Naruto: The Ninja World's Life Buyer

Chapter 24 Tool Manipulation

The morning air in Konoha was slightly hot.

Although it was late spring, the muggy feeling seemed to foreshadow a downpour, or something even more oppressive.

Sosuke visited the "Tenten Shinobi Tools" shop again.

This time, the atmosphere in the store changed.

Half of the kunai and explosive tags that used to hang on the wall are gone.

Several Chunin wearing green vests were checking supplies at the counter, and boxes of ninja tools were being loaded onto the carriages outside.

The proprietress was sweating profusely, the abacus beads clicking away.

What do you need?

The proprietress spoke to Sosuke, who had just entered, without even looking up.

"Unlimited purchases are a disaster. Explosive tags are out of stock. Each person can only buy two shuriken."

"I want the wire," Sosuke said.

"Steel wire?" The proprietress stopped what she was doing. "Which kind do you want?"

"The thinnest. The most resilient."

"We still have that stuff." The proprietress pulled a roll of black metal wire from under the counter. "Special steel wire, non-reflective, can hold up to 200 kilograms. Fifty meters per roll."

"How much?"

Five thousand taels.

"The price has gone up?" Sosuke asked in surprise. The last time he came, the price was three thousand.

"War is about to break out."

The proprietress lowered her voice, her eyes revealing a sense of helplessness.

"Sunagakure has already launched a probing attack on the border. Steel is a strategic resource, and it's all being transported to the border. In a couple of days, even money won't be able to buy it."

Sosuke didn't waste any words.

"Two volumes, please."

The shadow of war appeared sooner than he had anticipated.

In this sensitive period, ninja tools and medicine are more important than gold.

"One more pair of gloves. Leather, thick ones."

"The gloves cost a thousand taels. For the sake of your fingers, you'd better buy some hemostatic powder as well," the proprietress kindly reminded you.

"I have."

Sosuke took out 11,000 ryo, slapped it on the counter, picked up the spool of thread and gloves, and turned to leave.

Waste treatment plant.

Yuanzao took a roll of steel wire.

He pulled out a piece, wrapped it around his finger, and gently pulled it.

hum.

The steel wire was taut, emitting a teeth-grinding screech.

"Good stuff, looks like you're willing to spend money."

Yuan Zao exclaimed in admiration.

"This thing is invisible and intangible. By the time you feel the pain, your head has already been severed."

He took out a shuriken.

With lightning speed, he tied a knot in the ring of his shuriken.

Then, tie the other end to your middle finger.

"Watch closely."

Yuanzao casually tossed it aside.

The sword flew out of his hand.

But when it had flown ten meters away, Genzo's middle finger curled slightly.

The shuriken, which was flying in a straight line, suddenly drew a strange arc in the air.

It bypassed the obstacle in front of it and hit the wooden stake behind it.

笃.

It hits the bullseye.

Immediately afterwards, Yuanzao flicked his wrist.

The sword in his hand was pulled back and fell back into his palm.

Like a living bird.

"This is called the art of wielding a shuriken."

Genzo threw the spool to Sosuke.

"The principle is very simple: geometry, plus the micro-management of the fingers."

"The wire isn't straight. It curves as it flies at high speed. You need to use that curve to change the trajectory of your shuriken."

"Practice it."

Sosuke put on leather gloves.

Secure the steel wire.

He imitated Genzo and threw it out.

Whoosh.

The sword flew out of his hand.

The steel wire dragged behind, hissing as it cut through the air.

However, when Sousuke tried to flick his finger to change the trajectory—

The shuriken lost its balance.

It was like a bird with a broken wing, tumbling around in the air a few times before crashing headfirst into a garbage dump.

To make matters worse, the wires got tangled together.

It was tied in a knot that couldn't be tied.

"idiot."

Yuanzao drank his wine, observing coldly from the sidelines.

"You've stretched the line too tight. You need to be like a fisherman, with a balance of tension and relaxation."

Sosuke remained silent.

He untied the knot and sheathed the sword.

Come again.

the second time.

This time, he tried to loosen the wire.

As a result, the shuriken flew too fast, and the steel wire was quickly released, rubbing against his tiger's mouth.

Nourishes—

Even with leather gloves on, Sosuke felt a burning pain.

If you're not wearing gloves, your palm will get injured.

"Intensity".

Genzo's voice came through.

"Make the lines an extension of your nerves."

All morning.

Sosuke's fingers were cramping.

Steel wire is extremely difficult to handle.

Too loose, it's uncontrollable.

Too tight, and it will affect flight speed.

Moreover, the most difficult part is recycling.

If too much force is used, the returning shuriken will no longer be a weapon, but a boomerang, which will cut directly at one's own neck.

Sosuke almost had his nose sliced ​​off by the shuriken he threw several times.

"stop."

Around noon, Yuanzao called a halt to training.

"Your mind is too rigid."

"You're using brute force to fight against inertia."

"You need to use leverage."

Yuanzhao pointed to a tree branch next to him.

"Steel wire is soft, air is soft. If you want to change direction in the air, you need to find a hard fulcrum."

"Tree trunks, rocks, even the enemy's kunai can all be your pulleys."

Zongsuke's eyes narrowed.

pulley.

He understands this physical concept.

He no longer used brute force to pull back the sword in his hand.

He began to observe his surroundings.

The branches of that withered tree are like a natural conductor frame.

Whoosh.

The sword flew out again.

This time, Sosuke's target is not the heart.

It was a dead branch extending horizontally from the side of the tree trunk.

The steel wire drew a black line in the air and landed precisely on the dead branch.

Just as the steel wire taut.

Sosuke gently hooked his finger.

It's not about pulling backward, but rather flicking lightly to the side and downward.

Using the resistance of the dry branch, the kinetic energy direction of the shuriken changed instantly.

It drew a sharp right-angle turn in the air.

The shuriken, which was originally flying to the left, suddenly veered to the right, that is, to the back of the target.

Thud!

The shuriken pierced the back of the target.

Although it didn't hit the bullseye, this bizarre right-angle change of direction would be enough to bypass the enemy's defenses and pierce the back of the head in actual combat.

"It's done."

Sosuke breathed a sigh of relief.

Sweat dripped down his chin.

"It's alright."

Yuanzao finished the last sip of his drink.

"Remember this feeling. The core of shurikenjutsu is to turn your entire environment into your weapon."

"When you can use the air currents as a fulcrum, you can achieve 'seamless changes of direction.' But that's the level of a Jonin."

Yuanzao stood up and patted the dirt off his bottom.

That's all for today. Let's go back.

"Also," Genzo said, looking at the worn-out leather gloves on Sousuke's hands, "don't wear gloves anymore."

"What?" Sosuke frowned.

"You can never feel the pulse of a steel wire through a thin layer of skin."

Genzo extended his right hand.

What a hand that was!

Thick calluses covered the area between the thumb and forefinger, with countless tiny white scars crisscrossing them.

Those are the marks left by being cut and healed repeatedly by steel wire.

"To prevent the wire from cutting your hand, you'd have to make your skin harder than the wire, or... make your nerves react faster than the wire can cut your skin."

Sosuke looked at the hand.

He then looked at the expensive leather gloves on his hands.

He was silent for two seconds.

Then, he took off his gloves and threw them into the nearby garbage heap.

"See you tomorrow."

Sosuke turned and left.