Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way and make no claim on its copyright or any characters from the series. Original characters are my own property.
Author's Notes: With this chapter I have taken a fairly unusual approach. As my knowledge of Japanese swordmaking is limited to what I can read on a few easily googled websites, I have deliberately going into detail regarding the process. I hope I was able to convey a sense of the undertaking regardless however, and would eagerly appreciate commentary on this segment.
Thanks to all reviewers!
Other Gifts Continues
With great care and diligence Suzumebachi ran the blade over the water stone, again and again, continuing the long, slow, and dangerously boring process of polishing the nearly finished blade. She was almost done with the stones, and soon it would only be sandpaper and true polish that were required, a matter of the rest of the day, little more. Once done it could be fitted to the already made tsuba and tsuka quickly, taking effectively no time at all compared to the process of forging, tempering, and polishing the eleven inch blade. Those earlier steps had taken almost four weeks.
Suzumebachi recalled how dismayed she had been at the beginning, learning how much time everything would take. Admittedly, it had taken so long because she had to learn everything from the beginning, under Katai's careful guidance, practicing the techniques on old, ruined, student makes, before daring the actual process. It had also taken extra time due to the requirements of melding a blade with personal essence. Some of these things were simple enough, seal combinations evoked over the blade, pouring small amounts of chakra into it during the tempering process, about what one expected. Mixing corundum1 powder with her blood and melding it with the steel, however, had not been a portion of her expectations.
Katai had explained the process. "Steel has the capacity to hold structure, and to strike apart structure, but it lacks the permanence to hold your essence. Melded with the chakra in your blood the corundum will harden the blade so it will never chip, nick, or break. That is the strength of the bond."
Suzumebachi had asked him why they did not use diamond, since that was a harder material, and considered more precious.
"Diamonds can break and shatter," Katai had responded easily, remarking that it was a fairly common question. "Also, for some reason diamond does not hold the bones of the earth, so the bonding process does not work fully. No one knows precisely why."
The wasp ninja tried to focus on polishing instead of the smith's intriguing remarks of the past. She had gradually formed an opinion of Katai as a surprisingly complex man, and a regretful one. There was something terrible in his past, something he could never get over so long as he continued to make weapons. Despite this weapons were his gift, and he would not abandon what he saw as his duty at least until he had an apprentice who surpassed him. Suzumebachi had avoided probing further, for the man had never once asked about her tattoo, so she would not delve his own secrets.
The ninja smith's footsteps could be heard on the stone floor, walking over. Suzumebachi paused, and turned her heard up to meet his gaze.
Even as always, Katai took a single look at the blade. "You should switch to sandpaper now," he told her. His face was even as always, but he couldn't help adding, "Surprisingly fast, surprising," before walking away.
Suzumebachi had heard him make the same remark several times before she felt it necessary to ask Katai what he meant. His explanation had surprised her. Apparently she had been able to fold the blade much faster than she should have, having far greater strength than he expected of her. She had made more of each hammer-stroke she made than he believed possible.
"I am a good judge of strength," Katai had told her. "I can usually guess the might in a man or woman's arm with a single glance. I do not think I have been so wrong about anyone since I learned the Tsuchikage's true power. It is a mystery."
Suzumebachi was puzzled as well, by the strength she had been able to put behind the blows. Katai had forbidden the use of chakra in the forging process, explaining that striking too hard would damage the blade and could ruin the whole enterprise. Still, Suzumebachi had found she could easily strike the steel far harder than she would have thought in her own estimates. Indeed, she felt substantially stronger in everything she did these days, after her body's tightness had finally settled, and her appetite, after a few more surges, stabilized at a level slightly above her previous norm. It was something about the tattoo on her forehead; it had changed something in her. These changes terrified Suzumebachi, though she would not have dared to admit such a thing even to herself, so she avoided thinking about it, and when she did took only the stubborn view that nothing could be done.
Sandpapering went on into the evening. After only a short break for dinner Suzumebachi moved on to the final polishing and placing the blade with swordguard, handle, and scabbard. The dark tsuba was carved so it mirrored the face of the dryinid on her forehead, while a motif of wasps, bees, and ants in black and yellow adorned the handle and swordguard, a small yellow jacket capping each end. She had done all the decoration herself, in times when the blade was being heated and out of her hands. Though she was hardly an artist, like all Kamizuru ninja Suzumebachi could draw her insect companions with great accuracy, and they had a beauty all their own when properly portrayed, so it was finely styled.
When the setting was finally done Katai, seemingly without weariness despite the long hours working on his own projects in addition to providing careful instruction, turned to Suzumebachi. "It is quite late, best to let the blade sit for the night. You can come get it in the morning, so we can examine it with fresh eyes."
"I'll be certain to come early," she replied, and left without further word.
It was a restless night for the wasp ninja, as several of the last few had been. When the blade's tempering had finished, leaving only the tedious, but hardly tiring process of polishing to be done she had begun to study her grandfather's scroll with diligence. She had searched for information regarding the tattoo first, but had found nothing, despite searching the scroll from end to end. By now Suzumebachi was certain the Tsuchikage had somehow sealed those secrets from her, so she would not know precisely what had been done to her. It continually made her angry, but the rest of the scroll's contents were so fascinating such feelings would wash away quickly when she began reading.
For now Suzumebachi concentrated on the Insect Invocation, the jutsu allowing a ninja to summon strange other-worldly insects whose intelligence naturally matched those of a human. Not just Vesp, the scroll listed many other such creatures though even Suzumebachi's grandfather had not known precisely where such beings originated. It was not the same spiritual origins belonging to other summons. Superficial similarity to summoning had only made the jutsu more difficult to learn, for it was tricky and different, requiring unusual seal combinations and chakra movement. Without any real opportunity to practice Suzumebachi was far from certain she had mastered it, she would not be able to know until attempting to summon Chul'To. There would not be any second chances, the Vesp warrior was a powerful creature, and invoking her would take a great deal of chakra.
So, sleep evading her, Suzumebachi woke terribly early and spent some two hours rereading the scroll in the kitchen, practicing the hand seals, nervous. Thankfully she had a task prepared she knew would serve to calm her.
Before dawn, an event somewhat later now as winter came on fast in the high mountains, Suzumebachi went out to the hives. Carefully calming her bees she proceeded to harvest two small pots of honey. This process was made fairly easy because she could command the bees to remove the wax caps on the honeycomb themselves, and then simply force it free with a simple application of chakra. The method was not suitable for large amounts of extraction, but it was the fastest way to acquire a small batch, and the honey always seemed to taste better this way. Suzumebachi sealed the pots with melted wax and placed them in a small sack before heading to Katai's forge.
It was not yet dawn when Suzumebachi arrived, pulling open the heavy metal door as she had become accustomed in the past weeks. Katai was already present of course, stoking the forge fires as he did every morning. He looked up when Suzumebachi entered, pausing.
Without saying anything the ninja smith went over to the table holding Suzumebachi's completed blade. She walked swiftly to meet him there. Carefully Katai picked up the tanto and pulled it free from the scabbard. "This is a complete weapon now," he said, his words surprisingly somber. "It is quite fine, and I can feel its quality from the essence process, so there is no need to test it. It may be used immediately." He flipped the blade over in his hand easily, taking it between two fingers so as to avoid being cut. He picked up the saya in his left hand and passed both to Suzumebachi.
Seeing it now, in faint dawn light leaking through the paned glass windows, Suzumebachi was surprised at how fine the blade was indeed. It had a wicked edge, and shone with an azure blue sheen from the corundum powder melding in the making. Strong lines from the forging proceeded along its length, and the blade verily thrummed with energy when she grasped the handle. Sheathing it carefully she placed the blade into the scarf wrapping her waist, sticking up on the left side, in easy reach.
With great care Suzumebachi bowed to Katai formally. "You have my utmost thanks for all your guidance and assistance in this task," her gratitude was not at all feigned, a rarity. The smith had been genuinely helpful and kind to her, something she had rarely experienced in recent memory. "I am not worthy of it, but would you please accept a small gift in expression of thanks?" She handed him the bag with the honey pots.
Katai took the bag, spent a moment examining its contents, and then bowed himself. "Gratefully," He smiled then, a rare expression on his face, splitting it wide. "I'm a lousy cook, so this will be a big help."
Suzumebachi laughed slightly, knowing Katai was only partially joking. She had shared several meals with the man, and though she was no culinary expert herself, he was a lousy cook indeed.
Placing the pots on the table, Katai pulled something from a small pocket in the back of his white robes. "You have been a diligent student," he spoke solemnly once again. "I feel that as the smith I cannot allow you to leave my forge without having made you something." He held a small star-like device out in his palm. "So, in an experiment, I made this." It was a shuriken, but oddly made, with six points bent out from the center at unusual angles.
Suzumebachi immediately realized that each point represented an insect's leg. She took it carefully, testing the weight of the device. It would fly, though oddly, and she had no idea how much damage it would do, though it seemed likely to stick into a person painfully. "I will take good care of this," she told Katai.
"Do tell me if it actually works," he added with a smile.
"My thanks again," Suzumebachi replied. "I shall come back if I need anything."
"Certainly," the ninja smith replied, though with a hint of sadness. Despite not grasping the reasons, the wasp ninja understood, and said nothing more before leaving.
1- Corundum is the second hardest natural mineral, behind diamond. It is well known for its gemstone forms, ruby and sapphire.