Sasuke and Momo-chan each opened their boxes.
Perhaps sensing something, neither of them took the wrong one. Momo-chan opened hers first.
Her sword… or rather, it looked more like a long whip made of countless blade pieces.
As Momo-chan picked it up and channeled her power into it, the whip suddenly became taut and straight, turning into a serrated sword.
"Depending on the power you put into it, it can change between a serrated sword and a long whip. Its maximum attack range is about ten meters. And when you don't need to fight..."
The swordsmith gestured for Momo-chan to knock the sword on the ground.
All the blades overlapped, eventually forming a cane-like stick, better for defense and hiding.
Cane, whip, sword.
These were the three forms of this weapon.
Compared to Momo-chan's sword, Sasuke's was much simpler: a straight samurai sword, and unsharpened.
At the swordsmith's suggestion, Sasuke channeled his energy into it.
A thin silver light appeared on the front of the blade. The swordsmith casually tossed out a small bar of iron. The sword cut through it, splitting the iron into two pieces with a smooth, clean edge.
The swordsmith, over sixty years old, sat in his chair, smiling as he watched Sasuke and Momo-chan each hold their swords.
Linto had told him about the children's past.
Momo-chan's mother was killed. A girl walking alone in this terrible ninja world would definitely need more abilities, more safety.
The sword he designed for her was based on the materials of the former Lightning Sword, Kiba.
It greatly increased the user's speed and their affinity for lightning Ninjutsu, while also adding multiple functions.
Sasuke was different.
Linto had already avenged Momo-chan's enemies.
But Sasuke's enemies against his entire clan were too complicated and too deep.
The swordsmith made an unsharpened sword, hoping that Sasuke would carefully consider who should be killed and who shouldn't when wielding it. The decision shouldn't be made by the sword, but by Sasuke himself.
Even if the sword strikes quickly, he should leave himself a chance to regret it.
Sasuke and Momo-chan were involved and couldn't see the swordsmith's deep meaning, but Linto could.
"Thank you."
Linto said seriously.
The swordsmith waved his hand. "I'm just a swordsmith. Making swords that suit their owners is my job. Besides..."
He patted Momo-chan and Sasuke's heads.
"They're both good kids."
After saying goodbye to the swordsmith, the group of five set off again, officially heading to Kirigakure. The journey was peaceful, and time seemed to slow down.
After leaving the Kirigakure area, the snow and wind lessened, and the roads along the way became wider.
When they could finally see Kirigakure in the distance, they could also see the continuous flow of merchants and tourists.
"Huh? Isn't Kirigakure supposed to be very closed off?" Sasuke asked.
This was also Linto's question.
Kirigakure was more lively than he expected.
Guests came and went constantly, and there were peddlers selling things on the streets. But a closer look revealed the differences.
The smiling guests and the warmly welcoming vendors seemed to all be from out of town.
Without needing to look closely, the pale skin and gloomy eyes of the locals, always shrouded in dense fog, were the best way to tell them apart.
Aside from a few Kirigakure villagers running pubs and inns, most of the locals had cold faces, watching the travelers, even…
Linto caught a fleeting glimpse of hatred in their eyes.
"Brother Shou, these people are acting strangely," Momo-chan whispered.
Linto nodded.
On the streets, people came and went, bustling about. He could clearly feel the enthusiasm and excitement of the out-of-town guests, and he could also sense the numbness of the locals and what was hidden behind it…
Hatred.
Just then, a five or six-year-old boy saw Linto and his group's appearance, so different from the Kirigakure villagers. His eyes lit up and he ran over.
"Hey, mister, wanna buy a copy of the information book? It's definitely the most detailed in the whole village. We'll give you candy with the book you buy."
Linto looked around and saw similar Kabuto (like the character named Kabuto) sales happening all over the streets.
"Give me one."
The information boy handed over a book and five cheap pieces of candy, distributing them to everyone.
Linto glanced at the information book. It contained the personal information of nearly fifty young boys and girls, their favorite Ninjutsu, and even thoughtfully included each person's ranking, from D to S level. The last page was a battle chart of the young boys and girls.
Linto grabbed the information boy, took out a bill, and handed it to him. The child saw the money, patted his chest, and said:
"Big brother, tell me, should I steal something, or send information? I'll do anything."
Linto pointed to the information book.
"What does this mean?"
The information boy was taken aback: "You guys aren't here for the annual Kirigakure Graduation Ceremony?"
Graduation Ceremony?
What kind of graduation ceremony can attract so many tourists, encourage the catering, lodging, tourism, and the "information" industry in his hands?
The information boy explained: "Every graduation season, the village's ninja academy makes the students fight each other in pairs. Only one of the fighters can live.
At first, only people from the village were watching. Later, more and more people came to watch the matches. Later, the village organized specialized betting and gambling organizations.
Tourists come to the village mainly with the idea of gambling and getting rich, and this—"
The information boy held up the booklet in his hand.
"—is the key to winning money."
After hearing his words, Linto and his group were silent.
This was the Village Hidden in the Mist of Blood.
This was Kirigakure.
The ninja academy graduates were really just half-grown children, only twelve or thirteen years old.
In order to erase their emotions and make them better tools, they're made to kill each other.
This thing itself was extremely bloody, full of the superiors' contempt for the humanity of their inferiors.
Danzo's Root organization's selections were the same.
But Kirigakure's approach was even better.
It turned the bloodshed into entertainment, making it normal, so that everyone in the village became part of the sickness.
The villagers earned money from the hatred, and contributed to the grandness of the graduation ceremony in their numbness.
Konan stood there blankly.
Her expression was very bad.
Konan knew that under Obito's control, Kirigakure was not having a good time, but she didn't know specifically how "not good" the situation was.
For Konan, she only remembered Kirigakure when a sum of money was added to Akatsuki's account every once in a while.
Konan could accept killing thousands of enemies on the battlefield for the sake of peace, but now…
The candy in her mouth seemed to have an extra hint of blood.
Slap—
A hand patted Konan on the back, interrupting her thoughts.
Konan turned her head and glared at Linto.
Linto looked ahead and smiled:
"If you're sad, cry into your blanket tonight. Now we should move, wake up this crazy village as soon as possible."
Following Linto's gaze, Konan saw a tall, beautiful woman standing at the end of the street.
Terumi Mei lazily stretched out her hand, beckoned to Linto, and said with her mouth:
"Long time no see."
Linto strode over.
The two were three steps away from each other.
Terumi Mei took a step forward, closing the distance between them, and looked up at Linto quietly, a hint of expectation rising in her heart.
"What will he say first?"
Linto balled his fist:
"When do we start?"
Terumi Mei rolled her eyes.
"Follow me."
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