Chapter 31: The Invisible Blade, Most Lethal of All

Chapter 31: The Invisible Blade is the Deadliest

For ordinary people, such camouflage was careful enough. At least, Sadataki Sakuraba and her subordinate samurai had not discovered anything. However, to Chiba and his team, these people were far too conspicuous—especially to Chiba.

As his spiritual power grew, so did the range and efficacy of his sensory perception. Under this perception, the movements of these people were painfully obvious.

Tenten toyed with a kunai. It looked casual, but in reality, she was seeking Chiba’s opinion: Should they make a move?

Chiba turned a page, making no movement. Casting a net to catch two small fries now had little meaning; it would be a total waste of time. Their duty was to protect, not to purge enemies. As long as those people did not take action, there was no need to pay them much mind. But if they dared to attack... then they would be eliminated.

Chiba did not want to meddle, but he would never sell out his employer for them.

Once they left the Kyoto region, these people gradually dispersed, seemingly having given up on the pursuit. By the time the moon hung high and the night grew heavy with dew, the group stopped to rest in a mountain hollow.

"Hayate, you've been on watch all day. Go rest; I'll keep watch tonight."

"Is that necessary?" Gekko Hayate looked down at the terrain, hesitating.

Chiba shook his head and said, "Go rest. The moonlight is bright, and I can take the opportunity to read. I'll call you for the second half of the night."

"Uh, understood." Gekko Hayate did not refuse again.

Chiba turned a page and began to read quietly. The Bodhi seed had granted him powerful mental and restorative abilities, so staying awake all night would not affect his combat effectiveness, but it was different for Gekko Hayate and the others.

Of course, besides them, Kakashi could naturally take over. But Chiba knew their team was somewhat special; otherwise, they wouldn't have been assigned a mission above C-rank right from the start. The village had different expectations for them. He could not rely on Kakashi too much.

In the middle of the night, Kakashi said, "Go get some sleep. I'll take the second half."

"No need, I..."

"I know you can do it, but as a ninja and a team leader, you must learn to distribute the team's manpower reasonably and arrange rotations. You cannot take everything upon yourself," Kakashi said seriously. "Otherwise, what would happen if you were incapacitated due to lack of rest when your strength was truly needed?"

Chiba hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"By the way, why didn't you catch those people during the day?"

"That wasn't within the scope of our duties," Chiba replied.

Kakashi didn't comment, simply nodding before letting him leave.

The next day, Gekko Hayate woke up and immediately apologized to Kakashi and Chiba. "I'm sorry, Teacher, Chiba-kun, I..." She hadn't just failed to wake up in the middle of the night; she hadn't stirred until Chiba called her.

"It's nothing. I told Chiba not to wake you. Let's move out; there is still a long way to go," Kakashi said.

"Understood!" Gekko Hayate nodded.

"Wait, you scouted all afternoon yesterday, and Chiba kept watch at night. Let me take the morning shift," Tenten interjected.

Gekko Hayate hesitated for a moment. "That works too. Let's do that."

Kakashi nodded. Chiba sat to the side reading, saying nothing. Although he had finished reading the book on seal mastery, he felt he hadn't fully grasped it yet, so he chose to read it again.

Reading it a second time... sure enough, he discovered many details he had missed before. "This stuff is truly profound," Chiba sighed.

"Chiba-kun, aren't you tired from reading that?" Gekko Hayate asked in a low voice. She only spoke freely with those she knew well; she usually remained silent when noble ladies or samurai were near. Now that she didn't have to keep watch, she finally had the leisure to chat.

Chiba smiled and said, "Every time I read it, I gain something new. How could I feel tired?"

"..." That was biting. Gekko Hayate silently looked away. The difficulty of fūinjutsu was notoriously high. She had looked at some of it and only felt it was like an incomprehensible heavenly script. The idea of "gaining something every time you read it," as Chiba said, was the stuff of dreams.

Chiba smiled and said, "Although fūinjutsu is difficult, it is highly valuable. I'm considering whether I can combine an absorption barrier with a sealing technique to store chakra."

"This... can that be done?" Gekko Hayate was astonished. If that were possible, the absorption barrier would no longer be so useless. It was common knowledge that the Earth Prison Dome Fungus was considered a mediocre Earth Release jutsu because if you could trap an enemy, you could usually just kill them; if you couldn't trap them, the absorption barrier was useless.

However, if the absorbed chakra could be stored, the effect would be different. It would be equivalent to granting oneself an extra reserve of chakra.

"Theoretically, it's possible," Chiba said without going into too much detail. The Strength of a Hundred Seal was a sealing technique for storing chakra, but he didn't know it, and it involved the head—he wouldn't dare experiment with that without knowing the exact formula. So, it was just a thought.

But he did come to a realization: the energy-absorbing barrier's strength lay in the absorption, not the barrier itself. If he could further isolate the absorption effect, could it be integrated into more ninjutsu?

Chiba didn't care much about mere chakra; while his reserves weren't as vast as those of the Senju clan or Naruto, he far exceeded the average person and generally didn't lack chakra. But chakra with specific elemental properties was different. If he could temporarily absorb and control an enemy's elemental chakra, wouldn't that mean he, too, possessed elemental chakra?

Chiba stroked his chin, feeling this was a project with great potential. It was worth a try! As he walked, he took out his small notebook and scribbled down his inspirations.

Gekko Hayate said with envy, "I see Tenten-chan has a notebook filled with ideas for her ninja tools, and you have a notebook for ninjutsu inspiration, while I have no ideas at all."

"Sometimes it's not that you don't have ideas, just that you aren't paying attention. Hmm, creation is like that—remember every spark of inspiration. Who knows? Some future invention might be born from an idea you considered trivial," Chiba said while writing.

*Ding!*

At the sound of a bell, Chiba instantly closed his notebook and released his sensory perception to scan the surroundings.

*Boom, boom, boom!*

Before Chiba could even act, Tenten had already unleashed her firepower. Dozens of kunai scattered like rain. Controlled by steel wires, the kunai shot into the shadows, forcing the hidden enemies out.

Chiba sighed lightly. Among these people were several of the samurai he had seen back in Kyoto. They were courting death—why bother?

"I'll protect the employer. You handle them," Kakashi said calmly.

"Understood!" Chiba stood firm and waved his hand. "Go."

The next second, he flickered forward with a Body Flicker technique, his hands forming seals simultaneously. Chakra needles appeared between his fingers.

*Whoosh!*

A figure flashed by. The first enemy widened his eyes, and after a few seconds, he clutched his throat, his face flushing red—the arteries in his throat and neck had been severed.

*Gurgle...*

Several men clutched their throats, their expressions filled with agony. Chiba moved like lightning; although he hadn't left a clean, gaping wound, several men had already died by his hand. Gekko Hayate’s sword could block blades, but it couldn't block chakra needles.

The invisible blade is the deadliest.