Disclamer: listen to FABVL- Brigitte Rap Song "Armor"!
Okay, guys, this chapter fought me like the Talk no Jutsu. It resulted in being shorter than usual and for this-
*dogeza*
I'M SORRY!
AN: REVIEWS!
Shieldtoad: *slaps face* I should have written that.
TheSlySage: I like the idea of putting seals on the swords! *looks around* yoink.
I completely forgot that Biwako needed to have a training partner, and she didn't trust anyone else to help her so it only makes sense that she would pull a Puppy Dog Eyes no jutsu on Naruto. There will probably be a spar between them soon.
Rayga: I agree, there are not enough Fem!Sasuke stories. I'm rectifying such grave oversight at the moment.
I… never read a fic where the Uzumakis do that. I'm slightly terrified now. Don't worry my friend, there are not enough Uzumakis left for anything like that. ( ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) for now at least ;-) if you get what I mean ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) )
*sighs out of relief* I'm so glad you like the banter, I always think I went too far. I agree, no matter how talented kids they may be, they couldn't survive/evade ANBU and Hunters for longer than a day. Actually one of the reasons I gave them Hiraishin, that, and I just adore that jutsu. The world doesn't actually know about their existence though. There is absolutely no way they would have let any info about a surviving Uzumaki (with the obvious red hair) and a female Uchiha who may or may not have awakened the sharingan. Romance would grow a lot like that, it is just that they are kids. They already trust each other more than anything so there was no reason to put character development there.
Nithi velu: I actually wanted the 2nd chapter to be various POVs but I thought people would feel blue balled so I axed the idea. There is no reason to use Konoha 11 yet as they are barely acquaintances, most not even that.
Racan: Thanks!
DaDragon562: I hope I answered your question!
taiwoeretan1: Thank you!
Reviewer no Kage: *cries from happiness like Lee and Gai* I'M SO GLAD SOMEONE LIKES THE NAME! It is my little headcannon that Biwako Sarutobi was the midwife of Mikoto.
I adore Uzumaki heritage fics so I try to contribute. I'm really tempted to give Naruto the chains or the sensory thingie. I don't want both as I don't want this story to be OP Naruto but it will probably be the sensorness, I already have some ideas about it!
Thanks for the feedback on their relationship! I try to take care of it!
I'm so sorry for disappointing you with the cut-out Escape! I just didn't know how to give it justice, maybe I write it later?
I writ myself into a bit of a pickle on the Wave Arc, I'm relieved that you liked it!
He is a coward.
This is a fact Jiraiya has long since accepted.
He has a long list of things that make him a coward. He always makes sure to remember it.
Jiraiya is a fool, but he is no idiot. He makes a mistake, fine. He won't make it again. Saru-sensei always told him that and he believes.
Didn't stop him from leaving his own godson alone. Along with the girl who would have been Kushina's daughter in all but blood.
A curse follows Jiraiya. Konoha really. A curse that makes him lose all the people he loves.
It all started with his first students, Konan –his sweet little origami princess- Yahiko –his fellow brother in perversion- and last, but not least, Nagato –the sweet little child that would only protect. That was the first time he taught anyone anything and he likes to think he was pretty good. He remembers fondly of his vacillation if he should only be a teacher or try to be a father like Saru-sensei had done. In the end, it wasn't his decision but the kids'. Their relationship was a tad weird –' they are shinobi, what do you expect?'- and somewhat dysfunctional but in all the good ways. In the end, he managed to raise three strong and peace-wishing kids somehow. He still isn't sure how he did that, but nonetheless, he was damn proud.
His heart broke when they died. He couldn't even be there to comfort them in the last moments. Why? Because he is a coward and believed they would last just a bit longer.
And, as such, his burning desire to teach the next generation, to teach them the meaning of peace, was extinguished with his kids' lives.
The next few years were ones he wasn't proud of. He buried himself in missions after missions so he couldn't think.
"Thinking is the curse of a genius."
He once heard that. He gained a new appreciation for geniuses, for putting up with his thoughts was –still is, on bad days- a nightmare. What would happen if he was smarter?
This had gone on until he was beaten up by Tsu-hime, received a prophecy made by a high toad, found said child from the prophecy, and went back into teaching.
Teaching, as he found out yet again, is amazing. No wonder Sensei loved it so much. He took to teaching with a maturity that wasn't there before and a promise.
'I will protect them until I draw breath.'
Fifth mission outside the walls.
The war was wounding down now for some time, and shinobi were pulling out from countries not their own. It was predicted that there wouldn't be any major battles anymore. He believed it –hoped- but didn't let his guard down. It is in times like these that the arrogant die. It is in times like these that the arrogant let others die.
Team Jiraiya was supposed to go to a nearby town –village really-, look around that 'yeah, there are still trees here' then go back home. Hours before they were supposed to go he got a message that Tsu-hime is supposed to clean up an errant element that he didn't bother to remember the name of. He feared for her safety as her target pretty much countered her.
He told his team to go without him, be careful, and run to the nearest outpost at the first sign of danger. It was supposed to be a day-long mission.
He came back to Minato in a medical coma and his other student –Ringo and Akihiko- were not here.
When Minato woke up three days later he told him everything with the eyes that he sees in the mirror.
They were ambushed. 10 war veteran chuunin against three inexperienced –if brilliant- genin.
A slaughter.
Minato told him, with eyes begging for forgiveness, that he couldn't protect them, that he couldn't do anything, he reacted too late, too slow.
-"I was too slow! I'msosorryI'msosorryI'msosorryI'msosorry"-
He tried to comfort Minato, but it rang hollow in his own ears. So instead, he looked into his eyes, the only sound in the deep night Minato's choked sobs, and made a promise –he won't break it this time.
'When you need an ear to talk to, a shoulder to cry on, someone to talk your ears off so you can't think, find me. I'll be there. Always.'
Minato -his smart, strong, kind, sad child- nodded and made a promise himself.
'I will come to you sensei, but only if you do the same.' He had the audacity to smirk, small and barely there but real, at his dumbfounded face. Jiraiya laughed until his sides hurt and a pretty nurse came in to scold him. Not much later Minato fell asleep, exhausted in every sense of the word.
Jiraiya went home, sat down on his bed, and cried. Cried like the day he found the corpses of Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato.
Yahiko, Nagato, Konan, Akihiko, Ringo. His students, his children, his pride.
Five children –wonderful, limitless, kind, smart, funny, and a billion other things they could have been- lay dead. Because Jiraiya is a coward.
Never again.
After Minato came out of the hospital they made something of a man cave. Neither had anyone living with them, and neither wanted to be alone. It was a logical decision.
That was how he discovered Minato's talent and obsessiveness that rivals Uzumakis with seals.
Imagine his surprise when he went back home after a night of drinking with Tsu-hime and 'Rochi at some ungodly hour to find Minato blowing himself up. Repeatedly. Whilst swearing loudly in what he assumes different languages about a 'fucking Nidaime' and how 'he must've been high when he made this' with a dash of 'I want whatever he had. Squared!'
Same.
That translated into them spending no less than the entire one year in-between the Second Shinobi War and the Third Shinobi War trying to crack the Hiraishin.
In the end, they've managed, but only after drinking something that was at least 110% alcohol.
And that is how the Yellow Flash was born. Due to alcohol.
Splendid.
"What do you mean he has the Hiraishin Sensei?!" And now here he is, pacing in Saru-sensei's office after he was informed that 'oh yeah, your godson and Kushina's goddaughter basically eloped together. Oh, and BTW they have the Hiraishin LMAO!'
"I mean exactly what I said Jiraiya, they managed to remake it and decided to run," the last he has seen sensei so tired was after Orochimaru's defection.
Something's fishy, "why did they defect? Shouldn't they have loved the village?" This is something that bugs him. Minato's and Kushina's son not loving the village? He gets the Uchiha –bad memories are powerful motivators, and watching your entire clan slaughtered by the brother you adored is pretty bad- but Naruto?
It is only due to Hiruzen's tiredness that he can't hide a small flinch. It is enough for Jiraiya to look at him suspiciously.
"You aren't telling me something sensei." Hiruzen sighs internally, now that he is suspicious Hiruzen can't hide anything. Even then he is proud, not many can read him when he doesn't want them to.
He begins hesitantly, "The Village might not have been," he grimaces, "accommodating."
It is truly fascinating to watch Jiraiya grow angry, a perfect opposite of Tsunade's short temper and short duration.
Jiraiya's face blanks, eyes lose any warmth held in them, and he stills. A habit he picked up from Orochimaru.
"What happened with my godson?" His voice is as cold as the ice of Hyoton users Hiruzen fought against.
"Nothing that you are thinking of," he is quick the dissuade any wrong assumptions, "Naruto was respected in the shinobi circles even if they were wary," he sees Jiraiya tensing so he is quick to add, "all in reason. How can a child hold back their nightmare after all?"
Jiraiya is not as forgiving though, "Even a child should know the difference between a seal and the sealed!" He scowls, "I've been telling you that the academy has been falling behind!"
Hiruzen sighs and leans back in his chair, "And I've been telling you that we are in peace. There is no need for another Kakashi."
"Or another Itachi eh?" The old toad questions with a mockery of a smile.
Hiruzen narrows his eyes and Jiraiya draws back. For now.
Jiraiya scrunches his nose in a distinctly Tsunade way, "what about the civilians? I'm not expecting much from them but they can still surprise me." He scoffs and Hiruzen finds himself unable to be disapproving.
He, instead, grimaces, "the less we talk about them the better," he leans on the table and interlocks his hands under his chin. Jiraiya straightens, recognizing the pose of 'Party time's over', "we need to talk about what we'll do. Neither should be out of the Village, much less both."
Jiraiya nods in acceptance and agreement, "it was a fluke in their favor that I was undercover. It won't happen again, not until they are back."
"Good. Do you have any information about them?"
He shakes his head, "I only started looking for them recently. But there have been whispers of a boy with Uzumaki-red hair traveling alongside a black-haired girl. I wasn't certain which was true since they popped up everywhere in Fire. But now with Hiraishin added into the mix probably all are true though." He can't hold back the pride in his voice. 'Parents' son indeed.' Minato recreated it when he was close to sixteen, and yet his son did it before he was twelve. Granted, from what he knows Hiraishin is more of a calculation than a real space-time seal, but still. To remake what is essentially an S-rank kinjutsu is nothing to scoff at. No, Jiraiya doesn't actually know how the Hiraishin works. Even if he wanted to know –he didn't, that headache of a technique is his kid's- Minato was every bit as protective of his seals as an Uzumaki and if there is something that each seal practitioner agrees on is that you don't mess with an Uzumaki's seal.
"Do we know where they are headed?" He doesn't have much hope but he needs to ask.
Jiraiya's snort only adds to his hopelessness, "knowing where a teleporter is going? They could be anywhere in Fire, especially if they were smart and placed markers wherever they went."
Hiruzen leans back to start thinking about what to do when an errant thought catches his attention and he leans forward, "my ANBU has noticed something strange about Naruto-kun's Hiraishin." Jiraiya perks up, "besides that he only uses normal kunai, he wasn't documented to simply place the markers by hand. He always uses kunai or, sometimes, premade markers."
He thinks it over and slowly nods, "makes sense, he probably doesn't have enough chakra control," Hiruzen raises an eyebrow in askance to elaborate, "to place seals by hand has two requirements," he raises a hand with two fingers straightened and point at one of them with his other hand, "first they need to know the seal like the back of their hand," he points at his other finger, "second they need very good chakra control. Like, almost healer level chakra control."
Hiruzen tilts his head and thinks it over. It makes sense, both Minato and Tobirama-sensei had exemplary control. While it is true they had large chakra pools, sensei more so than Minato, both also trained hard to control it from a young age that only added to their natural talent in it.
"So Naruto-kun isn't likely to ever achieve it?"
Jiraiya narrows his eyes and puts down his hands at his side, "don't discredit him sensei. He did remake the pinnacle of space-time fuuinjutsu."
Hiruzen is quick to shake his head, "I don't, Jiraiya. But not only is he an Uzumaki, but he is also the Fox's jinchuuriki. He hadn't even started in chakra control from what I know."
His student snorts derisively, "because what you know is absolute?" Then he is back to scowling, "he hadn't? He should have started when he was five or something. That is how Uzumakis are raised, being a jinchuuriki should only add to starting early."
Hiruzen shakes his head, "we are in peace. I wanted him to have a normal childhood 'Raiya."
His student shots a glare so venomous and disappointed that Hiruzen almost flinches. Then he slumps, sits down in front of him, and palms his face, "there are so many reasons why you are raving mad saying that." he makes no heed to Hiruzen's glare when he looks up with determined eyes, "fine. When we get him, and the girly, back I'm taking him on a training trip. I'll shape him into something that Minato and Kushina-chan would be even prouder."
He narrows his eyes, "discounting the fact that we still need to get them back, what makes you think he'll agree? He will not do anything without Biwako Uchiha by his side." 'And he doesn't even know you' is unsaid but not unheard.
Jiraiya slumps forward and his head hits the table, "I know, I know, we fucked up big time." He raises his head with a big grin and mirth dancing in his eyes, "and I don't have a problem with the little Uchiha. Only the Great Honourable Geezer knows how many times Mikoto and Kushina talked about the kids' wedding."
The Hiraishin is a pain in the ass.
Kakashi knows this very well.
He just never thought he'd have to chase after another one.
Kakashi is many things: Son, student, failure, friend, depressed, genius, pervert, and just an all-around bastard.
He is also ANBU again. Ever since that cluster fuck that happened with Naruto –his little brother- and Biwako –he would've taught her Obito's Will of Fire.
He was called into Sandaime-sama's office in the middle of the night because, apparently, the two most important children's chakra disappeared.
How the fu-
The entire ANBU force, reserve or not, trainee or not, was called into action to find two kids. The Village was closed down, no in, no out. Anyone who does so, without permission, is thrown into Ibiki-san's tender care.
This is how the month-long hunt for two brats –his brats but still- began. Of course, many other things were going on behind the scenes. Investigating how they left, was it voluntary or not, where is the hole in the defenses, interrogating every suspicious element, making sure no one knew this was even happening, etc.
Kakashi was placed in the tracking team, obviously, and he was run ragged to catch them before they leave the border. He, and many other Inuzuka, tried to search for them through the power of noses but it didn't work. Because, for some unexplainable reason, they didn't leave behind any scent
How the fu-
Many others tried searching for some kind of starting point, but no. There were no leads.
This is how Konoha's biggest goose chase since the Great Paperwork Massacre began.
It ended with a bang. Or more of a Flash.
Because, apparently, Naruto and Biwako have the Hiraishin.
How the fu-
"You know, it makes a lot of sense in hindsight." Kakashi is snapped out of his reverie by Asuma.
"What do you mean Asuma-kun?" Yuuhi Kurenai, Asuma simp extraordinaire, asks the question on the mind of the Drinking Gang. It was a while since everyone managed to make time for it, and even then Gai was missing. Namely, Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma, Anko, and a few others. Gai was, fortunately, training.
"You know how I chaperoned the kids out of the Village? To that scroll bazaar?" Kakashi and the others nod with Anko her own chips in.
"Yeah, ain't that where they teleported to? The damn brats." She is still salty about the cut dango import it seems.
Asuma nods, "that's the idea. Anyway, coming back with them was weird as hell," he lights another –the fifth in the hour- cigarette much to Kurenai's twitching eye and the group's amusement.
"Weird how?"
"Well," he begins hesitantly like he is not sure how to put it into words, "they've had this weird air about them. But now that I think back on it, it was smugness."
'Wouldn't surprise me, Kushina-nee was always smugger than a cat-with-the-canary after a prank.'
"Hoo? Is that so?"
"Yeah, it was kinda cute." Asuma scratches his beard and smirks," could've gone without the whining though."
"Whining?" His drawl catches their attention.
"Yeah," his smirk widens noticeably, "boya had to carry, like, six swords until we were a few minutes away.," Asuma barks out a laugh with a shit-eating grin, "that was until the princess asked him -a minute from Konoha mind you- why he doesn't just seal them. I swear I never heard a scream so frustrated!"
"Pff-"
They laugh deep into the night.
'I'm alive'
Then she registers the myriad of sensations around her, like how the light hurts. Or the smell that permeates the air with enough concentration to almost put her back to sleep.
'Damn it.'
Where the hell is she? This is not the place she last remembers.
"Honestly, shisho, you should drink less!" A very unwelcome voice sounds in her ears like the warhammer she was once hit with.
"Ughhhhh, jus' le' meh die." She might not be on optimal levels.
"No can do Tsunade-sama! It is already noon, you shouldn't sleep any longer! It is bad for your health," 'I'm literally the healthiest person in the world right now,' " You have a letter from Sarutobi-sama too!"
"A wut?"
"A letter! L.E.T.T.E.R, letter!" Shizu-chan is sounding really annoyed right now. Why?
"Ugh, fine fine. Gimme a sec," she gets up from her misery and trudges to the bathroom. She opens the door with a tad bit more force than necessary considering the cracks in the wall.
'Weak ass wall,' she quietly snorts to herself. Shizune seems to be decidedly less than amused at the property damage if the muttered curses are anything.
It is when she is about to wash her face that she finally registers the words.
"Wait!" She shouts out as she slams the door open again, this has the added effect to startle her adorable apprentice, "what do you mean by a letter from sensei?"
Shizune's flat stare stings a bit. Or it might just be the door, "a letter. a character representing one or more of the sounds used in speech; any of the symbols of an alphabet." She parrots like a, you know, parrot.
Tsunade, like the mature adult she is, rolls her eyes, "not that letter-"
She is cut off by a, now, slightly amused Shizune, "oh, I'm so sorry Tsunade-sama! Do you mean a written, typed, or printed communication, sent in an envelope by post or messenger?"
"Stop being such a funny liver or that will be the only thing left of you Shizu-chan ~ "
She delights in the shiver of fear running down Shizune's back that she tried to hide behind an adorably haughty nose raise," I have no idea what you are talking about Tsunade-sama."
"So, the letter?"
Down in the post office," the smile is back, "I thought it would be a good exercise to walk out the hangover."
"Hang- ughhhhhh fuck my head!" How can somewhat forget being hangover?
She tries to glare at her sadistic apprentice but she thinks it is ruined by the way that her hands try to keep her head from exploding, "you do know that I can just magic it away right?" And like spell words she straightens up, rapidly blinking as if not believing that the light is not trying to kill her violently.
Shizune, the bastard she is, looks mildly disappointed, " so it seems. I forgot about it Tsunade-sama," she bows her head as if she was a good little apprentice, "I'm so sorry that you'll have to go down and retrieve it yourself Tsunade-sama." Not even an ounce of guilt for trying to torture her master.
'So that is how we play eh?'
Shizune is decidedly off-center when Tsunade starts head petting her. She looks up, only to find the most horrifying image one can see.
Tsunade.
Smiling.
"Don't you worry Shizu-chan ~ ! I'll make sure to reteach you everything that I know," poor Shizune starts trembling, "from the basics."
"Kami-sama save me."
The screams of mercy could be heard across the whole town.
Something is off with Naruto.
She curses herself for only noticing now. She used to be sharper than this.
'It is hard seeing more than your death when you fight Tanjiro-sensei.' That is true, but ultimately useless. After all, there is nothing more important than Naruto.
Her views might be a bit skewed, -nothing less expected from a shinobi if she is being honest.
Anyway-
There is something wrong with Naruto. In hindsight, she noticed this subtle –subtle even for her- shift a week ago.
It began with him spending more and more time playing with his seals, especially the Hiraishin. Now, this normally wouldn't be any concern –he has phases like this a few times per year- but this is different. How? She has begun to notice that he seems tired and tired every day. This could be because of the seals, but she is not sloppy. She checked and did not find any overt use of sealing material. But her instincts say that something is different and she has long learned to trust them. Naruto made sure of that.
It really baffles her mind how unconventional he fights. Naruto was never one to use taijutsu, but when he does? He is terrifyingly skilled.
'No- wait. Not skilled, but… unpredictable? Chaotic? An utter dumbass? All of them? That will do.'
Case in point, Naruto has some level of skill in some taijutsu branches. From hand-to-hand to kenjutsu. Most of the time it is useless considering his Hiraishin takes care of the problem by itself, and if it isn't that then his ninjutsu.
She sometimes feels bad about forcing him to learn kenjutsu. But she needed a sparring partner and they didn't trust anyone else than themselves. So Naruto was forced to take up swordplay when she reached the point where she couldn't progress without a partner. Fortunately, she was mostly just knowledge and no experience at that point and they talked about it as much as seals.
His fighting style is something that she marvels at and constantly tries to understand. He was never one for theoretical expansion of mind, instead, he went for instincts. Whether in seals or how long to cook ramen is up in the air but the fact remains.
He is like a beast.
Not in idiocy, mind you, but he has that unexplainable aura around him that reminds one of an apex predator.
He can go from an upward slash to a high kick so fast that she can barely keep up without her Sharingan. Moves that would have him declared a heretic here in Iron. And that is not even talking about his sheer endurance. Tough body, adamantine will, regeneration, and horrifying flexibility create an unholy nightmare to fight against sword-to-sword. He wouldn't have kept up with her for so long without them though, especially not now with her glorious Thunder Breathing.
Sometimes she feels bad for pushing him so much. He made it clear –once in an off-way comment five years ago- that swords aren't his thing. "Feels like a leash," he says.
'How can a sword feel like a leash?'
But she went ahead and forced him into learning her craft because she is a horrible friend and he will lea-
"What got ya's knickers into a twist?" An adorably mischievous voice tinged with sleepiness asks from behind her all the while said voice gathers her into a comfortable lap. They would be a sight to see, sitting lap-in-lap on the engawa looking at the garden. Fortunate it is a lightless night.
She is proud to say she only tensed for a moment. She is less than proud to say that she wants to turn into mush. So instead she asks back, " you are already back?"
She did not lean back into his warmth.
His mutating voice is painted with a tired kind of amusement, "ya, Nezuko-chan found something cool and dragged me into it. I think we gave Tanjiro-san some grey hairs." He snickers softly.
She lets a little smile show, "Oh? Would you care to enlighten me?"
He tries to force down his snickers by burying his face into her hair, "well, it might've had to do somethin' with seals, glitter, and a spot-on Hyuga impersonator."
"Said impersonator would not happen to be a high-ranking officer correct?" She doesn't even try to hide her amusement.
He doesn't either as he resumes snickering into her hair. That goes on until he calms down, leaving only the silence of a moonless night in its wake.
"You have been working on new seals" it is not a question. She almost tries to retract her not-question in fear of him not being ready enough to talk about it.
He tightens his arms thrown haphazardly around her waist enough so she can feel his hum, "I have. You want to see?" All trace of tiredness is replaced by curiosity she did not expect. She thought he would try to keep it secret for just a tad longer.
She hums back in acknowledgment but does not make a move. He quickly gets the message and chuckles slightly.
"Do you want me to just explain it?" His voice might be teasing but not only does she not care –she is too comfortable for that- she can always just blackmail him into silence. Her Sharingan is amazing like that.
He chuckles slightly but starts explaining, "you know how Hiraishin works right?"
She would glare but she is too comfortable to open her eyes. So, like the mature of the two that she is, she just pinches his arm making him twitch and yelp slightly.
"Okay, okay geez. Anyway, I've been trying to come up with some nifty little things for your sword." She tilts her head to get the questions across," I've been thinking of putting it on the handle as I do it with my kunai. So far I've made some nice, quality of life thingies. But, guess what?"
"Hm?"
"I have two that'll make you drool."
She lightly snorts, all the while ignoring the voice that sounds suspiciously like mom berating her for such uncouth behavior.
"Drool I say. The first I'm thinking of is a chakra holding seal."
She hums slightly, it is getting harder to keep awake," If you manage to downscale it then okay. But what for?"
He chuckles tiredly, it seems she isn't the only one having difficulty staying in the waking world," If everything goes well I think I can get it down to palm size. I'm thinking of making this as an emergency stash so that you can use your Thunder Breathing even low on chakra."
She almost opens her eyes in surprise. That is quite the improvement. What's the catch?
"The catch is that with size, the storage went down too. Just enough of a pool for an E-ranked jutsu," 'he can read my mind?' "No, you are just mumbling out loud." She does not blush, "the only reason I'm even thinking of this is because of the special properties of Nichirin."
"What is the second seal?" That is intriguing, she needs at least a D-rank amount for the first step. If he can improve it, it would be a good last resort.
His chuckles are intermixed with a little purring that she can feel through her back. This time he doesn't answer for a few seconds. Just when she is about to question him again she feels a little movement from him. It takes more effort than she wants to admit to not gasp when his warm breath tickles her ears, and an ephemeral whisper makes way through his lips.
"Secret."
"Again!"
"Yes, Forgemaster!"
The clanking of metal upon metal sounded through the workshop: Underworld. Sparks fly in the air as hammer shaped swords. Flames heated the space but it was given no notice by the master and apprentice. A rhythmic symphony of creation that can only be achieved and heard by craftsmen. Even then, every true master of the art knows that every craft has its own song, its own melody.
This is the song of blacksmiths.
Sizzling sounded through the air as the White-hot metal was quenched in the deep water.
Vurakanu stepped closer to the blade to catch a sight of the blade through the bubbles generated by the heat. When enough time passed he picked up a tong to bring up the cool blade. He put it on one of the anvils farther from the Heart but still close enough to give light.
He roamed a critical eye over the blade. Then without a blink, he placed two hands at either end and snapped it in half.
"Failure!" He snapped at his silent apprentice, "melt this metal toothpick down and reforge it!
"Yes, Forgemaster!" Credit where it is due, the boy didn't waver.