Kusanagi Sword

"Phew~"

Asuma sat on the ground, clutching his head and constantly sucking in cold breaths. Since he had already taken the beating, there was even less chance of him giving up now.

He immediately pointed a finger at Hiruzen Sarutobi and shouted:

"I don't care! If you don't agree today, I'll tell Mom about this later!"

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi covered his aged face and let out a long sigh.

"Sigh—I understand. I'll grant your request. Now hurry home."

Only then did Asuma rub his head as he climbed to his feet, walking toward the door while looking back every few steps.

"Old man, you'd better not lie to me!"

Click~

As the crisp sound of the door closing rang out, Hiruzen Sarutobi let out another long sigh.

"What a misfortune for this family..."

As he spoke, he took a document he had prepared long ago from a drawer.

It was a form filled with Uchiha Mo's detailed information, complete with a portrait attached. It was, unmistakably, an appointment letter for a jonin!

"But fortunately, this old man prepared it in advance. With Mo's strength, he should count as one of the stronger team instructors among this year's batch, right?"

"Cat Granny, I'm back again."

Two handsome boys stood before the silver-haired old woman. One appeared to be around ten years old, with refined features. The long hair at his temples was bound with white bandages, while his jet-black hair was tied into a braid behind his head.

The other was even younger, with large eyes, slightly curly short hair, and a distinctive red nose.

"It's Mo. Didn't you purchase ninja tools just two months ago? You used them all so quickly? Did you run into some trouble?"

Mo shook his head, patted Shisui on the head beside him, and said:

"I'm here to buy Shisui a suitable ninja blade and some ninja tools."

In two days, Shisui had basically mastered Lightning Flash Sword Transformation. But when he began practicing Uchiha Style Swordsmanship, he awkwardly discovered that he had no suitable short blade.

Uchiha Mo's ninja blade was too long, while the blades he had used as a child were mostly damaged. Since Shisui had just learned Lightning Flash Sword Transformation, Mo decided to bring him to the Empty District to make a round of purchases.

That was why they had the ninja cats use the Reverse Summoning Technique to summon them here.

Shisui had only signed the summoning contract recently. This was his first time seeing ninja cats, so he was especially curious.

He blinked his large eyes, quickly sweeping his gaze over the group of cats around them before asking curiously:

"Are these all ninja cats?"

"No, these are all ordinary cats." Cat Granny gave Shisui a kind smile. Then, her gaze shifted to Mo. She took a puff from her pipe and spoke thoughtfully, "Speaking of ninja blades... I have a Kusanagi Sword here. Its traits are exceptional sharpness and excellent chakra conductivity. What do you think?"

"Shisui is still a beginner. It's only for practice; there's no need for something that high-end."

Mo's dark eyes remained calm. Although his family was fairly well-off among the Uchiha clan thanks to the missions he had accumulated over the years and the inheritance left by his parents, a ninja blade of that grade was an astronomical expense—far beyond what they could afford.

Cat Granny lowered her pipe, a curve forming at the corners of her mouth.

"Of course I know Shisui doesn't need it. This blade was prepared for you, Mo. You've bought no small number of ninja blades from this old woman over the years. I went through quite some trouble to get this one. Well? Do you want it?"

Mo raised an eyebrow slightly. "What does Granny want me to do?"

"Hehe~"

Cat Granny smiled lightly.

"You truly are a clever child. My condition won't be difficult for you, either. I came from a line of black-market merchants in the Land of Birds. Although I left them long ago, I still couldn't help feeling some heartache when I heard that the black-market merchants of the Land of Birds had been slaughtered not long ago...

"Whoever accomplished that must have been extremely powerful. But I don't need you to avenge them. This old woman merely seeks the truth. Find out who the culprit was and why it happened..."

"I understand."

Mo nodded without refusing. He truly needed a good blade. His current ninja blade was usable, but it could not bring out his full strength at all. If Mo's Fire Release had not been powerful enough, there was no way he could have wielded ninjutsu and taijutsu as easily as his own limbs.

"Can I take a look at the blade first?"

Uchiha Mo's pitch-black eyes settled on Cat Granny. Cat Granny added fresh tobacco to her pipe and nodded.

"Of course."

After saying that, she lit her pipe and turned around, calling out loudly.

"Huan!"

"Granny!" A young girl's voice immediately answered. Then, a girl around Shisui's age stepped out from behind the curtain.

"Go bring out that Kusanagi Sword for Mo to see."

"Okay!" the girl replied brightly, then hurriedly ran back behind the curtain. Before long, she came running out again while holding a long, narrow rectangular case that was entirely black.

Panting heavily, she stopped in front of Mo and held out the sheathed long blade in her hands.

Mo reached out to take it and examined it closely.

The hilt and scabbard were entirely black, both built in a roughly rectangular shape with only slight curves at the four corners. The lower end of the hilt bore an engraved Uchiha clan crest, while the grip was wrapped in non-slip black leather. The guard was several centimeters wider than the scabbard.

Mo studied it for a long while before gripping it with both hands and forcefully drawing the long blade from its scabbard.

"Whoosh—!"

Like the clear sound of flowing water, the gleaming blade slowly emerged. It was a straight sword, long and narrow overall, with a curved point at the end.

Seeing his black eyes reflected in the blade, Mo suddenly flicked his wrist and spun the sword in a flourish.

"Swish!"

The air was instantly sliced apart, leaving behind a faint white trail and a sharp, piercing sound.

Mo had not infused it with any chakra. He had merely given the blade a light swing, yet it produced such an effect. Its sharpness was plain to see!

"It's a fine blade."

Mo sheathed the sword again and handed it back to the girl, then promised Cat Granny:

"I'll investigate this thoroughly. If my strength allows it, I'll kill the culprit."

Cat Granny smiled around her pipe.

"This sword will be kept for you. There's no need to rush."

Afterward, Mo bought Shisui a set of ninja tools and a wakizashi, then released the Reverse Summoning Technique and hurriedly left the Empty District.

Although he dearly wanted to get his hands on that Kusanagi Sword right away, the matter of the Land of Birds could not be rushed for the time being. Unless something unexpected happened, he would soon be appointed as a team-leading jonin. That status would be crucial to his actions in the Third Shinobi World War, so he could not afford to be careless.

The days passed one by one. Mo did not take on any more missions, because the Third Hokage's appointment notice had already arrived. As expected, he became the team-leading jonin of Team Eight.

Come to think of it, Shisui had also reached the age to enroll in the Academy. However, Shisui himself had no desire to attend, and Mo had no intention of forcing him to go.

So Shisui remained at home.