A flying slash was a technique in which a master swordsman swung the blade in their hand to send sword energy or sword light flying from a distance to wound enemies. Its emergence effectively compensated for the weakness of bladed weapons in long-range combat, and it could be said to be one of the core skills a master swordsman had to master.
As for its principles, they were rather mystical, involving the relatively profound concepts of [Unity of Mind and Technique] and [Breath of All Things]. Its power varied from person to person, but at the very least, it would not be inferior to advanced Wind Style Ninjutsu at the jonin level.
Although Araki was still far from [Unity of Mind and Technique] and [Breath of All Things], in this world that possessed chakra, he felt he could use ninjutsu to simulate such advanced techniques ahead of time.
Actually, [Whirlwind Slash] could already be considered a prototype of [Flying Slash] to some extent. For example, wasn't the flying slash technique first comprehended by a certain Mosshead swordsman called [Thirty-Six Troublesome Winds]?
The problem now was that the sword wind unleashed by [Whirlwind Slash] was not condensed enough, and its direct killing power was insufficient. Therefore, Araki needed to find a way to compress it.
But how could he compress an ordinary whirlwind into a solid wind blade?
Quite a few Wind Style Ninjutsu could serve as references.
Originally, the A-rank [Blade of Wind] was the best choice, but only Baki of Sunagakure had ever used this technique. Whether Kirigakure possessed it was unknown, after all, the barriers of knowledge between the major hidden villages were still quite formidable.
And even if they had it, an A-rank ninjutsu like this required completing an S-rank mission before one could unlock the authority to exchange for it. That was simply far too distant for Araki.
Thus, he set his sights on another C-rank Wind Style Ninjutsu: Wind Cutter.
Unlike [Blade of Wind], which condensed a sharp blade made of rapidly rotating wind in one's hand, Wind Cutter merely required one to spit out a compressed wind blade, so the difficulty of casting the two was vastly different.
Yet the power of ninjutsu had never depended on its rank, but on the caster's degree of understanding of the form transformation and nature transformation of that attribute.
Madara's B-rank Fire Release was capable of destroying heaven and earth for precisely this reason.
However, even for a C-rank Wind Style technique, Araki currently lacked the authority to exchange for it, because that required the experience of completing a B-rank mission.
But that was precisely the purpose of forming a team. Although genin Araki temporarily lacked the authority, Captain Kisame had it!
As a responsible captain, Kisame agreed to Araki's request without hesitation.
After all, it was only a mere C-rank ninjutsu. Kisame, who had just made a considerable fortune and was feeling flush with cash, did not take it to heart.
Quietly committing this favor to memory, Araki eagerly unrolled the one-time learning scroll for Wind Cutter.
"Five seals in total: Tora, Rabbit, Dog, Goat, Dragon. Hmm... same as usual. I'll break them down step by step first and see which seals are responsible for shaping the wind blade."
Following the [Analysis of Ninjutsu Seal Patterns] he had compiled himself, Araki began dismantling Wind Cutter's hand seals one by one, simplifying the sequence as much as possible.
Having previously dismantled Gale Palm, this round of ninjutsu analysis proceeded very smoothly. Araki quickly identified the two seals responsible for changing chakra's form and compressing it into a blade.
"If I can understand wind's form transformation to the utmost extreme, this ninjutsu can be cast instantly without seals. But for now..."
Araki gathered chakra onto the [Wind Sword] in his right hand, formed the simplified sequence of only two hand seals, then swung his sword in a diagonal slash!
Whoosh!
A narrow, translucent blade shaped like a crescent moon shot through the air, carving a several-meter-long gash across the sea ahead.
"It worked!"
Watching that "flying slash," Araki secretly clenched his fist.
"This move shall be called [Slash Wave: New Moon]!"
While Araki and Kisame rapidly improved themselves, Zabuza, currently the team's "deadweight," had not been idle either.
Following Araki's guidance, he found Karatachi Yagura.
"You mean you want to find a ninja skilled in sensory abilities and learn sensory ninjutsu from him?"
Karatachi Yagura was somewhat surprised.
To be honest, sensory ninjutsu was rather advanced and rare. Those who knew such techniques were treated like treasures in every hidden village, except Konoha.
The simplest example was the Byakugan, the most sought-after sensory ninjutsu in the Shinobi World. The other four villages had coveted it for decades.
Why? Wasn't it because their own villages did not have it?
Combined, the four major hidden villages outside Konoha likely did not have as many sensory ninja as Konoha alone.
"Can you tell me why you want to learn a sensory ninjutsu?"
Zabuza described to Yagura the first path to becoming stronger that Araki had told him about.
"Voice of All Things."
Karatachi Yagura stroked his chin and began seriously considering what auxiliary ninjutsu could help achieve such an effect.
Suddenly, he snapped his fingers and said to Zabuza:
"Your idea is excellent. There are indeed some ninjutsu in the Shinobi World that can distinguish enemies through sound. But whether it will work still requires consulting a professional."
"A professional?"
Zabuza widened his eyes and looked at Yagura expectantly.
"Yes. Sensory ninjutsu is extremely difficult to cultivate, and under normal circumstances, it requires special talent. I certainly cannot use it. So this time, I'll take you to visit a senior skilled in sensory ninjutsu. He can help assess it for you, and we can also see whether you have the talent to cultivate sensory ninjutsu."
The person they went to find was named Chukichi, one of Kirigakure's foremost sensory ninja.
"Senior Chukichi, please take a look and see whether this child has the talent to learn sensory ninjutsu."
Yagura said this to the plump, round-faced ninja.
"Lord Yagura."
Chukichi's attire was somewhat strange. He wore red sunglasses, had black face paint on his face, and a string of Buddhist beads around his neck.
Even so, his expression remained quite kind.
"Whether he has sensory talent, huh?"
Chukichi walked over to Zabuza, placed a hand on his shoulder, and asked:
"Kid, have your eyes ever seen any strange specks of light? Blue ones or green ones, for example?"
"No."
"Then when you close your eyes, have you ever felt as though your vision suddenly rose high into the air, as if you were looking down on everything?"
"No."
"Hmm, neither of those..."
Chukichi scratched his head.
"Then, do you have any sense that is particularly sharp?"
"My hearing is very sharp. I can hear many sounds—heartbeats, breathing, even the sound of blood flowing."
At last, there was a question he could answer. Zabuza rattled off a long string of answers in one breath.
"Breathing and heartbeats? Roughly what is the effective range?"
"About a hundred meters."
"A hundred meters? That is too close. It does not count as sensory ninjutsu."
Chukichi shook his head, his tone somewhat regretful.
"My apologies, Lord Yagura. This child does not seem to have talent in sensory abilities."
Zabuza was instantly stunned upon hearing that. He had not expected to be sentenced to death at the very first step.
"Thank you for your trouble, Chukichi. You may return to your work."
After seeing Chukichi off, Karatachi Yagura smiled and patted Zabuza's head.
"Chukichi is a decent sensory ninja, but he is not the Sage of Six Paths. What he says may not be entirely correct. Look, since you have already conceived such an excellent tactic, why not personally add the final piece to its puzzle?"
"Personally add... the final piece?"
Zabuza raised his head, confusion in his eyes.
"That's right. Just as you envisioned it, develop a sensory ninjutsu that belongs to you alone, Zabuza!"
"But I don't have..."
"Believe in yourself, Zabuza. From the moment I first saw you, I discovered the extraordinary talent within you," Yagura encouraged him.
"Lord Yagura, I will definitely not let down your expectations!"
Zabuza's face was solemn.
"Keep it up!"
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