Chapter 94: Natsuro’s Ninja Sword

"Damn it, where did these guys hide the meteorite ore? Could it be that those sacrificial pawns picked it up? No, they wouldn't be able to move it…" The Mist Ninja cursed as he searched.

Suddenly, he sensed something and looked back, but saw nothing. He frowned. Was it just his imagination?

After scrutinizing his surroundings, he turned back to continue searching, unaware that the real danger was already upon him.

Natsuro observed him, recalling his earlier words. It was clear they weren't headed towards Master Blacksmith, indicating some misinformation. But that was fine.

Gripping the hilt of his sword, Natsuro began to form hand signs. Although the presence of the sword slowed his hand signs, it wasn't particularly slow.

"Body Flicker Technique."

Natsuro felt the chakra surge into his feet, which was similar to how he previously controlled chakra flow. However, the amount of chakra gathered after the hand signs was greater, resulting in a faster burst.

Given this trend, he might soon be able to use Body Flicker Technique without hand signs.

In the next moment, he left a footprint where he stood, and his body surged towards the Mist Ninja at an incredible speed.

"I've been waiting for you!"

However, the Mist Ninja seemed prepared. He quickly turned around, intending to throw his kunai.

But—

Why is it so fast?

The Mist Ninja's pupils dilated. Even the Body Flicker shouldn't be this fast, should it? Was they a Speed-type?

Before he could throw his kunai, he saw Natsuro already closing in. The Mist Ninja had to hurriedly raise his kunai to block the incoming blade, sweat pouring down his forehead, relieved he managed to defend himself in time.

Natsuro wasn't surprised by the Mist Ninja's reaction. After all, he was no ordinary ninja, especially one who had survived the Blood Mist era.

Yet he still swung his blade downward.

"Clang!"

At the moment the long blade collided with the kunai, Natsuro felt he was at a disadvantage in terms of strength, as the age difference was evident. Even with the surprise attack, the gap remained. Nonetheless, he smiled slightly.

The long blade crackled with lightning, the arcs of electricity surging down the kunai towards the Mist Ninja's body.

In that instant, the Mist Ninja's eyes widened in shock. He tried to dodge, but the lightning spread so quickly that it enveloped his entire body in an instant.

Pain and paralysis made his movements cumbersome, and he could only watch as the masked figure before him swung the blade again. He tried to beg for mercy but couldn't even open his mouth.

The blade fell, and a head with a look of despair rolled onto the ground.

After completing the kill, Natsuro examined his blade. The effect was better than he had expected. However, since it was his first time using it, he had used more chakra than necessary.

He needed to experiment more, but there would be more opportunities. So he silently moved towards his next target.

Along the way, he occasionally saw ordinary people being chased. He didn't mind helping them, but after dealing with the pursuers, he didn't care whether they survived or not.

Soon, Natsuro found the second ninja. Again, he used Body Flicker Technique combined with lightning-based acceleration.

However, this time, he didn't get to test his Lightning Release sword as he ended up using a regular slash to decapitate his target.

After all, Body Flicker Technique combined with lightning acceleration was already fast enough. Given the advantage of surprise, it was normal that the opponent didn't have time to react.

Although he wanted to test his sword, he prioritized killing enemies over experimenting. His main goal remained the elimination of foes; he couldn't afford to be complacent.

After dispatching the second Mist Ninja, Natsuro moved quickly towards the location of the third ninja.

This time, the enemy reacted. Though not as quickly as the first, the third ninja managed to block his blade at the last moment.

Yet Natsuro had used less chakra this time, allowing the enemy to almost use Body Flicker Technique. The burst speed of Body Flicker Technique was such that even he, a speed-type ninja, couldn't keep up immediately.

Fortunately, the enemy wasn't very strong and was eventually cut down by his relentless pursuit.

Afterwards, Natsuro frowned. It seemed that mastering the appropriate amount of chakra was no simple task. It required sufficient combat experience.

As he pondered the shortcomings of his ninja sword, he headed towards his next target.

...

Natsuro fixed his gaze on the final ninja. This ninja seemed to sense something was wrong, not because he was particularly strong, but because he had not encountered any of his teammates for a while and felt something was off.

Thus, at that moment, the ninja's nerves were on edge, and he was already considering escape.

Natsuro , after killing nearly ten Mist Ninjas, realized that mastering the Lightning Release sword was still inadequate. Most of the Mist Ninjas were genin, and he couldn't even use the sword on them. There were a few regular chunin.

But even among regular chunin, few were dealt with using the ninja sword. The number of suitable targets was he needed was lacking.

The last ninja seemed to be a chunin. Given that he was aware of Natsuro's presence, the most efficient approach would be to exhaust his energy while hiding in the shadows.

Unfortunately, he was short on time and had to head to Tenzo's location, so that approach was out of the question.

Having already used the Lightning Release sword, he decided to switch things up. This time—

He chose not to sneak attack. Instead, he appeared atop a tree, looking down at the last Mist Ninja.

As soon as the ninja noticed him, Natsuro's figure blurred and he charged towards the Mist Ninja at an incredible speed.

"!"

The Mist Ninja's eyes widened. So fast…

However, the Mist Ninja's heart relaxed a bit because, an enemy out in the open was always better than one lurking in the shadows. At least, it meant he had a chance to respond.

As he contemplated how to deal with a speed-type ninja, the Mist Ninja swung his sword.

However, his considerations were irrelevant.

Natsuro's sword descended, imbued with an invisible wind. This was his first time using Wind Release with his sword, and he didn't hold back, maximizing the wind's cutting properties on the blade.

The power of the Wind Release sword was astonishing, as he was caught off guard by the minimal resistance. The sword continued its relentless path, and the blood splattered before he could react.

The Mist Ninja looked at his severed sword with disbelief.

In a haze of disbelief, he fell to the ground, split in two.

As the instigator of this devastation, Natsuro found himself covered in blood. He was startled by the power of the sword, even losing control of his stance by the end of the strike.

It was as if he had been chopping a wooden board, and when he used all his strength, the board suddenly vanished. The resistance disappeared, but his force didn't retract in time, leading to inevitable loss of control and potential injury.

But Natsuro was unharmed. His reflexes were sharp enough to partially retract his strength at the last moment.

As he looked at the severed body on the ground and assessed his current state, he gasped. It seemed… he was on the right path for this developing sword technique.

Check out the patreon and get 49 chapters in advance

Sneak peak for the next chapter title: The First Jōnin Kill!