"A blade?"
Naruto paused when he heard Kyojuro Rengoku's words. Confused, he raised the nichirin blade in his hand. To his surprise, the blade—originally black with a red flame pattern—had somehow turned completely crimson.
"Why is it like this?"
Naruto stared at the blade nervously.
"Oh no… did I break Rengoku-san's nichirin blade?!"
The nichirin blade had been lent to him by Kyojuro Rengoku. Now that it had changed so drastically in his hands, Naruto felt a wave of panic, convinced he had caused serious trouble.
"Idiot!"
Shinazugawa Sanemi smacked Naruto on the head in annoyance, then snatched the blade from his hands.
"Hot!"
The moment Shinazugawa Sanemi grasped it, he felt scorching heat surge through his palm, as if he were holding a piece of red-hot iron. His expression shifted from shock to astonishment, then to unmistakable excitement as he held the blade up for everyone to see.
"I can feel it… this blade is like the sun now," he said sharply. "Is this also related to the Mark?"
"The sun?"
Kyojuro Rengoku immediately took the blade from Shinazugawa's hands. His eyes widened as well, burning with excitement.
"Shinazugawa is right! In this state, my nichirin blade truly feels like the sun itself—radiating scorching heat!"
He laughed loudly, voice brimming with passion.
"A nichirin blade like this would have far greater killing power against demons than a normal one!"
Then he suddenly turned to Naruto, eyes blazing.
"Naruto! How did you make the blade enter this state?!"
The other Pillars stepped forward one by one, carefully sensing the blade. One after another, their expressions changed as they felt the intense "sun" attribute surging within it.
All of them turned their gazes toward Naruto.
Naruto instinctively shook his head.
"I… I don't know."
…Hmm?
The Pillars' gazes instantly became dangerous.
'S-so scary…'
Naruto's scalp tingled under their stares. He felt like they were about to eat him alive. Swallowing nervously, he forced himself to speak.
"It seems like… it just needs to be gripped hard."
"Hard?"
"Just… gripping it?"
The Pillars' expressions grew even more dangerous.
Everyone knew that a personalized nichirin blade's color was fixed. Even if someone else wielded it, the blade would never change.
Yet Naruto had forcibly altered Rengoku's blade.
More than that, the Pillars—masters of Breathing Techniques—were extremely sensitive to the power of sunlight within nichirin blades. After touching it themselves, they could clearly feel that the blade's sun attribute had expanded countless times.
This change would massively amplify its lethality against demons.
If they could master this…
Their advantage against Upper Moons would increase drastically.
And now Naruto was saying all it took was gripping it?
Were they supposed to believe that?
Clang!
Muichiro Tokito suddenly drew his nichirin blade and handed it to Naruto without hesitation.
"Try it on mine too."
The Pillars' eyes lit up instantly. All attention focused on Naruto.
"…Okay."
Under their intense stares, Naruto accepted Muichiro's blade. He wrapped both hands around the hilt—and exerted force.
The change was immediate.
The silver-white blade began to glow as if tempered by blazing fire, turning into the same scorching crimson as Rengoku's blade.
"It changed!"
"It really changed just by gripping it?!"
The Pillars stared in disbelief and excitement.
Unlike the Mark—which remained mysterious—this transformation had occurred right before their eyes.
"I'll try!"
Shinazugawa Sanemi impatiently drew his own nichirin blade and gripped the hilt with all his strength.
Nothing happened.
"Impossible!"
He gritted his teeth and forced more strength into it.
Still nothing.
"My blade is fading."
Kyojuro Rengoku suddenly spoke. He raised his blade—the crimson hue was visibly receding, returning to its original color.
He stared at it silently for a moment, then gripped the hilt with both hands and exerted all his strength.
…Nothing.
His blade did not change at all.
"Is it a matter of strength?" Rengoku muttered.
He looked at Naruto and extended his hand.
"Come. Let's test our grip strength."
"Oh."
Naruto obediently grasped Rengoku's hand.
The moment they exerted force—
Rengoku's expression changed instantly.
"Enough! I understand—let go."
He released Naruto's hand and turned toward the others, expression solemn.
"My grip strength ranks third among the Pillars… or fourth now. But the gap between me and Naruto is like that between a child and an adult—or worse."
He clenched his fist.
"Even Gyomei would likely fall far behind Naruto in grip strength. Changing a nichirin blade's color through sheer force alone… only Naruto can do it."
"Damn it!"
Shinazugawa Sanemi kicked the ground furiously.
"Why can't I do anything?!"
"Can't do what?"
A voice interrupted them.
Everyone turned to see Uzui Tengen, the flamboyant Sound Pillar, approaching with a stern expression, twin blades resting on his back.
"What are you all gathered here for?" he asked irritably.
"Have you seen Tomioka Giyu?"
The atmosphere instantly turned heavy.
They had all but forgotten.
This gathering wasn't only for Naruto's formal recognition as the Storm Pillar.
It was also for something far more serious—
The Water Pillar, Tomioka Giyu, had violated the Corps' rules by sheltering a demon.
And now, he was to face judgment from the Master…
And from the Pillars themselves.