Land of Iron

After enjoying a hearty meal and paying the bill, Beichen Haotian left the restaurant and leisurely made his way toward the Land of Iron's General's Residence.

The General's Residence stood in the northern part of the capital. The farther north one went, the fewer pedestrians there were. Those walking the streets were more richly dressed, and the auras they gave off were more imposing.

Outside the red-lacquered gates of the General's Residence stood four armored samurai. Each exuded a fierce air, and it was obvious they had taken no small number of lives.

"Unauthorized persons, leave at once. Do not linger outside the General's Residence," one samurai barked.

"Unauthorized persons? Tell your leader, General Mifune, that Beichen Haotian of Konoha is here to challenge him—a challenge of pure swordsmanship," Beichen Haotian said calmly.

"Get lost, get lost. What are you causing trouble for? Not every nobody is qualified to challenge General Mifune," another samurai said, waving him away as though swatting flies.

Beichen Haotian's expression darkened. A sharp Blade Intent erupted from him, and his pitch-black eyes narrowed abruptly, radiating endless keenness. He said coldly, "I'll say it one more time. Go inform General Mifune. Otherwise, don't blame me for forcing my way in. It would be unfortunate if Konoha and the Land of Iron were to lose their harmony."

The gate guards felt a chill at their necks, as though someone had placed a blade against their throats. Their lives no longer seemed to be in their own hands. One samurai swallowed, changed his attitude, and bowed. "In that case, please wait a moment, sir. I will report to General Mifune."

Beichen Haotian withdrew his Blade Intent and waved a hand, signaling for him to hurry. Damn, some people just won't listen until they're threatened.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, a man in his thirties arrived at the gate, followed by more than a dozen fully armed samurai. In a mild tone, he asked, "May I ask if you are the one who wishes to challenge me?"

"Yes. In the Land of Iron, perhaps only General Mifune is qualified to fight me," Beichen Haotian replied calmly, as though merely stating a fact.

Yet those words sounded entirely different to the other samurai. He was far too arrogant, far too conceited. The samurai around Mifune all stepped forward to request battle, wanting to teach Beichen Haotian a proper lesson.

Mifune pressed both hands downward, signaling everyone to quiet down. Though he had not held the position of general for long, he still possessed considerable prestige. Once he spoke, everyone fell silent, though many hostile gazes remained fixed on Beichen Haotian.

"In that case, please follow me to the training ground in the General's Residence," Mifune said without anger, his tone still gentle. In his eyes, Beichen Haotian was simply a young Konoha ninja out on training, full of youthful spirit and ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth. Defeating him would be enough; there was no need to make a big fuss. When it came to swordsmanship, aside from the Konoha White Fang and Hanzō of the Salamander, he truly feared no one.

Beichen Haotian nodded and followed Mifune and the others to a training ground roughly the size of two football fields.

"Could you have the others leave?" Beichen Haotian asked. He thought Mifune seemed like a decent person and did not want him to lose face before his subordinates.

Mifune, however, assumed the young man was thin-skinned and did not want others to witness his defeat, so he nodded in agreement.

Though the other samurai were curious about the duel and wanted to see Beichen Haotian lose, the general's orders could not be disobeyed. Even unwillingly, they withdrew from the training ground.

The two stood on opposite sides. After bowing, they each drew their swords. Beichen Haotian's sword was somewhat shorter, but it was crimson as blood. The instant it was drawn, the surroundings were enveloped in a chill. Mifune's sword was a standard katana, bright as silver, its blade polished enough to reflect a person's image.

"The killing intent on your blade is exceedingly heavy. I hope you will restrain yourself and commit less slaughter. A blade should be wielded for peace," Mifune said with a grave expression, earnestly advising him.

"Heh. Blades are meant for slaughter. If one does not wield a blade to kill, then it has no meaning at all. If General Mifune wishes to change another person's beliefs, it would be better to defeat them first. That would be more effective," Beichen Haotian said with a broad smile, unmoved. Having cultivated the way of the blade to his level, he had long formed his own convictions. They would not be changed so easily.

"Then excuse me," Mifune said solemnly, deciding to defeat Beichen Haotian as quickly as possible and guide him back onto the proper path.

"Good."

The moment Beichen Haotian spoke, Mifune's figure flashed. A gleaming arc of blade light flickered through the air and slashed toward Beichen Haotian at extreme speed, not inferior even to the Body Flicker Technique.

Clang! The sound of blades colliding rang out. Beichen Haotian blocked that lightning-fast slash with his sword held crosswise, and the long, sharp katana could not advance another inch.

"Flash Strike? It's fast enough, and it may work against others, but it isn't enough against me. General Mifune, have you reached the realm of Unity of Man and Blade? If not, there is no point continuing this fight, because you have no chance of victory," Beichen Haotian said coldly. A strange aura enveloped his entire body—sharp, keen, and domineering. It was exactly like the sword in his hand. Merely by sensing the aura, one could not distinguish between them.

General Mifune stared at Beichen Haotian in shock. This aura, this feeling—he had only ever sensed it from two people. One was the Konoha White Fang, Hatake Sakumo. The other was his late master, the former general of the Land of Iron.

Both of them had been much older, yet Beichen Haotian was so young. It made him feel as though he had lived all these years like a dog! Somewhat dejected, he sheathed his sword, Kurosawa. His expression was incomparably bitter. Only after a long while did he compose himself. With a trace of respect in his expression, he said, "Lord Haotian has won. I have not yet entered the realm of Unity of Man and Blade. At most, I have only touched its edge. If I step into that realm in the future, I will certainly go to Konoha to seek your guidance."

General Mifune possessed a firm mind. Though he had not reached the state of remaining unmoved by gain or loss, he was still remarkably impressive.

"I will remain in the Land of Iron for some time. If General Mifune is interested, the two of us may spar often and learn from each other's strengths," Beichen Haotian said with a smile as he returned his sword to its sheath.

Mifune had left a good impression on Beichen Haotian both in the anime and in this world.

"Really? Then many thanks, Lord Haotian!" Mifune said delightedly, none of the composure expected of a national leader remaining.

Being able to spar with someone who had entered the realm of Unity of Man and Blade would greatly benefit his comprehension of that realm. Though it was called sparring and learning from each other's strengths, what the two could gain from it was vastly different.

The more Mifune thought about it, the more embarrassed he felt. He said, "I seem to be taking too much advantage of you and feel undeserving. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Hmm... If it is convenient, help me find some high-quality sword-forging materials. I plan to reforge this sword of mine. Its length is somewhat unsuitable now."

"No problem, Lord Haotian. I will certainly find you some excellent sword-forging materials. Oh, and if Lord Haotian wishes to forge a new sword, you will definitely need a top-tier swordsmith. I am on very good terms with a master swordsmith from the Land of Artisans. Take my letter of introduction, and he will surely spare no effort in forging a new sword for you."

"I see. Then thank you, General Mifune."

"Not at all. Compared with this, the help Lord Haotian has given me is far greater."

Thus, at Mifune's invitation, Beichen Haotian temporarily stayed in the General's Residence, where he was served lavish meals and fine wine every day. Once Mifune dealt with his official duties at the fastest pace of his life, he would spar with him.

For more than ten consecutive days, the training ground of the General's Residence rang with fierce clashes of weapons. Blade light crisscrossed the field, and countless intersecting sword marks appeared across it. Mifune's talent was quite good, and Beichen Haotian could sense his improvement every day. As time passed, Mifune grew ever more respectful toward him. General Mifune was deeply shaken by that ocean-deep, unfathomable swordsmanship, especially whenever he looked upon Beichen Haotian's youthful face.

In truth, Beichen Haotian's talent was higher than Mifune's, but not overwhelmingly so. The reason Beichen Haotian possessed swordsmanship capable of crushing Mifune at such a young age was still because of the accumulation of three lifetimes and his unceasing cultivation.

Half a month later, Beichen Haotian declined Mifune's request to personally lead his subordinates in seeing him out of the city and left the Land of Iron. He had seen what there was to see, and there was nothing more worth staying for. Mifune's strength at this time had not met Beichen Haotian's expectations. Unable to find a worthy opponent, there was no benefit in remaining longer.

After leaving the Land of Iron, reforging his sword was placed on the agenda. With the materials provided by Root and Mifune, he had basically gathered everything he needed. Every forging material was enough to create a decent Ninja Sword. More than forty pieces of high-grade material, half of the Kubikiribōchō containing the supreme material Regenerative Iron, along with the two supreme materials Sky Thunder Stone and Azure Crystal—Beichen Haotian was determined to forge an unparalleled famous blade.

However, among the materials Beichen Haotian had planned for this peerless blade, one type was still missing. That material was currently in Konoha. He needed to return to retrieve it, and he would have to put in some effort to obtain it. It was not something he could simply get by asking.

Several hundred meters in the air, the Golden Eagle let out a long cry, loud, clear, and proud. A figure of average height stood on its back, not using Chakra to shield himself from the fierce winds of high-speed flight. His black coat fluttered loudly in the wind, while the blood dragon embroidered upon its back seemed to come alive, baring its fangs and claws.

In less than a day, Beichen Haotian had returned from the Land of Iron to Konoha.

"Hawk Eyes, land."

"Alright, Haotian." Under the contract and Beichen Haotian's instruction, the Golden Eagle had already learned to speak. Its voice was high, proud, and immensely penetrating.

"Go have fun. I'll call you if I need anything," Beichen Haotian said, stroking Hawk Eyes's feathers.

"Alright, Haotian. Be sure to call me when you eat grilled meat."

"Fine, I'll definitely call you. You say it every time. I'm not old yet—I can remember to call you when we eat grilled meat."

After sending Hawk Eyes off to play, Beichen Haotian arrived outside Konoha's gates in just a few breaths. He took out his pass and entered Konoha smoothly.

After three or four months away, Konoha was still the same. The streets bustled with people, and the citizens lived ordinary yet peaceful lives, smiles on their faces. Speaking of which, Konoha's citizens were indeed far happier than those in other ninja villages—especially small ninja villages—as well as ordinary villages. Even after suffering through Orochimaru and Pain's devastation later on, they were still happier.

Thanks to Nangong Huaxiao, Jinmu, and Zhuhán Wàndāndàn for the recommendation votes!