Blade of Kagutsuchi

"The issue with the transplant surgery is resolved; now, all that remains is for me to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan!"

Sasuke stared at the experimental files in his hands, lost in thought.

A moment later, he turned to look at the two lively white mice again, shook his head, and chuckled softly.

Only then did he tidy up the tools in the basement and take his leave.

Shortly after, Sasuke returned to the living room of his home. As soon as he arrived, he discovered that the house had welcomed a cute guest, Denka, and his Shadow Clone was currently conversing with him.

"Well then, Master Sasuke, I have delivered the items, so I shall be taking my leave now, meow."

As soon as the words fell, a burst of white smoke surged in the room, and Denka vanished.

The Shadow Clone nearby, seeing that Sasuke had arrived, said nothing but handed over a storage scroll before dispelling itself, the memories returning to Sasuke's mind.

"Has my weapon finally been successfully forged?"

Because this was the first time Nekomata had forged a weapon of this caliber, and the materials were exceptionally precious, she had revised the design and plans for the weapon repeatedly, only deciding to begin casting the blade two months ago.

Sasuke couldn't wait to open the storage scroll. Following a puff of smoke, an exquisite, elegant Japanese tachi appeared in his palm.

Sasuke gently stroked the blade. Even before it was unsheathed, a sharp and scorching aura had already begun to permeate the air, revealing its extraordinary nature.

Gripping the hilt, Sasuke could clearly perceive that the junction between the hilt and the blade was resonating inexplicably with the fire-style chakra in his body!

This was precisely where the fire-attribute Chakra Crystal, passed down and venerated by the Uchiha clan for generations, had been embedded!

Sasuke took a deep breath and drew the blade, revealing a sword that was pitch-black from hilt to tip.

But looking closely, the dark blade actually possessed a crimson halo, radiating a crystalline, translucent light that appeared both mysterious and beautiful.

After studying the blade for a moment, the next instant, Sasuke felt a stir in his heart and poured his fire-attribute chakra into the sword.

In an instant, the originally pitch-black blade turned incredibly crimson, and a red flame suddenly emerged from the steel, coiling around the blade.

The amount of chakra Sasuke had poured in was minimal, equivalent to lighting a small spark.

Yet, the tachi before him significantly amplified the power of the fire-attribute chakra, and the blade itself seemed to be absorbing the heat from the room's lighting, causing the flames to burn with increasing intensity.

In a heartbeat, the surrounding air felt scorched, and a sweltering heat filled the entire living room!

This kind of amplification!?

Seeing this, a look of astonishment appeared on Sasuke's face.

"And this is only with a tiny bit of fire-attribute chakra input. If I were to use it for fire-style swordsmanship, the power would be..."

Thinking of the scenes where he would use Sword Leap Flame and Gale Sword with this blade, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

"I shall call you Kagutsuchi!"

Kagutsuchi is an alias for the fire god Kagutsuchi-no-Mikoto in mythology, who is also known as Ho-no-Yamasubi-no-Kami, Ho-no-Kagubiko-no-Kami, and Ho-no-Kagutsuchi-no-Kami.

Legend has it that when Kagutsuchi was born, his body burned with flames, scorching his mother, Izanami, to death. His enraged father, Izanagi, used the divine sword Ame-no-Ohabari to slay Kagutsuchi, and the eight drops of blood that fell transformed into eight heavenly gods, one of whom was Takemikazuchi.

Using the fire god from mythology to name this fire-attribute divine artifact seemed, in Sasuke's view, perfectly fitting.

Behind the Konoha mountains.

Sasuke held the flat blade, took a few deep breaths, and after entering a state of void-like tranquility, he swung the sword.

The swordplay was elegant and fast as a shadow; Sasuke's wrists were incredibly flexible, and the simple short blade felt like an extension of his own arm in his hands.

He rapidly and continuously shaved away parts of the giant boulder, with pieces of stone and debris being cleanly cut away, a sight that was pleasing to the eye, elegant and natural.

Especially when paired with Sasuke's jade-like face and serious expression, watching him was a pleasure in itself.

Swish, swish, swish!

Sasuke's hand stopped abruptly. By now, about ninety percent of the boulder sculpture was complete. A flash of red light crossed his eyes, his vision returned to normal, and the sounds of nature reached his ears.

"Heh..."

Looking at the ghastly sight before him, a rough model that could barely be identified as a human figure, Sasuke chuckled softly.

The difficulty of his carving just now was countless times greater than it had been two years ago, because he had been sealed of his five senses simultaneously: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.

He could not use his eyes to see, his ears to hear, and he couldn't even touch the texture or grain of the stone.

He had to carve entirely with his heart.

Sasuke had a premonition that if he could complete the sculpture before him using only his heart and imbue it with spirit, not only would his carving-based chakra training method undergo a qualitative change, but his Mangekyō Sharingan would also awaken naturally.

Although there was no proof, Sasuke was absolutely certain of this.

It was just a pity that the current Sasuke could not yet achieve it.

Sasuke sighed inwardly and turned to look at Kurama Yakumo, who was stifling a laugh. "Yakumo, if you want to laugh, just laugh. There's no need to hold it in."

As soon as he finished speaking, Kurama Yakumo burst into laughter.

She waved her hand, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Sasuke-kun, I'm not laughing at you; I just think this sculpture is, um... very interesting."

"Actually, to have completely sealed your five senses and still be able to carve stone sculptures so perfectly—I doubt anyone else in this world could achieve such a feat."

Sasuke explained indifferently, "It is precisely because it is difficult that it must be done; the harder something is to accomplish, the greater the reward tends to be."

"That makes sense." Kurama Yakumo nodded in realization, then brought up another topic.

"Sasuke-kun, you'll be graduating from the Ninja Academy to become a ninja next month, right?"

Kurama Yakumo's tone was very calm, devoid of any envy, resentment, or inner conflict.

"Yes!"

Seeing Sasuke nod, Kurama Yakumo smiled slightly and continued, "I'll be leaving Konoha in a few days, so I won't be able to congratulate you in person when the time comes. I'll just offer my congratulations to you here in advance."

"Leaving Konoha?"

A flash of astonishment crossed Sasuke's face.

"Yes!" Seeming quite satisfied with Sasuke's surprise, the corners of Kurama Yakumo's mouth curled into a faint arc.

"Ever since I was a child, I dreamed of entering the Ninja Academy and becoming a ninja. I still haven't given up on that dream, but after knowing and interacting with you over these past few years, Sasuke-kun, I've decided to walk a path different from others—a ninja path that belongs solely to me."

"Walk your own ninja path?"

Sasuke murmured softly.

"Mm-hmm!" Kurama Yakumo nodded, her voice gentle and soft:

"Sasuke-kun, do you remember the psychologist you once told me about?"