Naruto Card King

Haruto Saito moved swiftly along the muddy road, his body gradually enveloped in a shroud of black mist. He blended into the darkness of the night, but traces of his presence remained.

Even though his body became translucent, he still disrupted the raindrops, preventing them from hitting the ground. If someone were to observe closely, they would notice a dark, humanoid figure amidst the curtain of rain—because the rainwater could not pass through him.

However, this minor flaw was not a significant concern.

A rainy night severely hampered visibility. Unless someone possessed a Dojutsu or was a sensory-type ninja, tracking Haruto was virtually impossible. He would never give them the chance to get close.

He sped forward!

The path ahead gradually disappeared, so Haruto changed course, veering down the mountainside… He needed to take a detour to infiltrate the Shiroishi encampment. Previously, he had been on higher ground, but now he was descending.

Ten minutes later.

At the northwestern foothills of Mount Shiroishi, Haruto sprinted along the rock wall, diving into the dense forest below. He continued his approach toward the Shiroishi encampment. This was the longest he had ever maintained the abilities of the Black Armor. His control over the black mist became increasingly refined, and its concealment became even more effective.

Even if a Hyuga clan member were present, using their Byakugan to track him, they would see nothing more than a moving mass of black mist.

Two kilometers from the Shiroishi encampment!

Haruto grew more cautious. After scaling a small hill within the forest, he leaped onto a tree and halted. His hands came together—Byakugan, activate!

His vision extended up to eight kilometers!

The world before his eyes turned to shades of gray and white. The obstacles ahead blurred and became transparent as his sight zoomed in. A quick scan allowed Haruto to pinpoint the locations of both visible and hidden sentries—all scouts from Tanabe Teiji's private army, just ordinary soldiers.

After a thorough assessment, Haruto moved again.

He carefully circumvented them.

Better to be cautious—there was no harm in that.

Haruto moved stealthily through the forest, his chakra continuously absorbed and converted into black mist by the Black Armor. Though the chakra consumption was minimal, Haruto could still distinctly feel it.

Then, suddenly—

"Hm?" Haruto murmured, puzzled.

He sensed the Black Armor accelerating its absorption of his chakra. He came to a slow halt, pressing his back against a tree, frowning.

"What's going on?"

He concentrated, analyzing the sensation. The rate at which the armor drained his chakra kept increasing. He could stop it, of course—either by removing the armor or sealing his chakra pathways.

But that was not an option. He had to understand what was happening.

Reaching beneath his cloak, Haruto pressed his hand against the armor, channeling his chakra into it.

Then, he felt it!

The Black Armor was covered in a vast number of sealing inscriptions. Previously, only a portion of these seals had been activated, which was why Haruto could use the black mist. But now, more seals were awakening, emitting energy fluctuations that only he could perceive.

The Black Armor had additional abilities!

On his journey to Mount Shiroishi, Haruto had consulted Jiraiya.

According to historical records, the black mist was just one of the four known abilities of the Black Armor. However, Jiraiya had also mentioned that the armor was wielded by generations of "Black Samurai," warriors who followed a unique martial tradition. He speculated that the other functions of the armor might require mastery of this tradition, meaning Haruto—who was a ninja, not a samurai—would likely be unable to access them.

In simpler terms, each Black Samurai had practiced a distinct fighting style. Using the armor's abilities required mastery of these techniques. Since Haruto lacked this lineage, he could only utilize its basic power—the black mist. The other abilities remained locked.

But all of that was merely Jiraiya's theory.

It made sense, but it wasn't necessarily correct.

Now, as more seals on the Black Armor activated, there was a strong possibility that its other abilities were awakening. Realizing this, Haruto's pulse quickened. He immediately funneled more chakra into the armor, allowing it to absorb at an accelerated rate.

His chakra depletion surged.

The rate at which his chakra was drained skyrocketed. Within a single minute, he was nearly depleted, yet the armor continued to consume chakra ravenously. Without hesitation, Haruto retrieved and swallowed a Low-Grade Chakra Recovery Card.

Instantly, his chakra was restored to full.

Another ten seconds passed.

Haruto lost another 30% of his chakra before the Black Armor finally ceased its insatiable absorption. It returned to normal, consuming only the amount necessary to maintain the black mist.

Before this, only the seals on the back of the armor had been active, as that was the section responsible for transforming chakra into mist.

But now—

Seals covering almost the entire armor, including the helmet, had been activated. The only area left untouched was a palm-sized spot at the center of his chest.

"What ability could it be? How do I use it?"

Despite expending a significant amount of chakra and using a recovery card, Haruto was still unsure if this truly unlocked a new power.

He attempted to channel his chakra into the newly activated seals—no response.

For several minutes, he experimented with different approaches, but the armor remained unresponsive.

"Forget it."

Haruto sighed. He would deal with this later. Right now, reconnaissance was the priority. He had plenty of time to study the Black Armor later.

Once again, he moved forward.

Haruto crouched and advanced through the undergrowth. Before long, he reached a river. Realizing that open water made him an easy target, he suddenly accelerated.

Dashing across the surface of the river—

He vanished!

Where he had disappeared, a cloud of black mist lingered in the air, as if he had suddenly dissolved into vapor. The mist dissipated almost instantly.

And at that exact moment—

Haruto reappeared atop a tree on the other side of the river.

Still shrouded in black mist, he blinked in confusion.

What… just happened?

Turning back toward the river, Haruto frowned.

A split second ago, he had been sprinting across the water. Then, in the blink of an eye, he found himself standing atop a tree sixty meters away. This wasn't simply speed—it was instantaneous spatial movement!

What the hell?!

Haruto stood motionless, recalling the sensation.

At that moment, he had only been thinking about getting across the river quickly and reaching the tree. That was his intention.

And then—he had appeared there.

Simultaneously, he had felt a strange energy fluctuation from the Black Armor.

"Is it as simple as… wanting to go… and then just going?" Haruto muttered under his breath, his gaze shifting toward a distant tree on the river's north bank.

"I want to be on that tree."

Nothing happened.

Something was missing.

Haruto's eyes sharpened. Then—he lunged forward.

Whoosh!

 His body dissolved into black mist.

A heartbeat later, on the tree he had targeted, the mist coalesced—

Haruto materialized. 

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