Dance of the Crescent Moon

"System detection also picked it up?..."

Hearing the two sword techniques prompted by the system, Sasuke felt wild joy in his heart!

Since his ninja sword was acknowledged by the system and valued so highly by Gekko Hayate, how could these two sword techniques be anything ordinary?

Thinking of this, Sasuke could no longer suppress the restlessness in his heart.

He brushed his hand across his waist, and a scroll appeared in his palm.

"If the Konoha White Fang could make a name for himself in the ninja world back in his day just with his blade skills, wouldn't I be soaring if I mastered this lineage of sword dao?..."

With a chuckle, he unfurled the scroll.

But before Sasuke could even take a good look, the scroll began to spontaneously combust right where his hands were gripping it!

"Damn it!..."

Ten fingers are connected to the heart; the burning sensation caught him off guard, causing Sasuke to instinctively throw the scroll away.

The next moment.

Before Sasuke could even rush over to put out the fire, the scroll had already turned into scattered specks of ash, vanishing into thin air with a gust of wicked wind.

"This..."

Seeing this scene, Sasuke felt completely numb!

All that effort, and it was all for nothing!

Then, as if recalling something, the expression on his face suddenly turned ugly:

"Meow, could it be that Gekko Hayate looks honest, but is actually playing me with a fake scroll?..."

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, yet he knew clearly that the gap in strength between them was too vast; even if he went to find him now, it would just be throwing his life away for nothing.

"Hmph! Gekko Hayate, I've noted this debt. You just wait for me; sooner or later, I'm not finished with you!..."

With a face full of resentment, Sasuke sat down on a nearby boulder.

But just then.

A sharp, needle-like pain suddenly assaulted Sasuke's brain.

It was unbearable; in his two lifetimes, Sasuke had never experienced such inhuman agony!

Clutching his head, he collapsed to the ground, rolling around and banging his head in desperation.

Time seemed to stand still, and he didn't know how long had passed before everything went black and he lost consciousness.

The chirping of birds drifted into Sasuke's ears.

At this moment, he was lying flat on a boulder by the pool, his expression peaceful and motionless.

At a certain moment.

His eyelids twitched slightly, and then, he slowly opened his eyes:

"Thank goodness, I'm lucky to be alive..."

Sasuke muttered weakly, his eyes dazed.

He believed the root cause of all this was the scroll Gekko Hayate had given him.

It probably contained some kind of forbidden technique.

Even though he couldn't see it, it had been enough to put him on the brink of death.

"That guy is dead set on killing me. If he finds out I'm still alive..."

He paused and sighed:

"It seems I can't keep a low profile in Konoha anymore..."

As he thought this and prepared to get up, his vision suddenly brightened. Immediately, scenes resembling 3D projections appeared in the void before him!

The scenes were composed of small figures.

The figures held ninja swords, moving left and right, dodging and shifting with exceptionally agile footwork!

"This is... the Dance of the Crescent Moon!..."

Just as Sasuke was wondering about the sword techniques the figures were performing, a row of inconspicuous small characters suddenly appeared in the bottom right corner of the void.

[Konoha Style Kenjutsu: Dance of the Crescent Moon.]

The calligraphy was bold and elegant, as if a certain artistic conception were carved into it—profound and mysterious!

Determined to know what was before him, Sasuke was unwilling to waste even a single second.

Slowly closing his eyes, he was suddenly immersed in the sword techniques dancing wildly before him!

The next day, early morning.

When the first rays of sunlight bathed the entire Valley of the End.

Uchiha Sasuke finally opened his eyes once again.

Although he hadn't slept all night, Sasuke felt full of vigor.

Golden light radiated from his eyes, as if two ninja swords were about to leap forth!

"Konoha Style Kenjutsu: Dance of the Crescent Moon, First Form: Wind Slash, complete!..."

With a fierce shout, his momentum surged to the heavens.

At this moment, Sasuke was like a ninja sword about to be unsheathed—sharp, piercing, and concealing a hidden murderous intent!

"It seems I misunderstood Gekko Hayate..."

"That headache from before must have been the system playing tricks behind my back..."

"Damn it, the sword technique level was so high it nearly fried my CPU..."

With his thoughts clear and his mind enlightened, Sasuke moved his focus, and the system panel leapt into view.

Name: Uchiha Sasuke.

Affiliation: Land of Fire, Konoha Hidden Village. [Harbors a rebellious spirit, potential for becoming a rogue ninja.]

Level: 5 (50/1000).

Attribute Points: 5 (Note: Used to directly increase the user's attributes.)

Skill Points: 5 (Note: Used to directly increase the user's skill levels.)

Attribute Panel: Constitution: 12. Agility: 12. Intelligence: 8. Charisma: 35.

Skill Panel:

[Body Replacement Technique: Level 2.]

[Transformation Technique: Level 2.]

[Clone Technique: Level 2.]

[Chakra Control: Level 2.]

[Taijutsu: Level 3.]

[Genjutsu: Level 2.]

[Shurikenjutsu: Level 2.]

[Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique: Level 3 (45%)]

[Konoha Style Kenjutsu: Dance of the Crescent Moon: Level 2 (75%)]

[Konoha Style Kenjutsu: Hazy Moonlit Night: Level 0 (Not yet practiced.)]

Looking at the glaring words behind his affiliation, Sasuke couldn't help but twitch his mouth.

"What do you mean, 'harbors a rebellious spirit, potential for becoming a rogue ninja'?"

"Did this system smear honey on its little mouth or something?..."

Although he was a bit annoyed, when he saw the growth in his attributes, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a little smug:

"My Charisma is growing so fast that my brain can barely keep up."

"Should I consider just lying flat and making a living off my looks?..."

After this whimsical thought, his gaze shifted downward, and Sasuke couldn't help but frown:

"Dance of the Crescent Moon is only Level 2?"

"Should I try to force an upgrade using skill points?..."

After practicing all through the night.

Sasuke felt the profundity of the Dance of the Crescent Moon more and more.

Right now, don't be fooled by how easily he had reached the entry level in just one night.

But for him to progress further, it was not something that could be done in a short time.

Thinking of how Gekko Hayate had spent over a decade practicing to reach the entry level for all the sword forms.

Sasuke finally gritted his teeth and spent one skill point on the Dance of the Crescent Moon!

[Ding! Congratulations to the host, Dance of the Crescent Moon successfully upgraded!]

[Consumed one skill point, current skill points: 4.]

Seeing the notification, Sasuke felt a pang of regret.

But he had no choice but to do so now.

It is common knowledge that in the ninja world, Fire Style techniques never kill anyone, especially those belonging to the Uchiha clan...

Although the Great Fireball is already at a Level 3 Chunin standard.

Its casting time is simply too long; it cannot kill anyone at all, serving at best as a tool for intimidation.

The Dance of the Crescent Moon, however, is a different story.

Not only is the execution fast, but it also conceals lethal strikes, making it an absolute weapon when facing an enemy!

Opening the system panel once more, Sasuke turned his gaze toward the skill list:

[Konoha Style Kenjutsu: Dance of the Crescent Moon: Level 3 (98%)]

Just a little bit more...

Seeing this, Sasuke gritted his teeth in frustration.

At Level 2, he had mastered the first form, Wind Chaser, gaining a basic grasp of the technique.

At Level 3, it could at least be considered a minor accomplishment.

If he were to accidentally reach Level 4...