A Blade With a Mind of Its Own
The moon hung high in a sparse sky.
A cold wind swept across the plains.
Kamizuki Gen tightened his Akatsuki cloak and began properly reviewing the gains from this recruitment.
First and foremost—
The greatest reward was the achievement trait: "Divine Descent."
Until his true strength reached a higher level, his strongest trump cards—weekly and monthly—would remain Divine Descent and Equality for All.
In the situation earlier that day—
Using Divine Descent had been, in a sense, forced.
Without it, he could still have handled those six Kumogakure jōnin.
Not to mention—
Orochimaru and Itachi had been right there.
But if he hadn't displayed overwhelming power…
Ōnoki likely wouldn't have shown him any respect.
The old man might've switched attitudes entirely—lowering the price, applying pressure, and turning the negotiation into unnecessary conflict.
And in that case—
Taking those two ninja swords from Ōnoki in person?
Impossible.
With that thought, under the pale moonlight, Gen placed the two ninja swords before him.
Samehada remained wrapped in bandages.
As if sensing his gaze—
The hilt suddenly softened, slithering like a snake's tail as it coiled gently around his forearm.
A silent gesture of goodwill.
"…Heh."
Gen chuckled.
This wasn't affection.
It was hunger.
Samehada wanted to taste his chakra.
It had likely already realized—
It had found a new master.
And frankly—
Gen quite liked this blade.
It could devour an opponent's chakra—
Convert it into the wielder's—
Even heal its user continuously.
At the brink of death, it could even use stored chakra to regenerate the wielder's cells.
And most fascinating of all—
Samehada allowed true fusion between man and blade.
"Turn into a shark, huh…"
Gen held the softened hilt and imagined himself as a shark-man.
Then immediately shook his head.
Absolutely not.
That was a direct hit to sanity.
About as disturbing as attaching Danzō's Sharingan arm.
A shark-man—
Covered in Sharingan.
…Yeah. No.
He shelved the thought.
Next—
The Lightning Blades.
A pair of short swords with hooked edges at both ends—simple, direct, and deadly.
Unlike Samehada, they had no will of their own.
But they contained terrifying lightning power.
With enough chakra—
They could even manipulate the weather itself.
Draw upon natural lightning.
Most likely—
The secret lay in the metal used to forge them.
Gen narrowed his eyes.
If he melted them down…
Reforged them into wearable accessories—
Something he could carry at all times—
Then instead of wielding them as weapons, he could call lightning directly.
That suited him far better.
"Done."
Once they returned to Amegakure—
He'd have Orochimaru reforge them.
As for Samehada…
Gen tapped its broad, bandaged body—
Then focused his mind.
His consciousness connected with the blade.
Buzz—
With the Sharingan, his control over mental energy had already reached a delicate, precise level.
Establishing a spiritual link with Samehada—
Was effortless.
…
Within the mental world—
Samehada appeared as a grotesque creature.
A massive, gaping maw filled with jagged fangs—
Its body covered in sharp, metallic spines—
Like some monstrous, overgrown sea cucumber.
"Chak-chak-chak—!"
Sensing Gen's presence, it snapped its jaws rapidly like a stapler, repeating the motion in excitement.
"…You're saying you want to recognize me as your big brother?"
Gen asked.
Samehada nodded wildly—
Circling him like an overexcited dog.
"…And my chakra smells good?"
Gen frowned.
More nodding.
Gen lifted his arm and sniffed it.
"I don't smell anything."
Samehada responded with emotion—
Because he wasn't it, he couldn't perceive it.
To Samehada—
He was like a walking dessert platter, full of irresistible flavors.
"…So that's how it is."
Gen's gaze sharpened.
The blade's excitement was practically drooling.
"…What are you, some kind of ninja dog?"
"…."
"Pathetic. You're just after my body."
Samehada shrank slightly—
Letting out a pitiful whimper.
"Wait—you can make that sound?!"
Gen's expression twisted.
This thing—
Was this really Samehada?
After a moment, he understood.
It couldn't make such sounds in reality—
Only within its mental world.
Gen let out a breath of relief.
Good.
Otherwise—
He'd be swinging a weapon that whimpered mid-combat.
Completely unacceptable.
He thought for a moment.
The reason Samehada was so attached to him—
Was likely due to the residual chakra he carried.
From using the Deva Path's power—
From equalizing countless opponents—
His chakra carried traces of many others.
Especially—
The lingering presence of the Deva Path.
For a creature like Samehada—
That was irresistible.
"…Then why not call me your master?"
"Why 'big brother'?"
Gen asked.
Samehada floated closer—
Retracting the sharp spines on its head—
Gently rubbing against his hand.
"…If you whimper again, I'm hitting you."
Gen raised a fist.
Samehada immediately straightened up.
Back to something resembling normal.
It conveyed its meaning again.
"…You're saying… since you joined together with that blond brat, you don't want to be lower in status than him?"
Gen sighed.
Where did it learn this nonsense?
"…Fine."
"What can you do for me?"
Samehada paused.
Then opened its massive mouth wide.
"…What are you planning?"
Gen frowned.
"I don't have any dangerous ideas about you."
Samehada quickly shut its mouth—
Wriggling its body in protest.
"…Oh."
"You can store chakra for me… and promise not to secretly consume it?"
"And when needed, return it to me?"
Samehada nodded enthusiastically.
Gen narrowed his eyes.
"…You're weirdly seductive, you know that?"
People often said pets reflected their owners.
Gen wasn't about to evaluate himself—
But this blade?
It had clearly been corrupted.
Most likely—
By Jūzō.
He reached a firm conclusion.
This sword's personality needed serious correction.
"Fine."
"You can stay with me."
As he prepared to leave the mental space—
He paused.
"…Wait."
"You can shrink… and stay on my shoulder like a pet?"
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