The Legend of the Ninja Blade

The man with the mustache signaled for everyone to follow him to their lodgings to rest, and Qiancao followed along with Wuming and Yamada.

The Land of Water was far removed from the populous continent, having once been a massive, sparsely populated island.

The island's inhabitants were all criminals and exiles from the various nations on the mainland; consequently, the local customs were fierce, and the various conflicts were no less intense than those in the mainland nations currently embroiled in war.

Furthermore, due to its distance from the mainland, resources of all kinds were extremely scarce, and in terms of development, it lagged even behind the rising star that was the Land of Whirlpools.

However, ever since the Shimazu House suffered defeat in the power struggles on the mainland and was forced to retreat to the Land of Water, they had become the most powerful faction in the country.

The young ninja Byakuren had a close relationship with the Shimazu daimyo. He spent his years on the mainland collecting various resources for the Land of Water, which was how he had come to know the Uchiha Clan and forge an alliance with them.

Now that the Shimazu daimyo controlled the western ports of the Land of Water, he had specifically invited several mine owners from the Land of Fire to participate in the iron ore trade in order to develop the country.

The Jin-tian family, which Qiancao was posing as, was one of the invited parties.

The man with the mustache arranged for the three of them to stay at an inn, informed them of the time for tomorrow's business meeting, and then took his leave.

Inside the room, Qiancao used sensory ninjutsu to observe his surroundings. Once he was certain no one was monitoring his room, he summoned Wuming to his quarters.

Outside, the sky was growing dark—a perfect time for reconnaissance. As he changed his clothes, Qiancao said to Wuming, "I will go out to gather intelligence tonight; you go tomorrow when the meeting starts."

"If any outsiders come looking for me, just say I have already gone to sleep."

Whenever he encountered moments like this where he needed to spy, Qiancao felt a heartfelt envy for the Shadow Clone Technique. It was a pity he could not use it like Naruto Uzumaki, who could manifest clones just by crossing his fingers.

The invention of such ninjutsu really required a master like Tobirama Senju.

Donning a set of night-gear designed for ease of movement, Qiancao slipped out through the window, masked his face, and walked through the streets as if nothing were amiss.

The port was teeming with ninjas of all styles, so Qiancao was not particularly conspicuous among them.

At night, the port of the Land of Water actually possessed a bit of the flavor of a major mainland city, with various street vendors out setting up their stalls.

It was just that most of them looked incredibly fierce, clearly the type of people one shouldn't provoke.

A ramen shop by the roadside caught Qiancao's attention. Although it wasn't Ichiraku Ramen, the flow of customers coming and going was endless.

Qiancao simply walked into the shop, ordered a bowl of ramen, and sat in a corner, silently gathering intelligence to see if any customers were discussing anything unusual.

At first, he only heard news about the various daimyo of the Land of Water warring with one another, but just as he was finishing his noodles, a piece of information caught his attention.

"I heard Lord Byakuren returned to the Land of Water four days ago. I wonder which blind fools are going to suffer this time."

"Do I need to hear it from you? I saw Lord Byakuren at the port just yesterday! He was followed by many unfamiliar ninjas; who knows what they're up to."

"Lord Byakuren is truly amazing. We haven't been bullied by those people from the Land of Fire all because of him."

Qiancao set down his bowl and chopsticks and approached the two men, putting on an expression of admiration. "Greetings, sirs! I am a ninja from a small family in Tsukuba City, and I have always longed to serve under Lord Byakuren."

"I heard you two say that Lord Byakuren has been near the port these past few days. Might I ask if you could point the way so this younger brother could meet him?"

The two ninjas who had been discussing Byakuren turned to see Qiancao, whose face was masked save for his eyes. Hearing his youthful voice, they assumed he was merely a simple admirer.

Byakuren was a ninja currently riding a wave of popularity in the Land of Water; it was no surprise that young people would be excited at the mention of his name.

One of them said, "Lord Byakuren is extremely busy; he isn't someone a little brat like you can see just because you want to."

Qiancao smiled slightly, drew the short blade hanging at his waist, and performed a few flashy moves in the air; it looked quite professional.

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

The man's eyes lit up. Although the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had not yet fully formed in the Land of Water, the seven blades were already circulating throughout the country.

Byakuren himself was obsessed with swordsmanship and held ninjas with such skills in high regard.

Perhaps it was because while the ninjas of the Land of Water were proficient in Water Release, the lethality of that element was not particularly high.

If he could introduce a guard proficient in swordsmanship to Lord Byakuren, there might be some benefit for himself.

With that in mind, he said enthusiastically, "My name is Hozuki Sho. You're new here, aren't you, little brother? Lord Byakuren's captain of the guard, Biwa Juzo, posted a notice this morning recruiting ninjas to carry out a mission with Lord Byakuren."

"This is a great opportunity to accompany Lord Byakuren. If you want to see him, just go to the south of the city and sign up."

Qiancao nodded politely to thank him and, after leaving the ramen shop, headed straight for the south of the city.

As soon as he arrived, he saw a crowd gathered around a shed, whispering to one another while watching two men confronting each other in their midst.

One of them was tall and carried a massive blade on his back that looked like a giant sheet of iron—it was the legendary Severing Sword: Executioner's Blade. The man wielding it was Biwa Juzo, the captain of Byakuren's guard.

The other man was short, his face seemingly shrouded in mist, making it difficult to see clearly. At his waist hung a long, thin weapon that looked like a conductor's baton, with thin wires trailing behind it like the shuriken of the Uchiha Clan.

Qiancao knew this man was Kuriarare Kushimaru, the wielder of the Longsword: Sewing Needle, who had once lost to Biwa Juzo in the competition for the position of Byakuren's guard captain.

The two not only held a grudge but also possessed vastly different styles of ninjutsu; Biwa Juzo favored frontal assaults, while Kuriarare Kushimaru preferred assassination from the shadows.

Consequently, their relationship was quite poor, and they often clashed.

Biwa Juzo said with a mocking tone, "Isn't this the legendary Kuriarare Kushimaru? What brings you to visit my neck of the woods?"

Kuriarare Kushimaru couldn't be bothered with idle chatter. "I am here to sign up for Lord Byakuren's mission; it has nothing to do with you."

Although Biwa Juzo found him unpleasant, he dared not neglect Lord Byakuren's mission. Having a stealth expert like Kuriarare Kushimaru assist would naturally be for the best, so he pointed to the desk under the shed.

"Fill out the registration form over there yourself."

Kuriarare Kushimaru didn't waste any more words with Juzo; he walked to the table, leaned over, quickly wrote down his information, and turned to leave.

Biwa Juzo shouted at his back, "Remember to gather here the day after tomorrow morning!"

The onlookers, seeing that the two hadn't come to blows, were deeply disappointed and dispersed while grumbling.

Biwa Juzo, being insulted, didn't show weakness and stood his ground, trading barbs with the crowd. Qiancao took the opportunity to step forward, using the identity he had long since fabricated. "Lord Juzo, I am Mitsuhashi Ichiki, and I would also like to sign up for Lord Byakuren's mission."