That day, Aozora arrived at the private room upstairs in Fukayama's Weapon Shop.
Fukayama glanced at the energetic young man before him and nodded inwardly. It seemed Aozora hadn't been discouraged by the injury to his right eye.
Fukayama smiled, "Congratulations! You've become a Tokubetsu Jōnin at such a young age!"
Hearing this, Aozora shook his head and said, "It's nothing really. Kakashi became a Jōnin when he was only twelve years old."
"Hahaha!" Fukayama laughed. "I doubt anyone will ever break Kakashi's record again. There were multiple reasons behind his early promotion to Jōnin. Unlike yours, your achievements are truly earned through real merit."
Aozora didn't mind. His abilities and accomplishments indeed deserved it, but he suspected there were other undisclosed reasons behind his promotion to Tokubetsu Jonin.
Brushing the matter aside, Aozora took out a scroll from his robe and released its seal.
Puff!
With a puff of white smoke, a large sword as big as a door panel appeared in Aozora's hand—the Cleaver Sword.
"The Cleaver Sword?!"
Fukayama's eyes lit up. As a master craftsman, he was intimately familiar with all the famous divine weapons throughout the Ninja World.
Aozora nodded. "Yes, I captured it from Biwa Juzo. Please, Sensei Fukayama, help me forge and craft a weapon from it."
"Aozora, you really intend to destroy such a treasure by melting down the Cleaver Sword?"
While asking the question, Fukayama had already grabbed the Cleaver Sword and started tapping on it, excitedly thinking about how he could melt and refashion it.
"Exactly! I don't even use big swords. What would I need this for in its current form?"
Aozora affirmed confidently, then curiously asked, "Uncle Fukayama, I've always been wondering—this Cleaver Sword isn't sharp or durable, so why is it considered one of Mist's famed blades?"
After hearing Aozora's confirmation, Fukayama happily nodded, then answered, "The main reason the Cleaver Sword is considered one of Mist's Seven Legendary Katanas is its blood absorption ability."
"Blood absorption?" Aozora showed surprise.
Fukayama nodded and explained, "The core chakra metal of the Cleaver Sword can absorb enemy blood, causing even greater damage to opponents. At the same time, the sword can utilize that blood—partially replenishing the wielder's stamina while also solidifying the iron content from the enemy's blood into solidified iron that can be reused by the blade.
Without the stamina boost from the Cleaver Sword, even the most gifted ninja wouldn't last long swinging such a heavy blade across the battlefield."
Nodding in understanding, Aozora realized that indeed, the Cleaver Sword was quite a decent ninja weapon.
While the increased damage from blood absorption might be secondary, the ability to restore stamina was practically miraculous for ordinary ninja. He just wondered if there were any side effects.
After putting down the Cleaver Sword, Fukayama turned to Aozora and asked, "So tell me, what kind of ninja tool do you want to forge this time?"
Looking at the massive Cleaver Sword the size of a door panel, Aozora replied, "I want to create four double-edged swords."
In the Ninja World, blades and swords are practically interchangeable terms. What Aozora wanted to make were flying swords, and double-edged blades better matched the style of a flying sword.
His plan for these flying swords had two purposes—he wanted to control them remotely and also use them in close combat.
Although his stamina was exceptional, battles were unpredictable and there would always come a moment when his strength waned. At that point, a flying sword with the Blood Absorption ability—converting blood into stamina—might produce surprising results.
Fukayama shook his head and said, "I can't do this!"
"What's wrong with you now?"
Aozora looked rather speechless. It had been the same last time too—whenever he made a request, Fukayama immediately said it couldn't be done.
Fukayama stared at Aozora as if he were an idiot and said, "Do you really think the entire Executioner's Blade is made of chakra-conductive metal?"
"Hmm?" Aozora showed his confusion.
Sighing, Fukayama explained, "Only the handle and a small portion near the tip are actually chakra-conductive metal. The rest of the blade is forged from hardened iron."
"Uh…"
Aozora felt a bit let down inside, but gave a quick nod of understanding.
The Executioner's Blade had cracked many times before. If the repaired front section were entirely made of chakra-conductive metal, that would mean it could produce large amounts of that material.
If such a capability truly existed, its strategic value would soar dramatically, making it impossible to simply serve as a weapon for any jonin.
Besides, if the entire blade were made of chakra-conductive metal, it wouldn't break so easily to begin with.
Aozora asked, "Then how much chakra-conductive metal do you think it contains? Enough to forge a few double-edged swords?"
Fukayama tapped on the Executioner's Blade and said, "For a standard samurai-sized double-edged sword, probably only enough for one."
"That little?" Aozora sounded disappointed.
Fukayama snorted. "Still don't believe me, do you? You can personally observe the entire forging process and see how much chakra-conductive metal is left after melting down such a massive blade."
Aozora waved his hands repeatedly and then said, "Fine, fine—one will do."
Then Aozora stated his requirements: "Maximize chakra conduction efficiency. The blade must be sharp, the body slender and narrow. The hilt doesn't need excessive decoration—just wrap some bandages around it. Oh, and make the design aesthetically pleasing..."
"Understood!" Fukayama nodded. "Come back in a week with 50,000 ryo to pick up your weapon."
As Aozora customized his second artifact, Anbu ninja carrying summoning orders signed personally by the Third Hokage began visiting all major ninja clans within the village.
Seeing the order summoning elite jonin into service, the clan heads wore faces drawn in worry and hesitation.
Even these long-established clans found elite jonin extremely scarce. And their current elite members had already been dispatched to the northeastern and northwestern military camps in the Land of Fire.
Nowadays, except for the Hyuga and Uchiha, other clans had practically been drained dry—like pulling a sleeve only to show an elbow.
While leaders from other families wore frowning faces, Kintai also hesitated with mixed feelings upon receiving the summons.
With Uchiha's deep resources, they certainly still had plenty of elite jonin.
But most of those elites served as captains or vice-captains across various Police Force units, each holding critical positions.
Sending them on the black market cleanup mission would be like asking generals to give up their commands and fight as frontline ninjas.
Who in their right mind would willingly accept such a task?
If duties were forcibly assigned anyway, it would only anger the senior ranks of the Police Force, pushing them closer to Fugaku's side.
Frowning, he recalled what the Anbu messenger had said—that as long as they were strong enough, even a Tokubetsu Jonin could qualify.
"A Tokubetsu Jonin?"
Thinking about who among the Clan qualified as a Tokubetsu Jonin and yet possessed the caliber of an Elite Jonin, Kintai already had someone in mind.
Soon, Kintai summoned Aozora and Junping to his office, announcing that the two would jointly represent the Uchiha Clan in this Black Market eradication mission.
Junping nodded in agreement, but Aozora hesitated.
For Aozora, the benefits of joining this Black Market cleanup were clear—starting with the large quantities of Golden Droplets he could collect.
If he didn't take part in this mission, once the Land of Fire was fully "cleansed" of the Black Market, he feared it might be a while before another such opportunity came along to acquire large amounts of Golden Droplets.
But getting promoted to Tokubetsu Jonin one minute and being handed a Summoning Order the next—it was hard for Aozora not to smell something fishy.
And heading out on missions would only slow down his progress in refining Chakra Control and put off his chance to start learning Sage Art techniques.
As Aozora weighed his options, Kintai cut in, "This is my decision—I'm not here for your input. Many of our elites have already been deployed to the border regions, and the capable ninja left are all in critical positions. Even a short absence would disrupt the Police Force's operations.
With the Hokage issuing this Summoning Order, the Uchiha cannot afford to tarnish our reputation. I know it's not ideal, but I'm afraid you two will have to bear the weight of this duty."
Aozora stayed silent, stunned that he'd actually find himself backed into a corner by a guilt trip—of all things.
Considering that if the Black Market was wiped out, Golden Droplets would definitely become harder to come by in the future, Aozora finally gave a nod.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>