Regardless of the world or the specific power system, any technique capable of absorbing another person's energy and using it for oneself can essentially be classified as an incredibly overpowered ability.
For Hagoromo, whose mind had been thoroughly poisoned by various tropes in his past life, the examples were simply too numerous to count.
Even without the latter half of using it for oneself, merely being able to absorb an opponent's power made it a highly practical ninja tool. That was exactly why he felt the Greatsword Samehada was an excellent item worth utilizing—even though he didn't yet know that Samehada didn't just absorb a ninja's chakra, but could also digest it and feed it back to its master.
A weapon capable of rendering an enemy ninja's jutsu completely ineffective mid-combat... thinking about the role it could play on the battlefield, Samehada could arguably be considered a combination of Pain's Preta Path, a miniature Tailed Beast, and Karin Uzumaki.
Yes, arguably.
Do you want to upgrade your abilities and combat strength? The Greatsword Samehada—you're worth it.
Hagoromo shot Fuguki Suikazan another glance. I really have to thank you for bringing this thing right to my doorstep.
Therefore, to facilitate his robbery, Hagoromo immediately busted out his strongest weapon—the super-vibrating sword capable of instantly snapping even a forty-meter blade.
This was a factual statement; after all, his only weapons besides kunai and shuriken were this sword, so how could it not be his strongest?
Referencing the rules of a certain set of Deathly Hallows, to truly claim ownership of a weapon, the successor must prove they are stronger than the original owner. Thus, by drawing the Iron Sand Sword, Hagoromo fully intended to stab Fuguki Suikazan to death...
This wasn't much different from his original plan, though before he took an interest in Samehada, he probably would have just killed Fuguki and tossed the sword into a ditch.
Now, he had just made a minor adjustment: changing discard or ignore to claim as my own.
The only slight issue was that Samehada appeared to be alive and seemingly possessed self-awareness. What if this was a sword with strong moral integrity? What if it chose death before dishonor, leaving Hagoromo with only its body but not its heart?
That was simple. Hagoromo held a deep respect for all people and people with integrity; he would just stab the fish-sword to death alongside its master.
In other words: If I can't play with the toy, no one gets to play with it. What a scary mindset. No wonder this freak suggested to blow up Roran.
"This sword of yours... it looks incredibly dangerous. So you possess a powerful weapon as well."
Fuguki retracted Samehada. Seeing Hagoromo's new stance, he didn't attack rashly; instead, his eyes remained locked on the Iron Sand Sword in Hagoromo's hand.
Although the naked eye couldn't see the iron sand vibrating at a high frequency, the continuous, low buzzing sound entering his ears not only made him feel irritable but also triggered his instinct warning him of the danger it contained.
Furthermore, judging from Hagoromo's drawing motion, Fuguki deduced that this weapon was so powerful it had to be kept sealed within the gourd on the enemy's back.
And true to his guess, after Hagoromo drew the sword, the "sealing gourd" behind him seemed to lose its power, unable to maintain its shape any longer.
The gourd began to peel away from the outside like grit, pouring continuously onto the ground like fine sand trickling through an hourglass.
"Dangerous? It is indeed very dangerous. This sword is a divine artifact personally blessed by the First Hokage of Konoha, the god among shinobi, Hashirama Senju. It is known as the Sword of the End..."
Fuguki Suikazan: "..."
Even Hagoromo himself paused. Okay, that last part was a bit too ridiculous. He quickly corrected himself, "Ahem, but rather than calling this a sword, it's more accurate to call it a 'jutsu'."
Raiden Mei, after all, is fundamentally just a very powerful Lightning Style.
Hagoromo considerately decided not to tell the full truth... The First Hokage had never blessed his Iron Sand Sword, and it absolutely shouldn't be classified as a ninjutsu under any circumstances.
"A jutsu?"
Fuguki didn't care about the First Hokage nonsense—that was obviously just a bluff to scare people. But he clearly didn't understand what Hagoromo meant by calling the sword a jutsu.
If it really was a jutsu, what kind of jutsu was it?
However, Hagoromo had no obligation to waste any more breath explaining things to the enemy. With a flick of his right arm, he began charging toward Fuguki, moving to his own unique, rhythmic tempo.
It was his turn to attack!
Although his goal was acquisition, during the process, killing the enemy took absolute priority. Hagoromo wouldn't mix up his priorities.
Therefore, he didn't care whether he damaged Samehada during the clash. His strikes were as ruthless as ever. After all, Samehada currently belonged to the enemy and was a tool capable of dealing lethal damage to him.
Logically speaking, the question of can I get Samehada? had to be considered before the question of "how can I use Samehada in the future?", and the question of "can I kill Fuguki Suikazan?" had to be considered before "can I get Samehada?".
Realizing the extreme danger of the unknown ninja tool in Hagoromo's hand, Fuguki naturally wouldn't let the thing touch him. So, facing Hagoromo's horizontal slash, he raised his sword to block without a second thought.
When dealing with cold weapons and the vast majority of ninjutsu attacks, Fuguki's defensive method had almost always been foolproof in the past, including his recent defense against Hagoromo's Shuriken Shadow Clones.
Unfortunately, this was an exceptional situation because he was facing an opponent who didn't play by the rules. And when using "common sense" to judge something that looks like common sense but actually operates entirely outside of it, the failure rate is over 80%.
This time, Fuguki had clearly overestimated Samehada's defensive capabilities. Despite his constant vigilance regarding the Iron Sand Sword's threat level, he never imagined that Samehada could actually be cut.
Zzzzzzt!
Even though it was a clash of weapons, the sound produced was actually high-pitched, sharp, and bizarre. It sounded absolutely nothing like the crisp ringing of steel that it should have been.
The reason was simple: Hagoromo's attack wasn't a chop at all, nor was it a shaving motion like Samehada's. It was the purest form of sawing.
The instant they clashed, Fuguki realized something was terribly wrong. The initial impact transmitted through Samehada into his palms wasn't nearly as heavy as he had imagined; in fact, it felt strangely light.
A trick?
Sure enough, although the initial force upon contact was weak, the opponent's power clearly wasn't delivered all at once; it was gradually, continuously intensifying.
Hagoromo didn't retract his sword, nor did he switch his stance after the initial strike. He simply used his wrist strength to press the Iron Sand Sword tightly against Samehada.
Dense, fine sparks sprayed wildly as the increasingly ear-piercing zzzzzt sound echoed continuously without a moment's pause.
High-speed friction iron sand could cut through materials of almost any hardness, and the intense heat generated by the friction was enough to instantly vaporize any trace of moisture it contained.
Clang...
In just that incredibly brief moment of contact, one of the spikes had already been sawed clean off and dropped to the ground.
The cut left by the Iron Sand Sword was neat and smooth. Even though it was friction-based cutting, the density and hyper-focused line of the attack made the resulting cut look no different from a clean slice from a blade.
But Hagoromo had no intention of stopping there. The Iron Sand Sword continued sawing downward, looking very much like it intended to slice Samehada completely in two.
At this moment, beneath the humming of the Iron Sand Sword and the screeching of the friction, a new sound joined the chorus: Samehada's shrill, agonized scream.
From a biological standpoint, even if Samehada's outermost layer possessed a metallic texture, its interior was still ordinary flesh connected to pain receptors. So being sawed like this naturally hurt.
From a fantasy standpoint, the reason this famous sword was famous was because it housed a spirit. So being sawed like this naturally hurt.
It hurt, so it screamed.
Hagoromo remained completely unmoved, feeling even more certain that this thing was indeed alive. Listening to its cries... it sounded as miserable as a giant salamander undergoing a forced abortion.
If you were to ask a true Sadist how to tame a wild beast, the answer would be simple and standard: beat it half to death upon capture, then beat it half to death every three days after bringing it home, while torturing it in various creative ways in between. Within a few days, even a grizzly bear would turn into an obedient husky.
Humans are terrifying enough on their own, but the thoughts inside some humans' heads are even more terrifying.
This time, Fuguki Suikazan was genuinely horrified. He had never seen anything try to slice Samehada cleanly in half before!
In an instant, the chakra contained within his own body, as well as within Samehada, erupted violently. A visible shockwave of chakra blasted outward with Samehada at the epicenter, instantly blowing Hagoromo—who was busy cutting meat—away.
Flipping backward and landing smoothly, Hagoromo was uninjured, but the distance between him and the enemy had been re-established.
However, witnessing this burst made Hagoromo realize something: Samehada didn't just absorb chakra; it could also release the chakra it had absorbed.
It was a two-way street, not just a bottomless pit. This meant Samehada's practical utility had just doubled.
Having just unleashed a burst, Fuguki didn't rush to attack. He first checked the deep gash on Samehada. Fortunately, his counterattack had been timely, preventing any severe, irreparable damage.
"Since this sword is alive, can it regenerate its wounds and surface?" Hagoromo asked, feigning curiosity.
"It can, as long as it absorbs enough chakra. But unfortunately, you won't live to see it, because you are the perfect bait right here."
Hearing this, Hagoromo actually breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that he had cut too deep and the enemy might just turn around and run.
After all, this was still the Land of Water; Hagoromo couldn't pursue him too deeply.
But... it recovers by absorbing chakra, huh?
Thinking of this, lightning sparked to life around Hagoromo once again. However, this was different from the Chidori Current from before; the electrical arcs were a stark blue-white, much wilder and more externally chaotic.
"I already told you, ninjutsu like that has no effect."
The enemy holding such a weapon was dangerous enough. He had to avoid direct contact between Samehada and the enemy's weapon as much as possible. If the enemy added the speed of Lightning Style on top of that, it would put Fuguki at a massive disadvantage.
Furthermore, that kind of dense chakra was obviously highly beneficial for Samehada's recovery.
So he had to absorb that chakra!
The moment the lightning flared around Hagoromo, Fuguki charged forward and swung Samehada. He didn't aim to hit Hagoromo; he only aimed to shave off the Lightning Style enveloping his body.
As he desired, Hagoromo's "Lightning Style" vanished once again.
Hagoromo then rapidly retreated a few steps, instantly casting his "Lightning Style" again.
Fuguki suddenly felt a wave of irritation. The opponent's instant-cast Lightning Style was practically cheating. He was forced to rapidly pursue forward, completely failing to notice that Samehada's condition was slightly abnormal at that moment.
Unexpectedly, after retreating a few steps, Hagoromo actually stopped.
Fuguki revealed a twisted, cruel smile. At this distance, the enemy has miscalculated.
A sound piercing the air, loud enough to drown out the Iron Sand Sword's hum, rang out as Samehada slammed down directly toward Hagoromo's head. If it hit, Hagoromo's head would pop like a rotten tomato.
Hagoromo still didn't retreat. He simply tilted his head slightly. Samehada stopped perfectly right next to his right cheek, hovering just above his right shoulder.
He hadn't taken even a scratch, and the lightning around his body was still crackling fiercely.
"Just as I guessed..."
Earlier, Hagoromo had hypothesized that Samehada could probably only absorb chakra. However, the energy currently sparking around his body was purely raw electrical current. It had absolutely zero relation to chakra.
Therefore, not only could Samehada not absorb it, it was actively getting electrocuted.
As for the first time the electricity went out, it wasn't because Samehada absorbed it; Hagoromo had actively canceled it himself.
The purpose was to lure Fuguki Suikazan forward, step by step, until he walked right into the area where Hagoromo's gourd had leaked earlier.
There was a pile of iron sand lying there. It was a trap.
And now, that iron sand had morphed into chains, shackles, blades, and spikes. Crackling with lightning, these constructs acted like divine artifacts. Not only did they instantly pin the enemy's body in place, but several strikes had already pierced directly into his vital organs.
Let alone Fuguki Suikazan, even the Third Raikage was ultimately just flesh and blood.
"You..."
Blood gushed from the enemy's chest, abdomen, and throat.
"There is nothing easier to deal with than prey that willingly walks into a trap... Is the word 'you' really going to be your last words?"
Hagoromo said to Fuguki. It was a simple truth: an unexpected attack is always the most effective.
The enemy's aura weakened, then faded into nothingness... Although he could have used the iron sand on the ground to instantly dice the enemy into minced meat, unless absolutely necessary, Hagoromo didn't want to make things that bloody.
Besides, this member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was already bloody enough.
No, he should be called a former member.
Realizing its master was dead, Samehada became agitated. It actually slipped out of Fuguki's dying grasp amidst the crackling lightning, fell to the ground, and squirmed to rest at the dead man's feet.
Hagoromo walked toward the corpse. As he moved, the iron sand flowed like anti-gravity water, streaming back toward the gourd on his back and adhering to it.
Electricity coiled around the sand, converting electrical energy into intense heat. With a sizzling sound and a burst of steam, the blood mixed into the iron sand was instantly flash-boiled away before it retracted.
Losing the support of the iron spikes, Fuguki Suikazan's corpse slumped heavily to the ground.
Hagoromo bent down and gripped Samehada's hilt firmly, continuously channeling raw electrical current into it.
The paralytic effect of the electricity caused the creature to stiffen completely. While maintaining the voltage, Hagoromo adopted the solemn, lecturing tone of a neighborhood cop trying to convince a "special service worker" to turn over a new leaf, delivering a universally profound truth:
"Those vows of eternal love were just youthful ignorance. Forget those romantic flings of the past..."
"Come on, Brother Kamishiro will take you through the jungle to see the faraway lands..."
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