Start with a Zanpakuto and build the strongest Mist Village.

"No need to blame yourself, it's a full moon."

Night shook his head: "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to kill Nara Shikaku, who is known as the brain of Konoha, and there wouldn't have been the subsequent results."

"Whether it's Nara Shikaku, Hyuga Hizashi, or Yamanaka Inoichi, if they appear on the front lines of Konoha, it will put immense pressure on us in Kirigakure... And right now, although Jiraiya is on the front lines of Konoha, Konoha without its 'brain' is hardly a threat."

"This is all thanks to you."

"Master Ye..."

Full Moon felt somewhat ashamed.

He was clearly the culprit behind everything, but in Ye's words, he became a hero.

Lord Ye really does show us the same favoritism we always have...

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. You are the most promising genius in Kirigakure, and you have the potential to become the Mizukage."

Yoru walked up to Mangetsu with a smile and lifted him up from the ground: "The strongest rising star of the Hozuki clan, how can you be crying like this!"

"No, no, being a water shadow is not my dream at all."

Full Moon shook her head repeatedly, saying nothing more.

Becoming the Mizukage is not my dream at all, and I am not worthy of becoming the Mizukage. Only you, Lord Yoru, can shoulder this responsibility!

As for me, it would be enough if I could become the ninja sword that protects Lord Night!

He lifted the full moon, patted the boy on the shoulder, and then looked at the other three.

"After this mission, our first squad of the Dark Division will probably be disbanded soon. Don't look like that. It's not that I don't want to be with you guys, but because there are vacancies in the positions."

Seeing the slight look of fear on their faces, Yumi and Yukiko were at a loss, so Yoru quickly explained.

"The defeat of the Seven Ninja Swords has left a large number of high-ranking positions in Kirigakure that need to be filled. In addition, with war just around the corner, you will definitely gain enough merit to be promoted. That's inevitable."

"After all, you're all so outstanding."

"Can……"

"Alright, Yu Yuli, these are all just my guesses. Everything needs to be decided by those above."

Interrupting Yuri from speaking, Yoru said with a smile, "Besides that, there's something else I want to give you."

As he spoke, Yoru took out the scroll containing four ninja swords that Yagura had given him.

Chakra was poured into it, and the next moment, four ninja swords appeared inside the tent.

Blunt knife - cuts through!

Explosive Blade - Spray!

Twin Blades - Flounder!

Long knife and stitches!

Looking at the four people who seemed somewhat taken aback, Yoru smiled and said, "As a result of this battle, Lord Yagura has granted me permission to dispose of these four ninja swords as I see fit. So, my comrades, choose your own ninja swords and prepare to become the new Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!"

"Wha, what?!"

The four people present were dumbfounded, staring incredulously at the four ninja swords in front of them.

Let them choose, and become the new Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?!

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist hold a truly special significance for Kirigakure.

These seven ninja swords are not just simple weapons; they also represent the identity of the Hidden Mist Village!

No wonder Lord Yoru said that they would be transferred out soon. With the Seven Ninja Swords at their disposal, the higher-ups would not place them in a small ANBU squad. There are too many places in Kirigakure that need them.

"Really...can I choose whatever I want...?"

Full Moon swallowed hard, her burning desire in her eyes impossible to conceal.

He never imagined that he, a 'sinner'—a sinner who had put Lord Ye in danger—would actually be bestowed with a ninja sword by Lord Ye. This... this...

Full Moon suppressed the restlessness in her heart and lowered her head deeply.

"Lord Ye, in terms of merit, we are not worthy of these ninja swords at all. If you hand them over to us, it will probably cause controversy."

"Do not."

Night shook his head.

"Full Moon, although these ninja swords are priceless and of great significance, there is one thing I think you should understand."

“If it weren’t for me, these ninja swords would already be Konoha’s swords, not Kirigakure’s. They are ‘spoils of war’ that Lord Yagura himself told me to handle as I saw fit. Whoever I want to give them to, they will be theirs.”

"Therefore, there is no need to hesitate, everyone."

Night smiled as he looked at the four people in front of him and pushed the four ninja swords in front of them.

Since Yagura entrusted these ninja swords to him, he had no reason to hand them over to someone else.

what?

You mean social skills and interpersonal relationships?

I'm just an Anbu squad leader who hasn't awakened Ice Release, isolated by the Snow Clan, and grew up in solitude. What do I need social niceties for!

Hearing Yoru's words, Hozuki Mangetsu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but Yuri Amane stepped forward and took the ninja sword that originally belonged to Yoru's superior, Kushimaru Kurihara, from the four ninja swords.

Long knife and stitches!

"It's a pity there's no Thunder Blade, but these stitches are quite good."

Hearing Yuri's mutterings, Mangetsu's lips twitched slightly, but her gaze kept shifting between the three ninja swords.

Finally, his gaze fell on the Twin Blades - Hiramekarei, and he took them in his hands.

However, when it was Yukiko and Yumi's turn, the two girls looked at each other and shook their heads.

"I am a support-type ninja, it would be a waste for me to keep this ninja sword, so I'd better just give it up."

"Me too. Although I really want to accept this gift filled with Lord Yoru's love, I'm just a medical ninja and I don't know how to use a sword. It would be a waste for me to take this." Yumi shook her head, then looked at Yoru with a smile: "Anyway, with Lord Yoru around, I'll definitely be well protected~!"

In previous books, the Sharingan and Wood Release were dual martial souls.

Chapter 28 Thinking

Looking at the delicate Yu Mei, everyone present had strange expressions, and even Ye couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly.

Okay, you say you're a medical ninja, I accept it.

But you said you need protection yourself... To put it bluntly, among the four people present, apart from Yoru, the strongest fighter is not Hozuki Mangetsu, but this medical ninja, Uzumaki Yumi!

Not bad.

This orphan of the Uzumaki clan, despite bearing the title of medical ninja, is no less powerful in combat. Whether it is ninjutsu or taijutsu, she is at the level of an elite Jonin. Most importantly, she also has a top-notch sealing technique!

This ninja sword is good, but it's definitely not something that Yumi Uzumaki would need.

Seeing that both women refused, Ye did not force them on them and put away the remaining two ninja swords.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the four, Ye prepared to rest for a while. These 48 hours in hell were truly unbearable. The continuous battles had exhausted Ye's chakra twice. Although he was not injured, he was already extremely tired, both physically and mentally.

For the next two days, Yoru rested and recovered. Yumi Uzumaki and Yukiko Touna took good care of Yoru's condition. Even though Yoru repeatedly told them not to take care of him and to pay more attention to the situation at the front, the two women still clung to Yoru and took good care of him.

Many people came to visit Ye, and most of them were people he had never met before. Several well-known Jonin from Kirigakure came, and even many powerful members of bloodline clans came to visit, chatting with Ye about this and that. But in the end, their topics all came back to the ninja sword, which annoyed Ye to no end.

Yagura also visited once during that time.

It wasn't surprising to learn that Yoru had given the long sword "Sewing Needle" and the twin swords "Hiramekarei" to Yuri and Mangetsu respectively. They didn't even discuss the swords much, seemingly genuinely unconcerned about who Yoru gave them to.

The two focused their conversation on the situation at the front lines.

Actually, Yoru was thinking of starting the war as soon as possible. After all, there was only Jiraiya on the Konoha front line, plus Fugaku Uchiha. The sooner the war started, the less pressure Kirigakure would be under.

If this drags on, and Konoha sends more strong fighters from other places, the resistance Kirigakure will face in the future will be even greater.

Yagura agreed with Yoru's assessment, but the last battle had resulted in heavy losses for Kirigakure.

Furthermore, the loss of all seven Ninja Swordsmen dealt a tremendous blow to the morale of Kirigakure, and the Kirigakure side lost the will to continue their attack for a short period of time. Everything depended on the Mizukage's arrangements.

Ye didn't comment much on this, quietly resting her mind and recovering her condition.

After seeing Yagura off, Yoru finally found some peace and quiet and began to reflect on everything he currently possessed.

"My current combat strength is still not strong enough. Although Hyōrinmaru is good, with the blessing of the auspicious celestial phenomenon, my combat strength can barely be considered to have entered the Kage level. But if I really face those top-level powerhouses, I am still not enough."

"In fact, Fugaku didn't use his full strength that day. If he had gone all out and activated the third stage of Susanoo, my Hyōrinmaru probably wouldn't have been able to restrain him. Moreover, he didn't use his unique eye technique either..."

I pondered in the night.

With his current abilities, he could still put up a fight against a normal Kage-level powerhouse.

After all, Kido is a convenient and easy-to-use technique. Combined with Shunpo, Hakuda, swordsmanship, and other skills, along with Hyōrinmaru, Yoru's combat ability becomes extremely formidable.

However, if they really encounter those veteran monsters, Ye is still no match for them.

Putting aside everything else, the two top Konoha experts currently on the front lines are not someone that Night can handle.

Jiraiya in Sage Mode, and Fugaku in Gundam Mode!

Against a monster of this caliber, Hyōrinmaru in its Shikai state is simply not enough to be fatal!

"I need more suitable Kido, higher-level combat techniques, and even... the Bankai of my Zanpakuto!"

Night gently stroked the Hyōrinmaru in her hand, lost in thought.

He didn't master many ghost arts, and they were all obtained from opening gift boxes. Among them, the high-level Breaking Arts included the No. 90 Black Coffin and the No. 73 Twin Lotus Azure Fire Pendant, while the high-level Binding Arts included the No. 81 Sky-Severing, the No. 73 Mountain-Reversing Crystal, and the No. 61 Six-Zhang Light Prison.

The Binding Path is barely enough, but the Destruction Path is a bit problematic.

The black coffin requires far too much chakra, and its use requires complete incantation.

In a top-tier battle, would your opponent wait for you to gather chakra and finish chanting a spell that takes longer than your life?

Obviously it is impossible.

As for the No. 73 Twin Lotus Azure Fire Drop, although its power is decent and it can be released even without chanting, its single-point burst power is somewhat lacking.

"If I could master the No. 78 Zhanhua Wheel or the No. 88 Flying Dragon Thief-Slaying Thunder Cannon, I could make up for my lack of explosive power."

"Or a special burst skill like Instant Smash would also work."

Ye opened the exchange panel.

Number 78's "Slaying Wheel" is an A-rank Ghost Path skill, requiring 30,000 points, while Number 88's "Flying Dragon Strikes the Thief and Shakes the Sky with Thunder Cannon" is an S-rank Ghost Path skill, requiring 80,000 points.

As for Instant Roar, even the most basic introductory technique requires 10,000 points, while its advanced versions, such as 'Infinite Instant Roar', 'Instant Roar: Thunder God Form', and 'Instant Roar: Explosive Flame Unparalleled', are priced at over 50,000 points each.

These points are enough to kill Ye!

Looking at his meager points, Ye sighed helplessly.

The road to becoming stronger is truly long and arduous!

Maybe I should open a few more gift boxes; just in case I get something...

"Why are you looking so gloomy? You're our star now."

The tent flap in front of them was lifted, and a graceful young woman with long, reddish-brown hair walked in, smiling as she approached Ye: "I see those high-ranking and elite ninjas coming all the way here to see you every day. What's wrong? Don't you like being the center of attention?"

"They're just a bunch of guys who're after power. I can't possibly hand over my ninja sword to them."

Night regained her composure and looked at Mei Terumi in front of her: "What, have you finished taking care of everything?"

"That's impossible."

It would have been better if they hadn't brought up the serious matter, because once they did, Mei Terumi immediately wore a bitter expression: "You have no idea how huge a mess that fat bastard Suigetsu Hozuki left behind is. It's impossible to clean up, absolutely impossible!"

"I knew the intelligence department was bad, but I didn't expect it to be this bad. A third of the people in it were just loafing around and were nepotism hires. Another third were scum who followed Suigetsu Hobuki and had a history of selling intelligence. As for the remaining third, there were very few usable people."

Chapter 29 Rejuvenation Through Bone-Scraping Treatment: From Destruction to Re-establishment

"I originally thought that all of us who came out of the Blood Mist were elites, but now it seems that's not the case at all!"

Mei Terumi's pretty face showed disgust, even loathing. She never expected that Kirigakure's intelligence department would be so incompetent.

The Hidden Mist actually wants to use the things collected by this department to wage a war. Isn't that just throwing money away?

“It’s normal. Hiding filth in a corner where the sun doesn’t shine is something that happens everywhere,” Ye said calmly. “If you find it too difficult to handle, you can resign and leave this mess to the Mizukage or Yagura. Anyway, you’re a genius in combat, and you’ve always felt that it’s a waste of your talents to have you do intelligence work, haven’t you?”

"That won't work!"