Facing Araki's question, Hozuki Mangetsu was speechless.
"Do you think everyone's like you?"
He took another piece of ore of roughly the same size from his robe and placed it on the ground, then gripped the hilt of [Exploding Blade Shibuki].
He took a deep breath.
In an instant, a stream of air passed through his nose and mouth into his lungs. His heartbeat suddenly intensified, and blazing power surged through his blood into every limb and bone.
[Water Breathing]!
As the power coursed through his entire body, Mangetsu swung his blade straight down at the ore, making the exact same motion Araki had just made.
Unfortunately, the outcome was vastly different.
With a sharp clang, sparks flew where the blade struck the ore. Then the blade bounced back, and the ore was sent flying by the tremendous force, rolling far away before finally stopping.
Hozuki Mangetsu stepped forward, picked up the ore, and handed it to Araki with a sigh. "See? Even with Shibuki in my hand, I can only leave a dent this deep with one strike. How are we supposed to mine it?"
Araki took the ore and examined it. Sure enough, there was a dent about a finger deep, but it was still far from being cut through.
[Exploding Blade Shibuki] was already one of Mist Village's finest ninja blades. Though its main strength was not slashing, the material used for its blade was still top-tier. The swords and blades wielded by other shinobi were practically incapable of surpassing it in sharpness.
Moreover, Hozuki Mangetsu was a jonin. He had even used [Water Breathing] to enhance his strength just now, yet he still could not sever the ore in a single blow. No one else stood a chance.
In the end, their offensive power was severely