As midnight approached, the stars illuminated the grayish-blue sky, and the snow-covered land sparkled with a vast expanse of white light.
A caravan stretched out like a long dragon, winding its way from the other side of the mountain, leaving behind a meandering trail of snow. In the silent world, the axles crushed the snowflakes, leaving a crisp, continuous "crunching" sound.
Shin'yu, who was cultivating in the carriage, suddenly opened his eyes.
Three thousand meters ahead, at the bend of the cliff, at least thirty people were silently lying in ambush.
They held various weapons, some hiding behind the stone walls, others lurking in the snow, their auras restrained and watchful. Each person's Chakra intensity was not weak.
All of this did not escape Shin'yu's radar-like perception.
When it came to perception, he could be said to be the best in the entire Shinobi World.
Soul detection, high-frequency Chakra waves, plus super vision with automatic ranging, everything within a ten-kilometer radius was clearly visible, and even the gender of a mosquito could be distinguished.
"What kind of drama is this..." Shin'yu scratched his chin, "Should I quietly take care of these guys?"
He was caught in a dilemma.
On the one hand, he didn't want to be delayed by these boring guys, but on second thought, this was a good opportunity to observe a Samurai duel.
Madara had explained that the principle of the Land of Iron's swordsmanship was to apply Chakra to the blade in the form of shape transformation, releasing a substantial slash that was fast, wide-ranging, and highly damaging. Those with high cultivation could even split the earth with a single strike.
Shin'yu was quite interested in this and had always yearned for it. After all, who doesn't have a swordsman's dream?
Sword Qi taking shape, invincible, a casual sword strike, breaking through thousands of laws!
Unfortunately, he had never had the opportunity to witness it firsthand. After all, they had traveled around the countries, and almost the entire Shinobi World had been visited, but the Land of Iron was the only place they had missed.
As fellow Chakra users, the Samurai abandoned the nature transformation of Chakra and instead specialized in shape transformation. Therefore, for some talented individuals who could precisely control Chakra, learning swordsmanship might be a better choice.
Ordinary Ninja needed to use specific Chakra metals to unleash attacks similar to swordsmanship, such as Sarutobi Asuma's Knuckle Knives, or the Chakra Blade used to deal with puppeteers. They were more adept at performing shape transformation on the basis of Chakra nature transformation.
For example, transforming Fire Release Chakra into fireballs and fire dragons, or Lightning Release Chakra into lightning spears and lightning pillars of different shapes. This was the principle of Ninjutsu.
Ninjutsu based on shape transformation was truly rare, not to mention integrating nature transformation into shape transformation.
In the original timeline, almost only Naruto could do it. Those diverse yet powerful Rasengan were the best proof.
However, Shin'yu's "Autumn Dew on Leaves" was also a Chakra-shaped attack. When released, it flowed like water, endlessly, giving it extremely strong cutting ability. Although he could freely control the shape, he could never release the slash outward.
Therefore, the Samurai's methods had always made him itch.
"Forget it, I've waited so many days, what's a little longer?" Shin'yu spread out his palm, watching a small section of light blade emerge from his palm, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes, "Maybe... it will take me to the next level."
With this thought in mind, Shin'yu resisted the urge to take action.
Soon, as the caravan passed by the foot of the mountain, the bandits emerged from all directions, their shouts shaking the sky. The leading Samurai was shocked and immediately drew his sword to meet the attack.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
The crisp sound of swords clashing was endless.
"Not good, bandits!" The middle-aged man woke up in shock, looked out through the curtain, and was at a loss.
"What's the panic? Aren't there Samurai?" Shin'yu calmly opened the curtain and looked out.
He saw the Samurai flashing with dual swords, pale blue Chakra wrapped around the blades, shining brightly in the reflection of the snow, occasionally slashing out sharp sword Qi, cutting the distant bandits in half.
"Interesting." Shin'yu smiled slightly.
In his perception, the samurai at the rear of the caravan were also encountering bandits. These guys were clearly prepared, taking action when the middle of the caravan drove into the foothills, leaving the two samurai caught between two fronts.
The samurai at the rear were obviously not as skilled as those at the front. They were likely on their first mission, their swordsmanship was slightly messy, and they couldn't steadily envelop their Chakra around their blades. After only a few exchanges, they were already bleeding, and it looked like they wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.
Unexpectedly, as several bandits swung their butcher knives towards the commoners in the middle of the caravan, a graceful figure emerged from a carriage, taking them out in a few swift moves.
"Oh?" Shin'yu said in surprise, "There's an expert?"
The middle-aged man cautiously poked his head out, quickly glanced behind him, and whispered, "It's Lady Shoko, she's taken action."
"Shoko? Who is she? A samurai?"
The middle-aged man ignored Shin'yu's inquisitive gaze, patted his chest, and muttered in lingering fear, "What are we going to do..."
"Tsk."
Shin'yu suddenly said firmly, "Look at me!"
The middle-aged man's gaze subconsciously turned over, a red light flashed, and he instantly quieted down, obediently saying, "Lady Shoko is the leader of this caravan, the person in charge of this cargo transport mission. Her family has passed down the Sugawara Dragon Riding Style Swordsmanship, and she is also the sole heir to the Dragon Riding Forging Sword Style."
"Sugawara Shoko, huh," Shin'yu thought of the "Three Iron Traditions" he had just heard, and it seemed that the Sugawara family was in charge of the Dragon Riding Tradition.
But... he just said the sole heir...
Could it be that something happened to the Sugawara family?
"Forget it, now is not the time to worry about these things." Shin'yu shook his head. What he was more concerned about now was the swordsmanship of this big-breasted girl named "Shoko."
Her sword was fast, her moves were expansive, yet she didn't lose her agility and grace. Her fluttering figure was like a true dragon soaring in the sea of clouds, and with the splashing rain of blood, she slashed and killed as if entering an uninhabited land.
Just as Shin'yu was getting interested, the girl suddenly fell into crisis.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!" The three bandits simultaneously pressed their hands on the ground, and the snowy ground wriggled. The girl didn't react in time and stepped into it with one foot.
"Glug."
The originally solid snow turned into a swamp, swallowing the girl's entire jade leg.
"Not good! This is... Ninjutsu!" The girl was shocked. The sudden Ninjutsu attack threw her into disarray.
The most important thing in close combat is footwork. It is said that a martial artist's eyes grow on their feet, and this is also true for swordsmanship.
The girl's movement was restricted, and she took a heavy hammer blow head-on, instantly disrupting her swordsmanship.
Two bandits simultaneously sensed the opportunity to attack, approaching from the left and right. With a "clang," they knocked her long sword away.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
The girl suddenly looked up, and a huge water dragon was reflected in her crystal clear eyes. It tore through the air and appeared out of nowhere!
This was a combined attack from the three, and its power should not be underestimated. The huge dragon head roared, and in an instant, it pounced in front of the girl. Her black hair fluttered, and before the water dragon even approached, moist water vapor rushed towards her face!
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