In the middle of the training field, Leo stood alone, pondering what Hatake Sakumo had said—his attack style was too one-dimensional. To put it bluntly, he lacked a finishing move.
At present, all his offensive techniques relied purely on Armament Haki amplification and brute strength.
But as a ninja, how could he not have a powerful ninjutsu as his trump card?
Indeed, every elite jonin had at least one A-rank technique under their belt, and some even risked their lives to steal forbidden jutsu just to boost their own power.
Some of those forbidden jutsu were strong enough to obliterate an entire city in an instant—things like the Tailed Beast Bomb, Shinra Tensei, or Chibaku Tensei—all of them were on that level.
At that thought, Leo's mind settled. He was still young and had plenty of time to develop his own ultimate ninjutsu, and with the aid of a Devil Fruit, he didn't need to rush.
If he wanted to stand against those monsters, he had to master an ultimate technique that truly belonged to him.
"Bang!"
A sudden flash—right before his eyes, a golden treasure chest materialized out of thin air.
Leo's eyes lit up with surprise and delight. After all, he had just fought a Kage-level opponent; it would only be fair if some good loot dropped from that battle!
However, since he was still in the ANBU base, he refrained from opening it and instead stored it inside his system space.
"Didn't expect your strength to surpass my expectations like that,"
said the Tengu Ninja as he approached slowly. The surrounding ANBU members dispersed, returning to their respective duties.
"Captain, you were just holding back,"
Leo replied calmly—neither arrogant nor humble. After a few brief words, he took his leave.
Watching Leo's departing figure, the Tengu Ninja murmured to himself,
"A prodigy at such a young age, yet so humble… The clan described him as arrogant and reckless, but it seems some people have been deliberately twisting the truth."
He sighed softly and vanished into the darkness. Life in a great clan left one with little freedom—many things were simply out of his control.
After leaving the ANBU, Leo changed into casual clothes to conceal his identity before heading back to his modest home.
The moon hung bright and distant, and the village of Konoha lay silent under the night sky—peaceful and serene, perhaps the only pure land in this turbulent era.
When he entered his small house, he noticed that although he hadn't been home for over a week, not a speck of dust had settled on anything. His belongings were few, but everything was neatly arranged. Someone had clearly cleaned for him.
Who could it be?
He couldn't quite figure it out, and after a moment's thought, he let it go. He took a quick shower, then sat cross-legged on the bed.
With a silent command, the golden treasure chest appeared before him once more.
Heart pounding with anticipation, Leo opened the chest. A brilliant light burst forth, carrying a wave of heat and a sharp, cutting aura.
Inside lay an ancient black blade, resting quietly.
The sword was over three feet long, with a long, curved edge and no blood groove. The hamon along the blade glimmered like fiery waves—folded and forged steel. The hilt was unadorned, lacking even a single mekugi peg, ending instead in a carp-mouth-shaped pommel.
From the blade itself seeped faint tendrils of violet, demonic energy—mysterious and ominous.
"A sword?"
Leo gripped it. The handle was ice-cold to the touch, sending a jolt through his spirit. Instantly, a flood of information surged into his mind:
"Enma — Great Grade Sword No. 21. Forged by Shimotsuki Kōzaburō. Known as the blade that cleaves all the way to Hell.
Equal in fame to the divine sword Ame no Habakiri."
"It's actually that sword?"
Leo's eyes widened with excitement. This was the very same sword that would later belong to the green-haired swordsman Zoro—and even among all the legendary blades in the One Piece world, it ranked easily within the top ten.
It was the sword that had left scars on Kaido, the so-called strongest creature on land—its reputation rivaled even Dracule Mihawk's Leo, the Black Sword.
Enma also possessed a terrifying ability—it could draw out its wielder's Haki without consent, converting it directly into slashing power.
In the original tale, when Zoro first tested Enma, he merely swung casually at a tree… only for half a mountainside to be cleaved clean through!
"Hmm?"
Leo felt something strange in his arm. Looking down, he saw that his right arm had already turned pitch black with Armament Haki—his energy was being drained into the sword!
The violet aura thickened, the flame-like hamon along the blade shifting and twisting until it transformed into black ghost-fire.
"So you are a wicked one."
"But it's I who controls you, not the other way around!"
He unleashed his Conqueror's Haki. From the center of his brow surged an invisible pressure that slammed down upon Enma. The entire hut trembled under the overwhelming force.
His Conqueror's Haki might not yet rival the kings of the pirate world, but in essence—it was still a King's Haki!
When a king's will awakens, all must bow.
Sure enough, Enma's blade quivered, halting its greedy draw of Haki and even returning what it had taken.
"Acknowledge me as your master and you'll lose nothing. Defy me… and I'll destroy you."
The blade trembled twice—as if responding—and the sinister violet aura faded away. The sword now looked perfectly ordinary, its demonic presence completely subdued.
Leo exhaled softly.
Taming this sword meant he'd gained another powerful trump card.
He placed Enma at his side and opened his Status Panel:
Host: Leo
Abilities:
Conqueror's Haki Lv 2
Observation Haki Lv 2
Armament Haki Lv 3
"Tornado Secret Art" Lv 2
"Soru" Lv 2
"Geppo" Lv 2
Next level requires 10,000 EXP
Devil Fruit: Mera Mera no Mi (Lv 3) — Next level requires 10,000 EXP
Weapon: Great Grade Sword — Enma
Experience: 8,300 / 10,000
Satisfied with what he saw, Leo nodded. His battle with Hatake Sakumo had earned him over a thousand experience points.
"First, let's upgrade the Three Colors of Haki."
Without hesitation, he raised all three Haki to Lv 3.
Then, he leveled up "Soru," "Geppo," and "Tornado Secret Art" to Lv 3 as well.
In one go, he consumed five thousand experience points, bringing all his core techniques to equal strength.
After upgrading, Leo closed his eyes and began to feel the changes in his Haki—especially his Observation Haki, which had grown notably sharper.
As he meditated, the perception field of his Observation Haki expanded outward. He could now sense things far beyond his physical line of sight—birds, insects, even the faintest life forms.
It was an incredible sensation, as though the entire world lay open before him.
Observation Haki was said to "hear the voices of all things." Now, as its level rose, it began merging naturally with the world itself.
Leo's mind grew still.
Within that serene state, he perceived things invisible to the naked eye—wind, fire, water… countless natural forces, each manifesting in unique patterns within his awareness.
Ordinary ninjas couldn't sense such phenomena. Yet now, Leo realized—
He could communicate with nature itself.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/HorizonStudios0