They were similar to the "Silian Tongzi" in Hidan's hands, able to absorb the souls of the slain, though most of those souls would still belong to Yunchuan Hyuga. The key difference between the Seven Deadly Sins and "Silian Tongzi" was that the absorbed souls would not feed back to the wielder but would strengthen the soul within the blade. The wielder also had to offer their own mental energy to nurture the blade, shaping a unique ability.
Each blade would fit its owner best, and each one had an unknown limit and future. Even Yunchuan Hyuga did not know their exact abilities, or whether he himself could draw them. He felt genuine anticipation, finding joy in the uncertainty.
Hidan alone had brought him 3000 points, and the dozen people present brought another 3000. With more than nine thousand before, he should have had over fifteen thousand in total. Now he had just over ten thousand, meaning he had placed five thousand points on the future.
"Who goes first?" Jiraiya asked, breaking the silence.
They looked at one another and saw the same eagerness in each other's eyes. An impatient Jonin from the Akimichi Clan stepped forward, taking a deep breath as he fixed his gaze on the blade called "Gluttony." Jiraiya nodded, agreeing with the choice, and many felt the same since the name suited the Akimichi Clan member well.
He gripped the handle of the massive blade, muscles swelling as he tried to pull it free. With his strength, he could have torn a person's head off, yet the sword did not move at all. His face flushed red as he strained harder, but the blade remained fixed in its case.
The crowd stared in disbelief, and a Yamanaka Clan Jonin even asked if he was joking with them. Angrily, Si Dong cursed and formed seals to use Baika no Jutsu, yet the sword still did not respond. Power that could have lifted the entire case vanished as if swallowed.
When someone laughed behind him, Si Dong lost his momentum and turned back, face red as he snapped at them to try it themselves. A Nara Clan Jonin volunteered, choosing not Gluttony but the blade called "Sloth." The broad greatsword looked even heavier, yet when he applied slight force, it gave a faint sound.
Eyes widened, but soon he let go. When asked why he stopped, he stepped back and said plainly that it had rejected him. Jiraiya understood and admitted that he had also failed to draw "Lust," not even managing to make it budge.
The Nara Clan Jonin frowned and noted that the names were not simple labels. He joked that given Jiraiya's habits, Lust should have suited him best, only to get smacked on the head before he could finish. Laughing, he went on to try the other blades, as did the stubborn Si Dong.
The results were the same. Only when Si Dong tried "Wrath" did the blade show a brief tremor before falling silent again. At least this proved that the blades demanded alignment with their names, not the other way around.
The repeated failures did not cool their desire but stirred their fighting spirit. One by one, others stepped forward, yet the best they received were faint mocking hums before silence returned. Faces twisted with frustration, and even Kakashi Hatake secretly tried "Sloth" and "Lust," drawing an obvious hum from Lust before failing, earning him strange looks and a dark expression.
Failure washed over the tent, draining the earlier excitement and replacing it with deeper awe. The seven blades stood quietly in their cases, cold light flowing along their edges as if they were silently mocking the crowd. It felt like an unspoken question hung in the air, asking whether they were worthy at all.
Everyone fell silent. Jiraiya frowned, his mood sinking, since he had meant to boost morale before their action. These people were all elite, standing at the top of Konoha and even the Ninja World, yet none were recognized.
At that moment, Yunchuan Hyuga spoke up and broke the silence. He asked if Jiraiya would like to try the remaining six blades. Jiraiya hesitated, knowing another failure might hit morale harder, but seeing Yunchuan Hyuga's calm eyes, he asked which one he should try.
"Sloth," Yunchuan Hyuga said softly.
The crowd frowned in confusion, unable to connect that name with Jiraiya's path from a common Ninja to a member of the Three Legendary Sannin. Even his indulgences were paired with gathering intelligence, so how could he be slothful?
Without explaining, Jiraiya stepped forward and grasped the blade called "Sloth." The sword hummed in response.
Under the tightened gazes of everyone present, the blade called "Sloth" had been impossible to move before, no matter how red others' faces became from exertion. The moment Jiraiya gripped the hilt, a clear, sharp sound rang out. A low hum followed as the will named "Sloth" examined his soul and granted recognition.
The essence of "Sloth" was not simple laziness, but avoidance and refusal to act. He treated desire as a private kind of romance, used his strength to chase the distant Child of Prophecy, and dressed his escape as the detachment of a sage. He avoided reality without admitting it, and when others pointed it out, he said the world was ugly and beyond his power to change.
His mind was ordinary, best at writing erotic novels, yet he chased elegance and lofty ideals. He traveled through many lands and recorded the state of the world, but never truly changed anything. He chose not to see, not to hear, not to ask, and not to act.
He was an idealist who escaped from reality. kacha.
An unsheathed greatsword was drawn from the case, its edge unsharpened, the blade thick and dull like stone. Jiraiya's breathing stalled as he held it, and despite drawing the sword, his chest felt heavy and tight.
Sloth was telling him that this was the true nature of his soul. The sword cut through his disguise of lust and heroic pride, and clearly exposed his habit of avoidance. The weight of that judgment pressed on him.
"Sloth?" Yunchuan Hyuga watched calmly, already understanding why Jiraiya could draw the blade. True heroism meant seeing reality clearly and still choosing to love life and act to change it.
It meant acting even when defeat was certain and change seemed impossible. Even Hashirama Senju could be called a hero, because with a limited life and power he still brought change to the Ninja World. Perhaps when Jiraiya faced Pain at the end of his life, he could be called resolute for Konoha.
But looking across his entire life, avoidance had always guided his choices. Tsunade, Orochimaru, Akatsuki, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Konoha, and the Ninja World were all part of it. It was impossible that he knew nothing of Tsunade's thoughts, noticed nothing of Orochimaru's change, or had no sense of Akatsuki's future.
It was impossible that he failed to read Hiruzen Sarutobi's repeated hints, or see the darkness hidden within Konoha. Because he knew all of this and believed he could not change it, he chose to avoid everything and place his hope onto the Child of Prophecy. But did he truly believe the state of the Ninja World could be changed by one person?
"Senior Jiraiya." A Nara jonin broke the dead silence and asked, "Is there something special about that sword?" Jiraiya came back from his daze and forced a pale smile. "This sword..."