Hey there everyone, it's Ken. I'll be honest with you, I nearly forgot I had to publish today (lol) today I've got a few things lined up and it nearly slipped my mind, but I caught myself last minute after looking at the date so thank you. Regarding this chapter I've gone more in depth with a few things as well as certain character stories to get up set up for the rest of the ride that is the Land of Iron arc
Now then onto the reviews,
Dragonkeeper10: Hey there! Epic was most certainly the goal I'm glad you enjoyed, also great guess there with Sasuke's soon to be companion (I figured you would lol) and interesting thought there with Itachi guess you'll have to read to find out. Regarding Arashi, yes, they are attempting a take over of the Land of Iron and our lucky duo has been caught up right in the middle of it and will have to face off with him in order to bring peace back to the land. I'm looking forward to writing that I've got plenty I want to do with this. Thank you again or reading hope to see you in the next one!
Desropter: Orochimaru is using the fact of it in order to manipulate Sasuke to bring Naruto to him, he doesn't really care if it works or not its really an added bonus for him if it does. Sasuke meanwhile still has a distant relationship with Naruto that he still struggles with currently where that leads I guess you have to read and see. Thank you again for reading.
Kalithesavior: Thank you so much! Let's put in our effort to make this story blow up, share it everywhere! Lol I'm kidding, while I love seeing this story grow I'm writing it for those who want to read and find themselves enjoying it. I'm not the world's best writer or anything crazy like that but I at least want to try, I'll keep doing my best and watchign what happens from there. Though feel free to recommend it to anyone who might enjoy it. Thank you again for reading and I hope to see you again in the next one!
Alexander4443: Thank you as always bro! Thanks for reading and I hope to see you in the next one.
Spellbat: If thats the case then maybe I should add more requests to my repiles to your reviews... lol Anyway, the training arc with Mifune is incoming with Kenjutsu I hope to do it justice when I write it. Thank you again for reading and I hope to see you in the next one!
Jagsboy: Mizuki huh? Interesting... Also regarding our Konoha peeps we'll definitely be getting another update from them soon things are in the works while Naruto is getting his side of the story fleshed out so be on the lookout for that now that a significant amount of time has passed. Naruto and Kurotsuchi's synergy is based on their current mindsets as well as their natures complimenting each other so well so it's easy to write how the two of them could pair up and the moments we see them are epic. Thank you again for reading and I hope to see you in the next one!
Kriger Techpriest: Not the oddly specific dimensions lol, also someone will be shellshocked based on the realizations that will come with this arc so stay tuned for that. Got another chapter here for ya, thank you again for reading and I hope you to see you in the next one!
lordshurva: I'm glad you're enjoying the story, I wanted to take the usual trope of "Naruto gets banished from village and becomes darker" stories and add my own little twist to it while trying to keep him as within his character as possible and it's been a fun experience so far. Thank you again for reading and I hope you enjoy!
Tigezztail: The kind of situation that only a couple of unlucky ninja would stumble into, regarding the signs thing I could see that making sense, but I'll let you read this chapter and hope the lack thereof makes sense. Thank you again for reading and I hope to see you in the next one!
Gamesdean1: Hey there, thank you very much for reviewing! I appeciate the reviews and I'll be answering the questions briefly.
Regarding the Konoha 12 and other leaf village characters I'll be revisting them very soon and have deliberately left out specifically following up with them for a reason but stayed tuned.
Jiraya not finding Naruto immediately, you bring up a good point with this one. The reason Jiraya hasn't just immediately found Naruto is due to the same spy network is focused along with himself on tracking the Akatsuki not to mention that Naruto since the Hidden Sand hasn't stayed in a single country for more than a few days since leaving making him hard to pinpoint exactly since Jiraya can't exactly rapidly make it to a place he's mentioned to be at.
Regarding the romance of the series I originally had a plot point involving Ino but during the writing of chapter 2 I decided to mix it up while it will be a factor of this story I'm setting something up so stay tuned for that.
Naruto and Kurama have their own arc dedicated to just that coming up.
The summoning contract cancellation is meant to be symbolic but I may have misread while doing my research for this series (Don't even get me started on the research.) I'll leave this aspect in the story for that but great point!
A lot of good stuff is coming down the pipeline for this story that I'm excited to share but I love reviews like these so keep them coming to keep me on my toes. Thank you again for reading and I hope you enjoy!
Had a lot of them to go through this time and I'm extremely grateful for that thank you all again, as always I love hearing your thoughts so feel free to review just to tell me what you think if you want I read all of them and will always try to respond!
This chapter is very set-up heavy but after a small writers block I ended up having fun writing it, though the only thing finishing it has done to me is make me want to hurry up with the next chapter. Regardless, I'm looking forward to continuing this part of the journey for Naruto as we move into the deeper parts of the arc.
Thank you all again for reading and I hope you enjoy!
-Ken
{...}
Chapter 16: The Art of The Blade
There was a stillness.
A feeling like he was present but wasn't present at the same time.
It was cold and warm at the same time, ahead he could see a blurry visage of a man in a white cloak with red on it, he noticed the blonde hair of the man as he approached him slowly. He took a step back or at least what he registered as a step.
The figure came closer to him while he looked around at the white space they were in, the figure opened his palm revealing a spiraling sphere of chakra in its palm. The way that the chakra danced in his hand was violent yet peaceful.
The figure presented the chakra sphere to him.
"Naruto."
The blonde boy quickly sat up taking in a deep breath before coughing, he panted while immediately looking around his surroundings. He was now in a large house, it was a traditional style of home one would have only seen in old textbooks.
The tatami mats, the paper screens, not to mention the view outside, the blonde's eyes squinted as he took in the light of the day outside. There were cherry blossoms and another kind of white flower's petals falling from the trees.
He went to move but winced in pain before he noticed the bandages covering his body as well as the series of black marks running down his left arm all the way to the bottom of his palm, his eyes slowly widened while he noticed something.
"Kuro."
He said weakly while he fought through the pain pushing himself to his feet, he stumbled with every step that he took. Every movement he made sent a searing pain through his body yet he kept moving forward nonetheless, his hand touched the paper screen sliding it over to open the door.
Naruto then made his way into the hallway where he started wandering his way down.
A little ways ahead a blue haired girl with her hair pulled up into a traditional bun walked down the hallway while carrying a tray, she was doing her best to balance the bowl of hot water on the tray so as to not spill on the ground for the third time.
The two other times don't matter here.
She turned the infamous corner that had been giving her grief for the last half hour successfully turning it, once she did she celebrated her victory to herself with a small cheer before she noticed the sound of footsteps. The girl slowly looked up, spotting Naruto struggling down the hallway.
The bowl hit the ground splashing hot water everywhere while her jaw dropped.
"Where's Kurotsuchi?"
Naruto asked while the girl stuttered before she turned around, "LORD!" the shriek from the girl carried through the entirety of the house. Shortly afterward the girl lended the blonde her shoulder leading him down to the room where her master was supposed to be.
She slid open the door revealing Mifune sitting across from Kurotsuchi, the black-haired girl's eyes widened as she immediately ran over to the blonde hugging him as tightly as she could. The blonde hugged her back while ignoring any sort of pain he was feeling.
"Naruto."
The girl uttered into the boy's shoulder while his hand reached the back of her hair stroking it, "Kuro…" the blonde said while the blue haired girl looked at the sickeningly sweet display awkwardly before looking toward her master.
The older man merely smiled while looking toward them, Naruto's eyes opened looking toward the man sitting on the ground.
"You… you were the one that saved us."
Naruto spoke while Kurotsuchi slowly let him go while the man nodded, "Yes I am, I suppose you want some answers as to the current situation." Mifune said while Naruto nodded his head at the dark gray-haired man who gestured to the spots in front of his small table.
Kurotsuchi helped Naruto over to the spot while Mifune motioned his head toward the blue haired girl who nodded before leaving again, the pair of teens sat down while Mifune looked at them both.
"You recovered much faster than we thought you would, the severity of your injuries would have killed a normal person while it would have put a strong person into a multiple day coma. Yet you are awake after only a day, that makes you quite the unusual case."
Mifune spoke while Naruto nodded his head, "So I've heard but this isn't about that. What's going on? I thought the Land of Iron was supposed to be neutral yet the minute we got on the road to the city the samurai were plotting." the blonde said angrily while Mifune nodded his head.
"I understand your anger… Anyone in your situation would feel the same kind of way. However, things are a lot more complicated than that, while the Land of Iron is formally neutral… the nation is currently in the middle of a civil war."
Mifune said while Naruto gave the man a look, "A civil war?" the blonde asked while Mifune nodded his head. "I've already explained this to your friend so I'll keep this as brief as possible but currently the Land of Iron has been occupied by a radical force that threatens the entirety of the world." Mifune explained while Naruto blinked as he listened.
"It all began with a ronin named Arashi Nobuzagi, he was a man of immense strength and a dedication to the samurai way unparalleled by any other. Honor is this man's very life you could say. He was once banished from the Land of Iron after the death of his master in an unfortunate conflict that drove him to raze the entirety of a neighboring village where his master was slain."
Mifune explained while Naruto listened, "During his travels as a wandering warrior he made many discoveries, especially those of the shinobi kind. He discovered that a lot of the lands outside of iron had been lawless or ruled by shinobi." the older man continued to speak while the blue haired girl returned holding a tray covered in tea cups.
She slowly passed the tea cups around the table before Naruto reached and directly took his from her, "Thank you." the blonde said while the girl froze up for a moment before nodding her head rapidly exiting the room just as quickly.
"He did extensive research into the way shinobi used chakra as well as their way, cutting down multiple foes on his war path. Before he eventually made his way back to his home, from there he slowly built up a force of samurai sympathizers and stole the four Iron Treasures. From there he took over the capital and forced back any force that opposed him, dispatching them as he had any other foe on his path."
The man explained in detail while Naruto huffed, "This guy sounds like a real piece of work, so I'm guessing that you're the one heading the fight against this guy?" the blonde asked while Mifune nodded his head in response to Naruto's question.
"Correct, however our efforts have been hardly fruitful, I'm sure you noticed their technology that the samurai have now been armed with."
Mifune said while Naruto thought back to the exposed core of the samurai he fought, "Wait… That's chakra armor! I've had to deal with it before when I fought against ninja from the Land of Spring and Snow." the blonde recollected while Mifune nodded his head.
"Is that why our jutsu did little to nothing to affect them? Normally my sword could have cut through their armor but with their it just bounced off."
Kurotsuchi said while Mifune took a sip of his tea, "As a part of his wandering he had made contact with the chakra armor from the Land of Spring and Snow. There he developed his own and brought back that technology, he also had adopted a specific curse technique developed by one of the Legendary Sannin, the one that marks your body now." Mifune said while Naruto gritted his teeth.
"Orochimaru."
The blonde growled while he looked at his bandages removing the wrapping over them to reveal the entirety of the mark, Kurotsuchi's eyes widened at the mark while Naruto's eyes did as well. The mark traveled from the left side of his chest over his heart, there was a three-prong seal surrounding a bladed windmill shape in the middle while the rest of the seal traveled down his arm in black flame like shapes.
"The Four Seals of Iron, this was a technique that he had recently finished developing with a basis of the Hyuga's eight trigram style of seal. It's purpose is to completely cut off anyone who is afflicted with it from their chakra network, sealing off any ability to use their chakra."
Mifune said while Naruto looked toward the man in shock, "Their chakra?" Naruto said while the older man looked toward the blonde.
"In any usual case you wouldn't have been able to move had all of your chakra been sealed off which is why I thought you would be out for far longer, yet your chakra pool is incredible. From what the doctor who worked on you told me, you still have access to less than half of your chakra meaning your chakra pool is currently that of a standard person unfortunately."
Mifune said while Naruto looked down at his chest noticing a long slash scar that ran over where his heart was before separating into the rest of his scar starting from the bottom of his ribcage down to his oblique, "Is there any way to get it off? I should gain more access to more of my chakra if I manage to right?" the blonde asked while Mifune shook his head.
"Unfortunately we have no seal masters among us that study in Fuinjutsu, the only option we would have is to find the ones that put the seal on you and have them remove it. However, that option is completely out of the question."
Mifune said while Naruto nodded, "So all I have to do is beat those samurai guys and take their seals to remove mine?" The blonde said while the older man narrowed his eyes at the teen.
"I already said that it's out of the question, those samurai are highly trained and are some of the strongest in the land. Not to mention each one holds an Iron Treasure, fighting them as you are now will only result in your death."
Mifune said while Naruto narrowed his eyes back at the man, "Using both the Chakra Armor and the 4 Seals of Iron Arashi is planning on launching an offensive against the Hidden Villages of the world, once he's destroyed then he'll implement the code of the samurai as the world's order. He'll lay claim to the world and control it in order to restore order and honor to it." the older man said while Naruto and Kurotsuchi stared at the man who glared toward Naruto.
"Arrogance is one's greatest downfall, facing off against one of the strongest of samurai in a straightforward rush is suicide and I will not allow another young man to throw away his life uselessly."
Mifune said while Naruto slapped his hand against the table, "Meaniningless this, Useless that. When the hell is someone finally going to give something a damn meaning?!" the blonde raised his voice while the older man glared toward him.
"You don't know me, I don't know you. I will tell you this though, It doesn't matter what odds are stacked against me. Whether it's four samurai or four thousand, I don't care! I can't just sit by and give up because the opposition is strong. I have a mission I have to accomplish, a goal I want to reach. How the hell am I supposed to do that lying down?"
The blonde growled while Mifune shook his head, "These warriors are unlike anything you've ever faced young man, the strength you think you have right now isn't enough. You think you could win that duel you challenged the strongest of those samurai to? You think you'll be able to release yourself from that seal? You think that you even stand the slightest of a chance against this battle? I've seen better men try and fail, young man." Mifune raised his own voice while Naruto's blue eyes looked at his with a gleam to them.
"Watch me."
Naruto said, causing Mifune's eyes to widen slightly, "Even if I have to break myself, I promised I would get stronger to protect those that can't protect themselves. To get stronger so that I can finally allow myself to be human. Throw whatever you want at me, I'm not backing down from anything!" the blonde yelled while the room looked toward him. The blue haired girl peek into the room from the outside while Naruto pointed his thumb toward himself.
"I'm not giving up no matter what! That's my ninja way!"
Naruto said while Mifune kept a shocked gaze at the boy while Kurotsuchi smiled at him, the older man looked at the blonde's face trying to find even the slightest hint of fear or hesitation. He didn't even find a trace in his features.
"...I respect that, shinobi. Very well then, if you wish cross blades with death itself it appears I have no means to stop you. As you are now, you are useless and broken, you'll need to be rebuilt and forged even stronger to face the battles ahead."
Mifune said while he looked toward the blonde boy, "Are you ready to face hell?" the older man asked Naruto while the blonde paused briefly before nodding his head.
"I'm ready."
Naruto said while Mifune leaned back while still looking toward the boy, "Your determination is one that is as strong as this land, let's hope your body is strong enough to keep up… Arashi's first major target of occupation is the Hidden Sand and all surrounding villages to gain a large amount of power quickly. That operation was supposed to be soon but since he's accepted your duel we have the advantage of it being pushed back." Mifune said while Kurotsuchi tilted her head in confusion.
"Why would a duel stop him? Can't he just ignore the challenge and continue prepping for the occupation of the Hidden Sand?"
Kurotsuchi asked while Mifune shook his head, "While Arashi is a warlord he is still a samurai at heart, to avoid an honorable duel is the same as death to him. The campaign was originally going to be in a month or so when we planned on attacking to prevent them from moving forward but because of your duel and the setback you caused at the city from your battle we've gained more time. We must take advantage of every moment." the older man said while Naruto nodded.
"Find the 4 Seals of Iron to release me from my seal, face off with Samurai Asshat, and prevent the ninja world from falling apart. Sounds like a plan to me."
Naruto said while pumping his fist before wincing in pain, Kurotsuchi turned to check on him while Mifune looked at the young man.
To have this much confidence yet to be so damaged.
While there was a part of him that still felt that Naruto was merely going to get himself killed, there was another part of him that couldn't help but be caught up in his optimistic spirit as long as he was able to keep up then there was a chance.
They would just have to train and find out.
{...}
-Three Days Later-
"I'm getting a sword?! Awesome!"
Naruto jumped for joy while Kurotsuchi sweatdropped at the boy while Mifune huffed at his enthusiasm, it had taken a couple of days for the blonde to recover to the point where he didn't feel any pain in his basic movements allowing him to be in semi-fighting shape.
"In the world of Samurai, one's blade is one's life. A warrior's sword only leaves their hands for only two reasons, either their victory or their death. To make up for your current lack of an arsenal the sword will act as your primary weapon, so to answer your question no, you will not be getting a sword."
Mifune said while Naruto tilted his head in confusion while he pointed his finger toward the large mountain in the distance behind them.
"You will be forging it."
Mifune said while Naruto looked at the massive mountain in awe, "Once a week after meeting specific benchmarks in your training, you will be sent to the mountain to gather materials there. A special metal that is highly compatible with chakra is mined there; this is used in almost all of the blades held by the samurai and allows for near perfect chakra channeling." Mifune held out his blade before cloaking it in his chakra extending it further.
"Once your materials are gathered you shall then work with a specialized blacksmith we have here in the outer village area of the Land of Iron away from the main city to allow you to forge your blade step by step ensuring you have the best possible blade."
Mifune explained while Naruto nodded his head at the older man, "Finally, you will finish your blade working on it in the weeks that come after the forging process. Once your blade is complete then you will enter the second phase of your training." Mifune looked at the super eager Naruto who got into a fighting stance.
"Heck yeah! So what's first?"
Naruto asked while Mifune gave him a patient look, "First we take a full glass and empty half of it." the older man said while Naruto scratched his head.
"Dump a full glass? Why the heck would we do that? Isn't a glass better when it is full?"
Naruto asked while Mifune shook his head, "A glass that is empty is more valuable when it is empty since it can be filled with anything. I want you to take everything you currently know and challenge it in order to grow, as well as find your current limits so you can surpass them." the older man said while Naruto looked toward him before he nodded.
"Fine then, I'll show you my limits!"
Naruto turned, forming his famous hand sign, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" the blonde yelled while one clone appeared. The blonde concentrated harder forming a second clone and third clone, the clones appeared before he felt a searing pain run through his body.
The blonde collapsed to the ground while the clones disappeared, Kurotsuchi slid over two Naruto whose curse seal burned a bright orange color. "Hey Naruto, stay with us." the girl softly encouraged while the pain was starting to go away.
Naruto panted while Mifune looked at the boy on the ground, "It looks like the seal activates the minute you try to push your chakra beyond its current limit canceling out the jutsu you created." the man said while Naruto placed a hand on the ground before he pushed himself up.
"So I can't use a lot of jutsu… got it."
The boy groaned while Mifune looked toward the boy, "Perhaps not, but…" the older man said before he tossed a wooden sword over to the blonde. Naruto caught it out of the air before looking toward Mifune who took a deep breath.
He planted his feet firmly on the ground before going through a brief series of small movements, "Fire Stance: Breath of Burning!" the older man called out before a slash of fire left his sword cutting down multiple trees in its path.
"Woah."
Naruto said while Kurotsuchi's eyes widened in surprise at the display, "Every samurai adopts a specific stance; they engage in combat no matter their weapon based on the principles of nature and discipline. Stone, Water, Fire, Lightning, and Moon. Each stance differs in style and in strength." Mifune explained while Naruto raised his hand.
"What about Wind? That's a nature type isn't it?"
Naruto asked while Mifune looked toward the boy and shook his head, "There is no such thing as a Wind stance merely because of how stances work. When a warrior enters a stance, they can become as firm as stone, they can flow as smoothly as water, they can burn like a bright flame, or demonstrate the strength and tranquility of the moon. However, it is impossible for man to ever become as free as the wind." Mifune said while Naruto scratched the back of his head.
"Well I'm not sure how my stance is going to work then, Wind is the nature of my chakra."
Naruto said back while Mifune shook his head, "The nature of your chakra isn't the same as the make-up of your soul. There are more ways to access your chakra than a pre-set nature. Once you familiarize yourself with a stance then you'll be able to access your chakra more efficiently, those hand signs that you do allow you to gather more chakra but they also use more chakra as a result." the older man explained while Naruto imagined a chakra diagram in his head.
"When one uses a stance, their flow of chakra allows them to efficiently manipulate the nature of the stance in particular they are performing. Rather than your hand signs which gather more chakra forcing it into a mold creating more powerful but costly techniques, Stances allow the chakra to flow naturally through the body in exchange for the power of the technique."
Mifune explained while Naruto nodded his head before taking a couple of test swings at the air with his wooden sword.
"So currently because using Jutsu is too taxing for my body I'll have to rely on using techniques through stances of these different natures?"
Naruto said while Mifune nodded, "Precisely, I will also teach you Kenjutsu. Focusing on finding which stance will fit the best for you as well as Iaido to build the fortitude of your body and mind." the older man said while Naruto looked at his wooden sword clenching his grip onto the handle before he looked up toward his new teacher.
"You've got it, Old Samurai. I'll have this down packed in no time!"
Naruto declared while Kurotsuchi raised her hand as well, "May I also partake in the training? At first I was planning on bypassing it but this discipline sounds like it could be highly useful… I've also gotta get stronger. I have someone I want to protect now." the girl said while she looked toward the blonde who smiled at her before Mifune nodded.
"Very well, we shall start with the most important part of the training. Follow me."
Mifune said while Naruto and Kurotsuchi followed the older man toward the dojo they would begin their training at, the blonde's jaw dropped when he had seen the training materials laid out in front of them in the room.
"Huh?!"
Naruto yelled out while he looked at the ink, brush and paper in front of him. He looked up toward the older man with a look of pure confusion, "Is there something wrong?" Mifune said while Naruto looked between him and the paper.
"This is just writing, how is this supposed to train us in Kenjutsu?"
Naruto said while Kurotsuchi looked over toward the blonde, "There wouldn't be a reason to make us do this if there wasn't a point to it involving our training." the girl remarked while the blonde gave her a small glare from his spot.
"Oh yeah, then where's yours?"
Naruto said while Mifune looked toward the girl, "Your friend here is already experienced in swordplay, the exercise wouldn't benefit her as much as it will you." the older man explained while Kurotsuchi gave the boy a wink.
"Seriously?"
Naruto said while Mifune nodded, "Allow me to tell you a brief story… it's a story about a duel between a samurai and a humble calligrapher." the man said while the blonde groaned.
"Sounds pretty self-explanatory, a guy with a sword versus a guy with a brush?"
Naruto said while Kurotsuchi narrowed her eyes toward the boy while Mifune chuckled, "In a way your line of thinking is correct, how is it that the blade couldn't conquer the brush? In the story a calligrapher accidentally bumped into a samurai offending the man, the samurai challenged him to a duel but the calligrapher never held a blade in his life." the older man told while Naruto blinked.
"Is this leading up to a wise allegory about me being the calligrapher against a literal samurai?"
Naruto said impatiently while Mifune ignored him, "The calligrapher worried and practiced swordplay with a friend of his but no matter what he did he always either dropped the sword or was quickly beaten he was utterly clueless. They kept training and training yet no progress at all, then the day of the fateful duel came." the older man said while Naruto listened.
"That morning he had no idea on what he was going to do, while out of options his friend gave him a piece of advice that saved his life…"
Mifune said while Naruto listened more intently to the story.
"Pretend the sword is a brush."
Mifune said while Naruto looked toward his brush while the older man looked toward the blonde, "When the samurai came ready to duel to the death, the calligrapher demonstrated his sword work pretending the sword was his brush. The samurai backed down from the duel, he told the calligrapher that he didn't know that he was facing a master swordsman." the older man finished his story while Naruto looked back up toward him.
"The pen is mightier than the sword because the pen is what taught the sword how to be a weapon. That's why calligraphy is important to Kenjutsu, the strokes of the brush are similar to the one of actual sword techniques. Once you understand and use these as a base then your training should run smoothly."
Naruto looked back down at his paper before he dipped his brush in the ink, "So what should I start with writing?" the blonde asked while Mifune gave him a small smile.
"For Stone Stance…"
Mifune trailed off showing Naruto the basics of calligraphy while Kurotsuchi watched the blonde from a short distance away, her hand clenched into a fist.
If she was going to be able to be by his side to protect him… she would have to get stronger.
The image of Naruto's blood flying through the air in front of her after he had gotten in the way of the sword slash that was coming down from General Nobuzagi near the capital of the Land of Iron.
Far stronger.
{...}
Wooden swords clacked while Naruto advanced forward with his weapon aggressively while Mifune narrowed his eyes at the advancing Naruto before smoothly leaning back from his slash quickly countering the blonde's weapons nearly left his hands before he re-positioned his grip.
Naruto pivoted on his foot opting for an upward slash toward the older man's chin, Mifune dodged it smoothly again before he swept the blonde's feet from underneath him. Naruto maneuvered his weapon to block an attack from the older man before his palm hit the ground allowing himself to push off of the ground away from his teacher.
Naruto recovered and was about to dash with his blade but his weapon was quickly knocked out of his hand before he found himself slammed against the ground, Mifune had moved to disarm Naruto while attacking at the same time.
"You have a good sense for the flow of battle and good reflexes, however your lack of knowledge regarding stances is present. Your mind and body aren't aligned yet since your body is still moving faster than your mind when you swing."
Mifune assessed while Naruto huffed before he got back to his feet, "Then we'll go again!" the blonde said with determination while Mifune lifted his hand up toward the teen.
"I'll be working with Miss Kurotsuchi on her stances now, for now you'll continue working on the basics."
Mifune said while Naruto groaned, "You can't just ditch me now! I'm starting to get the hang of this." the blonde said while holding his wooden blade in a combat stance.
"Don't worry, I'll be checking in on your progress later. For now I'll be leaving you with a different instructor or well instructors."
Mifune said while two men suddenly appeared at his side, one of the men wore his hair in a traditional samurai style with a purple scarf wrapped around his neck while the other was bald with a green dragon tattoo and a cross shaped scar on his head and a red scarf.
"Urakaku. Okisuke. Remember this boy is a trainee before he is a shinobi… please combat him as such. And Naruto… continue to practice Iaido if you swing your sword wildly you will be beaten senselessly. Good luck."
Mifune said while he began to walk off meanwhile Naruto looked in between the two men unsheathing their blades, "Wait… At the same time?! Hold on, this Iaido stuff is confusing!" the blonde yelled before the two men charged toward him with their wooden swords.
The sounds of Naruto's screams filled the air.
Later on Naruto, now slightly bruised, made his way toward another small castle-like structure, on the edge of the castle grounds. Apparently the area they were currently stationed in was part of the base for the forces rebelling against General Nobuzagi.
This place was an old castle from a long forgotten order of samurai since the Land of Iron was established, it felt very rustic to Naruto who took in the sights as he walked closer to the small building surrounded by flowers and grass.
"So this is where the swordsmith is huh?"
Naruto asked himself while he walked into the building, after the beating he had taken in training Mifune was gracious enough to allow him to go to the blacksmith to begin the forging process of his sword. The blonde looked around the room before he cupped a hand to his mouth.
"OI SWORDSMITH!"
Naruto yelled into the building loudly before he heard the sound of crashing in the back before he heard the sound of scrambling, a girl with blue hair tied into long twin braids along with a bunch of rolled up scrolls in her hand appeared before the boy while panting.
"Lord Naruto… forgive the wait!"
The girl apologized while using her free hand to adjust her glasses, the girl looked like a small animal in Naruto's eyes. The blonde continued to look around the room before his eyes went back to the girl standing in front of him.
"What's up with the lord? Also it's not really a big deal, I just wanted to find the swordsmith to start making my sword… you have any idea where he is?"
Naruto asked while the girl nervously cleared her throat before meekly raising her hand, "Lord Naruto that would be-" the girl was cut off by a hand slapping against hers the girl's eyes widened in shock while the blonde grinned at her.
"Don't know why you suddenly wanted a high five but there ya go and stop calling me lord I'm just a guy. Now where's that swordsmith?"
Naruto asked while the girl blinked a few more times not even noticing the boy walking ahead into the forge curiously, she quickly turned around grabbing the back of the boy's kimono top. The teen turned around to look toward the girl who seemed to be seething.
"It's me. I'm the swordsmith!"
The girl raised her voice before she slapped a hand over her mouth, "My apologies my lord I-" her eyes met with Naruto's surprised blue ones while he pointed a finger at her silently.
"HUH?!"
Naruto cried out, his yell echoing through the halls while the girl flinched at his loud reaction, she quickly lead the two of them to another room before making tea and setting a table for her blonde guest to sit at. Naruto watched the girl dash around the room at an almost dizzying pace while she set everything up. She then placed a tea cup in front of the boy who grinned.
"Thanks."
The teen took a sip from his cup before the swordsmith took a seat in the spot across from him, "It's no problem Lord Naruto." The girl responded politely while she looked toward the boy nervously. She heard a sigh before hearing a teacup hit the table.
"I thought I told you already, I'm not a lord. I'm just Naruto."
The teen complained while the girl shook her head, "As a Roju of the samurai housed here, any who practice the blade become my lords. The same goes for Lady Kurotsuchi as well." she responded while Naruto tilted his head toward her.
"I don't get it."
The blonde responded bluntly while the girl's eye twitched, "I see… That is fine." she spoke holding something back in her voice while Naruto leaned back.
"Wait so if you're a swordsmith, then why are you also doing household chores in the castle where we stay? Wouldn't you be forging weapons and doing cool stuff just here?"
The girl looked at the teen before she looked back at her tea cup, "Mifune is my lord, as his Roju I do whatever it is that is required of me. Whether that'd be cleaning, cooking, forging, or nursing. As long as I am in his service as long as I live, that will always be the case." the girl responded while Naruto looked at her with a slightly somber expression.
"Why?"
The blonde couldn't even stop the question from rolling from his lips before she looked back toward him, "That's hardly important information, I'd rather not waste your time with stories long past." she responded while Naruto shook his head.
"It's important to me. I won't think it's a waste of time."
"Lies."
"I'm being honest."
"Why?"
"I'm curious… besides sometimes its good to talk to someone about stuff y'know?"
Naruto finished their back and forth while the girl stared toward him before she sighed, "You are quite the stubborn lord, aren't you?" the girl asked while Naruto chuckled.
"It's one of my good points."
The boy responded jokingly while the girl allowed a ghost of a smile to appear on her face before it quickly faded, "My tale is an insignificant one so I'll give you an abridged version. I'm the granddaughter of one of the Iron Kaji. These individuals were responsible for the construction for the armory of the Land of Iron, legends state the Kaji were the ones who forged the 4 Iron Treasures as well as taught their ways to a single worthy swordsman in the Hidden Mist." the girl began while Naruto listened intently.
"The Kaji soon settled in the Land of Iron after having been sought out by Shinobi constantly during the warring periods of the world to create devastating weaponry. Here they would settle and aid the Samurai in bringing peace to the land before cultivating and passing down their skills from generation to generation eventually leading to the most recent generation."
Naruto nodded his head at her tale while she looked up from her tea cup to look the boy in his eye before they quickly flicked away elsewhere.
"My mother was a tough woman to say the least while my father was strict but kind. They between the both of them had only one child, a daughter. My father refused to bore a son with another woman leaving only myself to learn the ways of the Kaji, however my mother refused. As a woman it was forbidden for the art of blade crafting from the Kaji to be passed onto me in her eyes. Instead she wanted me to learn the blade. This caused many arguments in my family, however my grandfather was a rambunctious man and taught me the ways in secret in an attempt to show my mother it could be done."
"I picked up on the ways rather quickly, I even found myself a little fond of them. I worked tirelessly on my first craft and proudly showed my mother and father the blade I created, my first one."
Another ghost of a smile appeared on her face while Naruto's own smile began to grow at the girl before her face slowly fell.
"Mother ridiculed me and my father did nothing in response, not even a single praise. I… hated my blade, my hands that made the blade and I wanted nothing more than to go to my grandfather and renounce my status as a Kaji. However, all that time I didn't even realize or tried to think about why my mother was so adamant about myself not becoming a Kaji."
"The life and the role was far more treacherous than the one of even the Samurai… Looking back on it… I think she was trying to protect me."
Her small hands clenched onto her teacup while her teeth clenched, "General Nobuzagi, once an honored warrior in the Land of Iron had returned and sparked a coup taking over a massive chunk of the land before returning to forge wicked weaponry. He forced the Kaji to create new armor made of iron and chakra as well as improve the 4 Iron treasures that his forces had stolen from their resting places." her hands now shook while Naruto gave her a sad look.
"We worked… and worked… and worked. Until the day came where his forces had their armor and his best had their treasures. I had thought that we would be set free and away from the conflict… however our craftsmanship had impressed General Nobuzagi so much that he feared it."
The girl gently set the tea cup in her hands down before they clenched into fists, "One by one he forced them, every single one of the Kaji to dip their hands into molten iron. Never to be used again, my father and grandfather tried to hide me but I was found regardless. I had to watch them dip their hands into the metal, before I was saved by Lord Mifune in a campaign against the General. I had to leave them all behind and watched my home burn from their retaliation." the girl gently placed her hands on the table as calmly as possible before taking a breath.
"As far as I know, I am the last of the Kaji. I am the only sword smith while the black smiths work specifically on other weapons and armor for Lord Mifune. After the forge I swore my services to Lord Mifune after being offered a choice."
"Now to this day, I forge blades hoping that one day. One of them will be enough to strike down the general's regime and bring peace back to my home."
Naruto saw the first bit of real emotion on the girl's face while she wiped her face from the tears that had began to form, displaying a serious expression toward the blonde.
"That's enough of that… I told you that the story wasted nothing but-"
She looked toward Naruto who had teared up slightly hearing her tale before he sighed nodding his head at the surprised girl.
"I… I'm sorry. I was right, your story is important."
Naruto spoke while the girl looked toward the boy with astonishment, "You shed tears over a mere Roju." the girl said while Naruto glared at her.
"You aren't some mere Roju, you're just like the rest of us. You matter just as much as any of us do."
The teen said while the girl looked away, "I am merely a girl with cursed hands forging weapons for vengeance." she said before the blonde gently grabbed her wrists.
"Nah, these hands aren't cursed. You are a Kaji right? These hands are going to craft a sword that's going to bring peace back to your land and knock that crappy general from his high horse!"
The blonde said while the girl looked toward the boy with disbelief, the boy gently let go of her wrists before clenching his fist and holding it up in front of himself.
"Let's make the greatest sword you've ever made and I'll use it to get your vengeance and end this war!"
Naruto declared proudly while the girl looked toward him, a tear flowed freely down her cheek while she felt a burning sensation in her chest. The amount of passion that this shinobi held was almost infectious for the first time in a long time.
She felt like she could do something.
"Kurogane, Marika Kurogane."
Marika uttered her name before she gave Naruto the most passionate look she could muster, "That is the name of the Kaji who will forge your blade." The blue haired girl said while the blond nodded his head meeting her passion with his own.
"Naruto Uzumaki, that's the name of the shinobi who will take your revenge and win against that general."
The blonde spoke while Marika had a slightly surprised expression on her face. Shinobi were always difficult topics in the Land of Iron to talk about; some didn't care for them while others held no respect for them. She was raised believing shinobi were cowards, yet the one in front of her despite his bandages held bravely in the face of near impossible odds.
Would believing in one be so bad?
"We'll need to design your blade to begin it's construction."
Marika said while Naruto lifted a finger before he started digging through the small pouch that he had brought with him into the small building.
"Way ahead of you!"
The blonde yelled out excitedly while he slapped a bunch of drawings on the table, Marika looked at the sheets of paper in disbelief while Naruto excitedly looked over them before he pointed at one.
"I was thinking of something super cool like if the blade looked like flames oh oh and the hand guard looked like a pair of wings!"
The blond went on and on about the drawing while Marika's hair covered her eyes, "...It doesn't fit." the girl uttered, stopping Naruto's excited rambling.
"Huh?"
The blonde said while she picked up the sheet of paper tearing it in half, "This doesn't fit you all!" the girl yelled, causing Naruto to fall backward.
"A sword is a warrior's heart! It should reflect that the blade is a part of them, one that they will carry with them constantly! Obviously it should be something that means something to you!"
The suddenly passionate girl caused Naruto to shut up while she snatched a piece of paper and flipped it quickly drawing on the back, "I'll use a Damascus for this sword oh, I could also make the tsuba easier to maneuver with while protecting the hands." the girl sketched while Naruto peeked his head over.
"Could we put wings on the Tsuba?"
The blonde added his input while the girl stared at him for a moment before she rapidly nodded her head, "Yeah, yeah we could!" she exclaimed while Naruto pointed at the sheet again.
"What's a Damascus?"
The blonde asked while the girl's eye nearly sparkled while looking toward the boy, "Basically it's a forging style using multiple metals in a single ingot before folding it to create a stronger blade while creating a pattern to the metal." Marika quickly explained while Naruto nodded his head.
"Yeah, that too please!"
The blonde added while Marika chuckled before she kept sketching while the blonde sat down next to her watching her work on the design while occasionally adding another thing that she would add or reject from the design.
"You really like this stuff huh?"
Naruto asked while Marika paused before her face flushed from embarrassment, "Lord Naruto I uh- I swear I'm taking this seriously-" the girl began to panic while the blonde laugh.
"I'm glad you do so don't stop, also enough with the lord stuff. I'm just Naruto, got it?"
The blonde added while Marika looked at the boy for a few moments before she nodded her head at the blonde teen.
"Sure… Naruto."
{...}
Weeks passed.
Naruto dashed toward two of his teachers with his hand on the hilt of his wooden blade while the two men looked at the boy approaching them with their swords drawn, the blonde swiped at the two of them in a single draw causing them to block the blow before retreating.
The sound of wooden blades clashing filled the air while the boy attacked his two teachers aggressively, "Good! Keep this up!" Urakaku raised his voice while he swiped at Naruto who leaned back from the slash before he swung toward Okisuke who deflected the blow striking back at Naruto who deflected the blow back.
Naruto got into an Iaido stance again drawing his weapon quickly again before following up with a heavy attack knocking the two men backward, they both got into stances before a voice called out.
"Naruto!"
Mifune yelled, causing the blond to pause before he looked toward the older man, "What's up Samurai Pops?" The blonde asked while Urakaku and Okisuke sweatdropped at the boy before the older man chuckled.
"Come with me."
The man said simply while Naruto followed, "Sorry guys!" he called out to his two teachers while the men sighed in response.
"So what's up?"
The blonde asked while Mifune walked forward, "You've been making great progress in your training, though your Iaido still leaves much to be desired. You are picking up on the stances rather well. So now I'll allow you to begin collecting the materials for your blade." the older man said while Naruto punched the air.
"Alright!"
The boy yelled while Mifune smiled, "Though that wasn't the only reason why I've called for you." the man said while he slid open a door revealing Kurotsuchi standing in the room waiting for the blonde.
"Hey there, you look like you've worked up a sweat."
The girl said approaching the boy while he smiled, "Ha ha very funny Lady Prodigy, I'm going to catch up to you soon with this sword stuff." the blonde remarked while she smiled before reaching for her pocket to grab the towel she had gotten for him.
"I'm sure you will."
The girl said before she was about to give Naruto the towel she had another cloth from almost out of nowhere had already made contact with his face, "This is an important step in your training, you can't just enter while covered in sweat like this, Lord Naruto." Marika remarked wiping the sweat from Naruto's face while the boy chuckled.
"Got it, also what did I say about the lord stuff?"
Naruto questioned while the girl ignored the protests of the blonde teen, Kurotsuchi's pink eyes briefly made contact with Marika's oddly defiant ones before she stopped wiping the boy's face before taking a step back. The black-haired girl looked at the clueless blonde boy who was grinning.
"What?"
The blonde asked while Kurotsuchi merely shook her head, "Pay attention." the girl said while Naruto turned toward the front where Mifune had returned with clothes in his hands.
"I figured it was about time for you to change out of those ragged clothes and into new ones."
Mifune said before he passed the clothes to Naruto who took them carefully from the hands of the older man, "These robes represent your entrance into the next phase of your training, normally you would have had to train for years to receive these but you are making quick progress and show promise. Also we can't guarantee when exactly we'll need to be ready for Arashi's next campaign." Mifune said while Naruto looked down at the clothes in his hands.
"You want me to change right here?"
The blonde asked cluelessly while Kurotsuchi sighed, "Of course he doesn't! Go change and come back!" the girl yelled while Naruto flinched at the yell while Marika took a step toward the blonde.
"Naruto, I'd be more than happy to guide you to a room you can change in."
"I'm sure he can find it on his own."
Kurotsuchi responded quickly, causing Marika to look toward her, "My apologies Lady Kurotsuchi." the girl apologized before Naruto looked between the both of them before he slowly left the room.
The blonde had quickly changed into his new attire before he slowly entered the room again, Kurotsuchi raised an eyebrow at the boy while Mifune smiled along with Marika.
Naruto was wearing a short sleeved black shirt with a high upward collar, paired with a orange kimono top that the blonde allowed tie around his waist along with the black coiled belt on it, these were paired with new orange pants that cut off at the top of his ankles finishing with black socks that he wore with black sandals.
"Pretty cool huh?"
Naruto asked while he inspected himself before he looked at his left arm still able to see the black flame marks that traveled down to the bottom of his wrist, Mifune then placed a hand on his shoulder looking him in the eyes.
"I wanted to give this to you to thank you, despite the fact that truly this war isn't your own, that you've still gone out of your way to fight alongside us to take our land back is something I'm highly grateful for. The next phase in your training will be far harsher than this, however I believe you are prepared."
Mifune said while Naruto looked at Marika and Kurotsuchi who were looking at the boy with confident looks before he faced the older samurai.
"Hit me with your best shot."
The blonde said fired up and prepared for the next phase of his training all leading up to the duel that he would soon have with General Nobuzagi who was making movements of his own.
This time.
Naruto didn't plan on losing.