Weapons

After seeing how much of a speed boost Hanyu's Lightning Release gave him, the few spectators present naturally realized just how powerful the technique was. They spontaneously began applauding Hanyu's invention... Though well-intentioned, it was still somewhat ironic.

After all, Hanyu wasn't putting on a show. He was developing a technique that would let a ninja kill more efficiently.

"Well done, Hanyu. I didn't expect you to develop such a powerful Lightning Release Ninjutsu in such a short time." Koga made no attempt to hide his praise. He had watched the technique take shape right before his eyes, which only made it all the more astonishing.

"This is just a special technique developed to suit my own unique abilities... And I found my direction so quickly thanks to the notes you gave me earlier." Hanyu spoke sincerely. He was delighted that the technique had worked, but he didn't think he'd done anything all that extraordinary. Besides, had he really developed it in such a short time?

It only seemed short because the people here had no idea how long someone had spent learning Senjutsu.

Koga shook his head. He hadn't been trying to take credit. The material he'd shown Hanyu earlier had been nothing more than basic information. Countless people had read it, so why hadn't any of them developed a Ninjutsu of this caliber? In the end, it came down to a person's own ideas and the effort they put into them.

"That's some impressive Lightning Release. With more practice, I'm sure it'll become a very handy weapon," Hatake Sakumo added.

Hanyu hadn't been a ninja for very long, so his Taijutsu wasn't particularly refined. But now that he had outstanding speed, all he needed to do was improve his coordination and reflexes, and he'd soon rank among the elite ninja.

From the days when Hanyu could do little but take a beating to now, Hatake Sakumo had to admit that Hanyu would soon surpass him—or perhaps already had. He silently encouraged himself to work even harder from then on... Well, after lunch today, he would have to increase his training regimen.

Hanyu nodded. Hatake's assessment was fair. Although he'd solved his speed problem, his lack of experience still made his movements too simple in battle. That was something only training and constant fighting could fix.

But...

Hanyu put one hand on Hatake's shoulder and ran the thumb of his other hand across the tip of his nose. "But you're wrong about one thing, Hatake. Lightning Release isn't what I'm really good at. Water Release is. Water Release is the strongest, so... Be water, my friend."

Having an ability was one thing; knowing how to use it skillfully was another. The two were worlds apart. If he wanted to bring his combat strength to its full potential, Hanyu would have to train hard... After all, there had once been a ninja who suddenly became very fast, but couldn't control his speed and ended up stepping into a wall and spraining his ankle. There had also been a warrior who learned how to transform, but couldn't control his newfound strength and beat his wife to a pulp on the spot.

Those were cautionary tales, and Hanyu had to learn from them.

In any case, successfully developing the new Ninjutsu put Hanyu in a good mood. No, it was more than that.

At a time like this, he could even understand why some ninja were so obsessed with developing forbidden techniques, like the Second or Orochimaru. Their fervor came not only from the sense of accomplishment and excitement that followed a successful Ninjutsu development. When a new technique greatly enhanced a ninja's abilities, it could even give them the illusion that they were undergoing an evolution to a higher level of existence.

That's why people like that only got more excited the deeper they got into it.

At the same time, Hanyu suddenly understood why his attitude toward war was "not hating it." The reason was simple: it was new. War was something he had never experienced in either of his two lives, so going to the battlefield was a completely new experience for him. That novelty helped him break free of the influences his previous life had placed on him and made him truly realize that he was a young man.

That was why he'd become so much livelier and more energetic after arriving at the Konoha front lines. As the war continued, that feeling might gradually fade, but at least for now, the war was having a positive effect on his state of mind.

After completing the Ninjutsu test, the group returned from the lakeside to the Konoha camp. Whatever everyone else was thinking, Hanyu knew he had to leave the frontline hospital. He no longer had any reason to keep staying there.

Once they entered the Konoha camp, the group went their separate ways. Hanyu didn't return to the frontline hospital to pack his things and prepare to be discharged... Instead, he went to the Konoha frontline quartermaster's depot to look for more suitable weapons.

Setting aside his training and practice back in Konoha, once he was actually on the battlefield, Hanyu realized that he really couldn't get used to using Kunai.

Ninja were agile and often fought at close range, so they tended to use short, sharp weapons. But Kunai had blades without guards. They were fine for attacking and assassinating, but when used to block, an enemy's weapon could easily slide down the edge and slice off the user's fingers.

And though Kunai's four-sided, tapered design made them sturdy, a successful strike left a diamond-shaped wound in the enemy. Overall, though, their shape gave them less penetrating power than flat-bladed weapons.

So Hanyu went to the quartermaster's depot and told the ninja in charge of weapons and equipment what he wanted.

"I understand. In that case, how about short swords? Would those work for you?" As he spoke, the ninja laid several short swords of different lengths on a table.

Hanyu looked them over, then picked up one about forty-five centimeters long. He tested its weight and nodded with satisfaction.

"I'll take two short swords in this style. And... do you have sheaths? Otherwise, I'm worried I'll cut myself," Hanyu said. Of course, the weapons available to him here were all ordinary mass-produced standard-issue gear. But as long as they suited him, that was enough... Even though they were mass-produced, Konoha's quality control was reliable.

The ninja glanced at Hanyu, thinking, Do you have any idea how much extra production cost and time it takes to make a sheath for every short sword? Fortunately, Hanyu looked like no more than a young ninja, so he didn't reject him outright.

After rummaging around for ages, the ninja finally found two matching sheaths.

Hanyu slid the short swords into them and found that the springs at the mouths of the sheaths held the blades firmly in place. They wouldn't fall out even if turned upside down. He hung one short sword horizontally at his waist, then slung the other diagonally across his back, hilt down. The hilt of the sword crossing his back jutted out beneath his arm, level with his ribs.

That way, he could draw both swords at once.

"Then... do you have any weapons about the same length as a Kunai? A dagger would work too," Hanyu continued, making a second request.

He wasn't satisfied with the Kunai's piercing ability, but that didn't mean he had no use for a weapon of that length. In some situations, a short sword was still a little too long, so Hanyu also needed something about the length of a Kunai, but not a Kunai.

Something like a dagger.

But now the quartermaster's ninja was finally getting a little impatient... Did Hanyu know how much it cost to make a Kunai and how much it cost to make a dagger? When both were mass-produced consumables, how big was the difference between them? Didn't he understand cost control?

Still, Hanyu's youthful appearance once again worked its deceptive magic, and the ninja didn't yell at him.

"Wait here."

He said this, then turned and went back into the tent behind him. A clanging noise soon came from inside. By the time he appeared again, half an hour had passed.

"Here you go. They meet all your requirements: about the same length as a Kunai, with good piercing ability, but not Kunai." He set ten new weapons in front of Hanyu, looking very much as if he'd kill him if he dared refuse them.

Hanyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but under the pressure, he eventually accepted them... Yes, the weapons completely met his requirements, but all the ninja had done was hammer four-sided Kunai into double-edged blades.

No wonder he'd been able to modify them on the spot. When you got down to it, they were still Kunai.

Seeing the ninja's attitude, Hanyu knew he couldn't keep pestering him. Besides, he'd gotten just about everything he wanted here, so he thanked the ninja and turned to leave.

Everything was moving in a better direction, wasn't it?

Was it?