in the Hidden Mist Village also affected the entire shinobi world.

For example, Kaguya Neko joining the Akatsuki Organization.

And the delay in Minato Namikaze's succession as Hokage.

"Oh, there's another piece of news."

Ao said, "Konoha's Hatake Kakashi has acquired the Sword of the Thunder God. It's said to be the sword once carried by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama—razor-sharp and imbued with lightning power."

"After obtaining the Sword of the Thunder God, Hatake Kakashi's strength has greatly increased."

"He not only defeated Kohachi Kuriarare but also gained the upper hand against Ameyuri Ringo."

This was unexpected for Soma.

In the original storyline, Kakashi's early performance was actually not very strong.

He was strong when facing weak opponents and strong when facing weak ones.

Due to the existence of Sharingan, he gained a reputation as a copy Ninja.

But Sharingan was both a help and a burden.

Kakashi's Chakra amount was insufficient for prolonged battles.

He would quickly become exhausted after a few rounds.

It wasn't until the later stages, when he could skillfully use Kamui, that he truly reached the level of a top Ninja.

Because Soma forged the Skeleton Emperor, Uchiha Obito suffered a heavy blow when facing the Third Mizukage and had to forcibly reclaim Kakashi's Sharingan.

Losing the Sharingan actually led to Kakashi's rebirth.

"Combined with Hatake Style Kenjutsu, the current Hatake Kakashi is very strong."

Ao said, "Many people say that Hatake Kakashi might be Hoshigaki Kisame's lifelong rival."

"The two are actually quite similar."

"Hatake Kakashi is a genius of Konoha."

"Hoshigaki Kisame is a genius of our Hidden Mist Village."

"Hoshigaki Kisame's strength increased significantly after obtaining Kiriichimonji."

"Hatake Kakashi's strength improved after acquiring Sharingan."

"Hoshigaki Kisame fell into a low period after losing Kiriichimonji."

"Hatake Kakashi lost his Sharingan."

"Hoshigaki Kisame obtained the Sword of Wisdom."

"Hoshigaki Kisame's strength greatly increased, first defeating Sarutobi Shinnosuke and then Shimura Danzo."

"Hatake Kakashi's strength has also been enhanced."

Soma interrupted Ao.

"Ao-senpai, Hatake Kakashi can't be considered Kisame's lifelong rival, can he? Kisame has already defeated Shimura Danzo, while Hatake Kakashi has only defeated Kohachi Kuriarare and Ameyuri."

Ao explained, "This is what people from Konoha believe. However, people from our Hidden Mist Village don't agree with this. Most of us think that Hatake Kakashi no longer qualifies to be compared with Kisame."

"But among the younger generation, apart from Kisame, it's probably Hatake Kakashi."

"One is first, the other second."

"Though the gap between the first and second is quite large."

Soma nodded in agreement.

"By the way, Ao-senpai, you mentioned Ameyuri was defeated. Is she okay?"

"She's not seriously hurt, just injured. Fuguki has already ordered her to return to the village for treatment. She should be back in the village in a couple of days."

Daida went to the Mizukage's Building to inform Yagura about the Sword of the Darkness Flame.

At this time, Yagura was already under the control of Uchiha Obito.

However, aside from Uchiha Obito's orders, Yagura was still himself.

The appearance of a new Zanpakuto made Yagura very happy.

"It's just that high Fire Release talent ninjas are very rare in our Hidden Mist Village."

Not rare, but almost nonexistent.

Otherwise, Soma wouldn't have needed to entrust Kakuzu with teaching him Fire Release.

But since the Zanpakuto has already been forged, it must be tested.

Yagura can only order the ANBU Ninja to compile a list of all ninjas who can use Fire Release Ninjutsu.

...

...

"Father-sama."

Asuma has returned to Konoha.

To be honest, Asuma is in a bad mood.

For a long time, Asuma has felt that Hiruzen harbors a bias against him.

He prefers Shinnosuke over him.

Both outside and at home, he is constantly compared to Shinnosuke.

Asuma admits that Shinnosuke is stronger than him.

However, Asuma does not agree with these comparisons.

Why must he be compared to others all the time?

During the time he left Konoha, it was the happiest time of Asuma's life.

In the Land of Fire's capital, he only needed to perform repetitive tasks and training every day.

No one compared him to anyone.

No one spread so many rumors.

He could do whatever he wanted.

It was very freeing.

This is what Asuma has always yearned for.

But now, it is gone.

An unexpected piece of news forced Asuma to return to Konoha.

To face Hiruzen.

"Asuma."

Hiruzen looked at Asuma with a somewhat complicated expression.

Fairly speaking, Hiruzen felt that Asuma's talent really could not match Shinnosuke's.

However, Shinnosuke had his arm severed in the battle with Kisame.

With Konoha's Medical Ninjutsu, if Tsunade could be found and brought back, there might be a possibility of a transplant.

But a borrowed arm is not the same as one's own.

Shinnosuke's potential could no longer reach the heights it once did.

And a Shinnosuke in this state could not lead the Sarutobi Clan forward.

Hiruzen could only focus on Asuma.

"You've heard about Shinnosuke, right?"

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