NOVEL FROG Chapter 37: A New Sword Technique
Mochizuki Hui had been waiting for five days, but no new teammates had arrived. However, he hadn’t spent that time idly; instead, he had been thinking deeply about how to improve his strength.
Chakra was out of the question for now—there was no telling when the assimilation process would finish.
That left him with only one option: enhancing his current skills.
The energy he could use right now was light energy, the only power that had fully assimilated within him.
Previously, he had focused on condensing light into a powerful force, such as his Silver Moon sword energy, which acted as a primary offensive move.
However, Silver Moon required a brief moment of concentration before it could be unleashed. If used instantly, it would only produce a harmless flash of light.
But that harmless flash sparked an idea in Hui’s mind.
While a simple flash of light couldn’t injure an opponent, it could certainly disorient them!
In the heat of battle, when opponents were fully focused on his sword, what would happen if, just as they zeroed in, his blade suddenly emitted a blinding flash of light?
Their reaction would be instinctive—they’d squint, close their eyes, or turn their heads away to shield themselves from the glare. That would create a massive opening!
In ninja battles—especially in sword combat—every strike was aimed at vital points. To expose such a glaring weakness in a life-or-death situation would almost certainly spell defeat, if not death.
The more Hui thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. He immediately began experimenting.
He first tested how much light he could emit, then how long he could sustain it. He also worked on ways to time the burst effectively during combat.
After several days of trial and error, Hui finally crafted a new sword technique.
In the overgrown, abandoned training field, Hui stood opposite a purple-haired young man—Lightning.
Hui wanted to test his new sword technique, and he needed a living partner to help.
Upon hearing Hui's request, Lightning had enthusiastically volunteered, eager to see what his savior had developed.
Now, they faced each other, ready for the demonstration.
"Come on, Light! Show me what you've been working on!" Lightning called out, his voice brimming with excitement.
Hui had saved his life, and after witnessing Hui’s potential firsthand, Lightning had become just as invested in the boy’s growth as their fallen comrades, Xiong and Wind, had been.
"Alright. Here I come!" Hui responded, drawing his sword with a focused gleam in his eyes.
In an instant, he dashed forward, his blade slicing through the air toward Lightning.
Lightning, armed with a kunai, met the strike head-on, more focused on defense than offense, as he knew his close-combat skills couldn’t match Hui’s.
Clang, clang, clang!
Steel clashed rapidly as the two exchanged blows. Hui wasn’t holding back, forcing Lightning to concentrate fully, defending with all his might.
And then, at the perfect moment, Hui noticed that Lightning’s eyes were glued to his sword, tracking its every movement.
Now!
Hui narrowed his eyes slightly, shifting his gaze subtly.
In that instant, his blade flared with a burst of bright, blinding light, like a sudden flash from a powerful bulb.
Lightning’s eyes, locked onto Hui’s sword, were assaulted by the intense brightness. Instinctively, his eyelids snapped shut, and his head jerked away from the glare.
He felt a cold breeze sweep past his neck, sending a shiver down his spine.
"It seems… this technique works well," Hui said, satisfied as he sheathed his sword.
Lightning opened his eyes cautiously, though they still stung from the residual light. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision, before looking back at Hui.
"Using a sudden burst of light to blind your opponent in the middle of a focused battle, and create an opening… Light, that’s awesome!" Lightning exclaimed, now fully grasping the purpose of Hui’s technique.
"This isn’t just swordsmanship—it’s more like a new form of ninjutsu. And what’s more, it’s a jutsu without hand seals! No one will see it coming. Add the fact that you’re using a sword as the medium, and the enemy won’t suspect a thing."
He couldn’t help but admire the brilliance of it.
"This technique is truly impressive!"
Hui, however, smiled humbly. "It has potential, but there are still many flaws."
"Flaws?" Lightning blinked, surprised. He hadn’t noticed any major weaknesses.
"For one," Hui began, "this technique is useless against someone who’s blind."
"Second, if the enemy has trained their reflexes to handle bright flashes, they’ll be less affected."
"Third, if they have poor light sensitivity or are wearing tinted goggles, the technique will lose much of its impact."
"Fourth, to achieve the best result, the light must flash directly in their line of sight. If it’s even slightly off, it won’t be as effective."
"And finally," Hui continued, "I have to be cautious, too. I’ll need to avert my eyes or close them briefly when I use it, otherwise, I’ll end up blinding myself as well."
He sighed. "So, yeah… it still has a long way to go."
Lightning, however, couldn’t help but feel a bit speechless at the boy’s humility.
True, those flaws existed—but how often would a ninja encounter someone who was blind or who had undergone specific flash-resistance training?
Even finding someone who wore goggles all the time was rare. Most of these weaknesses were negligible in real combat.
As for the final points about positioning and self-blinding? Those were more about finesse and control, things that would improve with practice.
"Honestly, Light… it’s still an amazing move!" Lightning thought to himself but decided not to argue further.
"So… what are you going to call this technique?" Lightning asked instead.
Hui pondered for a moment, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"How about… ‘Open Your Damned Dog Eyes, You Bastard!’" Hui said with a grin.
Lightning’s expression immediately soured, a dark line forming on his forehead as he stared at Hui in disbelief.
"Haha, just kidding!" Hui burst out laughing. "I wouldn’t actually name it something like that."
He then grew more serious, his tone softening.
"This technique uses light to disorient and attack the enemy. Light… it drives away the darkness and brings safety to others and myself."
Hui paused, his gaze steady as he looked up at Lightning.
"I think I’ll call it… ‘Radiance.’"
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