A/N: Chapter 34 has arrived!
I don't own Naruto.
Chapter XXXIV: Retooling
"So the final round is tomorrow?" Naruto asked before taking a sip of tea. He decided to try the sweet melon green tea, per recommendation of Hiro. It was, as the name implied, sweet and refreshing.
Sasuke nodded, taking a sip of his own tea. "Yep. Looks like it's going smoothly, judging by how we haven't been called up just yet."
"And how Haku got the day off," Naruto added, tilting his head towards the medic in question.
"Well, Shizune said that the rest of the preparations weren't anything too strenuous, so she'd handle it," Haku stated.
"Was Sakura there today?" the blond asked.
"Not today. I think maybe Lady Tsunade had something for her to do? I'm not entirely sure, though."
Naruto nodded with a hum, taking another sip of the refreshing drink. Just as he set his cup down, an idea popped into his head. "Oh, Haku. You're pretty good with throwing weapons, right?"
"Well, I think so. My primary skill is with senbon, though. Why the sudden curiosity?"
"I was just wondering where you get your senbon and stuff from."
"Oh, I see. I mean, senbon are fairly standard equipment, so I just get them from any ninja tools shop, really," Haku explained.
Sasuke shot his blond friend a look, which was returned. Sasuke simply nodded, knowing exactly why Naruto asked what he did. "Do you know any places that would do custom work?"
Haku tilted his head. "Custom work? As in special-made weapons?"
The blond nodded slightly as he took a sip of his tea. "Yeah, pretty much."
"I'm not sure I know anyone who does custom work like that, I'm sorry."
Naruto blew a raspberry. "It's alright. I guess maybe I should go look for myself."
"Actually, do you think I could tag along? I'm curious to see what it is you want to have made," Haku queried.
The two roommates exchanged a glance before Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "I think I'm gonna go train for a little bit, actually. I'll see you at home, Naruto. See you around, Haku."
The group paid for their drinks and left a generous tip before bidding each other a good day.
Naruto and Haku mostly made small talk as they made their way through the village, with Haku leading the way. They were about to approach a ninja tools shop when they ran into a familiar Hyūga.
"Oh, hey Neji. Didn't expect to see you out and about," Naruto greeted.
"I could say the same about you," Neji fired back. He offered a quick bow to Haku. "Nice to see you again, Haku."
The medic mirrored the gesture. "Likewise. Mind me asking where you're headed?"
"Well, I was training with Lee and Tenten earlier, but now I'm heading to the Jasmine Dragon."
"Hey, we were just there!" Naruto declared.
"Small world, I suppose," Haku remarked.
Neji hummed. "May I ask where you two are heading?"
"Just looking for some ninja tools. Ya know, weapons and stuff," Naruto answered.
The Hyūga's brows rose in surprise. "Weapons? I never took you for someone to use anything other than a kunai. Are you looking for a new weapon to use?"
"Yeah, kinda. Just looking around to see what we can find."
"I see," Neji said as he brought a hand to his chin. "If you want pointers, I think you should talk to Tenten. She's a weapons specialist, after all. As a matter of fact, she's in that ninja tools shop behind me." He gestured towards the shop in question.
"Wow. Talk about good timing, huh?" Naruto mused.
"The universe works in strange ways, or so they say," Haku added.
"At any rate, I'll leave you to it. Good luck on your search." With that, Neji went on his way.
Naruto and Haku entered the shop and caught sight of the familiar chestnut hair buns that belonged to the weapons master of Team Gai. She was busy browsing through the assortment of weapons that were on display: kunai, swords of various lengths, kamas, shuriken, even metal and wooden clubs alike.
The clack of Haku's geta caught her attention. "Oh, hey guys," she greeted with a smile.
"Hey, Tenten," Naruto replied. Haku offered a bow and a small but sincere smile.
"Don't think I've ever seen you in a ninja tools shop before. You looking for something?" Tenten asked.
"Actually, we are. We —well, mostly me, really —I wanted to ask you something," Naruto fumbled.
"What kinda something?"
The blond laced his fingers behind his head. "Do you know a place that does custom made weapons?"
Tenten blinked. "I don't mean to sound rude, but since when did you take an interest in weapons, Naruto?"
"Er, well, I kinda thought about having a signature weapon type thing. Ya know, since Sasuke has his sword, Haku here has his senbon, and Sakura has…her fists. I don't really have anything, y'know?"
Tenten stared at the blond for a moment, who scratched his cheek with a sheepish grin. She finally shrugged, satisfied with his reasoning. "I mean, I guess that's as good a reason as any. As far as custom made stuff, goes, there aren't many places around here that will take a custom job. They tend to be time-consuming, not to mention expensive."
Naruto deflated at the revelation, then perked up slightly. "But there are places that'll do it, right?" he asked with a twinge of hope.
Tenten tapped a finger against her chin, tilting her head as she combed through her memories. Finally, she snapped her fingers. "I know a place. Follow me."
The shop looked more like a house than anything. It was a bit out of the way, certainly far away from the commercial district and the other shops. The only indicator that it was a business was a plain wooden sign that read "Hayakawa's Ninja Tools."
"I've never seen this place before," Naruto pointed out.
"Well, it is a ninja tools shop, at least," Haku reasoned.
"Trust me," Tenten reassured. "This shop has good stuff, and they don't mind doing custom orders, either. I've had a couple of things made here. Not sure how much business they get these days, though," she said before stretching her arms. "Anyways, I'd probably better get going."
Naruto's face twisted in confusion. "Huh? You're not coming in with us?"
"I would, but I should probably go meet Lee, I promised I'd train with him some more today. I'll see you guys around. Good luck with what you're looking for, Naruto." The weapons expert set off, mumbling to herself about how her teammate was nearly insane with how much he trained.
Naruto and Haku exchanged a look before shrugging and heading inside. The shop was empty, save for a smattering of available ninja tools. A small bell announced their entry, followed by a greeting from a low, smooth voice.
"Welcome in, can I help you find anything?"
The duo turned to the owner of the voice: a tall, slender young man with dark teal eyes and nearly jet-black hair tied in a topknot that looked to be a little shorter than Haku's. He wore a dark grey, long-sleeved kimono top and black pants. If neither Haku nor Naruto knew any better, they would mistake him for a ninja rather than a shopkeeper.
The duo approached the counter, further grabbing the attention of the weapons monger. His expression was stoic, but there was a certain intensity in his gaze that held their attention. "How can I help you?"
Naruto cleared his throat. "Do you guys do custom orders?"
The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow. "Custom orders? We haven't done any custom orders in a few ye—"
He was cut off by someone shouting from another room. "Yo, Aki! Dad wants to know if inventory is done!"
The shopkeeper, apparently named Aki, winced, a frown darkening his face. "I'm sorry, give me just a moment."
Haku and Naruto nodded as the young man trudged out from behind the counter to a door that was left ajar. Aki poked his head in. "Denji, I'm with customers!" he hissed.
"Huh? Really? Well okay. But is inventory done?"
"I left it on Dad's desk, you dolt. Now be quiet."
"Ah, stuff it. Hey, I wanna go talk to these customers, too."
"Absolutely not—"
Denji pushed past Aki, strolling behind the counter. The so-called dolt was shorter than Aki and sported a rather casual garb of a T-shirt and pants. In stark contrast to Aki, Denji's hair was sandy blond and scruffy. His eyes were reminiscent of Kakashi's in that they seemed to be perpetually half-lidded. Denji's, however, were slightly unusual in color: light brown, bordering on mustard yellow. He raised a hand in greeting.
"Yo. You guys need anything?"
Aki stormed over and took his place next to Denji. "I apologize for my brother's big mouth."
"Hey!"
Aki shot Denji a glare before turning back to Naruto and Haku. "You said you were interested in a custom job?"
Naruto merely blinked in astonishment. Watching these two interact was like watching himself and Sasuke, and he wasn't quite sure how to feel about it. He snapped back to reality and nodded. "Yeah. Do you guys do custom weapons?"
Aki opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Denji. "We have before, but it's been a few years. Why? You want something custom made?"
"I mean, yeah. You said it's been a few years, but do you still take custom orders?" Naruto stuck his bottom lip out.
"That's something we'd need to ask the smith," Aki answered. "What did you want to have made?"
"Some custom kunai: three-pronged with a wooden handle," Naruto replied, not missing a beat.
"Custom kunai? You sure you don't want a sword or somethin'?" Denji prompted.
Naruto frowned. "I'm not a kenjutsu specialist, so."
The older blond shrugged. "Just sayin'. Swords are cooler than kunai, don't ya think?"
"Shut it, Denji," Aki snapped, turning his attention back to Naruto. "You'll have to speak to the smith. Denji, go get him."
"Why me?"
"Because I said so. Now go."
Denji trudged out the back door, grumbling the whole way.
"You and your brother seem close," Haku ventured.
Aki shrugged. "He's a moron, but we're family."
Naruto could hardly believe his ears, and neither could Haku. The two couldn't help but wonder if they'd somehow stepped through some sort of magic doorway and were looking at Naruto and Sasuke in a different universe.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I should probably introduce myself if you're a potential client. I'm Aki Hayakawa. The loudmouth is my brother, Denji."
"Naruto Uzumaki. Good to meet you."
"Haku Yuki. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
No sooner did the back door creak open than Denji slunk back in, his hands in his pockets. A moment later, a tall, middle-aged man stepped over the threshold. His slightly messy hair touched the top of his ears, and was the same shade of silver as Kakashi's, while his stubble left a light dusting of silver on his face. A prominent scar ran from the left corner of his mouth along his cheek, stopping at his jawbone. The man's shoulders were broad, and his soot-covered hands were calloused. His thick leather apron was bruised and burned in a few places, clearly having seen much use.
The blacksmith stepped behind the counter, eyeing Naruto and Haku. After a tense moment, he finally broke the silence. "So, you're interested in custom made kunai?" he asked, his voice mellow but slightly gravely.
Naruto blinked, astonished at the man's presence for a fleeting moment before finding his voice. "Yeah, I am. Do you make those? If you do, how much would it be?"
"Depends on the design, the material, how many—stuff like that. My son told me you have a particular design in mind," the man answered.
"Yeah, I do. Three-pronged with a wooden handle instead of the linen wraps."
"Alright. Did you want them to be made from chakra conductive metal?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "That's a thing?"
"Asuma used blades that conducted his chakra," Haku whispered to his friend, drawing a hum of understanding from the blond, who pensively scratched his cheek.
"Nah," Naruto said with a flippant wave. "Just whatever is used for regular kunai."
The smith had taken out a pencil and paper by now and was jotting down notes, nodding as Naruto spoke. "Alright. Before I ask how many, let me see if I've got this design right." His pencil danced across the page. When he'd finished, he held up the sheet of paper.
Naruto knew to expect the unexpected, but he still blanched when the smith showed him the exact design of his father's special kunai. The man regarded him with an arched eyebrow. "Something the matter?"
Snapping himself out of it, Naruto shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I just didn't expect you to get the design so spot-on, y'know?"
The smith shrugged, setting the paper back onto the counter. "You could say it's a unique design. How many would you like to order?"
"Wait, dad, you're actually going through with this?" Aki interrupted.
"Yes, I am. You and I both know we could use the business, Aki. Besides, it's not like this will be awfully challenging," the smith reasoned. He turned back to Naruto, who couldn't help but feel that there was something else at play here. "I can do sets of ten. That said, I can make up to eighty, should you so choose. Just keep in mind that if you order that many, it'll take some time. I'm not as young as I used to be, as you can probably tell," the middle-aged man finished with a chuckle.
Naruto turned to Haku. "I dunno. What do you think?"
The coal haired medic shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure what you're going to be doing with them if I'm being honest. I suppose a good number would be probably between twenty and forty? Something like that?"
"Let's call it forty. How does that sound?" the smith suggested. Naruto gave a nod. The man jotted down some more notes. "Alright, let's see here. Total for that should be…"
"Fifty-five-thousand ryō," Aki announced.
Naruto's jaw hit the floor. "F-f-f-f-fifty-five? Th-th-th-thousand? As in: five-five-zero-zero-zero? Three zeroes?"
A smirk tugged on the smith's scarred mouth. "This is a business, after all. I have to make a profit somehow. Plus, I'm actually giving you a pretty good rate, here. Other smiths would easily charge double, even triple for an order like this."
"Naruto, you do still have the money from that one mission, don't you? Why don't you dip into some of that money?" Haku suggested.
"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that." The blond rubbed the back of his neck, an embarrassed smile on his face.
The smith let out an amused huff. "So, do we have a deal?" He extended a sooty hand.
Naruto hesitated for a moment, but decided that this would be a worthwhile investment for himself. He took the smith's hand and gave it a firm shake. "We have a deal."
"Kishibe Hayakawa," the man declared.
"Sorry?"
"The name is Kishibe Hayakawa. And your names would be?"
"Oh! Sorry! Naruto Uzumaki."
"Haku Yuki."
Kishibe hummed. "Yuki? I haven't heard that name in a while. You're not from around here, are you?"
Haku blinked, his face blank yet surprised. "I…well, no, I'm not. I was born near Kirigakure, in the Land of Water. Are you…familiar with my family name?"
"Not personally, but I've heard the stories of the clan that controlled ice." He turned his attention to Naruto. "Any particular reason you chose to order kunai that are basically replicas of the Fourth Hokage's?"
Naruto froze, his eyes widening beneath his sunglasses. He shook himself out of his stupor. "I've just always looked up to him. Ever since I was a kid, I'd heard about how great of a ninja he was and wanted to be like him."
"Well, you've got the same color hair he does, so you're on the right track in that respect."
"No offense, Mr. Kishibe, but I don't remember ever seeing you in Konoha when I was a kid," Naruto pointed out.
"Probably because I'm not from around here," Kishibe replied.
"I don't want to pry, but may I ask where you're from if not from Konoha or the Land of Fire?" Haku inquired.
"No worries. Naruto here is now one of our valued clients, so it's alright to discuss such things. To answer your question: I'm from the Land of Iron. When I was younger, I took on an apprenticeship with a swordsmith. My sons were born there, and when my wife passed, I decided to take my belongings, my skills, and my sons and come to the Land of Fire.
"The samurai of the north are honorable, to be certain, but there's not a terribly high demand for swords outside of new recruits. I never wanted to be a warrior, and I wanted to give my sons a bit of a fresh start. We set up shop here a few years ago and have been here since."
"How did you know about the Fourth Hokage, though? I figured only ninja villages knew about him, especially his kunai, y'know?" Naruto wondered.
"You'd be surprised how far word of the Fourth Hokage and his skill spread," Kishibe proclaimed. "I'd also heard some folk spinning yarns about him when we made our journey. Most of them sounded outlandish, but it gave me an idea of how skilled he was."
Naruto hummed, nodding. "I guess that makes sense. I knew he was pretty well-known for being strong and all that."
"Well, at any rate, you don't have to pay everything up front. Judging by your reaction, it seems like money is a bit of a concern for you, am I right?" Kishibe probed.
The younger blond let out a nervous chuckle. "Er, yeah, a little bit."
"Tell you what, you can pay some up front, and the rest later. Deal?"
Naruto gave a firm nod. "Deal." He produced his frog wallet, snapping it open and digging through it, his tongue poking out of one side of his mouth. "Lemme see. I can do…huh. Does fifteen-thousand work?" he asked, pulling out a fistful of bills and setting them on the counter.
Kishibe gave a sagely nod. "That works for me. You'll owe me forty thousand even when they're done, which will be in about a week or so. Just come by and we'll go from there."
A smile crossed Naruto's face before he gave a firm nod. "Sounds good! Thanks!"
Kishibe let a small smile grace his features before giving a small bow. "Pleasure doing business. Feel free to come by if you need other gear besides your custom stuff. Same goes for you, Haku."
The coal haired medic bowed in response. "Thank you."
Naruto and Haku bade goodbye to Denji and Aki as well, thanking them for their assistance. Despite their interesting sibling relationship, Naruto could tell that they were good people, and he'd be sure to come by later, if only to see how they were doing.
"You mind if I ask you something, Naruto?"
"What's up, Haku?"
"I don't want to pry, but why exactly did you want to order those kunai?"
"Well, I wasn't lying about wanting to be like the Fourth Hokage. But I didn't tell them everything."
"Color me surprised; usually you're so upfront about things."
The blond shrugged. "Normally. But this is something I've sorta been working on in secret."
Haku cocked an eyebrow. "A secret? From the Naruto Uzumaki? Do you have a fever?"
"I'm fine! It's just a jutsu. A pretty cool one, too," Naruto chirped.
"What kind of jutsu requires specially-made kunai?"
They were almost home by now. Naruto let out a chuckle. "It's a jutsu that lets me move really fast. It's called Hiraishin. One of these days I'll have to show it to you. Maybe after the Chūnin Exams are over, huh?"
A smile crossed Haku's face. "I'm definitely interested to see what you've been working on."
"Great! Well, I'd better get home. See you tomorrow, probably."
"See you soon, Naruto."
A/N: Ah, some nice fluff. Cookie to whoever guesses where I got the names of the smith and his sons from. As far as him wanting to use Minato's kunai, I think it just makes sense with how much he looked up to him when he was younger. Haku tagging along was a bonus. Thanks so much for reading! Chapter 35 is in the works!
