nucmednet Chapter 520 Sheathing the Sword
Chapter 520 Sheathing the Sword
Zhang Hai, meanwhile, slowly sheathed his sword in this darkness that belonged to him.
He closed his eyes, recalling in his mind Sakumo Hatake's astonishingly brilliant sword strike.
That strike transcended speed and space.
That strike represented the ultimate secret of the Hatake-ryu swordsmanship. ...When he opened his eyes again, deep within his dark pupils, two scarlet magatama were slowly rotating.
In this desolate, dark realm, a clear, resonant sword cry, like the first ray of light after the creation of the world, suddenly rang out.
Zhang Hai's right hand, gripping the hilt of the knife, transformed into an afterimage indistinguishable to the naked eye.
In an instant, a silver blade of light, condensed to its extreme, flashed across the void like a shooting star piercing the night sky.
Wherever the blade flashed, the surrounding air currents, light, and even the breath of life seemed to be instantly sucked away, leaving only an absolute vacuum filled with death and desolation.
He could feel a faint, metallic sensation on the back of his neck, as if it were being brushed by a cold wire.
The two Sand Ninja Jonin, gripped by panic, instinctively unleashed their strongest defensive ninjutsu upon sensing the soul-chilling killing intent.
Thick walls of sand and shields of solid rock rose simultaneously, attempting to build an impregnable fortress.
But, it's useless.
The silver blade of light ignored all physical defenses, passing through their bodies as easily as if piercing through a thin sheet of paper.
The two Jonin froze, their expressions forever frozen in shock and disbelief.
Then, their bodies, like rag dolls with their bones removed, slumped down softly and fell silent.
Thus, the advance force of forty men from Sunagakure was completely wiped out.
The moment the battle ended, the darkness that had enveloped everything receded like a tide.
The moonlight shone down again, illuminating Zhang Hai's pale, paper-white face.
The White Fang Blade in his hand fell to the ground with a clang, and he collapsed heavily to the ground.
An excruciating pain shot through every cell of his body, as if countless steel needles were repeatedly piercing his bone marrow.
He knew this was a reaction of his body being severely overloaded; that last cut had far exceeded the limits his body could currently withstand.
He could almost smell a very faint, pungent odor in the air, a mixture of sulfur and burnt feathers.
Despite the immense physical pain, Zhang Hai felt an unprecedented surge of joy.
He succeeded; he unleashed that ultimate strike.
This strike, though still immature and imperfect, signifies that his swordsmanship has begun to break free from the shadow of Hatake Sakumo and is developing along a completely new path that belongs to him alone.
A silver figure appeared silently before him.
Hatake Sakumo crouched down, checked his injuries, and after confirming that he was not in mortal danger, he carried him on his back and headed towards Konoha.
His steps remained steady, but deep in his eyes, there was a hint of complexity that even he himself was unaware of.
He originally planned to help Zhang Hai when he was facing two Jonin alone, but he did not expect that the dark illusion technique that Zhang Hai used was so powerful and strange that even he could not easily see through it.
That pure dark power startled him for the first time, and for the first time, he truly understood the Third Hokage's worries.
"Teacher...how was my cut?" Zhang Hai asked weakly, leaning on Hatake Sakumo's broad back.
Sakumo Hatake paused for a moment, seemingly considering his words; this action lasted for about half a second.
"It was stunning, but also forced," he commented honestly. "If I hadn't been behind you, after using that move, you would be like this now, completely at someone's mercy. Only a fool would entrust their life to someone else, so you must learn to bear the consequences yourself, because the strong don't need companions." "It was precisely because I knew you were behind me, teacher," Zhang Hai's lips curled into a weak smile, "that I dared to so recklessly... wield that blade."
Sakumo Hatake paused slightly, then said nothing more.
He could feel a faint, fresh, grassy taste spreading in his mouth.
"Does that move have a name?" He changed the subject. Zhang Hai was taken aback; he hadn't actually thought about that.
"Let's call it 'Sword Drawing Technique'," Hatake Sakumo said casually, as if he were merely stating a trivial matter.
Zhang Hai lay on his back, feeling the steady and powerful heartbeat, his eyelids growing heavier and heavier.
Before he completely lost consciousness, he seemed to see, in the distant direction of Konoha Village, a pair of golden, vertical pupils, like those of a venomous snake, piercing through the endless night, watching this place with great interest.
When Zhang Hai lost consciousness again, he felt as if he had fallen into a warm yet dark deep sea, all the pain and exhaustion leaving him behind, leaving only boundless tranquility.
He could feel a slight, damp sensation on the back of his neck, as if it were being touched by cold raindrops.
He didn't know how long he had been unconscious; all he knew was that when he regained some consciousness, he was no longer in that cold forest.
Carrying the unconscious Zhang Hai on his back, Hatake Sakumo sped across the rooftops of Konoha at an incredible speed, like a silver lightning bolt in the night.
He didn't go home, but went straight to Konoha Hospital in the center of the village.
When he appeared in the hospital lobby carrying Zhang Hai, who was covered in blood and unconscious, it immediately caused a great commotion.
The medical ninjas on duty were all surprised to see him.
In their minds, the legendary "White Fang of Konoha" had almost never suffered an injury that required hospital treatment.
"Where is Lady Tsunade?" Ignoring the probing gazes around him, Sakumo Hatake asked directly, his voice carrying an undeniable air of authority.
A medical ninja who looked like a head nurse quickly stepped forward and respectfully replied, "Lady Tsunade is currently in seclusion in her private chamber, researching a new medical ninjutsu. She has instructed that no one... is allowed to disturb her." "Take me there," Hatake Sakumo's tone left no room for argument.
The head nurse wanted to say something, but when she met Hatake Sakumo's cold gaze, she swallowed all her words and could only obediently lead the way.
The door to the secret room was pushed open, and a strong smell of herbs and disinfectant wafted out.