All Blades

Hayama Shirakumo no longer obsessed over the mission; after a glance at the chaotic battlefield, he gave the order to withdraw.

He remained silent throughout the journey.

The words of the young lad on his team had, in the end, left an impact on him.

Selling information on one's own key personnel to hostile forces in exchange for greater rewards was a common occurrence in the political world.

It was rumored that the death of the elite Jonin Pakura of Sunagakure was shrouded in such inexplicable, murky circumstances.

Hayama Shirakumo had always believed that the Hidden Leaf Village was different.

The Will of Fire taught them that the "King" of this world was neither the "Kage" who governed a village, nor the "Daimyo" who held the power of a nation, but the young generation growing up strong!

Just as the Third Hokage had said:

"Wherever the leaves of the Tree dance, the fire will burn!"

This phrase had always been upheld by Hayama Shirakumo as the supreme guiding principle for a Hidden Leaf ninja.

In every mission, he would diligently guide and look after the newcomers assigned to his squad, and it was precisely because of this that he held considerable prestige among the Hidden Leaf ninja.

Yet, after meeting Arata, his thoughts began to waver, and his ingrained beliefs were shaken.

The outside evaluation was wrong!

What Blood Asura?

What cold-blooded devil?

When quiet, Arata was no different from any other child his age; aside from his dislike of smiling, all his other qualities—whether it be his sense of responsibility or his strength—crushed those of his peers!

Especially that self-discipline carved into his very bones.

Except for necessary shifts and duties, the little guy wouldn't waste a single second, performing incredibly dull sword drills with effortless ease every single day.

Hayama Shirakumo truly could not imagine how a ten-year-old child could persist in such monotonous training.

One had to realize, this was an age that should have been spent at the Ninja Academy, building friendships with peers and letting one's nature run free. But Arata had already completed seventy-one missions, including one A-rank mission with a high danger coefficient!

What exactly was the reason that drove him to become like this?

Before this ambush, the only reason he could find was that the boy belonged to the Uchiha.

Since the Nine-Tails incident, the atmosphere of the entire village had changed.

Of course, the culprit was that abominable natural disaster, the Nine-Tails, but the high-level reshuffling of clan forces by the Hidden Leaf leadership was the most critical fuse.

Anyone with eyes could see that the Uchiha clan, the earliest founders of the Hidden Leaf, had been pushed to the fringes of the village.

This matter did not cause any direct impact on ordinary ninja, nor would they think much of it.

But that was the Uchiha!

The immensely proud Uchiha!

Not only were members of the Military Police Force criticized for becoming increasingly barbaric in their conduct, but even the students from the Uchiha clan at the academy became targets of isolation and alienation.

Therefore, the boys and girls from that clan would respond to all who questioned them with more direct displays of strength.

Body Flicker Shisui, who deterred the Mist.

Itachi Uchiha, hailed as a genius.

And Arata Uchiha, shrouded in a fearsome reputation.

Three heroes of one clan—such a lineup, such strength, made everyone who dared to question the Uchiha shut their mouths obediently.

However, more than a year ago, the sudden passing of Shisui Uchiha made the entire situation even more treacherous and unpredictable.

Although the Hidden Leaf officially claimed that Shisui had committed suicide, the Uchiha clan did not accept such a conclusion at all.

Would Body Flicker Shisui, who could deter an entire region and was famous among all major powers, choose to commit suicide because of a disagreement between the village and his clan?

What a joke.

Such an excuse could only deceive those clueless bystanders.

Likewise, Hayama Shirakumo had felt at the time that the matter was suspicious, but as a traditional ninja far removed from the center of politics, he had not paid much attention to it.

Leading the newly promoted Genin and Chunin, and protecting the residents of the Hidden Leaf, was the one thing he considered most.

Yet, he never expected that such an ambush, such a political conspiracy, would fall upon his own head.

One must know, he had initially thought that a spy from Iwagakure had simply appeared in the village, but now, connecting it to the words Arata had spoken, some of his firmest beliefs began to shatter.

This was a dark hand aimed at the Uchiha.

And the youth before him had already grown accustomed to it.

All the killing, all the self-discipline, was to protect himself from being erased by this dark hand.

Even this seemingly cold and heartless little guy was still trying to prevent him from being dragged into it.

Hayama Shirakumo truly did not know what to say.

Had the Hidden Leaf truly changed?

He did not know, nor did he dare to peel back that layer of secrets, and he did not tell Tekuno or Kimura Kai about his conversation with Arata.

The atmosphere within the squad was stifling.

Tekuno wanted to speak but held back, while Kimura Kai became increasingly reticent; they both felt a trace of fear toward the youth in their squad who could remain calm despite his hands being stained with blood, and they distanced themselves without leaving a trace.

Arata, however, did not care; or rather, he had long since grown accustomed to such isolation.

Moreover, he was currently pondering a problem.

Weapons.

Conventional chakra weapons could no longer satisfy his needs.

Having just experienced a fierce battle, the blade had already shattered, which was clearly unacceptable.

Furthermore, compared to ninjutsu, he was more accustomed to using swordsmanship to overcome his enemies.

Therefore, taking advantage of this time when no one paid him any mind, Arata began to browse through the Yin-Yang Record.

In this time, neither long nor short, he had accumulated a total of twelve skill points, and the reason he had not spent them recklessly was that he wanted to wait until he had a clear understanding of his true needs before using them.

[Nichirin Blade]: Imbues the weapon with the durable properties of a Nichirin Blade, highly effective when attacking demons. Skill points required: 1.

(Ps: When used in conjunction with Breathing Sword Style, power is increased.)

[Demon-Repelling Sword]: Imbues the weapon with the demon-breaking properties of the Demon-Repelling Sword, highly effective when attacking filth. Skill points required: 10.

(Ps: When paired with the skill effect "Insight," there is a chance to ignore enemy defense and strike directly at the soul.)

[Tessaiga]: Imbues the weapon with the Tessaiga's property of absorbing demonic energy, allowing one to borrow the power of other demons to unleash even greater strength. Skill points required: 20.

(Ps: Depending on the absorption of demonic power, it will evolve on its own, sequentially into: Blood-Red, Diamond, Dragon-Scale, and Black Tessaiga.)

[Tenseiga]: Imbues the weapon with the healing properties of the Tenseiga; it cannot be used for attacks, but when carried, it slowly heals the host's wounds. Skill points required: 30.

(Ps: Passive Tenseiga Barrier triggers when the host encounters fatal danger, blocking the attack; after use, it requires absorbing the host's power to recover, the duration of which depends on the host's strength. Active Tenseiga Barrier can resurrect one deceased person, limited to within one day; this effect can be used only once.)

[Nenekirimaru]: Imbues the weapon with the demon-repelling properties of the Nenekirimaru, capable of breaking through any energy-based defense or attack, highly effective when attacking demons. Skill points required: 6.

(Ps: When subjected to intense energy impact, it will cause damage to the blade itself; the demon-breaking effect depends on the host's strength.)

[Sode no Shirayuki]: Imbues the weapon with the freezing properties of the Sode no Shirayuki, with a chance to freeze enemies upon attack, highly effective when attacking souls. Skill points required: 4.

(Ps: Consume 8 skill points to unlock Shikai, gaining the abilities "First Dance: Tsukishiro," "Second Dance: Hakuren," and "Third Dance: Shirafune.")

[Tensa Zangetsu]: Imbues the weapon with the soul-cutting properties of the Tensa Zangetsu, including the skills: Getsuga Tensho and Getsuga Jujisho, highly effective when attacking souls. Skill points required: 8.

(Ps: Consume 16 skill points to activate Shikai, gaining the abilities "Black Flow Fang Thrust" and "Heavenly Dance Rapid Strike.")