After testing the abilities of the Night Bat Mask, Ryoma contentedly canceled the fusion effect with the mask.
The black wings on Ryoma's back slowly retracted into his body.
When he opened his eyes again, Ryoma's eyes had returned to their normal black color.
Feeling the sharp, needle-like pain in his back and the discomfort from dizziness in his head, along with a slight unsteadiness in his steps, as if he had overdone a certain manual activity, Ryoma deeply realized that while the power of the Shadow Corps was good, one shouldn't indulge too much.
After adjusting slightly, Ryoma looked again at the demonic sword, Mò Yé.
Tsk, tsk.
Wasn't this just delivering a weapon to him?
Thanks to the Iwa-nin brother for sending over a demonic sword!
Holding the demonic sword Mò Yé, he turned around and looked at the ancient book placed aside.
Ryoma was startled to discover that the ancient book, which had just been completely blank, was now completely covered in writing.
Hiss, this anti-theft measure was quite something.
Blood recognition, right?
If the authentication fails, you simply don't get to read it.
Ryoma picked up the ancient book, sat down nearby, and read it carefully.
After a while, Ryoma put down the ancient book.
He had finally figured out the situation with this ancient book and the demonic sword.
The ancient book first introduced the origin of the demonic sword Mò Yé.
The ancient scroll first recorded the origin of the cursed blade Mò Yé.
This sword was forged by the greatest weapon craftsman of ancient times, modeled after a divine weapon described in a forbidden text.
According to legend, the forging process was so extreme that when the blade was completed, the heavens themselves descended with divine punishment to erase it from existence.
Yet the sword erupted with overwhelming cursed chakra, forcibly resisting the heavenly strike for a brief moment.
During that clash, the weapon's malevolent aura invaded the craftsman's mind.
Driven mad, he chose to offer himself to the blade, sacrificing his own life to awaken it—becoming the first blood it ever tasted and tempering its edge.
Before dying, he carved four words into the stone:
"Cursed Blade Mò Yé."
The moment the blade drank blood, daylight darkened, and the sky was swallowed by shadow.
Thus, the cursed blade Mò Yé was born.
Afterward, its power proved too great. Every shinobi who wielded it either lost their sanity, falling into endless slaughter until death, or met a brutal end, their fate exceptionally tragic.
Over time, the blade continued to grow stronger, constantly condensing the resentment, hatred, and death chakra of its former wielders, as well as the souls of those slain by it.
Because Mò Yé had once directly resisted divine punishment, it was regarded as nearly indestructible.
Eventually, several legendary figures joined forces, using powerful sealing techniques to suppress the blade completely, sealing it away so it would never again appear in the ninja world.
It was estimated that Iwagakure obtained the demonic sword Mò Yé by chance.
But because everyone who got the sword was influenced by it, and gradually began to lose their senses, the high-ranking officials of Iwa only knew that those who took the sword would have a drastic increase in combat power, eventually degenerating into machines knowing only slaughter until death.
Wasn't this just a quick way to become an expert?
Of course, it was just a bit wasteful of people.
They had wanted to use Mò Yé to deal with the forces on the Konoha border, but unexpectedly, Ryoma intercepted it halfway.
The latter half of the ancient book recorded a cultivation method matching the demonic sword Mò Yé, along with nine sword techniques to be used in conjunction with it, collectively known as the Nine Forms of Mò Yé.
But Ryoma discovered that both the recorded cultivation method and these nine sword techniques, without exception, aimed to increase the absorption of resentment and death energy from souls slain by the sword, strengthen the condensation of killing intent, and continuously enhance the bizarre energy absorbed by the demonic sword itself, thereby boosting the user's own strength in turn.
However, the problem was that while power did indeed increase, the degree of influence the demonic sword had on the user would also be greatly amplified.
It was just like evil cultivation.
Strength did indeed increase quickly.
Practicing for just two and a half days directly made one fiercer than someone who had practiced for two and a half years.
But using it, one would eventually reach the end.
The powerful backlash would cause oneself to become the last feast for the demonic sword Mò Yé!
However, Ryoma was different.
The backlash of the demonic sword Mò Yé had no effect on Ryoma anymore.
After all, inside Ryoma's body, there were ten other, even fiercer "bandits."
They directly converted all the energy of the demonic sword Mò Yé into energy he could absorb, continuously using it to fill the masks.
Killing intent, resentment, bizarre energy – none were refused!
The more that came, the more happily the masks absorbed.
Wanting to influence Ryoma?
Don't be ridiculous.
These masks wanted to drag Ryoma into the darkness even more than you did – that was the constant erosion of the Shadow Realm's shadow power!
After figuring out the pros and cons, Ryoma couldn't help but sigh with emotion, this was simply a weapon tailor-made for little old me!
I use the sword.
The sword kills people.
The people die.
The sword absorbs energy.
I absorb the sword!
A new cycle, infinite nesting dolls, infinite progress.
Tell the superior, I've discovered a perpetual motion machine!
With this, Mom no longer needs to worry about my mask progression progress!
Ryoma, cherishing it like a treasure, tied the demonic sword Mò Yé to his back.
Don't ask why he didn't seal it back into the scroll.
Why else?
Wasn't it just for looking cool~
Afterwards, Ryoma turned his gaze to the last scroll – the one whose appearance gave no clue whatsoever about what was sealed inside.
Ryoma carefully removed the seal on the third scroll.
Looking closely, there was no imagined aura, no soaring light.
The smoke cleared, leaving only a red mask on the spot.
"It seems I have quite an affinity with masks," Ryoma thought to himself.
The sealed mask had no special features, only a long, protruding nose part, making it look very much like the monster masks children like to wear during lantern festivals.
Ryoma poked it left and right, looked it over.
He picked up the mask and put it on his face.
Turned around.
Then put it down again.
Finally, he even actively cut a small opening on his finger and dripped blood onto the mask for a while, but still saw no reaction from the mask.
Ryoma, while sucking on his bleeding finger, looked at the mask lying quietly aside, deeply confused.
How was this thing activated?
Why didn't these Iwa-nin guys think to bring along something like an instruction manual?
Bad review!
This time, Ryoma had indeed wronged the Iwa-nin.
It wasn't that they didn't want to bring one, but that they genuinely didn't know what this thing was for.
It was only because the destination for this transport was where the Iwa-nin had discovered a long-secluded old professor, an expert on traditional knowledge.
This old professor had researched ancient books, masks, and such things very deeply and thoroughly.
The Iwa-nin high command wanted to take this opportunity to send the mask over, letting this old professor research and determine just what this thing was for.
As a result, they ran into Ryoma...
After studying it for a long time with no gains, Ryoma decided to put the mask back into the sealing scroll for now.
After all, anything escorted under heavy guard together with this demonic sword Mò Yé couldn't be something simple.
Maybe one day he would suddenly find out how to use this mask, and then it would come in handy.
What Ryoma didn't know was that if he had taken out this mask when Kōko and Rinsuke were still by his side, those two would have surely recognized it.
This mask had also been previously enshrined in the Uzumaki clan's Nādō Hall, hanging on the same wall as the Shinigami Mask...
Ryoma stored the scroll safely on his person.
Settled his new weapon on his back: the demonic sword Mò Yé.
He once again set foot on the road back to the village.
Now, after this wave of huge improvement, if he encountered Hiru and the other two again, Ryoma was confident he could beat them so badly their own mothers wouldn't recognize them.
If even one of them managed to escape, he could directly bestow upon them the highest courtesy among men: "They're pretty good!"
***