Chapter 46: Hokage Swordsmanship vs. Pirate Swordsmanship [Third Update]

[Additional chapter for xm’s 2000-point reward!]

“Hey. Sword slashes, is it? It seems I have some of those as well.”

He focused his mind on the system and exchanged for every sword technique available from the world of the ninja. The Crescent Moon Dance of Hayate Gekkō, Secret Sword: Moon Shadow, Mifune’s Iaido Slash, and One Flash—all were redeemed at once, costing him more than twenty thousand Justice Points in total.

Fortunately, he had taken down quite a few pirates with bounties over a hundred million today; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to afford it.

The system poured all the sword techniques and experience directly into him. From that moment on, he possessed the full swordsmanship and experience of two master swordsmen—every move, every insight, all perfectly mastered.

This was the power of his heaven-defying system: upon exchange, every technique attained consummate perfection.

From beginning to end, the process took but an instant. Alfred emerged slowly from the flaming passage, and for a fleeting moment, he seemed to glimpse the shadow of a true swordmaster emanating from Shu Mingyuan.

He gripped his own sword tightly, but quickly banished this absurd notion. The realm of the swordmaster was a height pursued over a lifetime, requiring relentless training from youth and a supreme devotion to the sword. How could someone master swordsmanship after barely exchanging blows for such a short time?

The sensation of suddenly grasping countless insights into swordplay was truly exhilarating.

In the original ninja world, sword techniques were overshadowed by the prominence of ninjutsu. Only the Land of Iron still preserved the tradition of the samurai, but that did not mean their swordsmanship was weak.

Mifune, who had devoted his entire life to the sword, was praised by Hanzo of the Salamander as being faster than hand seals. Without sufficient strength, most so-called ninjas could be cut down by Mifune in an instant.

Therefore, Shu Mingyuan was confident that sword techniques from the ninja world were in no way inferior to those in the world of pirates. Moreover, in a world where one could rise to the very summit by the sword, he had every reason to believe that these techniques would shine brilliantly.

A sword style combining both Haki and chakra attributes could never be weak!

“Shave!”

Shu Mingyuan vanished in a flash, swiftly closing in on the prison. Mimicking Alfred, he wrenched off an iron bar, its tip sharp and improvised into a sword.

“Hey, brat, what do you want with a sword? Do you think holding a blade makes you a swordmaster?”

Alfred sneered, slashing forward with his arm! A sword aura three meters long tore through space, bearing down fiercely on Shu Mingyuan!

Shu Mingyuan closed his eyes, savoring the sword techniques blossoming in his mind. Suddenly, a vast sword intent surged from within him, radiating outward. It was a sword intent utterly distinct from anything in the world of pirates.

A pale blue layer of chakra slowly enveloped the sword in his hand. With a single swing, a similarly fierce, azure sword aura shot from the tip, colliding head-on with Alfred’s slash in an instant.

Blue and green sword energies tangled in midair, their fierce currents shattering the ice below, cracks spreading like a spider’s web in all directions. For dozens of seconds the sword auras wrestled, then both dissipated into nothingness.

“What!”

Alfred’s face filled with shock. Shu Mingyuan was able to unleash a slash just like he had. What kind of monster was this boy? Anyone who exchanged blows with him would find their techniques stolen in moments!

Alfred’s expression grew uglier by the second. He simply could not comprehend this abnormal phenomenon—a complete novice wielding a sword could suddenly unleash a blade aura no weaker than his own.

“This is impossible!” Alfred blurted out.

“Nothing is impossible,” Shu Mingming replied coolly.

“Hmph, it’s just a single slash. I don’t believe you truly possess the skills of a swordmaster!” Alfred snorted.

“One-sword Style: Iaido!”

“Way of the Samurai: Iaido Slash!”

Their stances differed slightly, yet at their core were the same. Blue and green sword energies once again clashed in the air.

Mifune was renowned as a master of the Iaido Slash, able to suppress Hanzo the Salamander—who was once powerful enough to battle the three legendary ninja of the Leaf and emerge victorious.

For Mifune to hold Hanzo at bay spoke volumes about the strength of his swordsmanship.

Now, with Mifune’s mastery at his command, Shu Mingyuan’s skill was more than sufficient to approach the level of a true swordmaster!

Again, the crossing sword auras vanished into the storm. Alfred’s face grew darker still. The boy’s strangeness was now wholly beyond his understanding. How could a human possess such an ability?

Yet from these two exchanges, he had noticed a difference. Shu Mingyuan’s swordsmanship was formidable, but still fundamentally different from his own. His own blade was hardened with Armament Haki, but what was that pale blue energy shrouding the boy’s sword?

He was certain—it was not Haki!

“Brat, let’s see if your swordsmanship is real or just an illusion. I refuse to believe someone so young could be a swordmaster!”

Alfred grinned menacingly, suddenly darting forward. His sword technique conjured a flurry of slashing shadows, enveloping all of Shu Mingyuan’s vital points.

“Konoha Style Sword Technique: Crescent Moon Dance!”

Shu Mingyuan formed a single-handed seal, passing it over his sword. In a flash, he split into three identical figures, each wielding a blade with identical presence.

The three surged forward together, their footwork forming a semicircular arc, launching attacks from three directions at once. Their steps were graceful, and as the three crescent arcs merged, they resembled a radiant blue sun.

This was the iaido sword technique fused with ninjutsu from the ninja world—versatile and ever-changing, far beyond the simple slashes of the pirates’ world!

In an instant, dozens—hundreds—of sword strikes were unleashed. Alfred’s fierce attacks were blocked at every turn, and sword auras occasionally retaliated, forcing him back!

A thin wound appeared on Alfred’s shoulder. Had he not dodged in time, that strike would have sliced his neck.

The longer he fought, the more frightened he became. This was no novice as he had supposed, but rather a master who had spent countless years immersed in the art of the blade—a true swordmaster in every sense!

“Alfred, it’s over. Your slashes may be fierce, but they are no match for my swordsmanship.”

Shu Mingyuan’s tone was calm. Even he hadn’t expected how powerful the techniques of the ninja world, so overlooked in their original setting, could become in his hands!

A sword in his grasp could be combined with various chakra natures, doubling its might!

“Ninja Sword Technique: Lightning Flash!”

Suddenly, dazzling lightning burst from Shu Mingyuan’s blade. His figure blurred and then vanished.

Alfred could still track his movement, but now a fiercer lightning flash enveloped everything.

In that moment, it seemed the only thing left in the world was a streak of lightning, flashing by at blinding speed.

Alfred’s body abruptly froze—then a line of blood spurted from his neck.

Swordmaster Alfred—dead.

ps: [This third chapter was written on a plane. Anyone who’s flown before knows you have to turn off your phone! So this chapter was especially hard to write! Dear readers, since I’m working so hard, won’t you consider rewarding me? There are too many people hesitating over whether to cast a recommendation vote, so I won’t list them all. Thank you, everyone. Please bookmark, recommend, and reward!]