Part 1
Inside the Shiranui dojo, Makoto sits with a few scrolls around him. His face, chest, and arms have bandages wrapped around them.
"I've had to take a couple days to let my body rest after getting beaten up by those six Kajihara thugs. But that's not so bad. There is plenty of studying to do."
Makoto is quietly copying the contents of one scroll into another scroll. His brush strokes are calm and meticulous.
"The bad part was getting scolded by Junichi and Ryuu. I really disappointed them. They said I risked the mission by getting into unnecessary conflict. And they're right. I have to be more careful."
He carefully rolls up the scrolls. He stands up and picks them up.
"Luckily the Kajihara boys aren't too keen on cooperating with the authorities. So at least Misuno isn't on my case about it. Although I'm sure she has gathered where my injuries came from... I think she is content to let it blow over and just get us out of here as soon as possible."
Makoto carries the scrolls across the room. He watches Junichi practicing ninjutsu as he walks past.
"Man, about that alley fight with the six swordsmen... I thought staying in a cramped space would limit them, but I didn't consider that even without swords I'd still be overwhelmed. I know I'm not the best in close quarters, anyway. I really should have used Water Geyser Jutsu to take the roof and try to string them along, picking them off one by one. Maybe I didn't have the chakra for it... Or hell, I could have at least pulled up my gasmask and dropped a poison smoke bomb. I really wasn't thinking clearly. I must have been more tired than I realized. I can't be making those kinds of mistakes. I really got lucky Mujuro showed up when he did."
Makoto walks up and hands the scrolls to Misuno. She opens and examines them one by one.
"I know I should just leave it alone, but I'm just so intrigued by this blind swordsman."
Makoto hesitantly asks, "Hey Misuno, do you know who Mujuro Kajihara is?"
The assistant next to her gasps.
Misuno's eyebrows raise. "Don't ever say that name again! He didn't call himself Kajihara did he?"
"No. I'm sorry; I just put the context clues together... Is he not a Kajihara?" Makoto asks.
Misuno hands one of the scrolls to her assistant and dismisses them. They leave. Misuno quietly tells Makoto, "Mujuro is disowned. He does not and should not identify as a Kajihara any longer."
"What happened?" Makoto keeps prying.
Misuno lets out a sigh. "Well. Before just a few years ago, the Kajihara, Shiranui, and Yamamoto all worked hand in hand with the Hidden Mist. We allow them to train on their own, and when ready, they can take our Academy's final exam. Many of these swordsmen were within the Mist's ranks. But after the Fifth Mizukage came to power, things changed. The Kajihara really disagreed with Lady Fifth's policies to bring in a more peaceful age. All they've ever known was war. The Kajihara all began to retire as shinobi. They stopped sending their prospects to take the exam. They wanted nothing to do with this new regime. They work exclusively as independent mercenaries now."
Makoto nods. "War profiteers afraid of change. I understand that all too well."
Misuno continues, "But Mujuro... You see, he grew up wanting to be a shinobi. He didn't understand why his father suddenly forbade him from becoming a Mist shinobi. He was naive and hopeful. So when he was twelve years old, he took and passed the exam in secret. But his father found his ninja headband and was not happy about it..." Misuno trails off and stares with a sad look.
"So they kicked him out?" Makoto questions.
"Not exactly..." Misuno hesitates to continue. "This is unconfirmed, but rumor has it, his father slashed Mujuro's eyes. He did not want his own son using their sword style for the Mist. And he was willing to do anything to stop it."
"He blinded his own son?!" Makoto yells in disgust.
"Shhh! Keep it down." Misuno warns him. "Mujuro refused to admit that his father did this. Authorities could not gather the evidence to hold him accountable."
Makoto asks, "Why wouldn't Mujuro cooperate? That's awful what was done to him."
Misuno answers, "I think he just wanted to move on with his life. Young Mujuro was entirely focused on becoming a shinobi. But he had to be suspended indefinitely as soon as he got his headband. He has been on disabled leave for the last three years because of his blindness."
"Last three years? He was blinded at age twelve, so... How is he only fifteen?! That kid is well over six feet tall. Damn." Makoto thinks.
Misuno keeps talking. "The last I heard he ran away to train with some old, one-armed guy. He was told he has to prove that his blindness won't interfere with his ability to complete missions in order to be reinstated."
"Oh, Lady Misuno, take my word for it! He is totally ready now. Get this guy his shinobi headband back!" Makoto pleads.
"It's up to him to pass a reinstatement exam, whenever he decides he is ready." She explains.
Makoto takes a moment to think. "Hey, could we train with this old, one-armed man too? Or are we limited to staying in the Shiranui and Yamamoto dojos?" He seeks permission.
Misuno stammers, "I... I guess that would be okay. I think they stay in the back of a little repair shop on Market Street, I think it's called The Broken Blade."
"Yes!" Makoto celebrates. He takes the scroll that he copied back from Misuno after she examined it. He runs off excitedly.
Part 2
The sun is getting low over Koishi Island. Makoto is speed-walking through the docks. He is holding a wooden lock-box. He makes his way to the makeshift Hidden Rain Market. The temporary shops have pop-up tents over them.
Yuuta is standing at his shop front with a pair of odd magnifying glasses over his eyes. His head is down, focusing on tinkering with something.
"Give me all of the money and no one has to get hurt." A deep, rough voice says to Yuuta.
Yuuta panics, "Huh, what!?" He turns to see Makoto standing there. "Oh my god, Makoto! You almost gave me a heart attack!"
"Ha ha!" Makoto teases. "You really need to be more observant of your surroundings, old man. You completely zone out. You're lucky it was just me and not a real robber this time."
"You little shit! Don't lecture me!" Yuuta smacks Makoto in the arm.
"Ouch!" Makoto grabs his arm. "I'm just looking out for you, old man. You worry me-"
"Quit calling me old man! I'm not that old!" Yuuta continues being grumpy.
"Damn, okay. My bad... Hey, I got you something." Makoto holds out the wooden box he was carrying.
"Ooo, what is it?" Yuuta licks his lips and reaches out to open the lid. Inside of the box is a matching pair of wrist gauntlets.
Makoto explains, "I bought these from a traveling merchant the other day. He said he got them in the Land of Waves. He brought them to the Land of Water because he believes they belonged to some famous Mist shinobi. The Demon Brothers or something? I don't know. I think he was just making shit up so he could jack up the price. But I just had to get them!"
Yuuta pulls one out of the box. He extends a chain part from the wrist. "Whoa, look at this!"
"Yeah!" Makoto shouts. "It's almost the same concept as yours. I figured you could take it apart and study it. But, ooo, look how much thicker this chain is! I like how sturdy and rigid it is."
"And check out these little finger claws!" Yuuta yells as he inspects them.
"I don't want those, personally. I gotta keep my hands clean for hand signs. But feel free to repurpose those for somethin' else."
Yuuta puts it back in the box and closes the lid. "Thanks, kid."
"No problem." Makoto says. "Hey, how has business been for you here so far?"
"Oh, man! Business has been booming! I've been so busy buying, selling, trading, and repairing all sorts of ninja tech. I've got so many ideas for new designs now! Oh, I got an idea to alter your shield plate to weaponize your senbon in a new way. I won't be able to get it together until we get home obviously." Yuuta explains.
"Good, good. Sounds cool. Is it going as well for all the others in the Rain Market?" Makoto asks.
Yuuta answers, "As far as I've heard, everyone is doing well."
"Nice." Makoto says.
Yuuta puts the box away in the back of his tent.
Makoto says, "I heard about this shop called The Broken Blade on Market Street in town. I wanted to see if you or your blacksmith friend wanted to check it out with me. Ryuu is meeting me there in a little bit."
"Well, most of my business does happen in the mornings when all the ships come in. I guess I could close up early today." Yuuta turns to clean up his shop. "Help me close up and we can go see if he wants to join us."
Makoto helps him out.
"And maybe we can get dinner to celebrate after." Yuuta adds.
Later, Makoto and Yuuta walk towards the other end of the makeshift Hidden Rain Market.
A pair of swordsmen in red are causing a scene in the direction they are walking. "You people should leave! You aren't welcome here!" They knock over some stuff as they walk past shops.
The Rain blacksmith takes offense to that. He runs up and yells back at them, "Hey! Stop that!"
The two Kajihara smirk. They perform some hand signs and draw their swords, "Hidden Art: Vacuum Well Jutsu!" Wind energy forms around their blades as they both swing. Swirling, round projectiles fling into his shop. One hits the anvil and the other hits the ground near a barrel of swords. The wind energy projectiles implode and suck in everything around them. The barrel shatters and the metal of the swords twist and bend from the pressure. The tent over his shop collapses in around the anvil.
"No! No! My swords! My tools!" The blacksmith runs in as the wind energy fades.
"Water Style: Grasping Undertow Jutsu!" Makoto had run up on the two thugs in the street. A thin layer of water rushes along the ground and sweeps the Kajihara boys' feet out from under them. They both fall and splash as they slap into the water. It carries them a bit down the street before the water falls between the cracks of the wood on the docks.
The commotion has drawn a lot of attention. A few swordsmen in blue and a few swordsmen in white run up. They all have their hands on their swords ready to draw.
The two Kajihara punks scramble to their feet and run off. A couple of the Yamamoto and Shiranui boys run after them.
Makoto and Yuuta console their blacksmith friend. He is very upset by the damages.
Part 3
A dinky sign with a painting of a sword cracked into three pieces hangs above a tiny shop. Makoto, Yuuta, and the Rain blacksmith wander down the street towards it.
"Is this it?" Makoto looks up at the sign.
"Aw what's the point?! My whole life is ruined! All of my hard work destroyed in an instant!" The Rain blacksmith wallows in his misery.
Yuuta puts his arm around him. "Now, now. You're going to be alright. It wasn't your whole life's work; it was just a few things! You'll bounce back in no time. You just need to put it out of your mind for a bit. Let's just forget all that and check this place out."
Ryuu wanders over from the other direction. He is looking up at the weird sign. "Is this the place?"
Inside of the store, there are shelves with a lot of ceramic pottery; cups, bowls, plates, vases, etc. They all have thin gold lines branching through their designs. There are also some swords on display.
The four men enter the shop. "Hello, are you guys open?" Ryuu shouts.
An old man waddles in from the back room. He is short and appears to be missing an arm; his right sleeve is folded over and pinned. He also has a sheathed greatsword strapped to his back that looks way too big for him. "Welcome, welcome. Ah, I see you eyeing that vase. It's very nice. I'll cut you a good deal on it!"
Ryuu squints looking at a vase, "What's with the cracks? It's obviously broken and put back together. Why would you use gold in the repair? Now everyone will notice!"
Makoto elbows him, "It's kintsugi, idiot."
"What the heck does that mean?" Ryuu asks.
The old man chimes in, "Kintsugi is the art of repairing broken pottery by mending the cracks with lacquer and gold."
"But why would you do that?" Ryuu is still confused.
"There is beauty in the broken!" The old man yells. "It is an extension of the wabi-sabi philosophy. Embrace imperfections. Appreciate the process of putting the pieces back together. It is a reminder to stay optimistic when things fall apart. One should celebrate life's flaws and missteps."
"Ohhh, that's deep." Ryuu says.
The Rain blacksmith is looking at a sword on display. "I'd never heard of using kintsugi on a broken sword before. This blade was so masterfully crafted. What a shame it was damaged so badly. But at least now it can be on display and be remembered for its greatness."
The old shopkeeper responds, "My old blacksmith friend is my partner here at The Broken Blade. He makes and repairs swords... But sometimes he just doesn't have the heart to smelt down a sword so beautiful, so I get to turn them into art pieces."
"Wow." The emotional Rain blacksmith's eyes well up.
Makoto asks, "So is there also a dojo in the back? You are Mujuro's sensei, right?"
The one-armed man gets all excited, "You're Mujuro's friends?! Oh my! Why didn't you say so? Let me make you all some tea. Come, come!" He waddles through the back of the shop, waving for them to follow him.
They walk through the back room which has a ceramics oven and workshop tools. He leads them out the back door. They go outside into a little fenced-in plot. There is an anvil and blacksmith station, a little combat circle, and a table. They sit and drink tea and chat for a bit. It is starting to get dark outside. The lanterns hanging on the back of the shop light up their little fenced-in yard.
The kintsugi-sensei is telling a story from his past. "I must have killed hundreds of those Cloud bastards in that war. So when they finally captured me, they didn't just want to kill me right away. They chopped off my right arm immediately of course, for fear that I'd get my hands on a sword and slaughter their whole camp from the inside. But once my arm was gone, they got real comfortable about their revenge. They smashed my greatsword in front of me. They kept me prisoner for weeks, torturing me non-stop. They wanted me to pay for all of their friends I had killed."
"That's so awful." Makoto says.
"That's war." The old, one-armed man replies. "So after a few weeks, my Mist allies overtake this camp and save my life. The first thing I do? I find my greatsword snapped into pieces and I put them back into the scabbard. I head to the blacksmith to have him sharpen up the little nub of the blade left with the handle. That blacksmith has been my best friend ever since." He pulls out the sharpened broken sword piece from his back. "And then I get back on that battlefield the next day. Injured, left-handed, and broken-bladed. I fought in defiance, striking fear into those cowardly Cloud shinobi."
"Wow." Makoto says.
Ryuu asks, "You still have the other blade pieces in the large scabbard... why not put that usable part into a smaller sheath at least?"
"Nah. I gotta carry that weight." He replies.
Ryuu says, "Damn. I respect that! This guy rules."
The gate in the fence at the far side of the yard opens up. Mujuro starts to walk in but freezes when he sees Makoto sitting there.
"Hey, get a move on! This shit's heavy!" The guy behind Mujuro yells at him. The two of them walk in and drop the baskets from their backs near the blacksmith station. One was full of fire wood and the other full of scrap metal. They move in towards the table and everyone.
Mujuro makes eye contact with Makoto again and says under his breath, "Why are you here? Don't cause more trouble."
"We're just here on business. I got permission from the Mizukage's representative." Makoto reassures him.
Yuuta stands up, "Well it's getting late. I better get going. Thank you for the tea."
The Rain blacksmith stands as well, "I want to buy that kintsugi sword, if that is okay?"
The one-armed swordsman yells over to the man who came in with Mujuro, "This guy is a blacksmith too! Why don't you go sell him that."
The Mist blacksmith and the Rain blacksmith walk into the back of the shop and start chatting, "The craftsmanship of that sword is so masterful!" Yuuta follows them in too.
Ryuu shouts, "Aw man! I didn't realize how late it was. I came here to check out if this place was worth training kenjutsu at. We didn't even get into it."
"Well let's get into it now!" The old sensei gestures to the fighting circle in the yard and walks out to it. "It's not too late."
Ryuu excitedly follows him out to spar. Mujuro and Makoto stand next to each other to watch.
Ryuu puts up a hand sign and bows.
The kintsugi sensei quickly flashes the hand sign and then kicks sand up at him.
"Ahh!" Ryuu covers his face.
The old man draws his broken blade and lunges forward. Ryuu draws and blocks it. They lock blades and look at each other.
"My quick is quicker than your quick! Ha ha!" The old man taunts. He pulls his blade back and spins, ducking down for a leg sweep.
Ryuu jumps over it. "Oh, you're a tricky little sucker!" He takes a few heavy, sweeping swings.
The old man dances around gracefully dodging them. "What good's all that power if you can't connect? Ha ha!" He dashes far back. Then throws his sword and runs behind it.
Ryuu grabs the thrown weapon by the handle with the blade right in front of his face.
The old man slaps the pommel on the end of the handle and pushes his blade forward at Ryuu's face.
Ryuu leans back to dodge under it. The old man grabs hold of Ryuu's right wrist. Ryuu says, "I've got both blades, and yet I'm the one in a compromising position? Spicy!"
Mujuro's sensei redirects Ryuu's own blade up into the broken one in his left hand.
Ryuu flicks his left wrist; the blade rapidly spins away from his face and knocks away his butcher sword. His left hand re-grabs the spinning broken blade. He lunges his left hand forward and spins the blade a second time, spinning it down at the old man's only arm.
The old man lets go of Ryuu's right arm and snatches the spinning broken blade out of the air.
"Ooo, watch your fingers!" Ryuu warns.
"Ha ha! I like that flick-of-the-wrist spinning throw. Let me give it a try!" He steps back and flings his sword forward.
Ryuu mirrors his own move back at him. The two fast-spinning blades clash and bounce back. Both men catch their own rebound.
They both just start laughing, "Ha ha!" They both ease up and sheath their swords. They bow.
"I like your style!" Ryuu shouts. "Unorthodox."
"Right back at you!" The one-armed swordsman replies.
Ryuu says, "You know what? I think I want that gold-cracked vase after all."