Hidden Cloud Courting Death

In the underground training ground, the air smelled of rust and engine oil.

Hatake Sakumo stood before a stone platform, both hands clasped around the hilt.

This Black Blade had no ornate guard. Its hilt was wrapped in rough, non-slip leather cord, cold and heavy in his hand.

Sakumo slowly exerted force.

The long blade slid half an inch from its sheath, its edge utterly black and reflecting none of the lamplight.

Qian Ye leaned against a nearby pillar with his arms crossed, his tone casual.

"Try out the feel of it."

"This isn't something an ordinary blacksmith could forge."

"It disrupts the flow of energy, making it perfect for your White Fang Swordsmanship."

Sakumo gripped the hilt and drew the entire Black Blade from its sheath.

The blade was around three feet long, its lines straight and smooth. It weighed more than three times as much as the White Fang Short Blade he had used before.

An ordinary Chunin would likely struggle even to swing it.

But in the hands of a taijutsu grandmaster like Sakumo, its weight was just enough to keep his power in check.

Sakumo mobilized the Lightning Release Chakra within his body.

Blue-white arcs of electricity danced in his palm and surged along the hilt toward the blade.

Had it been an ordinary Ninja Sword, it would already have been emitting a piercing thunderous roar.

Yet this Black Blade was strangely silent.

The instant the pitch-black blade came into contact with Lightning Release, it did not amplify the lightning. Instead, it caused the Chakra to stagnate over the edge.

The electric glow was compressed into an extremely thin layer of cyan radiance.

Qian Ye offered a reminder from the side.

"Don't just use ninjutsu."

"Add the force technique I taught you. Press the power of