Chapter 176: War Spoils and New Trait
"What do you plan to do with it?"
Tsunade finished giving her orders and walked up to Hoshikawa .
"I don't know."
Hoshikawa handed the scroll to her and asked, "Sensei, do you want it?"
"I'm a medical ninja."
Tsunade shook her head. "I have no use for a ninja sword."
"I'll hold onto it for now."
Hoshikawa considered it briefly. "If nothing else, I can trade it to the Hokage for rewards."
"Kirigakure would certainly pay a hefty price to redeem these ninja swords," Tsunade suddenly realized, smiling.
Hoshikawa 's eyes lit up at her reminder.
The Five Great Nations would constantly alternate between fighting and making peace.
Once the war ended, they would revert to a relatively amicable relationship.
In other words, Kirigakure would inevitably seek to negotiate an exchange with Konoha.
After all, these ninja swords were incredibly significant.
Hoshikawa had already decided to reforge the Thunder Swords: Kiba, but the other six ninja swords were useless to him; he could sell them for a good price.
As for whether Kirigakure would accept them missing one sword, they wouldn't have a choice.
They could either take back six ninja swords or get none at all.
"How did you defeat Kushimaru Kuriare?"
Tsunade asked casually, watching the busy ninja around them.
The main reason was boredom, but she was genuinely curious.
"I used the Five Elemental Jutsu."
Hoshikawa briefly recounted the battle.
In fact, he was surprised himself.
The combination of the five elemental jutsu was indeed remarkably effective.
But upon reflection, the reason he hadn't realized this sooner was that his opponents hadn't been strong enough.
When facing Kushimaru Kuriare, his swordsmanship was suppressed, which forced him to rely on the Five Elemental Jutsu.
"Why are you starting to sound more and more like the Old Man?"
Tsunade couldn't help but exclaim after listening.
"How can you say that?"
Hoshikawa cleared his throat and said, "At least I'm better looking than him."
"Watch your mouth!"
Tsunade glared at him, then smiled. "He's still my Sensei, show some respect."
"You don't even respect him yourself," Hoshikawa muttered under his breath.
"Looking for a fight?"
Tsunade clenched her fist and shook it in front of him, her tone threatening.
"No, ma'am."
Hoshikawa immediately covered her fist with his hand, saying earnestly, "I have always respected the Hokage-sama!"
"Let go."
Tsunade looked at her captured right hand.
"Sensei, I heard the Hokage-sama knows combination jutsu?"
Hoshikawa subtly released her hand and asked.
Tsunade's earlier comment had reminded him of Hiruzen Sarutobi's compound elemental techniques.
Especially the Five Elements: Great Bullet Technique, which was terrifyingly powerful and considered his ultimate move.
"He does."
A smile appeared on Tsunade's face. "What? You want to learn?"
"Yes!"
Hoshikawa admitted without reservation.
"If you want to learn, it's certainly possible."
Tsunade mused for a moment. "You found Kirigakure's main base and killed Kushimaru Kuriare this time. That's a huge merit."
"When we get back, I'll ask him for the reward myself."
Hoshikawa understood immediately.
Given his status and this massive contribution, exchanging it for a few of Hiruzen Sarutobi's combination jutsu would definitely not be a problem.
"If he refuses, I'll step in to help you."
Tsunade nodded slightly, stating it without a second thought.
"You just said I had to respect him."
Hoshikawa blinked and pointed out.
"You little brat! Who do you think I'm doing this for?"
Tsunade became slightly annoyed and raised her hand, flicking him hard on the forehead.
"Sensei is the best!"
Hoshikawa said with a wide smile.
In a sense, he was coasting on Tsunade's influence.
While she might be poor, her intangible assets were abundant.
"That's better."
Tsunade gave a soft huff and let him off the hook.
Just then, three lines of text appeared before Hoshikawa 's eyes.
He couldn't help but feel a pleasant surprise.
A new trait unlocked now?
[B-Rank Talent Trait: King of Blades.]
[Trigger Condition: Annihilation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.]
[Effect: Swordsmanship or Blade Technique Power increased by 100%.]
Hoshikawa scanned the text, his spirits immediately soaring.
What a great trait!
This effect was far more direct than the 'Rain God' trait he gained from Hanzo; there were no restrictive conditions.
Moreover, compared to the 'Swordsman Chūnin' trait, the scope was wider, not limited to just boosting the power of Konoha Style Swordsmanship.
But why was it only B-Rank?
They were the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, seven Elite Jōnin.
However, Hoshikawa considered it. He had only personally killed Kushimaru Kuriare; the other six were, at best, assists.
Regardless, obtaining the King of Blades trait was an excellent bonus.
If he fought Kushimaru Kuriare again now, his swordsmanship would no longer be suppressed.
After all, the blade technique power was boosted by 100%.
A secluded island.
Mei Terumī stood before a map, contemplating where to go today.
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the tent.
"Lady Mei Terumī!"
A young ninja rushed in, saying in a panicked voice, "You need to come out and see this!"
"What is it?"
Mei Terumī was momentarily confused.
But she followed the young ninja out of the tent anyway.
She looked toward the distant sea and her expression turned to one of utter disbelief.
Scattered Kirigakure ninja were running toward the island.
Every one of them wore a look of terror and had numerous, chaotic injuries.
It felt as though they had just suffered a crushing defeat.
The problem was, Mei Terumī remembered these were the ninja garrisoned at the main base.
A horrifying thought involuntarily sprang into her mind.
Yet, she didn't dare to believe it.
"Go and meet them!"
Mei Terumī gritted her teeth and ordered.
"Yes!"
The young ninja quickly organized others to rescue all the injured Kirigakure ninja.
"Lady Mei Terumī."
A lucky, uninjured Kirigakure Chūnin approached her.
"What happened?"
Mei Terumī asked impatiently.
The Kirigakure Chūnin recounted the entire story: the Konoha and Sunagakure sneak attack, and the complete annihilation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
"Wha—what?"
Mei Terumī unconsciously staggered half a step back.
The situation was far worse than she had imagined. Not a single one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had escaped?
For Kirigakure, this was a shameful, crushing defeat.
"Lady Mei Terumī, what should we do now?"
The Kirigakure Chūnin couldn't help but ask.
"We are to retreat to Kirigakure."
Mei Terumī closed her eyes, letting out a long sigh.
With the Seven Ninja Swordsmen dead, they had no means left to stop Tsunade and her forces.
"Yes."
The Kirigakure Chūnin opened his mouth but ultimately nodded.
Though unwilling, it was the best course of action.
Any thoughts of revenge would have to wait.
"You may go."
Mei Terumī turned and walked back into the tent.
She slumped onto a chair, staring blankly into space.
The Kirigakure Chūnin had been meticulous in his report, mentioning that Hoshikawa had single-handedly killed Kushimaru Kuriare.
Only now did she realize that the monstrous boy had been holding back a considerable amount of strength when he fought her.
"Is there really a chance to defeat him now?"
Mei Terumī's voice was faint and hollow in the tent.
Two weeks ago, they were full of confidence, believing they could take on Konoha or Sunagakure.
The reality was brutal. In the blink of an eye, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were a thing of the past.
Kirigakure was known throughout the ninja world for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Now, all that fame had been transferred to Tsunade and Hoshikawa .
They themselves were reduced to a laughingstock.
Kirigakure's former main base was now occupied by Konoha and Sunagakure.
While there were sacrifices, they were insignificant compared to the rich spoils of war.
In addition to the bodies of the Kirigakure ninja, they had captured numerous confidential documents, jutsu scrolls, ninja tools, and supplies.
Tsunade, being fair, arranged for Konoha and Sunagakure to split the loot evenly.
This left Maki and the other Sunagakure ninja deeply grateful.
After all, truthfully, their contribution to taking the main base was less than a fifth.
The biggest credit belonged to Hoshikawa . Now, besides being Tsunade's student, his own strength had been fully recognized.
He had gained considerable fame within both Konoha and Sunagakure.
Naturally, his reputation in Kirigakure was probably immense as well.
Hoshikawa was now somewhat similar to Kakashi Hatake and Shisui Uchiha in the original story.
They were the ones who became famous during the Third Great Shinobi War.
But this time, Hoshikawa had stolen their thunder.
"Hoshikawa !"
Yūhi Kurenai spotted Hoshikawa and quickly ran up to him.
Nohara Rin was with her as well.
"I'm so glad you're okay!"
Kurenai breathed a sigh of relief.
When she first arrived on the island, the sight of countless bodies was truly shocking.
It was the first time she had seen hundreds of corpses piled together; the visual impact was staggering.
But on the flip side, it showed the ferocity of the battle.
Her first thought was to worry if Hoshikawa was injured.
"I wanted to go to the island with Tsunade-sensei, but she wouldn't let me."
Kurenai let out a slight huff, a little unhappy.
She knew Tsunade had done it for her safety, though.
"I have something good for you."
Hoshikawa smiled at her pouty expression.
"What is it?"
Kurenai's attention was drawn to the scroll in his hand.
"War spoils."
Hoshikawa opened the scroll. "It contains Kirigakure's Hiding in Mist Jutsu and Mist Body Flicker."
"The two famous jutsu?"
Kurenai's face showed surprise.
She had naturally heard of the Hiding in Mist Jutsu and the Mist Body Flicker; they were essentially Kirigakure's signature techniques.
"There are very few Water Release jutsu in Konoha, so Sensei gave these two to us."
Hoshikawa smiled. "Mist combat is very useful in battle. Learning it will greatly increase your strength."
Fighting in dense fog affects most ninja, except for those with the Byakugan or those who have undergone special training.
"Okay!"
Kurenai happily put away the scroll.
It was worth noting that the Hiding in Mist Jutsu belonged to Water Release.
It didn't create the mist directly with chakra but was transformed from Water Release chakra.
"Tsunade-sensei."
Nohara Rin, who had been listening to them talk, noticed Tsunade approaching and quickly greeted her.
"I just received word. All the Kirigakure ninja have abandoned the island and retreated."
Tsunade said with a smile.
"Does that mean we can go back to Konoha soon?"
Kurenai's face lit up with excitement.
Nohara Rin also showed an expectant expression.
They had been in the Land of Rivers for half a month, constantly fighting due to Kirigakure's harassment tactics, and they were physically and mentally exhausted.
"We still need to wait a while."
Tsunade shook her head. "Because we don't know if Kirigakure will return in force."
"How long do we have to wait?"
Kurenai asked impatiently.
"A week or two."
Tsunade considered it briefly. "If Kirigakure makes no moves, then we'll return to Konoha."
"Yay!"
Although waiting one or two weeks was a while, Kurenai saw the hope of returning home.
"Sensei."
Hoshikawa suddenly thought of something and asked, "Did you find Raiga Kurosuki's body?"
"No."
Tsunade replied. "Raiga Kurosuki and Jūzō Biwa died half a month ago. They've likely already been sent back to Kirigakure."
"A shame."
Hoshikawa sighed. "I was hoping to learn some of Raiga Kurosuki's Lightning Release jutsu."
Raiga Kurosuki's Lightning Release jutsu were all connected to the Thunder Swords: Kiba, and some of them were quite powerful.
"You can request them when Kirigakure negotiates the ninja swords trade."
Tsunade paused, then reminded him, "Put all those miscellaneous jutsu aside for now. Learn the Creation Rebirth first."
"Understood!"
Hoshikawa stood at attention, saying it with great seriousness.
In fact, besides fighting, he had been diligently studying the Ninja Art: Creation Rebirth—Strength of a Hundred Technique during this time.
But an S-Rank jutsu wasn't easy to master. It would take at least a few months.
However, compared to the Yin Seal, that was already a very short timeframe.
"Alright, you three go rest."
Tsunade smiled slightly, looking at Hoshikawa , and instructed them.
The time was approaching dusk.
Konoha Village Hokage Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned as he read Orochimaru's battle report.
Facing Kumogakure's two Jinchūriki and Ay, a ninja not much weaker than the Third Raikage, they were still struggling.
Fortunately, Orochimaru was experienced, and they had Rasa and Pakura from Sunagakure, so the current situation was neither good nor terrible.
One reason for the balance was that the Third Raikage was not participating in the war, instead garrisoning Kumogakure.
He was primarily wary of Iwagakure.
Now, with Iwagakure restlessly stirring, their target was either Konoha or Kumogakure, so he dared not leave.
Hiruzen Sarutobi flipped to the end, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Because Danzō Shimura was requesting that he send the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Kushina Uzumaki, to assist them.
Hiruzen Sarutobi considered it, then chose to refuse.
The situation was not yet a matter of life or death.
Furthermore, deploying the most powerful Nine-Tails in the Land of Frost would only provoke the other hidden villages.
"Hokage-sama."
Just then, the ANBU ninja Haru walked in. "Lady Tsunade's battle report."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes narrowed, and he took the report.
He scanned it, paused in surprise, and a smile quickly spread across his face, which then erupted into laughter.
Haru was slightly surprised to see him so visibly lose his composure. It was a rare sight.
"Spread the news!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a laugh. "The Seven Ninja Swordsmen are completely annihilated! Kirigakure has retreated!"
"Yes!"
Haru froze for a moment, then quickly replied.
No wonder Hiruzen Sarutobi was so happy.
"Specifically emphasize that it was Hoshikawa who discovered Kirigakure's main base, and Tsunade led the Jōnin to wipe out the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."
Hiruzen Sarutobi added after a brief thought.
.......
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