Naruto: Starting with the Two Kamui

Muramasa and Murasame are two swords forged by Zatoichi when he was thirty years old. That was the age when Zatoichi, the god of samurai, was at the height of his killing intent and ferocity. The two swords took countless lives... The killing intent and ferocity of the swordsman, the obsession and resentment of the victims, were intertwined with the swords, and finally transformed into the ferocious 'demon swords'!

Everyone says the black sword is the strongest sword.

But the Demon Blade... is an 'evil' blade!

The evil aura emanating from the blade is enough to bewitch the mind just by getting close... If you touch it directly, you will be devoured by evil thoughts and transformed into a bloodthirsty demon!

After the deaths of his wife and daughter, Zatoichi was filled with despair. To prevent the demon sword from falling into the hands of those with ill intentions, he did not leave it in the Hall of Famous Swords in the Land of Iron, but instead abandoned it in a deep valley.

The place where Zatoichi abandoned his demon sword is called 'Ghost Valley', a place of great danger that no leader of the Land of Iron has ever dared to approach!

It is said that the Valley of the Underworld is even more dangerous than the Valley of Hell, shrouded in black mist all year round, and no one who enters that black mist ever comes out alive!

It is said that the black mist will only completely dissipate on the day of the blood moon, allowing you to enter safely. However, once the blood moon is over, the black mist will once again envelop you. If you fail to escape in time, you will be sucked into the darkness, and no matter how powerful you are, you will never be able to return.

The so-called "blood moon" is actually a total lunar eclipse, which occurs once a year and is extremely brief...

Zatoichi stared at the ceiling, his eyes gleaming with a slit: "Judging by the time, the Blood Moon is almost here again. Did Miyamoto come prepared...?"

Mifune said, "Master... I know you are a recluse. I came here to say hello. The Iron Kingdom will handle the One-Armed Swordsman issue, but if any unexpected situations arise, I hope you will be prepared."

Zatoichi said, "Ah, then I'll trouble you..."

Mifune stood up, looking at the blind old man before him with a complicated expression. He couldn't understand why the former god of samurai would devote himself to the land of ninjas... but he never asked the question.

He must have his reasons... Mifune sighed inwardly and bowed solemnly to Zatoichi: "Master, take care... This disciple takes his leave."

The following day, at the Yuhuang Castle dojo, Zatoichi stood motionless, holding his bamboo sword.

Xiaoxue wore a snow-white swordsman's robe, her purple hair was styled into a single ponytail and hidden in the back of her collar, and her bangs covered her right eye.

"Master Zatoichi, please guide me." After performing the swordsman's salute, Koyuki reached out and grasped the delicate hilt of the sword at her waist.

This posture is called Iaijutsu.

Iaido is a sword technique that involves drawing the sword and killing the enemy in the instant of drawing it.

It looks simple, but it requires a lot of practice to master. Since becoming Zatoichi's apprentice, Xiaoxue has only practiced this one move, "Iai".

"Hoo..." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Ninjas who wield swords may not be so particular, but samurai who specialize in swordsmanship have profound 'breathing techniques,' a method that can elevate concentration and control to the extreme.

Swish!

The moment she opened her eyes, Xiaoxue vanished from the spot.

Ding!

A sharp, precise flash of light appeared, and Koyuki was already behind Zatoichi, frozen in a sword-wielding pose. The wind ruffled her bangs, and her eyes were filled with kaleidoscope patterns...

hum!

The bamboo sword Zatoichi used to parry vibrated and hummed. Clang! A few seconds later, the lower edge broke off, leaving a clean cut.

A pleased smile touched his stubble-covered lips: "This young lady is teachable..."

"Hoo..." Xiaoxue exhaled, slowly sheathed the fine snow, wiped the sweat from her pretty face, and turned around to say, "Teacher, you are too kind!"

There were four other people watching from near the dojo.

Naruto and Sasuke.

Hinata is behind Naruto, and Sakura is next to Sasuke.

Sakura scoffed, "Is it really worth making such a fuss over cutting off a bamboo stalk?"

"What do you know, you frog in a well..." Sasuke thought with disdain for Sakura's shortsightedness.

His Sharingan was fixed on Zatoichi, and he quietly clenched his fist: "Even my Sharingan couldn't catch the movement of Yuki's sword. Such a swift strike, yet that blind old man blocked it with a bamboo sword, and the force of the cut didn't affect him at all... And he was clearly holding back! Just who is he?"

Naruto exclaimed, "I never imagined that Yuki's swordsmanship would become so exquisite in such a short time. Hinata, who is that uncle of hers? How come he can be Yuki's swordsmanship teacher?" He asked Hinata.

Sasuke also looked at Hinata.

"Naruto, Naruto-kun... I, I heard it from Xue. That uncle is called Zatoichi, and he is known as the God of Samurai. He once fought against my father... and he was not at a disadvantage." The father Hinata was referring to was Lin Yu. She is now Lin Yu's goddaughter.

"What!?" Naruto exclaimed in surprise, "He can spar with Uncle Shadow?"

Sasuke was astonished: That blind old man, using only a sword, could actually fight that monster, Shadow, head-on!

In the rest room after the guided practice ended.

Yuki was sitting on a futon, talking to Zatoichi.

"Master Zatoichi, yesterday I heard from my father that the leader of the samurai of the Land of Iron contacted you and mentioned a man named One-Armed Swordsman Miyamoto. It seems that he intends to harm you. Who is this One-Armed Swordsman?"

If it were anyone else, Zatoichi would certainly not want to bring up these past events, but since he regarded Yuki as half a daughter, he did not shy away from saying, "She was once a great samurai in the Land of Iron who was as famous as me... She was from the same school as me, so she can be considered my junior brother."

Xiaoxue exclaimed in surprise, "Junior brother!? You... also have a master?"

Zatoichi smiled faintly: "Of course, the swordsmanship of a samurai is passed down from generation to generation. Without the guidance of a master, how can one enter the hall of mastery? My teacher was once a great swordsman who was famous in the region. His name was 'Yoshiki-bo Sanjuro'. He also forged many legendary swords in his lifetime."

Xiaoxue thought to herself: What a bizarre name...

She asked, "So, between the teacher's teacher and the teacher, who is more capable?"

The city said with a double entendre, "A samurai considers it the highest honor to train a disciple who surpasses him, and Master Yixin deserves this honor..."

In other words... is Master Zatoichi stronger? The implication is that he wants to train me to surpass him in swordsmanship. I must train diligently and not let him down.

Xiaoxue then asked, "Then why did your junior brother Miyamoto become your enemy?"

Shi explained in detail: "Junior Brother Miyamoto's swordsmanship talent is no less than mine, but he is too impetuous and overly competitive."

“He joined the school relatively late. At that time, his master was already quite old and would occasionally ask me to guide his junior brother. The junior brother felt resentful and thought he was not valued by his master. He was determined to prove himself and challenged me repeatedly.”

"At that time, I was obsessed with swordsmanship and did not know how to deal with people. I always went all out and defeated my junior brother many times... He challenged me a total of 108 times."

Xiaoxue asked, "How many times have you defeated him in total?"

"107 times."

"Was it his last victory?"

"No, that time there was no clear winner. He trembled all over and hesitated to draw his sword. In the end, it was left unresolved. Since then, he has become much more well-behaved, no longer rashly issuing challenges, and has been practicing his swordsmanship diligently. His skills have improved rapidly..."

"But I later realized that his competitive spirit had never changed..."

"Many years later, when I returned from my training trip, I found that my master had met with a terrible accident. He was killed in his sleep with a single blow... This is impossible. My master had already awakened the instincts of a swordsman. As long as there is killing intent within ten meters, even if he is asleep, he can instantly draw his sword to defend himself."

"Afterwards, I found out that my master's food and drink had been poisoned, causing him to lose consciousness completely, which allowed the poisoner to succeed. The first person I thought of was Miyamoto, because he was the one who took care of my master's daily needs when I wasn't around..."

"When Miyamoto reappeared before me, he was holding the famous sword that my master had used when he was alive. It turned out that he had been plotting to kill my master, obtain his famous sword, and then defeat me!"

"I was filled with grief and indignation. I defeated Miyamoto with Mikazuki Munechika. Out of consideration for our camaraderie, I spared his life, but severed his dominant hand. For a samurai of the single-sword style, the dominant hand represents life, and losing it means the end of a samurai's career..."

"I buried my master and his famous sword together, and left Mikazuki Munechika in the Hall of Famous Swords. At that time, ninjas rose to power, and the survival status of samurai was challenged. I was appointed to a critical position and became the leader of the Land of Iron. I forged the 'Muramasa' and 'Muramasa' swords and created my own dual-sword style..."

"For many years after that, Miyamoto disappeared without a trace. Later I learned that he never gave up his identity as a samurai. Harboring hatred for me, he practiced swordsmanship with his left hand until he reached a level of unparalleled skill, earning him the title of 'One-Armed Swordsman.' Later still, he even killed the Third Mizukage!"

"The Third Mizukage!?" Xiaoxue exclaimed in surprise.

The Third Mizukage, compared to his predecessor Hozuki Gengetsu and successor Yagura Karatachi, seems to have little fame, like a passerby in ninja history, leaving behind no dazzling achievements.

But only those who lived through that era truly knew the terror of the Third Mizukage. He was the true initiator of the Blood Mist Era, while Yagura was merely his continuation and amplification.

The formidable Kirigakure pursuit ninja force, feared by all, originated during the time of the Third Mizukage. However, due to the terrifying nature of his deeds, Kirigakure completely suppressed information about them, making them virtually unknown.

"After Miyamoto mastered his swordsmanship, he sought revenge on me again, but was defeated once more. This time, after falling to my blade, he fled desperately with severe injuries and was never heard from again. Everyone thought he was dead, but unexpectedly, he survived and has endured until now. Moreover, he even attempted to go to the Netherworld Valley of the Land of Iron for my demonic sword..."

Just then, a figure passed by outside, quietly pressing his ear against the wall to listen to the conversation inside. It turned out to be Sakura.

She eavesdropped for a while, then suddenly noticed the sound had stopped...

"Cough cough!" Then, two warning coughs rang out.

Oh no, she'd been discovered... She quickly ran away, thinking as she ran: the demon sword, the Land of Iron, the Valley of the Underworld...

She stopped in her tracks, her big eyes darting around: "If I tell Sasuke about this, he'll be so happy, won't he? After all, he seemed quite fascinated when he saw Shadow Daughter practicing her swordsmanship. Then Sasuke and I can go to the Valley of the Underworld in the Land of Iron together to find that legendary demon sword. Ah, just thinking about it is so romantic!"

"Okay! I'll go tell Sasuke right away!" So she happily went to find Sasuke.

Chapter 439 It's Going to Rain!

Sakura excitedly found Sasuke practicing Lightning Release form transformations alone on the back mountain: "Hey, Sasuke-kun, listen to me..."

"Get away from me!" Sasuke frowned unhappily as he saw Sakura approaching. "Can you please stop bothering me?"

"..." Sakura was taken aback, but she still persisted in telling what she had overheard.

Zuo Zhu stopped what he was doing: "Are you telling the truth?"

Sakura nodded confidently and said, "It's absolutely true! I heard that blind old man and the Shadow Daughter say that the demon sword he used to use was lost in the Ghost Valley of the Land of Iron. Think about it, Sasuke-kun, isn't that old man called the God of Samurai? The sword he used must have been extremely powerful!"

"Demon sword..." Sasuke murmured, as the half-formed lightning sword in his hand dissipated.

Sakura said expectantly, "Sasuke-kun, let's go find the cursed sword together! Since he doesn't want it anymore, why don't you, Sasuke-kun, carry it on!"

"..." Sasuke left without saying a word, and Sakura followed him.

The back mountain of Feather Emperor City is very large, and many ambitious children, and even adults, choose to cultivate here. Over time, they have established their own territories.

Naruto's territory was on a hill slightly higher than Sasuke's, not far away.

As Sasuke approached, a playful smile appeared on his lips. He picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at Naruto's retreating figure.

"!" Naruto, who was focused on practicing, suddenly heard the sound of wind behind him. His little hand reached behind him as if by reflex and caught the stone with a "thud".

This wasn't a prank, but just a routine greeting...

Naruto tossed a stone around and turned to Sasuke, saying, "Yo~ What brings you to my turf? Want to spar with me?"

Sasuke shrugged and chuckled, "That's a good idea, but I have something else to discuss with you today."

Sasuke told Naruto about the Nether Valley of the Land of Iron and the demon sword, and asked him if he wanted to go with him.

Sakura was extremely unhappy about this: she wanted to go on a trip with Sasuke, why did Naruto have to come along...

Naruto stroked his chin and thought for a moment, then asked seriously, "The samurai uncle threw his sword in that kind of place, probably because he didn't want anyone to get it easily. Isn't there a risk?"

Sasuke paused slightly and looked at Sakura, the source of the information.

When Naruto said that, Sakura suddenly realized this as well, but the information she had overheard was limited. She only knew that the demon sword was lost in a place called the Valley of the Darkness in the Land of Iron, but she didn't know any more information about the Valley of the Darkness. She didn't even know when Zatoichi lost the sword, and thought it was recently.

But Sakura didn't want this rare opportunity to spend time with her sweetheart to be wasted, so she casually said, "How could there be any danger? You're overthinking it, Naruto!"