Chapter 55: Blade Acquired, Team Assembled
"Here's your blade."
A ninja cat, standing upright like a person, opened a sealing scroll.
Poof! A burst of white smoke erupted.
As the smoke cleared, a long ninja sword was revealed.
Its design closely resembled Sasuke's future Kusanagi no Tsurugi: the hilt and scabbard were pure white, embroidered with the Uchiha clan's signature flame fan. The blade itself was pitch black.
"This is my ninja blade?"
Seiji's eyes lit up as he picked it up, slowly unsheathing it.
Of course, he couldn't act too composed—after all, if a child appeared too calm, it would make others suspicious of a scheming, mature mind.
So, in front of Mikoto, Seiji did his best to maintain his "innocent" image.
That said, he was genuinely a little excited to receive a blade of his own.
Just not as overjoyed as he made it seem.
"Alright, alright—go on, give it a try."
Mikoto's voice was crisp, laced with gentle warmth.
Seiji swung the blade a few times and quickly realized it was over twice as heavy as the second-hand short sword he'd trained with before.
By feel alone, he estimated it weighed close to ten kilograms.
He had no idea what kind of metal was used to forge it.
"It feels great, Mikoto-neesan."
He sheathed the blade carefully.
The sword was about a meter and a half long—definitely on the longer side for ninja weapons.
"Granny Neko, how about throwing in the sealing scroll too, hmm?"
Mikoto smiled sweetly.
"You sly girl… Fine, take it."
Granny Neko waved her paw dismissively.
Mikoto had already spent quite a bit here today—what was one small spatial scroll? Consider it a gift.
"Thank you, Granny Neko! Seiji, seal your blade into the scroll—it'll make it easier to carry around."
"Got it."
Seiji nodded and took the scroll from the ninja cat.
He had to admit—Mikoto had real housewife potential. Her bargaining skills were top-notch.
Poof!
The scroll's white page had a black circle etched onto it, surrounded by intricate sealing patterns. As the blade was sealed within, a large "封" (Seal) character appeared on the page.
At the ninja academy, students were taught how to use sealing scrolls—this was one of the most basic forms of space-time ninjutsu.
You sealed an item into a scroll's internal space and summoned it when needed.
Seiji and Mikoto stayed there overnight. By the next day, they were already on their way back to the Hidden Leaf.
As soon as he got home, Seiji resumed training.
He drew the blade with a smooth motion, gripping it with one hand.
The pitch-black blade gleamed with a subtle metallic luster.
Despite its resemblance to the Kusanagi Sword, Seiji didn't believe they'd give him something that powerful right out of the gate.
The Kusanagi wasn't one specific weapon but a general term for high-grade ninja swords.
For example, Orochimaru's Kusanagi was a double-edged blade, while Sasuke's was a single-edged sword.
Whoosh!
Flames burst to life at the base of the hilt, slithering over Seiji's palm like liquid fire and flowing up to the edge of the blade.
From a distance, it looked like he was holding a blazing torch.
"That's… quite hot."
Seiji muttered to himself.
Waves of heat rippled outward, painting everything around him in fiery red light.
He swung the blade in a full arc, leaving behind a circle-shaped trail of flame in the air.
Time passed slowly.
Thanks to the trait [Chakra Flow · Fire Release (White)], Seiji was able to imbue his blade with Fire Release chakra effortlessly.
"If I use this with the Cloud-Style: Soaring Bird technique, the results might be impressive."
Seiji ceased the chakra flow. The red-hot blade began to cool rapidly.
Soon, it returned to normal temperature, indistinguishable from a regular weapon.
"Chakra conductivity is excellent, too."
After getting a preliminary grasp of his new ninja blade, Seiji picked up the scroll for Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.
Based on his observations, once he fully learned the technique, he'd probably unlock a new fire-style trait as well.
"I also need to master flowing chakra across my body…"
As he flipped through the fire-style scroll, Seiji's mind was already shifting to the next challenge.
Lightning Armor, Fire Armor, and Team Assembly
The so-called "Lightning Release Chakra Mode" is, in essence, the act of coating the entire body with Lightning-natured chakra. In theory, any chakra nature can be applied this way.
Take, for example, Rōshi, the Four-Tails Jinchūriki of Iwagakure. He used a technique known as "Lava Release Chakra Mode," in which his entire body was clad in superheated lava armor. Anything that came into contact with it would instantly melt.
The lava armor possessed both high offensive and defensive capabilities—Naruto's Rasengan could barely make a dent in it.
Seiji could replicate the idea and develop his own version: a Fire Release Chakra Mode. Or, if he coated his entire body with medical chakra, he could create a Medical Chakra Mode.
Tsunade's Ninja Art: Creation Rebirth was a technique quite similar in principle.
"I'll need to find another fire-style user to spar with…"
Seiji mused to himself.
If he remembered correctly, the Chūnin Exams were fast approaching.
The Land of Wind and the Land of Fire were allied, so Sunagakure would be sending participants as well.
There was a good chance Pakura from the Sand would show up.
She possessed the Scorch Release, a rare kekkei genkai. If Seiji managed to defeat her, he might earn a valuable skill trait related to it.
After thinking it over for a while, Seiji returned to reading his scrolls.
Tomorrow, he would meet his new team.
The more missions he completed, the better his chances would be when the Chūnin Exams came around.
---
The Next Morning
Seiji arrived at the agreed-upon meeting spot.
"Seiji!"
A pleasant voice called out unexpectedly.
Perhaps due to the morning chill, Kurenai Yuhi's cheeks were rosy as she waved excitedly at him.
"So it's Kurenai."
Seiji nodded.
It seemed the teammates Konoha had assigned him were all from outside the Uchiha clan.
"I had a hunch it might be you, and I'm so glad I was right!"
Kurenai beamed, her crimson eyes curling like crescents.
"Is that so."
Seiji responded mildly.
He wondered if Kurenai was being a bit too friendly with him.
Still, he found himself more curious about what she'd grow into—those signature wavy locks, bright red lips, the violet eyeshadow… a mature charm exuded from her adult self.
Then again, watching her grow into that had its own appeal.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Seiji's lips.
Turning a blank canvas into your own masterpiece... not a bad feeling at all.
"Kurenai!"
Just as they were chatting, Sarutobi Asuma arrived with a man walking beside him.
"Awesome! We're all on the same team!"
Asuma exclaimed with genuine excitement.
If this wasn't fate, then what was?
It was as if the heavens wanted to reunite the trio from the academy.
The man beside him looked to be in his thirties. His forehead protector was tied very tightly, almost uncomfortably so.
"I am Minazuki Yūki. Starting today, the three of you will be completing missions under my command as Genin."
The man introduced himself.
"Minazuki-sensei! I, Sarutobi Asuma, will have no problem completing any mission!"
Asuma declared proudly, pounding his chest.
"Is that so, Asuma? I'll be expecting great things from you."
Minazuki Yūki grinned, his thick lips stretching into a broad smile.
After all, not everyone was the son of the Hokage.
Seiji paused his conversation with Kurenai and looked toward their new sensei.
In the Itachi Shinden novels, Minazuki Yūki wasn't exactly known as a good guy.