Chapter 63: White Fang and the Kusanagi Sword
Chapter 63: White Fang and the Kusanagi Sword
"Don't look at me like that, Orochimaru... It's unnerving."
Feng Ye shrugged helplessly under Orochimaru's intense gaze. "Don't tell me you're considering me as your next test subject, Sensei."
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly as he chuckled. "How could I? You are my most prized disciple. However, I must admit I am intrigued by your bloodline limit, but unfortunately, I do not have the time for an in-depth study at the moment."
Feng Ye pondered for a moment before replying, "After the war, I'll cooperate with you on your research."
All he needed to do was stall by dragging out the war, and by the time it truly ended, his strength would likely surpass that of a Kage. With sufficient power, he wouldn't need to worry about how to respond.
If there were no issues, he wouldn't mind helping Orochimaru with his life-extension research. After all, Orochimaru had treated him well, and he had learned cell activation and the nature transformation of lightning-style chakra from him.
Speaking of which...
The two time-related abilities he had so far only worked on himself, and this had been a constant area of exploration for Feng Ye.
The time rewind ability, in particular, had a peculiar trait due to it being locked onto himself. To put it simply, if he cut his hand and flung the blood onto a wall, then used time rewind on the wound, the blood on the wall would vanish into thin air.
This ability ignored spatial distance.
Feng Ye had tested it by plucking a strand of hair and placing it at a great distance. Even then, after using time rewind, the hair would reappear on his head!
Possessing such an ability meant that as long as he didn't want to, no one could take anything from him.
The only regret was that while time rewind could retrieve a drop of blood that had fallen far away, it couldn't make his main body disappear and reappear where the blood was, thus it couldn't be used for spatial movement.
Wherever his main body that carried his soul was located, that was where his body would return to its previous state after using time rewind—a trait similar to Impure World Reincarnation.
As for the idea of splitting his soul or body to test the effects of time rewind... Feng Ye had no intention of experimenting with such risky thoughts.
If he wanted to move through space, he could just master the Flying Thunder God technique and be done with it.
Even if the Flying Thunder God technique was too difficult and he lacked the talent to master it, there were other options. The Sharingan and Rinnegan with spatial abilities weren't the only ones in existence; he could always rely on his strength to take them by force and use them instead.
"I am honored."
Hearing Feng Ye's response, Orochimaru revealed a slight smile.
Even with the abilities Feng Ye currently possessed, Orochimaru knew it would be a tricky situation, and he would rather not resort to forceful methods unless absolutely necessary.
It was a fortunate turn of events that Feng Ye was his disciple; otherwise, accessing the power of time would have been an incredibly difficult task.
The war, however, was an unknown variable. Orochimaru knew that he wouldn't be able to dedicate himself to his research until the war was over.
Just then, a ninja approached and reported to Orochimaru, "Orochimaru-sama, the battlefield has been cleared. We have killed a total of seventy-seven Iwagakure ninjas, including thirteen jonin..."
"I understand."
Orochimaru nodded and slowly said, "The Iwagakure advance team has suffered heavy losses, and their plans have been disrupted. Our next move is either to temporarily retreat or bring in the main army. First, report the situation on this battlefield back to the village."
"Yes!"
The ninja acknowledged and turned to leave. As he did, his gaze fell on Feng Ye, and he noticeably became a little uneasy, his eyes reflecting a newfound respect.
Feng Ye noticed the ninja's gaze but didn't pay it much mind. After the ninja left, he turned back to Orochimaru and asked, "Orochimaru-sensei, do you happen to have any spare Kusanagi swords?"
It was a bit embarrassing to admit, but White Fang was damaged.
It wasn't completely ruined, but a third of it had sustained damage.
The four-gate technique, combined with Chidori, was a bit too much for the ninja sword to handle when used at four times normal speed.
Each ninja sword had unique properties, and White Fang wasn't of the sturdy variety. Instead, it was made from a special material that was more adaptable to chakra flow, making it slightly less durable than ordinary steel when it came to hardness.
This was the reason why, in the original storyline, Kakashi ended up breaking it; it simply wasn't very resilient.
In terms of raw attack power, Feng Ye's full-strength strike was probably still inferior to Sakumo Hatake's when he wielded White Fang. However, the difference in their attack methods was just too vast.
Sakumo Hatake utilized the second stage of the Hatake Blade Technique, manipulating pure chakra to shape-shift and even 'solidify' it, which not only prevented burdening the ninja sword but also made White Fang tougher and harder to destroy.
Feng Ye, on the other hand, employed the first stage of the Hatake Blade Technique in conjunction with Lightning Release: Chidori, relying on speed to forcefully create the effects of the second stage.
He hadn't noticed anything amiss during the battle, but after defeating Akahachi, he finally spotted a fine crack along White Fang's blade.
It would likely shatter completely if subjected to another such fight.
Unless, of course, he could master the second stage of the Hatake Blade Technique and achieve a higher level of chakra control before then, but that wasn't something easily accomplished.
Moreover, it would likely be extremely difficult to use the second stage of the Hatake Blade Technique while in the state of the Eight Inner Gates.
When it came to resilience, only a divine artifact like the Kusanagi sword could withstand his ferocious strength. Although the Kusanagi sword wasn't a short blade and thus didn't perfectly match the requirements of the Hatake Blade Technique, it seemed to possess the ability to transform, allowing it to freely lengthen or shorten.
Even if it couldn't shorten, he could always modify the Hatake Blade Technique; after all, he certainly didn't lack cultivation time now.
"..."
Upon hearing Feng Ye's question, Orochimaru pondered briefly before replying, "I don't have any spare Kusanagi swords on hand, but I know where one is located."
Feng Ye remained silent, waiting for Orochimaru to continue. Soon enough, Orochimaru produced a scroll and handed it to him.
"This scroll contains the approximate coordinates," Orochimaru explained. "The ninjas in that village are of average skill, and with your current abilities, you should be able to handle them with ease."
This was information he had obtained earlier, and he had intended to retrieve the sword himself. However, the sudden outbreak of war had forced him to the front lines, temporarily putting those plans on hold.
Feng Ye accepted the scroll.
He was actually quite tempted to tease Orochimaru about the multitude of scrolls he seemed to carry around, wondering how he kept them all straight and if he had some sort of garbage classification system in place.
Nevertheless, Feng Ye kept his thoughts to himself. After taking the scroll, he nodded to Orochimaru in gratitude. "Thank you, Sensei."
"Hehehe, you're welcome," Orochimaru replied with a slight chuckle.
(End of Chapter)
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