Using the Village's Money, Building My Own Connections

Hatake Sakumo spoke, his wrist moving with a light flick.

The surface of the wooden sword suddenly shimmered with a faint, ephemeral white glow that vanished in an instant.

"I heard from Kakashi that you've used Water Release: Water Blade Slash. It's actually based on a similar principle, though that technique focuses on a 'point,' using the rotation of the water flow to create a wrapping effect."

Qingyu nodded, accepting the instruction.

That was indeed the truth; when he infused his Water Release chakra, he didn't fill the entire blade with it.

He only rotated a single point, using the rest to propel the movement of the water, which in turn enhanced the sharpness of the kunai.

The more surface area one covers with chakra, the more demanding it becomes on one's chakra control.

That is why ninjas prefer to use tools like kunai or short blades.

"Furthermore, if you want to go further down the path of ninja tools, it would be best to forge a weapon of your own."

Hatake Sakumo retracted the wooden sword, leaning it against the ground.

"Ninja tools forged from special metals allow chakra to flow through them without obstruction, and some can even amplify chakra of specific affinities."

"Ninja tools made of chakra metal?"

Kakashi asked from the side.

"That is the ideal."

Hatake Sakumo nodded.

The chakra metals used for forging ninja tools are actually categorized in great detail.

Any metal capable of conducting chakra is collectively referred to as chakra metal.

Among them, some rarer varieties allow chakra of specific affinities to flow with almost no loss, or even amplify its power.

"Understood."

Qingyu nodded.

He had actually already been considering the matter of a signature weapon.

If he was going to walk the path of swordsmanship, it would be a waste not to utilize the legacy left behind by Senju Tobirama.

The renowned master of forbidden techniques, Senju Tobirama, created countless ninjutsu in his lifetime and had also experimented in the field of ninja tools.

In his youth, he created an experimental weapon that was later sealed away because it was too difficult to control; that tool was known as the Sword of the Thunder God.

The blade of this sword was forged entirely from high-purity chakra metal and could convert the user's chakra into lightning-affinity chakra, causing lightning to crackle with every swing.

In short, it was a basic attack with built-in special effects.

Senju Tobirama later discovered that the sword relied too heavily on the quality of the user's chakra and had extremely harsh requirements for control, making it unusable for ordinary ninjas, so he sealed it away.

Of course, if this sword fell into the hands of someone without the proper strength, it would be a different story.

Qingyu remembered that in the original work, after the Konoha chunin Aoi Rokushō stole the Sword of the Thunder God, he used it quite pathetically.

During his battle with Naruto and Sasuke, the blade was cracked by Sasuke's Chidori, and a follow-up Rasengan from Naruto rendered it completely useless.

But that was the user's fault, not the sword's.

If a jonin or an even stronger ninja were to wield it, it would never be so fragile as to shatter from a single strike.

One must realize that the Kusanagi series of ninja tools are essentially indestructible, easily capable of resisting ninjutsu head-on.

A product crafted by Senju Tobirama would naturally not be such a failure.

Qingyu now lived with Tsunade; they were family.

Since he was family with Tsunade, he was naturally family with Senju Tobirama as well.

Inheriting Senju Tobirama's personal sword was a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

Once he returned, Qingyu planned to mention it to Tsunade.

Just as Qingyu was thinking this, a new line of text suddenly appeared in the corner of his eye.

[Collectible trait detected: One Thousand Years of Death]

[E-rank trait: One Thousand Years of Death]

[Effect: Makes it easier to see through an enemy's openings.]

Qingyu's eyelids twitched.

At least it didn't increase the power of him using that technique.

He glanced at Hatake Sakumo, who was looking at him with an appreciative gaze.

Hatake Sakumo himself was actually quite eccentric; the so-called "One Thousand Years of Death" was an obscure taijutsu where one formed the Tiger seal with both hands behind the enemy and thrust them into the opponent's anus.

He had used this technique on a large number of Hidden Rain ninjas, leaving them so traumatized that they all believed the title "White Fang of the Leaf" was derived from this very move.

However, setting aside the bizarre nature of the move itself, the effect of this trait was surprisingly good.

Making it easier to see through openings was, in essence, an improvement in his insight.

The ability to slip behind an enemy for a sneak attack without being detected is a dangerous thing in actual combat.

If it hadn't been a finger poke, but a kunai instead, the fight would have ended right there.

"Qingyu-kun, you learned that so quickly too!"

Rin Nohara's voice pulled Qingyu's attention back.

She was kneeling to the side with the wooden sword resting on her lap, her face full of amazement.

"I can understand Kakashi-kun being amazing, after all, he is the son of Sakumo-sama, but Qingyu-kun is just too..."

Rin Nohara couldn't find the right words to describe it.

She remembered clearly that Hatake Sakumo had only demonstrated it once, yet both Qingyu and Kakashi had perfectly replicated the entire sequence of movements.

This shock was far greater than when she had first watched the two of them spar with swords.

Some gaps can only be truly understood through personal experience.

Even though everyone had learned the same movements today, the speed of Qingyu and Kakashi was absurdly fast.

She had spent all her energy just trying to memorize the order of the strikes, while the two of them had already moved on to the next technique.

"Qingyu has the Sharingan, that's not fair."

Obito muttered, unconvinced, staring at Qingyu's eyes, which had already returned to black, his tone filled with envy.

If he had the Sharingan, Rin would definitely look at him with admiration.

Obito screamed internally that it wasn't fair; why wasn't he the one to awaken it first?

Qingyu glanced at him and shook his head.

Look at you, getting impatient again.

Nighttime.

Qingyu walked home alone. He took a detour to purchase some food for the evening before finally returning to his house.

The lights were on in the living room. For once, Tsunade hadn't gone to the casino; she was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, flipping through a horse racing magazine with a rhythmic snapping sound.

Beyond traditional gambling, Tsunade was planning to try some new tricks to see if she could break her curse of losing every bet.

Several empty small sake cups sat on the coffee table, and a faint scent of alcohol lingered in the air.

Qingyu didn't beat around the bush. He sat down directly across from her and gave a rough summary of what he had heard at the Hatake residence that afternoon regarding ninja tools.

"Tsunade-nee, I want a custom ninja tool."

"Where would I have the money to buy you a ninja tool?"

Tsunade's magazine-flipping paused for a moment, then she continued as if nothing had happened, her tone sounding a bit guilty.

She had lost again today.

And the amount wasn't small.

That was why she had come home relatively early tonight.

Tsunade had heard that Jiraiya was back in the village, and she was currently calculating how to ask him for a loan to get through this rough patch.

"I'm not asking to buy one."

Qingyu shook his head.

"I want the Second Hokage's Sword of the Thunder God."

"The Sword of the Thunder God."

Tsunade put down the magazine, clearly relieved.

As long as it didn't cost money, it was fine.

She thought about it carefully and recalled that there was indeed such an item.

Tobirama had created many experimental pieces in his youth, and the Sword of the Thunder God was the most iconic among them. Because it was so difficult to control, very few people could use it, so it was eventually turned over to the public and had been gathering dust in the Konoha armory ever since.

"Right now, that counts as village property and is kept in a specialized storage facility."

Tsunade rubbed her temples; the alcohol hadn't fully worn off, and her voice sounded somewhat languid.

To Tsunade, spending her own money versus spending the village's money were two completely different concepts.

After all, as long as it didn't come out of her pocket, it was fine.

As the saying goes, use the village's money to handle one's own connections.

Tsunade felt that her family was full of loyal heroes, so this small request shouldn't be a big deal.

Besides, many of these things should have been inherited by her anyway; they had just been allocated to the village.

"If there's a chance, I'll help you talk to the Old Man about it."