The bleak autumn wind blew, scattering cherry blossoms in drifting petals.
Araki left Sasori, who had been so engrossed he had forgotten food and sleep, in the courtyard with his beloved materials, then walked out of the house alone.
Anbu First Training Ground.
This was the exclusive training ground of the Hunter-nin Squad.
It had beaches, shrub-covered hills, small slopes, dense forests, open plains...
Every kind of terrain was represented, showing just how much thought had gone into its design.
This was the treatment afforded to Kirigakure's finest elite!
Araki entered wearing his Anbu mask.
Along the way, he saw quite a few people engaged in paired combat drills.
Their training was extremely realistic—and brutal.
They trained with real blades.
Wielding long and short katanas and wearing masks of all shapes, no one held back in their sparring. Blood frequently sprayed through the air.
More importantly, neither those fighting nor those watching thought there was anything wrong with such training.
Araki could not help sighing inwardly. As expected of Kirigakure's lunatics...
Only those ruthless enough to kill their own could be even more ruthless toward their enemies!
He was quite satisfied with subordinates like these.
Naturally, his arrival drew the attention of some people. But before anyone could come up to question him, Araki leaped twice and landed atop a high platform in the center.
Then he drew his sword toward the sky—
Clang!
The clear, resounding cry of the blade was like a Jiaolong roaring as it burst from the abyss, instantly spreading across the entire training ground!
The Light Sword Yachiru rapidly extended in his hand, transforming in the blink of an eye from a mere hilt into a massive blade over forty meters long!
Boom!
Araki casually swung it, slamming the sharp blade into the open ground