Chapter 32
After supper and returning home, Naoki Asakawa didn't jump straight into practice. Instead, he took a defective sword and used it to carefully cut off its outer shell, revealing the chakra metal inside.
"Though it's not a lot, I should be able to make two flying swords," Naoki Asakawa muttered to himself. He observed the pieces and concluded that, if he forged a flying sword made entirely from chakra metal, with dimensions of about two centimeters wide and twelve centimeters long, he could create almost two.
Of course, there was another method: mixing chakra metal with ordinary metal. This could yield many flying swords, though they would be weaker than a sword forged entirely from chakra metal. However, Naoki Asakawa's sword control technique was designed for reusable flying swords, not disposable ones.
"Is it just for convenience, though?" he thought. The chakra metal's full potential was not easily replicated with mixing, but he was willing to accept the trade-off for durability.
"I'll have to trouble Mikoto to forge the flying swords."
The chakra metal, worth millions of taels, gave Naoki a little pause. Asking the owner of a ninja tool shop to craft such valuable materials seemed too risky. It was far safer to involve Uchiha Mikoto and have the craftsmen from her clan handle the forging. They would ensure the work was done well, with no shortcuts taken.
Once the two flying swords were completed, Naoki would engrave array patterns on them and then nourish them with magic for a period before he could start using the sword-controlling technique.
"Let's practice first," Naoki murmured.
"Refine the essence into Qi!"
"Samadhi True Fire!"
Naoki sat cross-legged and focused on the basics of Qi Refining and the Samadhi True Fire simultaneously. Dinner and supper were quickly converted into essence within his body as he continued his training.
The next morning, as Naoki opened his door, he ran into Uchiha Mikoto on her way to school. He asked Mikoto about helping him forge the flying swords, and she agreed readily.
Thanks to Mikoto's assistance, two flying swords—crafted from chakra metal with a touch of other hard metals—were forged by the Uchiha clan's craftsmen. These swords were now ready for Naoki's final touch.
In the following days, Naoki returned to his peaceful routine. He woke up early each morning to go to school with Uchiha Mikoto. After school, he practiced at home, occasionally spending weekends out with Mikoto and Kushina, shopping or enjoying some time together.
For nearly two years, this peaceful lifestyle continued, but things were changing outside of Naoki's small world. By March of the 37th year of Konoha, tensions were rising.
In the ninja world, spring was typically a season of growth and competition, but this year, there was an underlying restlessness. Konoha and the entire ninja world were on edge.
Twenty years earlier, the First Ninja World War had left all five major countries with heavy losses, and they signed a "truce treaty" to end the conflict. Since then, although there had been small-scale skirmishes and wars, none had escalated into a full-scale war like the first. A brief peace had taken hold.
However, after two decades of recovery, the economic gap between the five nations had grown wider. Economically disadvantaged countries began strengthening their military forces, attempting to expand their territories through force. This had led to heightened tensions.
Konoha, sitting in the heart of the Land of Fire, was no exception. The streets of Konoha were now teeming with ninjas, something unusual for ordinary days. Ninjas were often in a rush, leaving on missions almost immediately after returning from the last.
The number of ninjas in Konoha was dwindling as many were deployed to the front lines. As a result, missions, which once required many hands, were now fewer, and fewer ninjas were available to take on tasks.
This sudden reduction in ninja manpower meant that the graduation season of the Ninja School, which was fast approaching, became critical. Besides the sixth-grade students ready to graduate, many younger students applied for early graduation.
Naoki Asakawa and Uzumaki Kushina were no different.
Though he had only recently turned ten and was supposed to stay in the Ninja School for another three years, Naoki knew better than most that the Second Ninja World War was imminent. If he stayed in the school much longer, he'd likely be forced into early graduation and sent straight to the front lines, where the war would soon escalate. It was better to graduate now, familiarize himself with actual combat, and avoid the worst of the fighting when it became most intense.
Besides, Naoki had exhausted all his savings, and if he stayed in school much longer, he might struggle to afford food. Becoming a ninja would ensure he could earn money, which was essential for continuing his Qi refining process.
Naoki felt confident that he could become a ninja. Over the past two years, his mana had grown exponentially, and though he hadn't quite broken through to the late stage of Qi Refining, he felt it was within reach. Tonight, he believed, would be the breakthrough he needed.
At the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at his desk, a solemn expression on his face. The weight of the growing tension around Konoha weighed heavily on him. His thoughts drifted back twenty years, to that fateful night.
A ninja team, fleeing in the Land of Lightning, found themselves in a dire situation.
This was no ordinary team; it included some of the most renowned ninjas of Konoha. The leader, a man with white hair, a burly frame, and a visor on his Konoha forehead protector, was Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage. Though badly injured, he remained stoic.
The other five members of the team were his closest comrades: Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, Mito Kado En, Koharu Utatane, and Tofu Akimichi. All had been trained under the legendary Tobirama, but unlike their leader, their faces showed the heavy toll of their circumstances.
They had been sent to the Land of Lightning to secretly negotiate a peace agreement with the Second Raikage. However, the meeting was sabotaged by the war-hungry faction of the Cloud Village, led by Kinkaku and Ginkaku. Their surprise attack had left the group trapped, with Uchiha Kagami staying behind to cover their retreat.
The mission had gone awry, and now, with Tobirama's strength severely depleted, escape seemed impossible. Although Tobirama could easily have fled using his Flying Thunder God technique, he knew that his comrades couldn't escape without help.
It was clear that someone would have to stay behind to ensure the others could make it out. The situation was dire, and the choice was grim: stay and sacrifice oneself, or run and leave the others to face their fate.
********
If you want to read more there's 15, 30, 50 chapters there of my written fanfictions and translated works in my Pat.Reon.
Here is the link:
https://patreon.com/LordFisherman?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
And if you can't find it just type my name: patreon.com/LordFisherman