The audience buzzed with conversation, while the masked man beneath his cloak allowed a trace of smugness to creep across his hidden face.
Su Mu calmly refilled his teacup and spoke a single word:
"Trash."
The tavern instantly erupted in gasps.
The masked man's eyes burned red with rage. He nearly drew the blade at his waist then and there to tear Su Mu limb from limb.
"Master Su," someone in the crowd called out, "as far as we know, each of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen wields one of the most powerful blades in the shinobi world."
"If you're calling them trash—could you explain why?"
The room quieted. Everyone was curious.
If the Seven Swordsmen's blades were garbage in Su Mu's eyes… then what could possibly count as top-tier?
Su Mu put away his fan and stepped down from the stage.
Facing the crowd, he spoke calmly:
"Today, I'll present a ranking—The Shinobi World Weapon Compendium."
The crowd instantly perked up.
Even Mei Terumi found herself intrigued.
Ever since the Third Great Ninja War, the Seven Swordsmen had fallen apart. Only Raiga Kurosuki survived, and he later defected from Kirigakure, becoming a B-rank wanted criminal.
It was obvious now—the masked man was Raiga Kurosuki himself.
Mei Terumi was eager to hear where Su Mu would rank the once-glorious blades of her village.
"The number one weapon in the shinobi world," Su Mu began,"is the Spear of Creation – the Swamp Spear."(I couldn't find any spear related to the sage of six paths)
"Legend says the Sage of Six Paths used this divine spear to create the world itself."
"Many of you have heard of the Sage of Six Paths, yes?"
Mei Terumi's heart skipped a beat.
As the Fifth Mizukage, of course she'd heard of the Sage.But she hadn't expected Su Mu to be so well-versed in even the weapons of that mythical figure.
"The number two weapon," Su Mu continued,"is the Truth-Seeking Orbs of the Six Paths."
"These black spheres are formed by mastering Six Paths Sage Mode."
"They float behind the user—anywhere from five to nine in number—and can morph into any shape."
"Each orb contains the power of yin-yang and the five elements. They're capable of annihilating an entire forest with ease."
The entire tavern fell silent.
These weapons… they'd only ever seen them depicted in ancient murals or myths.
And yet Su Mu described them with such clarity.
Raiga's expression darkened. He'd never even heard of these weapons.
"Are the Truth-Seeking Orbs considered a Kekkei Mōra?" Mei Terumi suddenly asked.
Su Mu gave her a soft smile.
"While they possess power that far surpasses Kekkei Genkai and even Kekkei Tōta, they're not classified as Kekkei Mōra."
"The number three weapon," Su Mu said,"is the Totsuka Blade."
Tsunade, who'd been carrying drinks, froze in her tracks.
The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.
Upstairs, Jiraiya scribbled notes rapidly—documenting both Su Mu's story and the crowd's reactions. This was prime material for his next bestselling novel.
"This weapon," Su Mu said clearly, "technically isn't even real."
"What? Then how can it rank third?"
"An intangible weapon counts?"
The crowd erupted with doubt.
Su Mu let them vent. Once silence returned, he continued:
"Though it lacks a physical form, it's far more terrifying than tangible weapons."
"It's made of chakra—a variant of the Kusanagi Sword—and exists within the Susano'o of the Uchiha clan."
"It's a spiritual weapon, sealed within the user's Mangekyō Sharingan."
"Anyone pierced by this sword will be sealed eternally in a genjutsu-dream state."
Tsunade finally remembered why the name was familiar.
Back when Orochimaru had been obsessed with collecting Kusanagi blades, he'd come across records of the Totsuka Blade—but could never find it.
"So it was hidden in Itachi Uchiha's Mangekyō the whole time..."
Meanwhile, the masked man—Raiga—was growing visibly uncomfortable.
Every weapon Su Mu named was on the level of divine artifacts.
In comparison, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's blades were nothing but scrap metal.
"What about the fourth weapon? Surely one of the Seven Swords ranks somewhere?" Raiga asked, unwilling to let go.
Su Mu just shook his head.
"Number four is yet another divine weapon wielded through Uchiha Itachi's ocular powers—Yasaka Magatama."
"The Yasaka Magatama is a projectile weapon that rapidly create and launch magatama-shaped projectiles that explode on impact."
"They resemble large Sharingan tomoe and can target both single foes or wide-area enemies."
"Besides Itachi, there are two others capable of wielding this technique, but I'll leave that aside for now."
"Fifth is the Gunbai Fan, used by Uchiha Madara."
"Forged from the divine tree itself, it can reflect and amplify fire and wind style attacks."
"Sixth: the Banana Palm Fan, a Six Paths tool."
"Seventh: the Yata Mirror."
"Eighth: the Amber Purifying Bottle."
"Ninth: the Golden Rope, the Seven Star Sword, and the Crimson Gourd—all Six Paths tools."
"Tenth: the Third Hokage's personal weapon—Enma the Adamantine Staff."
With that, the Weapon Compendium of the Shinobi World was complete.
Everyone in the tavern was stunned.
"Not a single one of the Seven Ninja Swords made the list… unbelievable."
Mei Terumi was starting to grow suspicious.
How did this seemingly young storyteller know so much about weapons—even ones she'd never heard of as Mizukage?
But from Su Mu's knowledge and presentation, she couldn't doubt their existence.
Raiga Kurosuki was livid.
"You list these weapons without any proof! And that 'Ruyi Jingu Bang' from your last story? It's just a hunk of iron!"
Su Mu sighed and shook his head.
"Why should I need to prove anything?"
"Even this ranked list… to me, they're all just trash."
The entire room gasped.
The very weapons Su Mu had just glorified—he dismissed as garbage?
Was the Ruyi Jingu Bang from his story truly that powerful?
"You clearly haven't faced real hardship," Su Mu said coldly.
"One last warning: when I'm telling a story… don't interrupt."
His gaze grew sharp and icy.
Raiga involuntarily shivered.
Just then—a mist of smoke began to swirl across the tavern floor.
Su Mu flicked his fan—
Before anyone could react…