Back in his tent, Shinichi finally drew the straight sword Orochimaru had given him and examined it.
The sword is straight and long, its entire body gleaming with a cold, sharp, snow-white light.
Shinichi pondered for a moment, and then, in the next instant, an idea struck him, and he channeled fire nature chakra into the blade!
The katana in his hand seemed to be awakened, emitting a slight hum.
The originally snow-white blade turned crimson at a visible speed, like a red-hot iron.
Immediately afterward, with a loud bang, a blazing and solid crimson flame suddenly rose from the sword, enveloping the entire sword like a ribbon of flame.
Sword of Kusanagi!
The very blade that Sasuke Uchiha would wield in the future had now been given to him as a birthday gift by Orochimaru.
"What a fine sword!"
Shinichi sensed the changes inside the sword. Fire nature chakra flowed through it smoothly, without obstruction, with almost no delay or loss. The blade's affinity and conductivity for chakra were exceptional.
What's even more remarkable is that, under such high temperatures and chakra infusion, the sword's structure remained completely still, showing no signs of softening or melting, demonstrating astonishing durability and elemental resistance.
"I'll call you Flowing Cloud Sword."
As Shinichi dispersed his chakra, the flames extinguished, and the sword returned to its snow-white state.
Orochimaru wields two swords of Kusanagis, one of which is called the Longsword of the Sky, possessing unparalleled sharpness and the ability to extend and retract freely.
Although this Flowing Cloud Sword lacks these functions, it has two extremely outstanding characteristics: extreme hardness and extreme chakra conductivity.
In the original timeline, Sasuke Uchiha wielded this sword throughout his battles, using it as a medium to perform various Chidori-derived techniques.
Shinichi sheathed his sword, placed the Flowing Cloud Sword beside him, and then quickly formed a series of hand seals.
Bang!
With a soft sound, white smoke rose and dispersed. Then a translucent Slug, about the size of an adult, appeared in the tent, its soft body occupying nearly half the space.
"It's you, little Shinichi."
The Slug's gentle voice sounded. "Is there something… oh, right, has this day already arrived?"
Before she could finish speaking, she realized what was happening.
A few days ago, when Shinichi summoned her to help treat the wounded ninjas, she had told him to summon her again on this date, as she had something to pass on to him.
"Happy birthday, Shinichi."
The Slug's voice was tinged with laughter. Then, she leaned forward slightly and spat out a small, exquisite storage scroll from her mouth.
"These are gifts from Tsunade, Shizune, and Kurenai, which they asked me to give to you. They miss you very much."
"Thank you for your trouble, Lady Katsuyu." Shinichi nodded and stepped forward to take the still slightly damp scroll.
"No trouble at all. Seeing little Shinichi grow another year safely and healthily makes me very happy."
Katsuyu gently waved her tentacles. "I'll be heading back now. The battlefield is dangerous, please be careful."
"I understand, thank you for your concern."
With a bang, Katsuyu vanished in a puff of white smoke, and the tent returned to silence.
Shinichi unrolled the storage scroll; there were three gifts in total. He first looked at the gifts for Shizune and Kurenai.
Shizune's gift was a portable medical first-aid kit she had personally prepared for battlefield use. The medicines were neatly categorized and clearly labeled, accompanied by a neatly written card with well-formed handwriting.
Kurenai's gift was a hand-knitted scarf in the dark color he usually wore. It came with a note that read things like, I heard it's very cold in the northeast, take care of your health, and I heard the war is very dangerous, be careful.
Shinichi looked at them carefully, then put away the two gifts, which were full of the girl's heartfelt wishes.
Finally, his gaze fell on Tsunade's gift: an ancient and heavy ninjutsu scroll.
Shinichi took it out and slowly unfolded it. The first thing that caught his eye was the five large words, strength of a hundred seals.
What followed were dense, detailed records of this Hidden Jutsu's training principles, steps, chakra circulation pathways, and seal construction methods, illustrated with both text and diagrams.
Inside the scroll was also a familiar line of handwriting, written personally by Tsunade: "Take a look first. When you return to Konoha, I will teach you personally."
After looking at it for a while, Shinichi closed the scroll, placed it on his lap, and turned his gaze to the tent flaps outside the tent, which were fluttering in the cold wind.
'I've been in this world for eleven years now…'
...
At the same time, in the Village Hidden in the Cloud's main camp, at the command headquarters.
Bang!
With a loud bang, the third Raikage slammed his large hand heavily on the table, causing the intelligence scrolls and maps spread out on the table to jump up.
"Shinichi Higashino..."
The third Raikage's fierce eyes swept over the name that had been repeatedly mentioned in the intelligence reports: "Has this kid turned our rear into a hunting ground for him to rack up battle merits?!"
"We can't let him get away with this! I'm going to personally take this brat's head off and avenge B!"
"Raikage-sama, please calm down!"
Dodai, who had been standing by at the side, immediately stepped forward to dissuade him. "You are the commander-in-chief of the army. You must be in the center and oversee the situation as a whole. How can you be held back by a brat from Konoha? Doing so will only allow Konoha to take advantage of us!"
Seeing that Raikage's expression remained grim, he quickly added, "Moreover, reinforcements are on their way. Toroi and Yugito have already set off from the northwest border and are rushing here at full speed. They will arrive at the front lines within three days at the latest!"
Upon hearing this, the third Raikage's violent emotions calmed down slightly.
Toroi, a top-tier Jonin of the Village Hidden in the Cloud, like the third and fourth Kazekage of the Village Hidden in the Sand, is a powerful ninja with the Kekkei Genkai Magnet Style. He can perfectly combine this power with his tools and fighting style, making him a top-tier fighter.
Accompanying him was Yugito, the two-tails Jinchuriki.
Previously, the two had been stationed at the northwest border together with the third Raikage's son, A, watching for possible movements from the Village Hidden in the Stones, until it was confirmed that the Village Hidden in the Stones was temporarily holding back.
After the village's offensive against Konoha reached a stalemate, A remained behind as a precaution, while Toroi and Yugito were ordered to bring a group of elite troops from the northwest front to the scene.
The aim is to enhance combat capabilities in this direction and break the deadlock.
"But…"
The third Raikage wanted to say something more, but at that moment, a deep, slightly hoarse voice rang out from the corner of the tent, breaking the solemn atmosphere.
"Uncle, I'll go."
Um?
The third Raikage, Dodai, and several elite Jonin in the tent all turned their gaze toward the source of the voice.
The speaker was none other than the third Raikage's nephew, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki of the village, Blue B.