An Arrow Piercing the Clouds

And so, a day later, Shiro and his companions successfully arrived in the Land of Demons.

"This number... is truly astonishing!" Nakamura stood atop Giant Bird No. 2 and looked down, seeing only a dark, dense mass.

"Yes, I really don't know how they've managed to keep going until now," Mizuki exclaimed from the side.

"It must be because of that purple barrier."

"A barrier? Shiro Brother, what barrier? Why don't we see it?"

"Yeah, there's no barrier. Are you sure you're not mistaken?" Mizuki asked curiously.

"Huh? You can't see it?"

"Shiro, did you really see a purple barrier?" Nakamura wasn't disbelieving Shiro, but they genuinely couldn't see it. If the barrier truly existed, it might be helpful for the mission.

"Of course, Taichi, try using your Sharingan. Maybe it's because of my secret technique."

"Okay, I'll give it a try."

Open!

Taichi narrowed his eyes slightly, and black Tomoe instantly appeared in his blood-red pupils.

"This... it really exists..."

"Is there really a barrier?"

"Yes, surrounding this city."

"That should be right, hmm? Hold on tight!"

As soon as Shiro finished speaking, Giant Bird No. 2 rapidly took off, dodging the incoming attack.

"Shiro, where did that attack come from? Did you see it clearly?" Nakamura asked, frowning.

"Ah, I see clearly now, it's one of those puppets." Shiro narrowed his eyes and said with a hint of anger.

"Don't do anything rash, we need to go and make contact first."

"Don't worry, Captain, it'll be ready soon. Let's give them a gift first." He slapped his wrist after saying that.

"Bang!"

"Projection, begin!"

At the same time, with a thought from Shiro, a long sword appeared in his hand.

Mizuki, standing nearby, saw Shiro nock the bow and chuckled, saying, "Shiro, although I don't know archery, at least I know that you..."

However, Mizuki was startled by the movement in Shiro's hand before she could finish her sentence.

As Shiro pulled it open, the longsword slowly transformed. When Shiro fully extended the Kizuna, the longsword had completely turned into an arrow!

That's why I said I'm an Archer.

During this year, although Shiro was unable to break through the limit and Projection a B-rank Noble Phantasm, he was already able to skillfully modify the appearance of Noble Phantasm!

This also signifies the beginning of Shiro's path to Nuke Sword Immortal!

After whispering those words, Shiro released the string in his hand, and the modified sword-shaped Noble Phantasm instantly flew out.

They fired directly at the enemy's main camp!

"Sigh, Shiro Brother, aren't you wasting your energy? What good is an arrow?"

"Ha, you'll find out how useful it is in a moment. Now, let it fly a little longer."

"Shiro, if you're thinking of attacking with the force generated by acceleration, forget about it, because according to the public..."

"Stop, stop, stop! I didn't know you were such a top student. But listen, we're almost there."

After saying that, Shiro raised his hand and snapped his fingers lightly.

"Smack!"

"Boom!!!"

The snap of the fingers wasn't loud, but the explosion that followed was very loud!

"!!!"

Minamoto no Raiko and her team stared at Shiro in shock, unable to believe that the attack they had just witnessed was unleashed by Shiro.

"This... this is incredible! How could this be? The distance just now shouldn't have been like that!"

Hearing Minamoto no Raiko's murmur, Shiro rolled his eyes. "Stop calculating, little genius. That's my Ninjutsu, it has nothing to do with those formulas."

"Alright, that's enough, Shiro. Lower the altitude so they can see for themselves how strange these guys are..."

"What's wrong, Taichi?" Shiro asked as he lowered the Giant Bird No. 2.

"You'll see for yourself."

"Hmm?" Shiro glanced at Taichi, then looked down at the ground. "They're... recovering? So fast!"

As Shiro focused his gaze on the ground, he saw that the puppets that had been destroyed were rapidly gathering and rebuilding.

As they descended, others also witnessed this bizarre scene.

In response, Takeda, who rarely spoke, asked, "Should we go down and gather some more detailed information?"

"We can't take the risk, Shiro. Could you send your Dragon Tooth Soldier down to try?" Nakamura refused without hesitation.

"No, we'll just crash and shatter at this height. Let's go into the city first; they should have more detailed information."

"No, Shiro, wait! Take off first. Observe the number of them. These things look a bit like puppets, so they should have a core!"

"It's a pity that the Hyuga Clan wasn't present this time, otherwise their Byakugan would have allowed them to quickly locate the target."

"Well, nothing in this world is ever perfect. Improving yourself is the key! Watch out, they seem to have realized what's happening and are about to take off!"

"Mmm~ Ah."

In an attempt to evade the enemy's attack, Shiro's Giant Bird No. 2 ascended a little too quickly, catching everyone off guard and causing them to sway. Fortunately, since everyone was a ninja, no one was thrown off.

Are you all alright?

Shikaki glanced around and, seeing that no one was in trouble, said to Shiro, "It's alright. You take a look first, then tell me their distribution."

"Learn."

"Hey, Taichi, can Shiro really see that? It's so high!" Mizuki whispered to Taichi.

Minamoto no Raiko and the others also pricked up their ears and listened quietly.

"Yes, Shiro has practiced a secret technique that allows him to see very far; the current limit seems to be 3,000 meters!"

Because Shiro never told Taichi about the limits of his eyesight, Taichi's assessment was based on Shiro's past performance, but in reality, Shiro couldn't see that far...

"That's amazing..."

"Wait a minute." Unlike Minamoto no Raiko's surprise, Mizuki was focused on something else. "Wasn't he supposed to be a commoner? How does he know so many secret techniques?"

"Mizuki! You've gone a bit too far!" Heiichi frowned and said in a deep voice, "This kind of thing is a ninja's secret! This isn't your clan anymore! Don't make such a basic mistake."

"I understand, I'm sorry." Mizuki bit her lip, bowed to Taichi, and said, "I'll apologize to Shiro later."

"No need, don't worry about it. Shiro's matter isn't a secret anyway. But remember not to do it again next time. Things are different outside than inside the clan, so try to be less curious."

"Alright, let's get back to the topic and continue talking about Shiro. It's alright. Shiro is indeed a commoner, but his ancestors were a ninja clan, and I heard they were quite powerful."

"However, the secret technique was later lost, leaving only some ancient texts. It was by relying on those texts that Shiro recreated the secret technique! He is a true genius!"

Although it sounds unbelievable, like something out of a story, this is the most reasonable explanation they believe.

Of course, as the years have passed and Shiro has shown more and more of his abilities, the Third Hokage and the others no longer believe that Shiro really just relied on talent and some kind of ancient texts.

However, Sakumo's White Fang are still sharp...

Thank you to Black Reaper Hei, for the monthly pass! Thank you for your support!