Chapter 16: Upgraded White Light Blade, Clan Reactions, and Danzō's Seed of Doubt
Uchiha Min watched Naraku's departing figure and slowly broke into a smile. He thought to himself: This boy is like me! Cold on the outside, passionate within, and carrying that true Uchiha pride! Above all, that confidence and good looks—only I, Uchiha Min in my youth, could compare!
Then he turned to his granddaughter: "Mikoto, from now on, spend more time with little Naraku."
Mikoto didn't know what had changed her grandfather's attitude, but she obediently nodded.
After a night's rest, Naraku returned to the forging room.
He formed seals with both hands. Shadow Clone Technique!
Poof! A cloud of smoke appeared. Three clones of Naraku materialized.
Only recently had he realized he could use clones to dramatically increase his forging speed.
Naraku laid out the materials: Water Dragon Beast, Flying Mantis limbs, one portion of Oriharukon, 10 kg of fine iron, one portion each of green-grade Monkey Scarlet Iron Sand and Monkey Scarlet Ore, and finally Sakumo's tanto.
The main body carefully removed all non-chakra-metal impurities from the White Light Blade.
Clone 1 processed the Water Dragon Beast—a one-eyed long fish. Its main task was using forging techniques to infuse the creature's overall essence into its eye.
Clone 2 melted the Oriharukon and handled the Flying Mantis limbs—first merging the mantis essence into its wings, then remelting everything.
Clone 3 processed the fine iron along with the Monkey Scarlet Iron Sand and Monkey Scarlet Ore.
Once the main body finished purifying the tanto, Clone 2 immediately fused the molten Oriharukon, forming a powerful, resilient alloy.
Next, Naraku executed a series of forging secret techniques, hammering the mixture while engraving specific patterns.
Then he integrated the refined Flying Mantis biological essence from Clone 2 into the blade's core, meticulously carving specialized runes across the surface.
After that, he took the processed fine iron, Monkey Scarlet Iron Sand, and Monkey Scarlet Ore from Clone 3 and filled in the blade's frame. The sword blank quickly took shape.
Naraku hammered the blank repeatedly. Under his strikes, it gradually formed into a proper blade.
Thanks to his earlier planning, the hilt had a circular hollow. Naraku pressed the Water Dragon Beast's one-eyed core into it.
He performed one final round of secret-technique rune engraving.
Finally, following forger tradition, he stamped his signature mark: "Nara."
The finished sword was striking. It retained the double-edged design, exuding unique aggression and practicality. The hilt was inlaid with the Water Dragon Beast's eye, radiating a mysterious, majestic aura. The blade itself had a pale, almost ghostly white tone—cold and unyielding. Close inspection revealed intricate, mysterious runes crisscrossing the surface like ancient incantations, filling the weapon with an enigmatic, unfathomable power.
Naraku appraised the blade:
[Water Dragon Blade (Special Edition): B+ Grade Weapon! This sword embodies the forger's full dedication, crafted with a large amount of precious materials: Oriharukon, chakra-conductive metal, dangerous species components, Monkey Scarlet Iron Sand, Monkey Scarlet Ore, and fine iron. Multiple Vassal Arm secret techniques were used over one full day of forging—far surpassing the original blade!
Double-edged, 90 cm long. Possesses "Durability" and "Sharpness" traits. Extremely strong chakra conductivity! (Due to previous chakra metal cost limitations, the blade has now been slightly extended for better user fit!)
Abilities:
Activating the Water Dragon Eye boosts combat power for 3 minutes, but causes extreme fatigue afterward.
Activating the main blade body greatly increases movement agility and speed for 3 minutes, followed by moderate fatigue.
Provides reinforcement to single-attribute chakra.]
Naraku gazed at the sword and felt it was incredibly cool. Two active abilities + one passive represented a massive upgrade over the original White Light Blade. With these skills, Sakumo should be able to unleash even more terrifying dominance.
He didn't sleep. Instead, he used the remaining pre-sleep time to forge himself a C-grade "toy knife" from Monkey Scarlet Iron Sand, Monkey Scarlet Ore, and fine iron. Even his so-called "toy" was a premium piece bordering on B-grade—mainly intended for future sword training with Sakumo. It wasn't that he didn't want something better for himself. Right now, Konoha posed no real danger to him, and most of his current materials were better suited for armor than swords. Even if he got lucky and forged an A-grade weapon, if someone tried to rob him for it—that would be hilarious. His current philosophy: quickly forge top weapons for the strong, then passively grow stronger through his golden finger. Later, when the chance arose, he'd craft himself an ultimate life-saving weapon—ideally with survival ability rivaling Orochimaru's—so he could act even more recklessly!
The next day, refreshed and clear-headed, Naraku habitually used Shadow Clone Technique to send one clone to the academy. Nowadays, unless there was a practical combat class, he basically skipped.
Then he hurried to the Hatake residence. Sakumo was probably getting anxious—after all, for a swordsman who was almost never without his blade, being separated from it felt like needing tissue during a private moment: extremely nerve-wracking!
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, Danzō spoke in a flat tone to Hiruzen: "That little Naraku brat seems to be enjoying himself lately. Getting close to the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, cozying up to Hatake Sakumo—not to mention his connections inside the Uchiha clan!"
"He's a member of the village. It's only natural for him to build relationships with others. That's what bonds are." Hiruzen replied.
Danzō sneered: "Don't forget—he's an Uchiha! Have you already forgotten how Uchiha Madara controlled the Nine-Tails and tried to destroy the village? Now one Uchiha is frequently approaching the village's unaligned powerhouses—what exactly is he planning?"
Hiruzen snapped angrily: "Enough! I won't allow you to casually suspect a member of the village—not even an Uchiha! Give up on that idea. I will never transfer him to Root!"
Danzō quickly said: "Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"
Then he left before Hiruzen could say "I am the Hokage."
Hiruzen felt like he'd swallowed something foul. Danzō, on the other hand, was very pleased. He hadn't come to demand Naraku this time. He had simply planted a seed of doubt in his old friend's heart—and waited for it to slowly take root.
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