"A fitting name. Only a title like Sovereign could truly match it." After flattery, Sixiang continued, "Now that the weapon is largely completed, the rest involves carving cursed seals on each blade. Through these seals, the gemstones on the main structure will be activated. Once a blade has been used, it can return to its original position automatically."
It was a delicate job that would take tons of time and patience. After all, with over a thousand blades, engraving seals on such tiny surfaces was no easy task. Only this place had enough skilled craftsmen capable of achieving such precision.
"This money is well-spent," Anya calmed her excitement, placed down the weapon, and walked out of the room.
With this weapon, her weakest points were greatly reduced. She wouldn't have to rely just on Lightning Blade Art for ranged attacks anymore—her offense could get way more creative. Once she mastered controlling over a thousand blades, killing enemies would be as easy as mowing down crops—she'd be an entire army all by herself.
Just imagining this already made Anya's heart burn with excitement, taking a while for her to calm herself.
At that moment, a figure abruptly appeared directly in front of Anya.
Startled, she instinctively put her hand on her sword hilt. But once she recognized the man's dazzling yellow hair, she relaxed her stance.
Minato smiled slightly and said, "Didn't expect to see you here. Seems like you zoned out just now."
Anya rolled her eyes and asked, "What are you doing here?"
Minato didn't beat around the bug bush. He said, "The Land of the Blacksmiths suddenly canceled Konoha's order. The Hokage feared something might have happened here, so he sent me. Since you're here, I assume the issue has already been resolved."
That made sense. It seemed that the Third really valued this place, or else he wouldn't have dispatched Minato, who was known for his incredible speed.
"There's no real problem. I'm just building a new weapon. They simply don't have time to work on orders from other countries," Anya took out her design blueprint and handed it to Minato.
"Such a complex weapon! To control so many blades simultaneously... Even for you, that's impossible, right?" After seeing the blueprint, Minato couldn't help but exclaim—he immediately saw the terrifying power hidden within.
Anya admitted, "Not yet, at least. This will take extensive practice over a long time. Slow and steady."
Minato then asked, "They must have charged you a fortune, didn't they? Should I lend you some money?"
Anya asked in surprise and slight disbelief, "How did you know that?"
Minato chuckled while pulling out a specially crafted kunai, explaining, "My kunais were custom-made here too. They carved Flying Thunder God markings onto them. But even so, their price was over ten times higher than ordinary ones."
Anya looked puzzled, "How can you afford so many? You carry so many custom kunais in your pack. Even with mission bonuses, shouldn't you be tight on cash?"
Minato's face flushed slightly and he whispered, "Actually, Kushina helped cover the cost."
Ah, that explained it. So it was Little Pepper—now everything made sense. Although the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, maybe most of their riches went to her instead—no wonder she's such a little rich girl.
Minato and Anya exchanged a few more words before Minato prepared to leave and return to report. He had just taken two steps when he suddenly sensed something and turned his gaze toward a spot within the dense forest.
Anya noticed as well, speaking casually, "Looks like Konoha isn't the only one keeping an eye on this place."
"Come out," Minato called loudly toward the forest.
A bulky figure bounced forward from within the woods, singing as he came: "Yo, you dummy, you numbskull! I'm Killer Bee from the Land of Lightning—rap king with blades in hand!"
Minato was momentarily stunned by Killer Bee's dramatic entrance, but Anya stayed calm, thinking to herself: Another old friend shows up.
After approaching the two, Killer Bee was greeted first by Anya. "Killer Bee-sama, I hope you didn't sneak out again."
Caught off guard, Killer Bee panicked internally—but managed to hide it behind his shades. Outwardly, he launched into another rhyme: "Yo, you dummy, you jerk! You've ruined my good mood for today… Wait?"
He did a double take, suddenly surprised and suspicious. There was something oddly familiar about this person, yet he couldn't quite place where he'd seen her before.
"I used to have black hair; now it's white. Plus I've grown up—you not recognizing me is normal." Anya smiled slightly. "My name is Yunbai, by the way."
"It's you?" Killer Bee quickly stepped closer, carefully examining her face. Then he reached out and touched her white hair, finally identifying her. He nodded firmly. "Yeah, that's definitely you."
"Yo, you dummy, you fool! My mood is great again!" Killer Bee said joyfully as he broke into a rap: "No wonder I couldn't find you before—you already left the village."
Anya smiled. "So... why were you looking for me anyway?"
Killer Bee made a flashy hand gesture. "Obviously to dance together in an epic sword art performance! And maybe throw in a rap battle afterward too."
Anya's eyes lit up slightly, showing interest. Truly, there weren't many people capable of matching her sword skills nowadays—and Killer Bee was undoubtedly among them.
Back during their days in Kumogakure, she had watched his sword techniques beforehand, borrowed a blade, and disrupted his rhythm through her [Dance of the Blade], winning cleverly though somewhat unfairly. In sheer swordsmanship strength alone, they were evenly matched. Now would be a great chance to fully test themselves against each other.
"Fine," Anya agreed without hesitation.
"Yo, you dummy, you clown! Are you ready?" Killer Bee happily hopped backward, unsheathing all seven swords at once.
Nearby, Minato placed one hand on the ground, interrupting. "Wait—someone else is coming."
"Huh, which village is it this time?" Anya wondered aloud, curious. She hadn't expected the Land of the Blacksmiths to hold such significance that visitors kept arriving continuously.
From deeper within the distant woods, Biwa Juzo spoke toward a nearby one-eyed ninja: "Ao, never thought you'd end up being the biggest beneficiary this time. How does the transplanted Byakugan feel?"
The ninja known as Ao replied with a smile: "Feels amazing. No wonder it's the Hyuga Clan's Kekkei Genkai—the Byakugan has powerful insight and can see extremely far."
Biwa Juzo pressed further: "Then tell me—are you seeing what's happening in the Land of the Blacksmiths right now?"
"Should be possible. Let me check." Ao said, forming a hand seal with his forehead veins bulging. [Byakugan]
Anya stood at the entrance of the Land of the Blacksmiths and immediately sensed something, turning toward the dense forest. "This feeling... we're being watched. Strange, someone can see this far. Minato, could it be that Hokage also sent someone from the Hyuga?"
Minato also sensed something, but he simply shook his head and said, "No, this is really strange."
Ao, who was observing through his [Byakugan], suddenly shuddered violently and paused, his expression filled with terror.
"What's wrong?" Biwa Juzo asked, puzzled.
"Up ahead... there's an enormous Chakra Reserves Amount, and not just one," Ao said, his face pale. "One of them has greater Chakra Reserves Amount than anyone I've ever seen."
If it were the old Biwa Juzo, he would've rushed forward immediately to check it out. However, after experiencing the battle with Anya, he hesitated. Standing still for a moment while deep in thought, he finally said, "Forget it. We'll just report this intelligence report as it is."
"Yes." Ao exhaled in relief. He was afraid the owner of the Cleaver Sword might charge in recklessly.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>