A/N: Read this note, would you kindly?

First! I love the holidays, but I have hardly and free time during them...its maddening!

Second, it would appear I've fallen a bit...behind on things; as such, I'm trying to catch up. Sadly, it seems the latest chapter for Remnants of Shinobi wasn't well received. As such, Gimme that Fire and Far From Home need more time in the oven as it were. I don't want to release chapter that upsets people, but that means updates for certain stories are...slower than others.

*sigh*

I've got folks one one side demanding Arcane updates, Genshin on the other, with RWBY and the rest caught in between. Suppose that's what I get for updating more than one genre. Naturally that upsets my muse; which makes things even more chaotic.

This ALMOST became a new story, but I have enough of those and needed to hold off.

Weapon Masters of Remnant might be the only exception. I say might, because a lot of people want to see it.

So here we are. As ever, I own no references, quotes, themes or memes. Not a wit or a one! Lets all get along an have a good time, eh?

"You'd be amazed what a little time and elbow grease can accomplish..."

Also, bombs. Lots of bombs. Life's an explosion, after all...

~?

Inventor

The hammer blurred.

Thrice did it rise and thrice did it descend; each blow struck the metal below; each strike turned the pliable substance a deep, cherry red. The sound echoed low and loud through the workshop, filling the four walls with the sound of ringing metal. It wielder consider his work for a moment, frowned, and struck it a fourth time for good measure. A bell-like chime answered in place of a hollow clang.

Good enough, he supposed. He'd created the shape he desired.

Now it was merely a matter of making it more pliable to suit his purposes.

Setting the hammer aside, he took hold of the scorching metal with glowing golden hands.

One must be careful when working with fire and Dust after all. Then again, most weren't immune to fire. Steam sizzled and spat as his fingers molded the metal further, compacting and bending it to his will. Anyone else would've had scorched fingers and blistered palms to show for their work. Not him. He pried the metal apart, left an opening in the middle for a hand, and set it aside in a barrel of water with its twin rest to cool.

"There." Naruto wiped a beat of sweat from his brow as he considered the heavy steel gauntlets he'd made. "That's one gift done. Now for the next...

Contrary to what one might believe, he wasn't fond of making weapons. Well, he could, but that wasn't the purpose of this. Metalwork was merely the first step to his tinkering. And he needed plenty of metal for this next bit.

After all, this was a birthday gift for his girls. Nothing else would do.

Plucking a tempered glass vial of Dust from the bandoleer on his chest, he laid it down on the table with the other scraps and went to work. The vial itself wasn't essential, but the Dust was; it formed the base of what he was building; the very power source for his latest creation. A metal shell formed around it Deft hands worked quickly to assemble the necessary components. He paused long enough to scratch his initials into the bottom before continuing his work.

"I want a toy, she says." he muttered a little to himself as he worked. "Vi's easy, just make her a pair of gauntlets." bits of gears came and went as he breathed life into the apparatus and filled it with fresh chakra. "But nooo, Powder wants the fancy things that go boom...ack!"

Sparks flew and he clamped down on a pair of wires before they could ignite.

.

..

...

Somehow it didn't explode.

"Phew." he slumped around it. "Gotta watch that...

"That's the third time this week! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

"Nah." he waved his partner's concern away. A little explosion won't kill me. You know that."

As if summoned by those very words, Tenten's voice carried from upstairs. "Naruto Uzumaki! What are you doing down there?!"

"Nothing, sweetie!"

Whole lot of something, really. The girls were going to love their gifts.

Tenten was the real weapon master here; he was just gave those weapons souls, giving them life...and making things go boom.

A bead of sweat ran down his brow and sizzled against his forge.

Vi had been after him for a pair of gauntlets for nearly a year now. Creating them on the eve of her birthday was no small feat. By contrast, he'd already finished Powder's pistol yesterday. Really, this was just the cherry on top. Still, he couldn't help but feel she needed something more. Vi could throw a mean punch -he'd taught her how!- but Powder was younger. Smaller. She lacked the size of sheer physicality of her sister and had to compensate for it in other ways.

Hmmm. Maybe she needed a gattling gun? Semantics.

Right, time to wrap this up before one of the more volatile components ignited. He could always stabilize them after the fact. His hands blurred once more as he finished. Some might have called such pursuits frivolous. He disagreed. For him? It was practically a pastime.

He gave his latest work a flick, frowning only a little when a blue spark shout out of it.

Still needed to be stabilized, then.

Chakra and Dust made for a heady power source in forging, but one had to be wary when mixing the two lest they react...poorly.

"Careful, now." he muttered to himself. "Careful...!"

Someone slammed into his back, even as little arms wrapped tight around his waist. "Boo!"

Naruto yelped like the boy he no longer was and lost his grip.

His latest creation shot into the air as his hands flew up. At a glance, it wasn't much. A wind-up toy monkey forged of dark blue steel, with a pair of brass cymbals in either hand, it was hardly something one might expect a weapon master to make. He snatched it out of the air before it could detonate and whirled to face the responsible party.

"Powder! Don'd do that!"

His adopted daughter flinched and scuffed a boot against the floor. "Sorry...

"Don't be sorry." he pinched the bridge of his nose and stifled a sigh. "Be better. If you wanna learn how to do what I do, you just had to ask."

She needed no further encouragement; she all but scrambled onto the stool beside him. "Is that what I think it is?"

Well, she'd spoiled the surprise, but it was the thought that counted.

Naruto offered it to her. "Happy birthday."

Laughter spilled into the shop.

A/N: So? Should this be a story? Its heavily implied to be Weapon Masters of Remnant...with a twist.

Definitely a more lighthearted drabble, but here we are.

So? What did you think of this little fragment? Did you enjoy it? Yes? No? Maybe so? Lemme know!

Reviews are love. Reviews are life. Reviews keep me alive!

So In the Immortal Words of Altas...

...Revieeew, Would Ya Kindly?

No previews. EXHAUSTED.

.

..

...

Fine, don't cry. Here's a few.

(Preview)

"You're going to make weapons for everyone, aren't you?

"YES."

...sooo, he's not really your dad? What are you, adopted?"

Vi butted heads with Yang. "You take that back!"

"Hey! I didn't mean anything by it!

Powder spun and twirled her pistol over her back, long blue braids flying across one shoulder.

She squeezed the trigger three times without looking."Bang!"

Three Nevermore dropped with a startled squawk.

Ruby whistled. "I want that!"

"You get me!" She grinned. "Did we just become best friends?!

R&R~!

=D