The Legend of the Ninja Blades

The mustachioed man gestured for everyone to follow him to their lodgings. Qiancao followed with Wuming and Yamada.

The Land of Water lay far from the densely populated mainland. It had once been a vast island with few inhabitants.

Its residents were criminals and exiles from the nations of the mainland, so the people were fierce, and conflicts were no less common than in the mainland nations embroiled in war.

Moreover, being so far from the mainland left it desperately short of supplies. In terms of development, it was even behind the up-and-coming Land of Whirlpools.

However, ever since the Shimazu House lost its mainland conflicts and was forced to retreat to the Land of Water, it had become the most powerful force there.

The young ninja Byakuren had close ties with the Shimazu daimyo. He spent much of his time on the mainland gathering resources for the Land of Water, which was how he met the Uchiha Clan and formed an alliance with them.

The Shimazu daimyo now controlled the ports on the western side of the Land of Water. To develop the country, he had specifically invited several mine owners from the Land of Fire to take part in the iron ore trade.

The Kaneda family, whose identity Qiancao was using, was among those invited.

The mustachioed man arranged for the three of them to stay at an inn. After telling them when the negotiations would take place the next day, he took his leave.

Qiancao used Sensory Ninjutsu to survey the area around their room. Once he was sure no one was keeping watch, he called Wuming into his room.

Dusk was falling outside, making it the perfect time to go investigate. As he changed clothes, Qiancao told Wuming, "I'll go gather information tonight. You can go when the meeting starts tomorrow."

"If anyone comes looking for me, tell them I've gone to bed."

Whenever he needed to gather intelligence, Qiancao couldn't help envying the Shadow Clone Technique from the bottom of his heart. Unfortunately, he couldn't cross his hands like Naruto Uzumaki and summon a shadow clone.

Developing a jutsu like that was a job for a jutsu genius like Tobirama Senju.

After changing into dark clothes that were easy to move in, Qiancao slipped out through the window. With his face covered, he strolled casually down the street.

The port was full of ninjas dressed in all sorts of ways, so Qiancao didn't stand out.

At night, the port in the Land of Water had something of the feel of a big-nation city, with all kinds of vendors setting up their stalls.

Most of them, however, looked downright fierce—the sort you could tell were not to be trifled with.

A ramen shop by the roadside caught Qiancao's eye. It wasn't Ichiraku Ramen, but it was still packed with customers.

Qiancao decided to go in, ordered a bowl of ramen, and sat in a corner, quietly gathering information to see if anyone would mention anything unusual happening lately.

At first, he heard only talk about the various daimyo fighting across the Land of Water. It wasn't until he had nearly finished his ramen that something caught his attention.

"I hear Lord Byakuren came back to the Land of Water four days ago. I wonder which clueless youngsters are going to get in trouble this time."

"Why just hear about it? I saw Lord Byakuren at the port yesterday! He had a bunch of unfamiliar ninjas with him. No idea what they were up to."

"Lord Byakuren really is incredible. We've only been spared bullying by those people from the Land of Fire thanks to him."

Qiancao set down his bowl and chopsticks and walked over to the two men, putting on an admiring air. "Good evening, gentlemen! I'm a ninja from a small family in Tsukuba City, and I've always wanted to serve under Lord Byakuren."

"I heard you say Lord Byakuren was near the port these past few days. Could you point me in the right direction? I'd love a chance to meet him."

The two ninjas who had been talking about Byakuren turned to see Qiancao, his face covered except for his eyes. Hearing his youthful voice, they took him for a simple admirer.

Byakuren was the most talked-about ninja in the Land of Water right now. It was no wonder that young people got excited just hearing his name.

One of them said, "Lord Byakuren is always busy. It's not like some little kid can just decide to meet him."

Qiancao smiled faintly, drew the short blade at his waist, and performed a few fancy moves in the air beside him. He looked fairly convincing.

"To tell you the truth, I do have a few tricks up my sleeve."

The man's eyes lit up. Though the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had not yet formed, the seven Ninja Blades had already become well known in the Land of Water.

Byakuren himself was deeply passionate about swordsmanship and had a great appreciation for ninjas skilled with a blade.

Perhaps it was because the ninjas of the Land of Water were all proficient in Water Release, but its killing power was limited.

If he could introduce Lord Byakuren to a bodyguard skilled in swordsmanship, he would benefit from it too.

He warmly said, "My name is Hozuki Sho. You just arrived, little brother, didn't you? Biwa Juzo, Lord Byakuren's guard captain, put up a notice this morning recruiting ninjas to join Lord Byakuren on a mission."

"This is a great chance to travel with Lord Byakuren. If you want to meet him, just go sign up in the south of the city."

Qiancao politely thanked him, left the ramen shop, and headed straight for the south of the city.

As soon as he arrived, he saw a crowd gathered beside a makeshift shelter, whispering among themselves as they watched two men face off.

One was tall, with a massive blade like a slab of iron strapped to his back. It was the legendary Severing Sword: Executioner's Blade, wielded by Byakuren's guard captain, Biwa Juzo.

The other was short, his face seemingly veiled in mist and impossible to make out. At his waist hung a long, thin weapon like a baton, with a wire wrapped around it like the threads on a Uchiha shuriken.

Qiancao knew this man was Kuriarare Kushimaru, wielder of the long blade Nuibari. He had once lost to Biwa Juzo in the contest for the position of Byakuren's guard captain.

The two not only had a history of bad blood, but their styles of ninjutsu were also worlds apart. Biwa Juzo favored direct attacks, while Kuriarare Kushimaru preferred to strike from the shadows.

As a result, they got along terribly and often clashed.

Biwa Juzo said mockingly, "Well, if it isn't the legendary Kuriarare Kushimaru. What brings you to my neck of the woods?"

Kuriarare Kushimaru couldn't be bothered with pleasantries. "I'm here to sign up for Lord Byakuren's mission. It has nothing to do with you."

Although Biwa Juzo couldn't stand him, he wouldn't dare neglect Lord Byakuren's mission. Having a stealth expert like Kuriarare Kushimaru along would be ideal. He pointed to the desk beneath the shelter and said,

"Fill out the sign-up form over there."

Kuriarare Kushimaru didn't waste any more words on Juzo. He went to the desk, bent over, quickly wrote down his information, then turned and left.

Biwa Juzo called after him, "Remember, we meet here first thing the morning after tomorrow!"

The onlookers saw that the two men hadn't fought and were deeply disappointed. Cursing and grumbling, they dispersed.

Biwa Juzo wasn't about to take their insults lying down. He stood there trading curses with the crowd. Qiancao seized the chance to step forward and, using the identity he had prepared in advance, said, "Lord Juzo, I'm Mitsuhashi Ichiki. I'd like to sign up for Lord Byakuren's mission too."