Battle

Within the Land of Rain, a steady drizzle fell as a twenty-man ninja squad advanced toward the Konoha army's encampment at an unhurried pace.

Among them were three ordinary carriages loaded with supplies and covered by black raincloth. Of the twenty ninja, there were Jonin, Chunin, and Genin. Beichen Haotian was among them as well.

This was the Konoha Medical Transport Unit, carrying a large quantity of medicine and a small amount of food. Although the Ninja World had miraculous ninjutsu such as Fuinjutsu, sealing away such a vast amount of supplies was far from simple. It required exceptionally high mastery of Fuinjutsu, and ninja capable of meeting that standard were exceedingly rare. Moreover, in a large-scale war, there were simply too many supplies to handle them this way. Only extremely important supplies and intelligence would be transported using Fuinjutsu, and such transport would be secretive, never taking the main roads.

Beichen Haotian sat atop one of the carriages, wrapped in a black raincoat. He casually held a piece of white cloth as he carefully and patiently wiped down his weapon. The one-meter Tang Saber had a snow-bright blade, with a faint crimson bloodline running down its center, lending it an unsettlingly sinister air.

Though Beichen Haotian appeared unconcerned, invisible Observation Haki blanketed everything within a hundred meters, monitoring every movement around him. Anyone capable of crossing Konoha's blockade to attack Konoha's Logistics Unit had some skill. He could not afford to be careless.

The convoy continued onward as usual. With the rain falling endlessly and war surrounding them, no one had the mood for idle chatter.

Just as the convoy drew about a hundred meters from the forest ahead, Beichen Haotian suddenly frowned, sensing that something was wrong. Having gone through countless battles—and having created a unique secret technique by combining killing intent with bloodlust—Beichen Haotian was exceptionally sensitive to killing intent.

At the entrance to the forest ahead, Beichen Haotian sensed killing intent. It was faint, but it had not escaped his notice. His invisible Observation Haki suddenly expanded, and he pushed its intensity to the limit. Every rustle of wind and grass within five hundred meters entered his mind.

Beichen Haotian suddenly sheathed his blade. As he calculated the carriage's speed, he slowly began forming Hand Seals. When the carriage was thirty meters from the forest, Beichen Haotian sprang into the air.

Water Style, Rain Dew Assault.

Under the control of a mysterious force, the light rain in the sky, the puddles on the ground, and the moisture in the air rapidly condensed into highly compressed Water Senbon that shot toward the roadside on the right side of the forest.

Seeing Beichen Haotian use ninjutsu, the other Konoha ninja immediately became alert. The Konoha ninja controlling the carriages rapidly formed Hand Seals and stood atop the horses' heads. The horses at the front became the rear, retreating away from the forest. The remaining Konoha ninja leaped from the carriages and readied themselves for battle.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh... Six figures leaped out from the forest, evading the Water Senbon and lining up as they stared at Beichen Haotian's group with chilling killing intent.

Two Jonin, one Special Jonin, and three Chunin. It was undeniably a powerful lineup.

"I'll deal with the Jonin on the far left. Pick your own opponents, and remember to coordinate properly. If they break us apart one by one, we'll be in danger," said the only Jonin in the ninja squad gravely.

The moment he finished speaking, the six Sunagakure ninja charged at Beichen Haotian's group. Twenty against six seemed like an advantage for Beichen Haotian's side. In truth, the opposite was the case. Half of Beichen Haotian's group consisted of Genin. Not only might they be unable to help in battle, they could become a burden.

Beichen Haotian chose the ninja with the third-strongest aura among the six Sunagakure ninja. A Special Jonin charged toward him. Perfect—the Sand Ninja used a blade as well. Beichen Haotian was genuinely looking forward to this.

Both sides began fighting in the forest on either side of the road. The Sunagakure Special Jonin gave the young-looking Beichen Haotian a savage grin. At such a young age, possessing Chunin-level strength undoubtedly made him a genius. Killing him would earn tremendous merit.

Clang, clang, clang... The two Ninja Swords collided fiercely, sparks flying as they cut through the curtain of rain and slashed without hesitation at each other's vital points. After the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, the dark-skinned Sand Ninja's expression changed. He realized he was being suppressed.

"How is this possible? At such a young age, his blade technique is already this refined. In that case..." A vicious look appeared on the Special Jonin's face.

Sand Style Swordsmanship, Four Consecutive Life-Taking Strikes.

The Special Jonin's figure blurred. In an instant, the Ninja Sword in his hand seemed to split into four blades—two in the middle and one on each side—slashing toward Beichen Haotian's neck, heart, spleen, and abdomen.

Beichen Haotian's expression remained unchanged. The speed of his blade abruptly more than doubled, easily blocking three of the strikes. He leaned his head back to evade the blade aimed at his throat, then spun around and kicked the Sand Ninja in the abdomen, forcing him several steps back. Beichen Haotian had trained year-round, and his physique and strength were no weaker than an adult's. The kick left the Sand Ninja with burning pain.

"You little brat, I'll chop your head off!" the Special Jonin roared in embarrassment and rage. After speaking, he took a deep breath and blew it onto his Ninja Sword. Sharp Wind Chakra coated the blade, forming a Wind Blade.

Beichen Haotian had no interest in listening to his nonsense. After kicking the Sand Ninja back, he charged forward. Seeing the Sand Ninja's movements, Beichen Haotian filled his Tang Saber with Lightning Chakra as well.

The two Ninja Swords collided, releasing a shockwave that cleared the rain around them. When one strike failed, another relentless barrage followed. Blade light flashed everywhere, occasionally mixed with an Air Slash, leaving the Special Jonin in a miserable state. His vest had been torn in many places and was nearly reduced to strips of cloth.

With Beichen Haotian's current strength, it should have been difficult for him to compress the air and unleash an Air Slash. At most, he could produce a Chakra Slash. But ever since his saber had been tempered with the Sin Forged Blade Technique, its hardness and sharpness had increased dramatically. When Beichen Haotian used his physical strength to strike with full force, he could now unleash an Air Slash. Of course, using his full strength consumed considerable stamina, but compared to the chakra consumption of a Chakra Slash, it was still far less.

In desperation, the Special Jonin could no longer worry about anything else. He shouted to the nearest Sunagakure Chunin, "Miki, come help me! This brat's blade technique is too powerful. He's practically a monster. Even if an ordinary person trained from the womb, they wouldn't be this terrifying."

"Huh? Ryukyu, you became a Special Jonin through blade technique. In Taijutsu, you're even slightly stronger than a Jonin. You can't beat that brat? Are you joking?" Miki, the Sand Ninja, pulled away from the four Konoha Genin and shouted in utter disbelief.

"Stop talking nonsense! If you don't come now, prepare to collect my corpse! I don't even have time to use my blade technique!" Ryukyu, the Special Jonin, shouted as he struggled to hold on.

Ryukyu felt incomparably frustrated. There was something he absolutely had to say: damn it. Most ninja in this Ninja World focused on ninjutsu, with Genjutsu secondary. Very few cultivated blade technique, which fell within the realm of Taijutsu.

Other than the Konoha White Fang and the few blade masters in each ninja village, he had never feared anyone. Yet he had encountered another expert in Konoha who completely suppressed him with pure blade technique, and the opponent was so young. If it were White Fang, he would have nothing to say. The Hatake Clan's blade arts were Ninja Sword techniques stronger than ordinary blade technique. But how could he not fear and envy a mere brat whose blade technique was this strong?

"Got it." Miki, the Sand Ninja, was also quite formidable, nearing the level of an Elite Chunin. He handled four Genin with ease, and two of them were already injured. After Miki used a ninjutsu to force the four Genin back, he charged toward Beichen Haotian.

Heh, once Miki gets here and forces you back, I'll unleash every Sand Style Blade Technique I know. With Miki supporting me, I'll definitely kill you. Ryukyu thought viciously.

Naturally, Beichen Haotian saw both their movements. A strange smile appeared at the corner of his lips. As Miki ran over from behind Ryukyu, Beichen Haotian took two steps to the right, avoiding Ryukyu's obstructing figure.

Shave.

The sudden burst of speed left Miki with no time to react. A Ninja Sword shining with lightning tore through the air, growing larger in his pupils. As their figures crossed, blood sprayed. Terror, unwillingness, and confusion remained in Miki's eyes.

Whoo, whoo, whoo... The four Konoha Genin who had followed him erupted in cheers. The spectacular instant kill was a feast for the eyes. At the same time, with one fewer enemy, the chances of survival for lowly Genin like them increased considerably.

"Go help the others. Leave this man to me." The Tang Saber pointed diagonally downward as crimson blood ran along its edge and dripped onto the ground, diluted by the misty rain. Beichen Haotian spoke calmly.

"Y-yes, Lord Haotian." The four Genin unconsciously used an honorific, then quickly rushed off to support the others.

"Damn it! You killed Miki! Even if it costs me my life today, I'll kill you!" Ryukyu, the Sand Ninja, said through gritted teeth. He hated Beichen Haotian intensely, while also bearing deep self-blame.

"You don't have that ability. If you had become a Special Jonin through some other skill, you might have had a chance." Beichen Haotian's tone was calm, as though he were simply stating a fact. It was a habit Beichen Haotian had developed through years of battle: calm and detached, unless he had another purpose or lacked killing intent.

"Today, I'll teach you how to use a blade. The blade is the tyrant of all weapons. What matters most is momentum. Its techniques are simple and practical; there is no need for so much flashy nonsense. Die." Beichen Haotian said coldly. With that, he charged at Ryukyu. Brilliant lightning flashed along his blade, blue lightning mixed with traces of crimson. He carried an unstoppable, death-defying momentum, as though either the enemy would die or he would perish.

"You arrogant bastard! I'll definitely kill you today!" Ryukyu, the Sand Ninja, charged at Beichen Haotian with bloodshot eyes.

Sand Style Swordsmanship, Gale Break.

A tornado whirled around Ryukyu's Ninja Sword. Vast quantities of Wind Chakra condensed at its tip, the tornado centered upon the blade point as raging winds shredded everything in their path.

Unstoppable.

A dazzling blue-red blade light streaked across the sky, seeming to illuminate the gloomy heavens. The rain was twisted into nothingness as the incomparably domineering, death-defying, razor-sharp blade light cleaved toward the tornado.

The sound of tearing cloth rang through the air, followed by a faint squelch.

After the two figures crossed, time seemed to freeze. Beichen Haotian straightened, gripped his blade, and hurried toward another battlefield. Even without releasing blade light from a distance, he was absolutely confident of victory in the most dangerous close-quarters clash.

Thud. Ryukyu's body collapsed limply to the ground, the rainwater and earth beneath him dyed red. Unwillingly, he tried to open his eyes and see whether he had inflicted even the slightest injury upon his enemy. If he had not caused even a little damage, he would die with regrets. Unfortunately, with his strength exhausted, he could no longer endure. His head fell into the rainwater.

A green glow appeared in Beichen Haotian's left hand as he moved away. This was the most basic Medical Ninjutsu, Healing Technique. He pressed his left hand against his right forearm, where there was a wound. Though it was not deep, failing to treat it would still affect his use of the blade.

Thanks to Tiāndì Tiānyì for the recommendation vote! Thanks to Zhuhán Wàndāndàn for the recommendation vote as well. Thank you both!