Hey there, it's Ken. First off I apologize for the delay totally didn't have to do anything with the day this is being published being Naruto's birthday anyway I'll keep the notes brief since as a birthday thing I will be posting two chapters one will be a day or so ahead of the other and if you are reading this then it will be this one.
I wasn't truly allowed to watch Naruto until I was 14 due to rules at my home (My parents had a thing about anime don't ask me.) but when I was super young I always managed to find a way to sneak watch the series and I'm glad I did, looking back on it now as an older person I can truly appreciate everything Naruto did for me as a kid watching the show so I show my appreciation in just trying to write the best story that I can.
Mush aside let's get to the reviews. Also, really quick note when the next chapter goes up in a day, I will not be putting in the reviews for that chapter I will be responding to the reviews for this chapter and the next one in the chapter after that one so 19 to be exact.
Alexander443: Always good seeing you around, hope to see you in the next one. Thank you!
Gamesdean1: I'm glad that I was able to answer a lot of your questions as always, I love questions so, please ask away and I'll always do my best to answer them I appreciate your assistance and as far as the story goes there will be some details headed your way but stayed tuned. Thank you again for reading hope to see you in the next one.
ShulkxMelina23: Regarding the seal it's always been a detail I wanted to utilize because honestly in any given scenario even in this story Naruto is incredibly strong even early on in the series, the one thing I have always told myself is writing OP characters especially main ones is pretty uninteresting when it's not handled properly so I always want to try to focus on the character's growth when there is a lack of all of that power they are used to it makes writing more interesting sure it's a little excusy but hey liberties will be taken and I have mentioned that from the start. Thank you for reading regardless.
zidius: Naruto using a sword is always teased in the manga cover panels and I was thinking what's a proper roaming ninja without a sword? I also as always want to use every opportunity that I can to explore Naruto's character as much as I can and learning sword play is a good way to discover more things about yourself. More to see further down the line so stayed tuned. Thank you again for reading.
ecoBlade: The Samurai have always been a not to say a missed opportunity but there is certainly a lot of room for utilization of these characters I want to take advantage of including the hours I spent studying Kenjutsu just to even begin this arc I apperciate the good job on that one. Regarding using the Hyuga as a basis basically the Gentle Fist is a technique that utilizes an Eight Trigram Style to seal off chakra pathways so when it's mentioned that it's based from it, it's literally an inspiration for the Iron Seals technique rather than a direct teaching from them. Thank you for reading!
Dragonkeeper10: Welcome back, this is definitely one of the arcs I've been looking forward to writing the most since I even began storyboarding this story. I will keep the fun going with this storyline as it is probably one of the most important ones in the series so far. Arashi is definitely a character I'm looking forward to writing more of once we get there but stayed tuned. Thank you again for reading and I hope to see you in the next one!
Spellbat: Good ole Spellbat lol anyway regarding the training I plan on taking it as serious as possible strictly because of all the research that went into training as Naruto slowly but surely becomes a formidable swordsmen stay tuned I'll be having a lot more fun with my newfound knowledge. Thank you again for reading and I hope to see you in the next one.
Fingerdash: It's a little hard to explain without getting into spoiler territory for the story so I won't elaborate too much on the how regarding the Fuinjutsu that will have to wait, regarding Naruto's Kenjutsu training there's a purpose to it regarding Naruto's character growth in the story more than just a buff to an already strong character as I few swordplay as more than just a new means to kill something hence the calligraphy involved in the training. However, like said there are specific details I just can't spoil regarding a few of your points. Rest assured however, Naruto will not be receiving the Sharingan or a harem of 100 women this is offically debunked here and now. Thank you for reading regardless.
Tigrezztail: Welcome back! Regarding the stances you'll have to stay tuned and see but I have taken the liberty to study different stances as a basis for the swordpaly displayed during the fight scenes of this story. Also, the most important thing to me while writing is to keep Naruto as close to his naturally progressing character as possible it's a given he's going to help people. Thank you again for reading and I hope to see you in the next one!
Krieger Techpriest: Krieger! Hey. Anyway come on it's still pretty early Naruto you know I had to have the Talk no justu in there lol, he would have tried to cheer her up regardless. Thank you again for reading and I hope to see you in the next one!
Jagsboy: Hey there Jags I'm right there with you I'm excited to bring in the sword that is created for Naruto, I'm trying not to rush it but it's on the way trust me. The duel is also another aspect I'm looking forward to writing however that will come with time in the meantime I hope you stay tuned. Thank you agin for the kudos and for reading as always, I hope to see you in the next one.
Phew we had a lot of these this time and that is awesome as always I'm more than happy to answer any questions thoughts or concerns so feel free to review and I'll do my best to get to every single one.
A few final announcements, I'll start with the big one starting from this week forward Naruto: Kokai will now be updated every two weeks on Wednesdays instead of weekend this way I have more time to edit and spellcheck to ensure the quality of the story and its also my favorite day of the week so it works out.
Also this story officially has its first Beta Reader and that is Gamesdean1. Thank you again for all the help I know I haven't utilized it too much yet but all I got to say is be prepared from Chapter 19 on you will be receiving a lot lol this is your warning.
Lastly this isn't an announcement more like pondering but should I make a discord server for Naruto Kokai? I've been wondering about it to create a space to talk about the story and other details regarding the story and Naruto stuff in general let me know what you all think of that.
Finally Happy Birthday to Naruto I will always appreciate everything the character has done for me growing up except for anything that happened in Boruto we don't talk about that.
Thank you again for reading and I hope you enjoy.
-Ken
{...}
Chapter 17: Forging Forward
A brush slowly dragged across a sheet of paper leaving behind a deliberate stroke of ink in its path before another slightly faster stroke followed it.
The brush moved smoothly again across the page, a quick dot was dabbed on the page before a quick long stroke was made.
The visage of a blade being swung slashed through the air before the movements of the sword smoothly transitioned into the next attack strike forward followed by a block.
The hand on the brush continued to move while the visage of the blade moving followed every stroke of the brush.
"Naruto."
A voice broke the blonde from his stupor before he turned back toward Mifune who had entered the room.
"Samurai Pops."
The blonde said while Mifune walked forward grabbing the sheet of paper from the boy's small desk.
"I've improved a lot huh?"
Naruto slightly bragged while Mifune admired the boy's penmanship, the calligraphy was definitely there but it was still sloppily made.
Yet there was a trace of familiarity in his pen strokes now.
"You and I are having a spar. Get ready."
Mifune said while he quickly left the room leaving Naruto confused and excited at the same time as the blonde quickly leapt up to his feet.
Shortly after the teen and the older man stood across from each other. They each settled into their stances, Mifune chuckled while he took a look at Naruto.
"Moon Stance huh?"
The older man asked while Naruto held his blade out in front of him before sliding his feet back sheathing his wooden blade and keeping one firmly on the handle.
The older man did the same while he carefully eyed Naruto from across the training field, in the short month that the boy had arrived here he had already changed so significantly.
His stance was a lot sloppier near the beginning of their training but now he looked firm and more prepared to use his blade.
"Hai!"
Mifune yelled out, causing Naruto to immediately dash toward the older man who quickly drew his blade barely a second earlier than when the blonde unsheathed his wooden blade into his strike.
The blades clashed before Naruto stomped his foot down swing heavily to try to break the guard of the older man, Mifune allowed his blade to move along Naruto's while he slashed the minute the blonde tried to take advantage of the newfound opening.
Naruto leaned avoiding the length of Mifune's blade before he turned pivoting off of his heel unleashing a reverse slash. The older man deflected the slash while the blonde went on the offensive.
Mifune deflected a series of aggressive slashes while he went for the opening he saw in Naruto's movements; the blonde was barely quick enough to block the blows while trying to keep his momentum with his attacks.
Mifune slashed upward smacking his blade against Naruto's guard before he crouched slightly holding his sword outward, dirt kicked up into a cloud while Mifune rapidly closed the distance between the two with wide aggressive slashes.
The blonde struggled against the heavy offensive on his guard before Mifune slashed at his blade again before pivoting on his heel using the tip of his blade to thrust slamming against Naruto's sword pushing him backward.
Naruto crouched from the sheer amount of force from the thrust alone, the blonde barely had time to react before Mifune ran jumping toward the boy using the teen's leg as a kickoff point that he used to flip over him.
Mifune, now facing the boy's back, slashed again only for the attack to be deflected by Naruto who gained his ground and pushed against the older man countering with a hard slash.
Mifune moved carefully through the strikes Naruto swung, the blonde stomped his foot down crouching before his blade exploded upward catching the older man off guard.
Mifune had to deflect the heavy strike pushing him backward, Naruto wasted no time taking advantage of the opening he made.
He advanced on the older man, slashing toward what he found to be his weakest points, Mifune allowed a small smile to come to his face while Naruto attacked.
The blonde continued to strike while Mifune began to see how the teen's sword strikes started to begin matching pen strokes, however he also noticed the gaps.
The older man's eyes narrowed before he suddenly held his blade out allowing Naruto's to crack against it, in the moment the blonde had been staggered Mifune quickly engaged.
The first slash was a heavy rotating one that made a complete circle, that Naruto barely blocked before the second and third slashes followed, they both came out diagonally making an 'X' shape.
The older man then leaned back slightly without stopping the movements of his blade to release rapid thrusts that slammed against the teen's guard, once Naruto was pushed back Mifune's foot stomped down before he released another rotating slash.
Naruto blocked it before he nearly didn't block the delayed impact that came from the pushing further against his guard, the teen noticed that Mifune was still in his position from his last slash, possibly the drawback from the maneuver.
The blonde quickly struck forward with his blade in a straight quick slash, Mifune saw the gap and took in a breath. His hand rested on the hilt of his blade while his eyes shut, right as he felt the slight breeze of the strike approaching him, he immediately moved.
Mifune had immediately unsheathed his sword and was now behind Naruto with his wooden blade outstretched beside him.
The blonde was immediately smacked with the impact of Mifune's last move sending him into the ground with a loud crash kicking up dirt and grass.
"Damn it."
Naruto said while Mifune sheathed his practice blade, "Tell me why you lost." The older man asked while he approached the downed boy.
"I don't know, you were just super-fast and that technique of yours wasn't anything I've seen you use before."
Naruto said from the ground while Mifune gently tapped the boy's head with the tip of his sheath causing the blonde to look toward him.
"No, you lost because you lost the flow of battle. There were multiple gaps in your attacks leaving you open for counters, while you have improved greatly you are still struggling with the balance of your strikes."
Mifune lectured while he helped the blonde to his feet, "Gah, balance is hard. I'm trying to focus on my attacks but your movements are insane." The teen said while Mifune gave the boy a look.
"Naruto, balance is the key to every warrior. Without balance one is just a fool holding a sword, when you swing you have to understand why you swing your sword."
Mifune said while Naruto looked at the older man who had a slightly intense look on his face while his hand gripped the hilt of the wooden weapon.
"Why do you fight, Naruto?"
Mifune said while the blonde stared at him as the older man began to leave, "While you ponder that, I believe you need to be making your way to our esteemed swordsmith." The older man said while Naruto's eyes widened.
"Wait… really!?"
The boy nearly yelled out in excitement while Mifune chuckled, "While you still need work, I believe it's time for you to finally forge your own sword." The older man said while the blonde punched the air.
"HELL YEAH!"
Naruto yelled into the air while he pointed a finger at the laughing older man.
"Thanks Samurai Pops! I'm going to make the coolest sword ever!"
The teen yelled while dashing off toward the inner parts of the large compound, Mifune's smile then dropped.
"It's early but he's still not ready… for now we'll have to make do without him."
Mifune said to himself while he made his way back to the castle in the compound preparing for what was coming.
{...}
"Marika!"
Naruto yelled sliding open the door to the forge causing the girl to drop all of the materials she was carrying across the room.
"Lord Naru- I mean, Naruto. Good day."
The girl said from the ground while the blonde quickly ran over to help her up from the ground where she fell.
"Sorry I didn't mean to spook ya, but I've got awesome news."
The blonde said while Marika shook her head, "No need to apologize, so is it finally time?" The girl asked, holding back her own excitement while the teen rapidly nodded his head.
"I can finally forge my sword!"
Naruto yelled out while Marika laughed, "Finally! Oh- I mean of course we'll get right on that." The blue haired girl said, trying to keep her composure while the blonde grinned.
"Y'know you don't have to try to hide your excitement right? It's me, no need to feel reserved."
The teen reassured while the smaller girl gave him a meek look before her smile returned morphing into a near magical grin.
"Then let's do this."
Marika said while the sudden shift in personality caused the blonde to chuckle, the two of them then set out toward the outside of the compound toward their destination.
The two teens made it to a nearby village where the citizens were bustling moving around materials.
"What's all of the commotion here?"
The blonde asked curiously while Marika kept walking forward, "Currently because of the civil war going on in the Land of Iron, villages all over are assisting in the fight against the capital." Marika explained while Naruto looked around.
"With that many people I'm surprised that you all haven't already attacked, I would have figured just from sheer numbers alone that you'd be able to flatten those bastards."
The blonde said while Marika shook her head, "Honestly our forces are in dire straits, while technically we have the numbers advantage over all that mostly consists of untrained civilians and artisans dedicated to providing whatever they can to the effort." The girl continued explaining while Naruto looked around again at the civilians working in the village around them.
"After multiple campaigns our forces are heavily depleted, with their use of stances as well as better artillery we haven't had many successful victories and a lot of lives have been lost in the process. Our number of samurai is still vastly outnumbered by the capital."
The girl said while Naruto turned his gaze toward her, he then looked to the side watching as multiple men were trying to pick up multiple logs from a carriage that had crashed.
Someone had been trapped underneath them.
Naruto immediately went to move but Marika stopped him, "Wait." The girl said while Naruto looked toward her.
"Those guys need help."
The blonde said while Marika looked toward the ground, Naruto moved over toward the men who were struggling with the log. He immediately grabbed a log and started lifting it off of the trapped person, the other men looked toward the blonde.
"Come on! He's almost out."
Naruto continued lifting while one of the men eyed the teen, "You're that shinobi right? Why are you helping us?" the man asked while the teen gave the man a look.
"What does that matter? Shinobi or not I'm not leaving someone like this."
The blonde said while the trapped man looked toward Naruto with slight awe while a crowd of civilians began to gather, the men looked toward each other before they walked over to Naruto helping the teen lift the log from the trapped man.
The trapped man was freed while Naruto and the men tossed the log over allowing the trapped man to get to his feet, he didn't waste a second before he ran over to a small girl in the crowd hugging her. "Hey hey, it's ok look I'm fine." The man reassured his daughter while the blonde smiled.
"Thank you."
He thanked Naruto who grinned, "We want to thank you as well… Sorry for judging you so quickly." one of the men apologized while he bowed his head, Marika's eyes slowly widened while she watched the crowd of civilians begin clapping their hands.
Naruto in the middle of the crowd looked around with slight confusion while they applauded him, it was a strange sensation.
One he wasn't used to at all.
"Naruto… you really are one odd guy."
Marika said while Naruto tried his best to shake off his flushed expression trying to get back to her, "You're welcome!" the blonde called while he moved through the crowd.
He wasn't just some warrior or an assassin from some far off nation, he was genuinely trying to do his best to help people.
If anyone could make any sort of difference for these people.
It just had to be him.
"Let's get to the mines!"
Naruto yelled now invigorated while Marika continued to guide him toward the mines where they would gather the materials for his sword.
The pair walked together until they reached a mountain face with multiple large holes that had been carved into it, Marika had her nose stuffed into her notebook where she was writing down multiple items.
"High carbon steels are the best when making a Damascus yet I also have Tamahagane steel still smelting in the forge so utilizing that we should also gather a few lower carbon metals to make steels to balance out the metals in the blade."
Marika muttered while Naruto looked at the girl with a blank look while he scratched the back of his head, he still had no idea what she was talking about. As a Kaji swordsmith he should really leave it to the expert but he couldn't help but be curious.
"Tamahagane?"
"Oh, that's steel that I've refined and smelted from iron sand with carbon to increase its carbon content to strengthen it."
"Iron sand?"
"There are natural traces of iron sand that have been used for generations to forge blades here in the Land of Iron gathering. It is a tedious process but it's the best metal to use for swordsmithing. What you'll be doing here is gathering iron types."
"Gather iron types got it… Like what?"
Naruto asked before a piece of paper was torn out of the notebook and pressed against his chest. "Like these." Marika said while the blonde inspected the drawings.
"Woah, you're really good."
Naruto complimented the girl while her ears flushed slightly, "A-anyway, it should take you a few hours to gather the materials. I'll wait out here once you do to appraise what you've found." Marika spoke while Naruto formed a hand sign.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
The boy yelled, forming a single clone before he felt a sharp pain run through his body, "Naruto! You shouldn't try to use-" the girl was cut off by a shaky thumbs up.
"Wouldn't want you waiting out here for hours right? Besides, two heads are better than one right?"
Naruto said while his clone nodded eagerly, Marika looked at the blonde as he got to his feet. She watched him lift a pickaxe resting it on his shoulder before his clone did the same.
"Let's go!"
The blonde yelled before the pair dashed into the mines in search of the materials they needed to find.
Meanwhile, at headquarters Kurotsuchi leaned against a wall just outside of a closed screen door. Mifune and the higher ups were having a meeting discussing a potential attack on the base.
Mifune had requested that she should stay out of it this time, but she couldn't find herself doing that.
She would just blame Naruto for getting her into meddling, if there was going to be some kind of attack then they should be involved.
However, for now she'll wait in silence and listen in, any details are better than none.
"Lord Judon is moving now, that's far too early!"
"Regardless of whether or not it's too early it's been confirmed his forces are organized to attack us. It appears they are aiming to completely wipe us out in one go."
"It was probably due to the involvement of those shinobi."
"Do not speak ill of them."
Mifune's voice cut through the rest of the arguing men's voices.
"Regardless of Naruto and Kurotsuchi's presence here this may have been on of their goals from the start. As far as I'm concerned, they are just as much comrades as any of you are, passing the blame will not fix our situation."
The older man spoke while the men quieted down, "The real issue is their march, out of the forces they have Lord Judon is the one who leads the largest number other than Arashi himself. With our current numbers if they take this advantage, we'll take massive losses." One of the other men spoke while Mifune stroked his facial hair.
"While it's true that they have an advantage over us in sheer power and numbers let us not forget we still have the home field advantage."
Mifune spoke while another one of the men slammed his fist on the table, "You aren't seriously suggesting we try to counter them. We've already mentioned the heavy losses we could take." He raised his voice while another man took a sip of his tea.
"We could send the shinobi… they are capable warriors as well. Regarding any potential losses their loss wouldn't be anywhere near as detrimental."
Mifune narrowed his eyes toward the man who spoke calmly, "If we think like that, we are no better than who we are fighting against, we must not forget the reason why we draw our swords. We shall draw no victory from sacrificed blood." The older man spoke while another older gentleman huffed.
"Then what would be the best option? Countering is nearly impossible and a direct face off practically guarantees a loss."
Mifune listened to the man before he looked down at the table, "Then we slow them down." The older man said nearly causing the rest of the men to break into a frenzy.
"Listen to me! The most valuable resource in any war isn't forces or weapons, it is the future. The best opportunity that we have is to find a way to fight another day. Time when used wisely is the true key to victory."
Mifune spoke, calming down the rest of the room while they listened.
"When we slow them down, that will give us time to regroup. We'll narrow down their forces until we can break through. Like how water can crush stone. The important part is remaining strong and pushing firmly. The minute they find an opening they win."
Mifune spoke while the other men looked around at each other, the arguing seemed to cease while the older man sighed.
"Then it's settled, while we make an offensive to slow down Judon as much as possible. We'll lead them into marked territories and take advantage of the homefield; they should fall back with a successful attack there."
Mifune directed while the rest of the small war council, while slightly weary still agreed with the samurai at the head of the table, the samurai never failed to impress.
Their tactics and their determination were hardly mirrored outside of the Land of Iron.
However, the main issue falls to this, Naruto was still training not to mention recovering while Kurotsuchi herself had no doubts in her mind that Mifune would do everything in his power to prevent her from supporting them.
If this Judon's forces are to be as feared as they made them out to be then sitting around while there could at least be something she could wasn't in her plans.
Kurotsuchi watched the men filing out while she took a step forward watching them leave the room all of them preparing for war, she turned her head slightly spotting Mifune who calmly walked out looking ahead into the distance.
"I suppose you've heard everything."
Mifune said while Kurotsuchi looked at the man silently while he looked ahead, "Forgive me, while the large majority of the shinobi detractors are currently our enemies our previous relations with the ninja have left most of these old men bitter from times long past." the older man apologized while Kurotsuchi fastened her headband on her head.
"So, when are we leaving?"
Kurotsuchi asked while Mifune kept his eyes forward, "You and Naruto are to remain here and train your skills further. The forces and I will be leaving immediately, the best thing will be to get a headstart on them to prepare an ambush in advance." the older man said while the black-haired girl narrowed her eyes.
"If these guys are as bad as you say they are then you'll need all the help you can get out there, I'm no stranger to war. Letting you all go out there yourselves while we just sit here just isn't an option."
Kurotsuchi shot back while Mifune huffed, "No stranger to war… Yet you are only a child. You live in the world so long you tend to forget how cruel it is." the man tilted his head downward slightly while he took a breath.
"Kurotsuchi of the Land of Stone. I didn't choose to leave you out of this first conflict because I believe you lack anything; I chose to leave you out of the conflict because you don't lack the drive to do what it takes to protect. I'm trusting you with something far greater than the front lines."
Mifnue said while he finally turned his gaze toward the confused girl, "Like what?" it was a loaded question she had already known that, yet she asked nonetheless.
"You are protecting the future. Despite the things you have seen or the things you have done, you too are a part of that future. As long as this stronghold stands then there will always be something that will fight against the forces that wish to destroy the order of the world."
Mifune spoke while he placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, "I'm aware of your fondness of Naruto. He's a good man who can't be killed now trying to do more than he should, that should be reason enough for you to stay behind and protect him as you promised right?" the older man spoke while Kurotsuchi looked toward the ground.
"That was dirty."
Kurotsuchi spoke while Mifune laughed at the girl's bitter response to his words, "I suppose it was… I'm entrusting this position to you both until we return. This will not be the last of us, so this isn't a goodbye besides you are both still far from finishing your training, so I've got to return for that." the older man said with a chuckle while the black-haired girl looked up toward him.
"Make it back in one piece, Old Man."
Kurotsuchi said while Mifune gave her a smile before she began to walk off, the older man's vision then turned to the forces gathering toward the front before his hand touched the hilt of his own sword.
"I can only do my best."
{...}
Back at the forge the materials that Naruto had gathered were being broken up into chunks that Marika had carefully taken toward a grinder.
"Naruto."
The blue haired girl said while she slowly took off her glasses, "Forgive but while forging this blade, my intent isn't a just one. I will be forging you a weapon that is made with the sole purpose of vengeance and death. I'll be putting in 100% of my effort to make this greatest sword I've ever created. I will need your support in doing just that." the girl said while her expression changed to a serious one.
Naruto watched her silently while he could feel the shift in the air, she slowly peeled off her kimono revealing her bandage wrapped chest, her expression never changing while the blonde observed the bladesmith in front of him lift her hammer.
"Will you, someone whose heart is good. Assist a scorned swordsmith such as myself to craft this wicked blade that I've asked you to wield?"
The girl spoke while Naruto looked at the face of the girl, he was sure she was trying to keep her face as devoid of emotion as possible, yet he could see traces of quiet rage and regret in her eyes.
"Of course."
Naruto responded while Marika looked at the blonde with surprise, she had expected him to be disturbed by her yet he embraced her completely. Despite her motivations for this weapon the teen in front of her was more than ready to share her burden.
That brought the girl even the slightest moment of peace.
"Then let's begin."
The girl said while Naruto took off his shirt as well revealing the scar that led from the top of the left side of his chest down to his ribs, along with the curse mark that marked his left arm.
Marika began to grind down the pieces while Naruto was directed to start the furnace, the boy watched the flames ignite and roar to life with an intense heat. The blue haired girl then released her hair from its braids opting to tie it into a high ponytail.
She grabbed the freshly grinded pieces along with the Tamahagane steel she had prepared earlier, stacking each piece on top of another using the steel as the core before she pulled out a super-heated iron needle from the furnace Naruto had turned on.
She used the sheer amount of heat from the needle to weld the pieces of metal together carefully before using the needle to weld a short iron rod to it, Naruto watched her move fluidly toward dipping the metal into an oil.
"This sword will take a week to forge, it will be grueling work but that's what it's going to take."
Marika said while Naruto nodded his head, "Good thing I'm no stranger to hard work!" the boy said enthusiastically while the girl smiled slightly before turning back toward the metal moving it toward the furnace placing it into the blazing flames.
While the metal heated in the fire Naruto took his wooden sword from the corner of room he left it in and began practicing his movements for Moon Stance, this had been the stance he had chosen since out of all of them it was the one he felt fit the best as his main stance.
The flames crackled while Naruto slowly went through his movements, the heat from the furnace causing the boy to break into a sweat while he transitioned into his next movement, slashing at the air with his wooden blade heavily.
Marika meanwhile after some time passed took the metal from the furnace and placed it on her anvil, she then took her hammer and slammed it into the metal repeatedly causing it to begin to take shape. Eventually she switched with Naruto who hammer away at the metal as well causing it to stretch out.
Marika then took a chisel, hammering it into the newly formed ingot separating it into halves while she moved them both back to the furnace to heat up even more, that sent Naruto back to training while this time he pulled out his calligraphy sheet.
The process continued until Marika took the formed ingots and began to use her hammer and chisel to form and fold them before hammering them out again repeating this process multiple times before Naruto took over allowing her to guide him through it.
The more folds to the metal the stronger it made it.
The time seemed to be flying by as the two of them immersed themselves in the work of forging the sword together, Naruto's concentrated eyes folded the steel for what felt like the 1000th time while Marika wiped the sweat from the boy's head.
She then retrieved the metal before moving it to the furnace once more, the heat blazed again while Naruto went back to training with his sword. The blue haired girl hammered away at the metal once more further sharpening the blade.
A few more days had passed while Marika dressed the blade in clay blasting it with more heat from the furnace while Naruto was practicing with his eyes closed taking more time with his movements, they were beginning to come out smoother and quicker.
"Naruto."
Marika called the boy while he opened his eyes turning toward the girl, "It's time to quench the blade." the girl said while Naruto rushed over.
"This is when we dip the blade in the oil right?"
Naruto asked while Marika nodded her head, "Now Naruto, there's a tradition in the Land of Iron regarding one's forged blade. That a warrior would quench his blade in his own blood to make it a part of himself, while blood itself is a horrible way to quench a blade that isn't to you still couldn't put a few drops in the oil." the girl explained while Naruto looked at the oil.
"So that's how it is huh?"
Naruto said while Marika looked toward the boy, "It's just some crazy tradition I just thought I'd mention it. You don't have to-" Marika was cut off by the blonde cutting his own hand with a kunai he kept in his pouch he brought with him.
"This sword is a part of me now whether I want it to be or not. With adding my blood, I swear, I will use this sword to fulfill my promises. No matter how wicked you say this blade is, I will always use it to do what's right. Believe it."
Naruto said while Marika watched the boy with astonishment as he allowed his blood to flow into the oil, he lifted his hand away from the oil as Marika quickly pulled the blade from the furnace before dipping it tip first into the quench.
Fire shot from the quench while Marika held the blade steady, Naruto watched as the girl pulled the blade from the quench. Steam rolled off of the sword while the light caught on its wavy damascus pattern, the two teens admired the handiwork while the girl sighed.
"It's beautiful."
She said while Naruto could only nod his head before she turned, "There's still far more work to do though, but… Thank you." the girl said while she placed the sword on her grinding bench before she tended to the wound on Naruto's hand.
The two of them both went back to their respective work, Marika now grinding at the blade to make it sharper while Naruto went back to his training.
The blonde was dead set in making sure he would win.
He had to.
{...}
Kurotsuchi was worried.
Surprisingly about several things, firstly it's been a full week since she last saw Naruto. Normally this wouldn't have been a major issue since the two of them respectively had different types of training they had to work on for their styles.
However she hasn't seen him, period.
A part of her believes that she went after Mifune and the rest of his men regarding fending off the assault from Judon, however that was quickly shot down by the fact that unless they told him she hadn't even breathed a word about it.
Hopefully he would show up but if he took any longer, she was going on a personal manhunt for the unpredictable ninja.
Secondly, it had been a week since the offensive had started and there was no word of a status from the frontline regarding Mifune and the others which was beginning to lead her into thinking that the worst-case scenario had happened.
She had to hold up hope, that's what Naruto would do.
Yet it was hard with all of these different thoughts she had to juggle, her training, the civil war, and him. That rambunctious blonde that she found herself uncharacteristically kind of lost without in this past week.
While she wouldn't argue the 'fondness' point that Mifune made she still couldn't really identify what exactly he made her feel.
With him around it felt like she could keep her feet planted down on earth, normally as a shinobi her thoughts are occupied with an objective of some kind and regarding herself an objective that she would do anything to accomplish.
Yet with him she just wanted to laugh.
She wanted to feel the way he rumbled when he laughed.
To give her that trademark smile that he could always pull out of nowhere that would help her stress less.
Perhaps she did know what this feeling was but refused to accept it due to the multiple dangers that await them in their chaotic world.
However,
Her pink eyes caught a glimpse of the blonde-haired boy, she felt a warm tingle rush through her when she heard his laughter. A smile grew on her face before it stopped. Beside the boy was the blue haired swordsmith laughing along with him.
There would come a time very soon where she could no longer deny that feeling.