Naruto: I Have Cursed Spirits!

After finishing lunch, Shiratori returned to the training ground. By the time he arrived, Hanzō was already standing there, and it was unclear how long he had been waiting.

He gained a new understanding of Hanzō's strictness.

That afternoon, he only studied ninjutsu with Hanzō for about two hours.

After witnessing his speed in learning ninjutsu firsthand, Hanzō no longer forced him into high-intensity training.

In his eyes, his training in cursed energy took priority over anything else. So, he left the remaining time entirely for Shiratori to explore his cursed powers.

As for Hanzō himself, he returned to his office to handle matters of Ame. Being the leader of Ame, he couldn't afford to spend all day mentoring Shiratori.

Once Hanzō left, Shiratori's mind wandered.

As the host of cursed spirits, did he really need to practice controlling cursed energy?

[System reminder: Cursed energy control directly correlates with manifestation efficiency.]

"..."

After confirming Hanzō had completely left, he also exited the training ground.

He went for a stroll around Ame, hoping to find a crow, he was eager to test out his Black Bird Manipulation.

Rain pattered on the metal pipes that made up the village, and on the dustless, lead-colored streets.

Wrapped in a dark raincoat, he looked up at the leaden-gray sky.

The rain in Ame was just too frequent. Living long-term in such a gloomy and damp environment had to affect one's mental health.

Just look at how warped Hanzō and Nagato turned out.

Winding through the steel forest of the village, he touched the cold metal forehead protector on his head. That very afternoon, Hanzō had personally placed it on him, officially declaring him a shinobi of Ame.

His gaze swept around, he clearly noticed that there were more people in Ame now.

Much more than when he had first arrived. The streets were no longer quiet and desolate. From time to time, two figures would pass by him.

A sudden burst of strong flame shot out of a nearby building. The sparks were quickly extinguished by the constant falling rain. He stopped in his tracks, looking toward the building where sharp hammering sounds echoed.

It looked like a blacksmith's forge… He stepped inside, immediately hit by a wave of warmth that made the skin on his face tighten.

"Who is it?"

A shirtless man appeared in front of him. Sweat rolled down his muscular frame. In one hand, he held a hammer; in the other, a long blade. His gaze fell on Shiratori, eyes widening in surprise as he shouted, "Shiratori?"

He looked at the familiar face — wasn't this Tetsuma?

He was also working as a blacksmith?

How hardworking!

"What are you doing here?"

Tetsuma crouched down in front of him, looking at him.

Since it was someone familiar, things would be easier. Maybe he could even make a profit. Shiratori said to him, "I want to ask you for a favor."

Tetsuma didn't even hesitate.

"No problem."

Shiratori had saved him more times than he could count. No matter what the favor was, he'd do anything for him.

Shiratori scratched his head a little sheepishly. "I'd like to ask you to take a look at my sword."

Tetsuma laughed helplessly when he heard that. He had thought it was going to be something big, but it turned out to be something this simple.

"Bring the sword over, let me take a look first."

He set down the blade in his hand and said to Shiratori, who nodded and turned to run outside, shouting as he went, "I'll bring it over right away!"

Tetsuma stood up and nodded after him. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Shiratori's figure had already disappeared from view.

"Be careful on the road."

The softly spoken words slipped from Tetsuma's mouth, only he could hear them.

He picked up the sword on the ground and set it aside. The weapons hanging on the wall had all been repaired.

After every battle, the ninjas of the village would bring their damaged weapons to him for repair.

Shiratori quickly returned with his sword.

Tetsuma unsheathed it and saw the cold blue gleam reflected from the blade. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Nice sword!"

Of course!

This was a real sword he had bought with hard-earned money!

Shiratori looked up expectantly at Tetsuma. "Really? I actually picked this up while I was on the run. I thought it was broken."

Tetsuma shook his head and explained to him, "It's not broken, it just hasn't been sharpened yet. Once I put an edge on it, you'll be able to use it."

Shiratori's face lit up with joy. "That's great. That means I can start practicing sword techniques."

Tetsuma looked at the long sword in his hand, then back at the excited boy. He frowned slightly. "You're still too young to train with a weapon like this. You could get hurt while practicing."

"That's okay! I'm not afraid!"

Courage sparkled in Shiratori's eyes.

Tetsuma paused, then tried to advise him, "Training is something you can't rush—"

Before he could finish, Shiratori interrupted him.

"I want to grow stronger, fast!"

He stared straight at Tetsuma, speaking clearly and firmly, "I don't just want to heal people in the rear. I want to fight on the front lines to protect everyone too!"

[Affection detected: +2000 points]

[Energy transferred to Rika]

[Development progress: 59.7%]

Tetsuma was moved.

Even though he already knew how thoughtful Shiratori was, the boy still managed to touch him every time. He just couldn't bring himself to dampen his enthusiasm, even though he worried deeply about his safety.

"Alright. Come pick it up around dinnertime," Tetsuma said to him.

"Thank you!"

Shiratori beamed at him.

Tetsuma shook his head. He was the one who should be saying thanks. No matter how much he did for Shiratori, it could never repay the debt he owed for him saving his life.

After leaving the task of sharpening the sword to Tetsuma, Shiratori continued his search for crows. Knowing it would be hard to find one in the central part of Ame, he headed toward the desolate mountains behind the village.

He had to find a crow today.

It was the most important thing on his list.

Just imagining a crow darting through the steel jungle of Ame made him breathe faster with excitement.

The Black Bird Manipulation wouldn't just cover his weakness in long-range reconnaissance, it would also make him way cooler!

[System note: Aesthetic preferences not relevant to combat efficiency.]

Just as he was about to respond to the system, a sudden burst of strong, flapping wings sounded above him.

Flap flap flap!

He froze in place, his heart nearly leaping into his throat. He snapped his head upward.

A crow was circling right above him.

He had finally found one.

He felt like collapsing to the ground in relief.

To find a single crow, he had trekked over hills, scanned in all directions, and listened for any hint of wings.

Hard work never goes unrewarded.

Now that he had found one crow, finding more couldn't be far off.

Its feathers were pitch-black like ink, and its beady little eyes fixed on him with a sharp, intelligent gleam. Like a black lightning bolt, the crow suddenly dove straight toward him. Almost instinctively, he raised his forearm to meet it.

Cursed energy wrapped around his entire arm, flowing continuously over his skin. The crow landed on his forearm, and in an instant, his cursed energy surged into the crow's body. Its body stiffened, motionless, and it lifted its head proudly toward the sky.