Reading through the notes in the letter, Hoshiyomi grew more and more excited. So the Grass Long Sword, Kusanagi Blade had such a special ability—that explained why, in the original story, Orochimaru was able to perform that trick of controlling the sword with his own energy.
Just thinking about that technique made Hoshiyomi's hands itch. And since Orochimaru had already given him the Grass Long Sword, Kusanagi Blade as a wedding gift, there was no reason to hold back.
He had originally planned to rush outside and experiment with all the crazy ideas already buzzing in his head, but the next moment his survival instincts kicked in—something was off.
Turning his head, he found Tsunade glaring at him with a pout, her expression practically shouting four big words: "I'm not happy."
Of course Hoshiyomi knew why. He quickly scrambled to change the subject:
"Wife, do you know how powerful this sword is?"
At the word wife, Tsunade's cheeks flushed red. Even though they were already married, it was the first time Hoshiyomi had called her that aloud. The unfamiliar but sweet-sounding address made her feel flustered yet warm inside. Her earlier displeasure faded away.
Seeing her momentarily distracted, Hoshiyomi exhaled in relief. His tactic had worked. Seizing the opportunity, he pressed on:
"Orochimaru's gift is far too precious. This is none other than one of the three legendary divine treasures—the Kusanagi Sword!"
Hearing him elevate the sword to such lofty status, even Tsunade—who had little interest in weapons—was momentarily shaken. She asked instinctively:
"So this is the legendary Kusanagi? But isn't the Kusanagi Sword in the hands of your student, Kuugetsu?"
At that, Hoshiyomi's brow twitched. He immediately sensed danger. Before Tsunade could continue, he hurriedly cut in:
"Kuugetsu's blade is called the Sword of Kusanagi: Chokutō. This Grass Long Sword, Kusanagi Blade is also one of the Kusanagi swords, but their abilities differ completely…"
He rattled off explanation after explanation, until he finally managed to convince her. At last, he proposed going outside to test the Grass Long Sword, Kusanagi Blade. The dazed but persuaded Tsunade even agreed to come along, curious to see its power for herself.
Walking ahead, Hoshiyomi admired the sword while silently congratulating himself on his quick wit—completely unaware of the knowing smile on Tsunade's face behind him.
After lessons from both Rie and Moka, Tsunade had long since learned to see through Hoshiyomi's little tricks. She had only been pretending earlier, giving him a chance to redeem himself.
Watching him nervously wiping sweat, Tsunade chuckled inwardly. He may be a clumsy oaf, but at least he cares about my feelings. I suppose I'll let him off the hook today.
Still, she really was curious—what mysterious powers did this legendary Grass Long Sword, Kusanagi Blade hold?
...
At the Gekko Clan's training grounds, Hoshiyomi took a deep breath and slowly poured his chakra into the blade of the Grass Long Sword, Kusanagi Blade.
This phenomenon, often called "acknowledging a master" in fantasy novels, wasn't as mystical as Hoshiyomi had imagined. It felt more like charging a battery; Hoshiyomi was the power source, and the Kusanagi Sword was the mobile phone.
Once it was fully charged, he could use the "phone."
After channeling about one-tenth of his chakra, Hoshiyomi clearly sensed the change: a link had formed between himself and the sword.
He could feel its "battery" was now full. From this point on, he could absorb it into his body—or summon it out for battle.
Hoshiyomi's biggest concern was the matter of storing and releasing the Kusanagi Sword. There was no way he was going to imitate Orochimaru's shameful trick of swallowing and spitting out the sword from his mouth. If that were the only option, he'd rather just carry an extra blade.
Fortunately, the Kusanagi Sword did not let him down. Feeling the bond between himself and the blade, Hoshiyomi tried guiding it into his left hand.
Sure enough—with a puff of white smoke—the sword vanished into his left hand, leaving behind a summoning-like mark on his palm. Combined with the teardrop-shaped mark from his Soul Devouring Demon Sealing Slash, the two together actually had a certain aesthetic charm.
After retracting the sword, Hoshiyomi tried to release it again. With another familiar puff of white smoke, the Kusanagi Sword appeared in his left hand.
This made Hoshiyomi sigh with relief, while simultaneously complaining inwardly about Orochimaru: Seriously? There was such a convenient way to store this thing, yet you insisted on swallowing and vomiting it out every time? Was that supposed to be fun or something?
With the storage issue settled, Hoshiyomi next tested whether the blade could extend. The sword didn't disappoint—just as he imagined, it began lengthening gradually before his eyes.
Even Tsunade's eyes widened in astonishment. This Kusanagi Sword truly was something special.
What had once been roughly the length of an arm grew out to nearly two meters. During the process, Hoshiyomi came to understand how the sword's ability worked:
The Grass Long Sword, Kusanagi Blade didn't lengthen solely by willpower—it drew on its "power source," his chakra. As long as enough chakra was stored within, the blade could continue to stretch, theoretically without limit. But the longer it extended, the more chakra it consumed.
So making it shoot straight from Earth to the Moon was impossible—unless he had chakra reserves on the level of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
Aside from lengthening, controlling it in midair also required chakra. But for flying the sword around, it consumed the chakra stored inside the blade itself.
After about an hour of tests, Hoshiyomi concluded that without "recharging," the Grass Long Sword, Kusanagi Blade could only sustain mid-air control for about ten minutes.
To be honest, this was the ability he was most satisfied with—for one very simple reason: it looked cool.
Just a flick of two fingers, and the sword would soar and whirl through the air. It fit perfectly with his image of legendary "sword-riding techniques."
…Wait. Sword-riding techniques?
Looking at the sword in his hand, Hoshiyomi suddenly smiled. Since the Kusanagi Sword could shrink and grow, and could be controlled in midair, then sword-riding flight seemed totally possible!
With that thought, Hoshiyomi first extended the sword a little, then let it hover horizontally in the air. When it floated stably, he suddenly leapt onto it, right under Tsunade's stunned gaze.
She was already picturing him falling flat on his face, but when she opened her eyes again, the Kusanagi Sword, though trembling under the strain, held up under Hoshiyomi's weight.
Hoshiyomi's eyes shone with excitement. The Gekko Clan's very own Drunken Sword Immortal, Hoshiyomi, is about to make his debut!
Thinking about it this way, the Kusanagi Sword really was too good to be true. He almost felt like he didn't even care about the storing-inside-the-body ability anymore.