Chapter 67: The Great Swordsman's Realm
Konoha Year 61, November 11th.
The Land of Fire lay covered in silver. White skies scattered large goose-feather snowflakes across the landscape.
In a place resembling a woman's twin peaks, snow-capped mountains of various sizes rose against the horizon. Two figures walked along the snowy path, facing the heavy snowfall as they climbed toward the summit.
Goose feathers scattered across red oil paper. The fierce wind couldn't shake the paper umbrella, held firmly by one hand.
Beneath the umbrella walked a man and a woman.
The man was extremely handsome—silver hair, fair skin beneath red eyes. He wore a black kimono with a simple white scarf tied at his neck, seemingly unafraid of the cold wind.
The woman wore a heavy white coat with a red scarf around her neck. One hand gripped the man's clothing while the other shielded her eyes as she gazed at the snow-capped mountains across from them.
They were Ryuzen and Hinata, who had been traveling together for nearly a year.
A year wasn't a long time, but it was enough to change many people and things.
Both Ryuzen and Hinata had undergone obvious transformations.
First, they had grown. Ryuzen now stood 172 centimeters tall. Hinata had reached 161 centimeters. Both wore their hair long to their waists—Ryuzen still in his characteristic single ponytail, Hinata with her hair straight.
But compared to Ryuzen, Hinata had changed even more dramatically.
Beneath her thick white coat, her figure had developed considerably. No longer something that could be held in one hand—though not yet reaching the level of her future self, she had certainly matured.
And she would continue growing over the next two years.
Ryuzen still clearly remembered how she had looked just over a year ago. The change was remarkable.
This development had added considerable interest to their evenings together.
They climbed toward the mountaintop, not to enjoy the snowy scenery, but to test their progress.
Over this year, Ryuzen hadn't just traveled the ninja world with Hinata—he had continued his swordsmanship and physical training relentlessly. Wherever they passed, he used local features and natural forces to make his training more difficult.
The Ryuzen of today was vastly different from the one of January.
What gave him such confidence?
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Reaching the summit, Ryuzen folded the paper umbrella and handed it to Hinata.
Through the heavy snow, he gazed at the mountain range opposite.
WHOOSH—
The cold wind cut like a knife against his ears. Without the umbrella's protection, snowflakes quickly covered him and Hinata in a layer of white.
The snowfall intensified, showing no signs of stopping.
Soon, Ryuzen's vision was obscured—a thick curtain of silver hiding the mountains across from him.
He paid it no mind. After staring for a moment, he closed his eyes.
His right hand settled on the sword at his waist. He assumed the drawing stance.
WHOOSH... HUFF...
THUMP... THUMP...
The wailing wind filled his ears.
For a long moment, Ryuzen remained motionless.
Then—a heartbeat broke through the wind's howl, faintly reaching his consciousness.
The sound grew. From weak to strong. From gentle to pounding.
Invisible perception began weaving a web, enveloping the wind's roar, drawing the heartbeats of both Ryuzen and Hinata into his awareness.
A strange yet familiar state settled over him. His emotions quieted. His heart stilled.
His consciousness seemed to enter a sealed chamber, looking down upon the world from a divine perspective.
The Breath of All Things—like visible gas—was grasped by his perception, transformed into an invisible giant hand that held everything tightly.
SHINK—
He didn't draw quickly. Instead, he gently slid the blade from its sheath.
Raising the sword before him, Ryuzen slowly opened his eyes. His crimson gaze pierced through the snowy veil like an indestructible blade.
SWISH—BOOM!
The raised sword transformed into silver-white light as it chopped down from above.
The atmosphere before him exploded.
Space itself seemed to distort. Solidified airflow scattered the heavy snow, parting the weather to reveal the mountains beyond.
Dark red sword energy—of indescribable scale—slammed into the opposite peak.
It cut the mountain in two.
But it didn't stop there.
Hinata's hand flew to her lips. She stared at the sky in shock.
The white heavens looked gouged.
An impossibly deep ravine—like a natural chasm—hung across the sky itself, as if heaven had been severed.
Ryuzen's consciousness had overlooked a thousand-meter radius. The Breath he perceived wasn't limited to the earth—it included the sky.
As his sword descended, the airflow a thousand meters high had been cut and twisted, forming that chasm in the clouds.
"Ha... haha... HAHAHA!"
Ryuzen sheathed his sword. His right arm wrapped around Hinata's shoulder as he leaned forward, body trembling. He stared at the mountain split in two, at the sky carved open, and grinned wider than he ever had before.
"Finally... I've finally mastered this power!"
That slash remained an ultimate technique. After swinging it, he felt as though all his energy had been overdrawn—just like a year ago.
But his excitement far surpassed that previous moment.
Because this sword wasn't a death-induced epiphany. It wasn't potential forcibly extracted by desperation.
It was the slash of a Great Swordsman—truly mastered, truly his own.
From this moment forward, he stood among the ranks of Great Swordsmen. One who wielded the power to cut mountains and seas.
Eight years since his reincarnation. Seven years of swordsmanship training. All leading to this moment.
"Hinata." His voice was warm, almost giddy. "Let's go home."
He leaned against her back again, arms around her neck, happy as a child.
Hinata's face bloomed with a joyful smile. She felt his happiness radiating like warmth.
"Mm!"
She nodded firmly and carried him on her back, beginning the descent down the mountain.
Behind them, the sundered mountain and scarred sky bore witness to what had occurred here.
A Great Swordsman had been born.
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