"Let's talk about the protagonist of 'Havoc in Heaven'."
"Born from the celestial stone that emerged from the creation of the universe, his birthplace is Mount Huaguo on the continent of Dongsheng Shenzhou."
"He was honored as the 'Handsome Monkey King' for leading the monkey troop into the Water Curtain Cave."
"Later, to learn his craft, he crossed the vast ocean to apprentice himself to Patriarch Subodhi, receiving the name Sun Wukong."
"And he mastered advanced techniques such as the Great Sage Heavenly Immortal Art, the Seventy-Two Transformations, and the Somersault Cloud."
Su Mu was speaking with great enthusiasm when a man with his face covered suddenly interrupted him from below the stage.
"A monkey born from a stone? Can this story be any more outlandish?"
The guests glared angrily at the man, their faces showing clear displeasure.
"Pavilion Master Su is telling a story, why are you butting in?"
"If you don't want to listen, get out immediately!"
The man frowned, and a killing aura was suddenly unleashed from his body.
Many guests nearby felt this murderous intent and immediately fell silent.
Mei Terumi observed the masked man and let out a cold laugh.
Beside her, Juugo seemed to understand something and slowly gripped the twin swords, Hiramekarei, on his back.
Su Mu did not blame the masked man. After the commotion subsided,
He continued his tale: "Upon graduating, to find a suitable weapon, he ventured to the East Sea Dragon Palace and retrieved the artifact that settled the sea, named the Ruyi Jingu Bang."
"This Ruyi Jingu Bang also has another name, 'Heavenly River Stabilizing Deep Sea Divine Iron', possessing the effect of controlling water and calming the sea."
"Its appearance is that of two gold hoops at either end, with a section of black iron in the middle, and inscribed next to the hoops is a line of text: 'Ruyi Jingu Bang, thirteen thousand five hundred catties.'"
Su Mu paused for a moment, picked up the tea on the table, and slowly drank it.
The masked man immediately burst into laughter: "Thirteen thousand five hundred catties? You're exaggerating a broken iron rod so much, is this even a story you're telling?"
Su Mu calmly put down his teacup and then looked at the man, asking faintly, "Then I must ask you, in your opinion, what kind of weapon would be considered the strongest?"
The masked man snorted coldly, "Have you heard of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"
As soon as the man finished speaking, the entire tavern erupted in an uproar.
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen? I've heard they are elites from the Hidden Mist Village."
"And each of the seven is equipped with a ninja sword suitable for their own ninjutsu."
"Legend has it that the seven united could conquer a small country in a single night."
"It seems they were specifically assigned to carry out high-difficulty missions for successive Mizukage."
The crowd buzzed with discussion, and the man's face beneath his mask revealed a hint of pride.
Su Mu picked up the teapot and refilled his teacup, then casually remarked, "Trash."
Instantly, the guests below the stage gasped again.
The man's eyes turned red with anger, wishing he could immediately draw the blade at his waist and carve Su Mu into a thousand pieces.
"Pavilion Master Su, as far as we know, the weapons of each of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen are considered top-tier in the ninja world."
"Since you say they are all trash, can you explain why?"
An uncle in the crowd suddenly asked Su Mu.
If the weapons of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were trash, then what weapon could be considered impressive?
Su Mu put away his fan and walked directly down from the high platform.
Standing before everyone, Su Mu said calmly, "Then today, I will arrange a ranking to present the weapons of the ninja world to you in order."
The guests immediately became interested.
Even Mei Terumi was deeply captivated.
Since the Third Great Ninja War, only Raiga Kurosuki remained of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen; the others were all killed by Might Guy's Eight Gates.
Raiga Kurosuki defected from the Hidden Mist Village after his escape, committing many wicked deeds during his time as a fugitive and was listed as a B-class fugitive by the Mist.
That masked man was presumably Raiga Kurosuki.
Mei Terumi also wanted to hear how the elite group that once belonged to the Fourth Mizukage would rank in Su Mu's eyes.
"The number one weapon in the ninja world is the Spear of Creation - the Spear of the Marsh."
"Legend says that the Sage of Six Paths used this divine sword to create this world. Tales of the Sage of Six Paths have always circulated in the ninja world; some of you should know this, right?"
Mei Terumi was inwardly startled.
As the Fifth Mizukage, how could she not have heard of the Sage of Six Paths?
She simply hadn't expected Su Mu to know the weapons used by the Sage of Six Paths so clearly.
Su Mu continued, "The second weapon in the ninja world is the Truth-Seeking Balls."
"However, the formation of these Truth-Seeking Balls is extremely difficult."
"It requires complete mastery of Sage Mode."
"After mastering Sage Mode, five to nine black spheres formed by Yin-Yang Release will float behind the user."
"The user can manipulate them at will, and their power is immense, capable of easily destroying a forest."
"The black spheres contain the power of all creation and can transform into any shape, including various weapons."
The guests were now utterly stunned.
Spear of Creation, Truth-Seeking Balls—these were things they had only seen in depictions of the Sage of Six Paths.
But as for their actual uses or abilities,
They couldn't imagine any.
The masked man's expression was now exceptionally complex; he had never even heard of these weapons.
"Are the Truth-Seeking Balls considered a Kekkei Mōra?"
Mei Terumi, sitting by the window, suddenly asked.
Su Mu smiled faintly at her, "Although the Truth-Seeking Balls possess the power of all Yin-Yang elements and can easily unleash power beyond Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Tōta,
"They do not belong to Kekkei Mōra."
"The next weapon, ranking third, is the Totsuka Blade!"
Tsunade, who was pouring drinks, suddenly stopped.
She seemed to have heard this weapon's name somewhere before, but she couldn't recall where.
Jiraiya, sitting on the second-floor corridor, took out a notebook and quickly recorded the events,
Including the interactions between Su Mu and the guests.
This was a best-selling collection of popular tales!
"Everyone, please note, this weapon is not actually a weapon, as it has no physical form."
Su Mu said to the crowd, word for word.
"No physical form? What does that mean, does this weapon not exist?"
"Can a weapon without a physical form be considered a weapon?"
"Isn't it inappropriate for a weapon without a physical form to rank third?"
The crowd began to question, even feeling that Su Mu was trying to fool them.
Su Mu let them question. Once they quieted down, he continued, "Although the Totsuka Blade has no physical form, it is even more terrifying than swords with physical forms!"
"It is formed from chakra and is a type of divine sword Kusanagi."
"It exists within the Susanoo of the Uchiha clan's dojutsu, belonging to a Kekkei Genkai."
"And anyone pierced by this sword will be permanently sealed in an illusionary world of drunken dreams."
Tsunade finally understood why the name had sounded familiar.
Orochimaru had a hobby of collecting Kusanagi swords. From historical records, he learned of the Totsuka Blade's existence but could never find it.
"So this sword exists within Itachi Uchiha's dojutsu."
The masked man was completely stunned. The weapons Su Mu had mentioned so far could be considered divine artifacts in the ninja world.
Compared to these, the seven weapons held by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were merely a pile of scrap metal.
The guests were all astonished, never imagining that such a weapon could exist within a person's dojutsu. They found the explanation exhilarating.
The masked man was still unwilling, "Then what about fourth? Surely the weapons of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen should rank somewhere?"
Su Mu shook his head slightly, "This fourth is still a divine artifact within Itachi Uchiha's dojutsu..."
"It is called the Yasakani no Magatama."