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CHAPTER 23

The Takayama family had been blacksmiths in Higashiyama village for the past five generations. Their metalworks could be traced as far back as the First Iron Daimyo's kitchenware, with the long-dead leader personally visiting Higashiyama on his way to a battle to commission several sets of pots and pans for his bride. The intention for this commissioning was that the Daimyo wanted to show his intention to his bride that he would return from the battle, and he did return.

The glory days for the Takayama family ended when metalworks started being mass-produced in the Iron Capital. The demand for high-quality products with visual appeal was replaced by low-effort but fanciful items that were cheap. Industrialisation swallowed the intricate art of blacksmithing, and the Takayama family couldn't keep up.

Less people patronised Takayama blacksmiths. Fewer people visited Higashiyama village as a result.

There wasn't much left of the Takayama family when Genji Uzumaki arrived at the village, aside from a decrepit old man, and a widow with three young sons—three, five, and six years old respectively—. At the age of forty but having the body of a man in his mid-twenties, Genji somehow found a way to be apprenticed by the old man and was taught the Takayama family's blacksmithing methods, though not for long; the old man finally lost his mind and wandered into a blizzard. Supposedly, it was to answer his father's voice. The apprenticeship lasted only one year.

Genji, by some obligation to the family that took him in, married the Takayama widow and adopted her three children as his own, eventually having two children of his own with her; a fifteen-year-old boy and a one-year-old lastborn girl. He dropped his clan's name and took up his wife's name, not wanting the family name to end. The oldest and second sons remained in Higashiyama, learning blacksmithing from their stepfather. They married and settled down with families of their own, but their connection to blacksmithing ran deep in their veins. The third born left the village to become a samurai. Some friends of the family who sometimes went to the Iron Capital told them that the third son was doing well living in the Daimyo's court, but the man never came back to the village to see his family.

It was a hard life, staying in Higashiyama; the iron ore mind in the Kaska valley dried up and the gold in the riverbeds were frozen over by time. The nearest source of materials was in the Capital. Nearly everything they needed to survive was in the Capital, but it was extremely expensive both to buy the metals and also transport them back to Higashiyama. Buying it would mean not eating for days. And even if that sacrifice was made, the only way to break even was to increase the price of their wares, as opposed to the lower market value of industrially produced blades.

They were scraping by, barely, by mending the weapons of samurai that wandered past Higashiyama; the secondborn would hang around Samurai Bridge and heavily recommend the services of the Takayama forge to passers-by.

The Takayama forge also couldn't turn away from helping the villagers. They've had to fish on a frozen lake many miles away and share the meagre food they got with the people.

The forge had been running at a loss for longer than a decade, and only kept going by the odd commission from samurai to fix their blades. It wasn't sustainable, as their last commission had been a month ago.

"You understand our situation," Genji Takayama said in a serious tone. His face didn't betray his emotions; hopeless and desperate. He sat down heavily on a stump, still wearing the blacksmithing apron and thick clothing underneath. Even sitting down, he towered over One and the twins. He looked at Yusuke and his age showed; his purple eyes were glazed with tiredness and the cracks at the corner of his eyes deepened. Every burnt patch of his red beard showed the effort he put into providing for his family. "I can't let the villagers suffer as well." The man looked at One, and he grimaced apologetically. "I don't mean to dump all of my troubles on you folk."

One tentatively raised her hand and patted his arm.

They weren't very far from the village. There was a cold river that flowed down the sea and snaked down the side of the region, pooling into a lake many miles away. Genji pointed ahead at the trickling river and the icy shards of water it carried, distracting the group from his previous vulnerability. "That river goes to our fishing hole. Junior can show you lot later."

"That would be wonderful!" the twins chirped animatedly. They were sharing a stump, sitting hip to hip. One wavered, scratching her cheek. The grisly man glanced at her with raised eyebrows, and she pursed her lips, shooting a look at Yusuke. Her eyes glistened as she pouted. The man palmed his face and nodded. The girl brightened up and nodded to her uncle.

Yusuke at least appreciated that the girl, despite her age, was professional about her job as a guard.

The man returned his attention to Genji, getting comfortable on his stump. "That's exactly why our boss sent us here, Mister Takayama—"

"Genji is fine."

"Genji," Yusuke briskly corrected himself, not missing a step. "He not only wants to change the lives of you and your entire extended family but the village at large."

"How?"

"The plan is to invest in your family business. Funding new and improved equipment, using his network to supply your forge with all the metal you need, and also giving you access to our growing network of merchants, traders, and retail sellers. That way, you can get your products from as near as the Iron Capital to as far as Hidden Waterfall, and even further. Our group has a vast network of professionals that are assured to get your products in front of as many buyers as possible." Genji hummed, lacing his fingers together in front of his mouth, thinking. Yusuke continued, "Our boss won't just end at funding your forge; he is willing and able to invest in an apprenticeship program for the people of this village. That way, eventually, the labour is spread out evenly and production is increased as well as the quality of the products."

Genji's mouth closed, momentarily satisfied that he wasn't being proposed a plan that would risk the integrity of the Takayama name.

"More paid apprentices mean more expendable income for the average family in Higashiyama. More expendable income means less hunger." Yusuke rolled his wrists and said, "But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I'm only outlining a small part of the long-term plan our boss has for your family business and the village."

Long term, Naruto wanted Higashiyama to turn into another sustainable stream of income for his organisation, similar to Little Whirlpool. But, unlike Little Whirlpool which produced an assortment of clothing, Higashiyama would produce metalworks.

Yusuke faltered, shrugging. "The big boss doesn't anticipate making any profit for the next three to four years, given the scale of his plans, but he is entirely committed to that venture." Again, similar to Little Whirlpool; the clothing company was just about turning into a profitable venture. Recently too. The group's accountants and auditors predicted record profits by the end of the year.

"I'm a simple blacksmith, Yusuke." Genji sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I'm only looking out for my family and my village. And what you're promising is, honestly, too good to believe." Yusuke smiled patiently at that, subtly nodding with an agreeable expression. "How can I be sure your so-called boss is so committed to this plan?"

One looked expectantly at Yusuke as well.

"For starters, he's proposing a 12 million ryo investment into Takayama Forge for 30% of ownership."

One's jaw hung open. Her eyes were bugged wide at the opening offer. She almost gasped, rushing to clasp her hands over her mouth.

Genji didn't look that much different, as much as he tried to remain stoic.

It didn't need to be said that 12 million of anything, much less it being money and assets, was a lot. It was as massive of a commitment as anything, and the next words Yusuke said nearly made Genji fall over.

"With a yearly reoccurring investment of 7 million ryo if your business reaches achievable milestones within the next three years." Yusuke smirked, proud that he had shocked some reality into Genji. He brought out a scroll and passed it to the man, and he dumbly collected it, still blubbering for words to speak.

Genji gawked, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly. He examined the scroll and his heart rate picked up. It spelt out in simple words the amount of money that would be pushed into the forge, how much ownership Naruto expected, and some smaller conditions Naruto expected that were steadily achievable.

One had seen in Little Whirlpool the extent Naruto went through to ensure success in an investment; her brother had pushed over fifty million ryo into revitalising the clothing company and developing the surrounding community, and he was so successful in that venture that the villagers of Izu-Ken had changed the name of their village to Little Whirlpool. It had started with something as small as investing in a business and escalated to reviving the village, turning the company into a community project and prospective income stream for Naruto's organisation.

"The name of the forge doesn't change. The main ownership remains in your hands and the hands of your family. The only condition is that the forge must be profitable by the end of the third year." His warning was understated but Genji caught it, whipping his head up from the scroll and glaring at Yusuke.

"Or else?"

"Or else…" Yusuke feigned hesitation, but One could see in his eyes and his demeanour that the man was used to breaking bad news to desperate people. The man clearly used to be a banker, given his knowledge of finances, and he had a thick skin for saying the quiet parts of contracts aloud, even at the risk of bodily harm. "Or else we take it all back. Everything."

Genji's face hardened.

This was akin to making a deal with the devil. Gaining a world of riches and opportunities in exchange for an unbreakable condition; profit by the third year.

If Whisper Group reclaimed everything from the Takayama forge, it would ruin them forever.

Yusuke held up his hands in a reassuring gesture. "But I assure you we won't ever get to that point; our people," he gestured to himself, the twins, and One, "are skilled enough to help your forge reach those milestones, turning a reasonable profit and reviving this village." Genji's glowering expression didn't fade, and Yusuke hurriedly said, "Take Izu-Ken for example. We brokered the deal that changed the lives of the people of that village forever. Our people aren't so heartless that we'll dump money on your heads and expect you to dance. We have a process."

One strolled to her uncle and wondered behind him, cautiously watching the proceedings.

"Out of the 12 million, 10 million will be used to buy the necessary tools that'll make your job easier; an improved forge, better tools, carts of metal, funding the apprenticeship program, and so on. 2 million is for you and your family; we can't have you lot starving, can we?" Yusuke further explained, "We'll first assign two accountants and an auditor to this village. That way, they can advise you on how best to spend the money. Monitor your growth and whatnot. Believe it or not, we already have some people for the job and they know exactly what to do."

"Still, 2 million isn't little," Genji said slowly, perusing the scroll again. His dark purple eyes darted to each word and absorbed them. "It'll draw attention. The tax collectors would want a piece. Our region's Governor would want some too."

Yusuke smirked widely. "You let us worry about that."

After all, the Snow Daimyo had not the faintest ideas about what was happening in Izu-Ken village until it transformed for the better. Yusuke didn't elaborate for Genji's benefit but even as Whisper Group didn't have much influence in Iron Country, they had many ways to launder money into the country. No one would notice a thing.

"We only need you to believe in us, the same way we believe in you."

One had to give Yusuke credit; he was a stone-cold closer. He had had this same conversation several times before and had succeeded.

Whisper Group didn't benefit anything from repossessing their investments that had failed, but they were fully prepared to make that step in four years when it turned out that the Takayama forge was a major liability.

Genji's head dipped contemplatively.

"To make this decision easier," Shina said in a quiet voice. Satoru's lips were pressed together, smiling kindly to the large man, "Think of it like this…" One managed to get over her surprise that the sisters knew how to speak independently of the other. Shina's voice was light and understanding, knowing that the man was weighing his options, so she did her best to help. "We only want two things: We want your family's talents and we want you to trust us. As much as our goal is to make a profit, it's for everyone's benefit."

Essentially, Genji and his sons do what they do best and Whisper Group handles the rest.

Everyone wins in the end.

Such altruism, One inwardly rolled her eyes.

Even from a mile away, One knew Whisper Group wasn't altruistic. They weren't the least bit selfless. Naruto had formed the group for selfish reasons. Not to make a profit or to save the world, but for something she still had trouble figuring out. It had to do with capturing her master, she was sure, but she didn't know how.

She was jolted out of her thoughts when her uncle grunted back to his feet, placing his hands on his hips and stretching back with a groan.

"I'll have to discuss this with my family." He tucked the scroll into his apron.

"Of course," both twins said in unison, standing up as well.

"We'll need an answer by tomorrow." Yusuke stood up. His lips were quirked to the side. He shrugged sheepishly. "We've got shipments coming to Higashiyama waiting in Snow. The sooner we get started the better."

Genji nodded tersely.

"We can make ourselves scarce until you make your decision." He looked searchingly at One and the girl raised her eyebrows, curious. "I'm sure we can set up a camp somewhere outside of the village…"

Genji shook his head and held up a hand for Yusuke to stop. "Don't do that. You're our guests." A glimmer of a smile wrinkled his thick beard red beard. "We don't get guests every day, you know. You lot are the talk of the town."

"You're sure we're not a bother?" Yusuke prodded carefully.

The twins groaned, grabbing the older group member by his shoulders and shaking him. "Don't be a wet blanket, Yusuke! He said it's fine!"

Contrary to his previous behaviour, Genji chuckled and turned, motioning back to the village. "Come on. It's a bit early, but I'm sure I can convince Junior to serve us lunch."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Later that night, after the family and their guest had had a hearty dinner of catfish stew and bread, everyone was tucked into bed.

Genji, his wife, and their one-year-old daughter took the bed, after much pleading and insistence from Yusuke and the twins. Junior, their fifteen-year-old son, slept on three thin mattresses neatly piled on a bamboo mat on the ground close to his parent's bed; three of the mattresses used to belong to his older brothers, but since they moved out they now belonged to him.

Yusuke and the twins slept in sleeping bags on top of three separate bamboo mats; Yusuke wedged himself into a corner and the twins placed themselves close to the door. Oddly enough, the twins didn't share one sleeping bag because, apparently, Satoru had a habit of kicking Shina in her sleep.

Seven people sleeping inside the small house was a tight squeeze, but they somehow found a way to make it work.

One was on watch duty; she was their guard, after all. She wasn't tired anyway.

She sat on the roof of the small home with her legs crossed and her sword laid across her lap. She was admiring the moon; it hung pale and iridescent over the village, similar to a pale, unblinking eye that beamed down silvery rays of light over the whitish-grey landscape.

A brisk wind blew through the village and One hunched into herself, hugging her cloak closer to her body. Being CORE meant that she was superior to human limitations but that didn't mean that she didn't have discomforts. Cold is one of them.

Her eyes raptly watched the village from her vantage point, keeping a keen watch over her charges in particular. She wasn't a sensor, despite being part Uzumaki, but she had a keen sense of touch that was second to none; every follicle of hair on her body could detect a minute change in the wind, air pressure, and temperature, signifying the distance of anyone in a half-mile radius. It wasn't similar to sensing since she needed to be consciously aware of any change in her immediate environment at all times.

It took her years to learn this. Though, being the Kraken summoner helped matters; Kraken could detect any small change in water pressure, temperature, and current from several miles away, and from several miles underwater.

However, having this talent made it unbearable to use in extreme conditions, such as now.

A faint powder of snow trickled from the sky and One grumbled sourly. She was utterly miserable in this weather. It would be so much easier to handle if she didn't have to be using her ability, but she shook off the temptation to switch off her ability when she remembered that she was on a job.

The hair at the back of her neck pricked up and her eyes narrowed. Her eyes flicked to her right, snaking her left hand to the handle of her sword.

"Your samurai cosplay isn't convincing at all, sister," a timid voice stammered to her right. Even recalling the person didn't seem to calm the girl down, and she glowered at the boy viciously, side-eying him. The boy slowly raised his left hand to not alarm her and placed it on his face, on top of a porcupine ANBU mask, sliding it off his face and letting it dangle from his neck. The boy looked at her with a shy smile, not fully turning in her direction but instead sitting close to his sister with his legs crossed. There was one sheathed katana on his right side. "It's only been a week. You can't possibly have forgotten about me, have you?"

He almost sounded scared his sister had indeed forgotten him.

His meekness wormed its way past her defences and a heavy sigh escaped One's mouth.

"Don't be an idiot, Sam." The boy's pallid expression brightened and One rolled her eyes.

CORE Operative Fifty, also known by his siblings as the Shy Samurai, Sam.

The nickname was a bit on the nose. Still, the siblings nicknamed each other with obvious descriptors; the Uchiha that made people sleepy was Sandy, the paraplegic was Wheelie, the gambler was Dice, and so forth.

With astonishing speed, Sam darted into his sister and clasped her in a tight hug, not caring at all about her discomfort. He swayed a little as he squeezed her, humming satisfactorily when the girl relented in her futile struggle and impatiently tapped his back.

"I missed you too, brother," she admitted in a whisper, leaning into the embrace and digging her face into the crook of Sam's neck.

A short moment passed before Sam was content enough to release One, sitting back with a sheepish, flustered smile. His sister giggled into her hand, stifling her amusement at his reserved behaviour.

"What are you doing here?" she asked and the boy looked up, staring at the moon.

"Mission."

One frowned, but she nodded. "Understood."

CORE missions were classified. Even to their siblings. Their master had forbidden it since after the Graduation Ceremony.

"You're alone?" she pushed a little, not explicitly asking for details. It was a small way the siblings harmlessly circumvented their master's order.

Sam smiled wistfully, still not looking away from the moon. "What about you?" she placed his hands on his knees and inhaled deeply. "Why are you here?"

"It's…complicated," One said weakly, not sure how to proceed. Sam, though, brought his eyes down from the moon and gave his sister a patient smile. The girl tried to reciprocate, shrugging uncomfortably. "Nine-Nine sent me here on a job."

"Since when do you take orders from him?" Sam stifled a laugh and One frowned petulantly; she didn't take orders from anyone other than their master, and although she respected Naruto and stood down when he told her to, he certainly couldn't order her around.

Her playful frown steadily faded and the boy's lips tightened into a straight line.

His eyes darted to the handkerchief tied around her temple and his hand shot to it, but the girl caught his wrist before his fingers could graze the material.

"Don't," she warned him. She didn't know what would happen if another person touched the seal on her brow; it could interpret the contact as an attempt to remove it and then it would attack her, leaving her vulnerable. She didn't want that at all.

The previous shyness was gone now, replaced by a serious glower digging into One's eyes. "I want to see it."

"I…" she shook her head, ashamed. "I don't want you to do something stupid."

The boy's glare darkened. His irises were like pinpricks floating in vast whiteness. She noticed that the boy was also combing his black hair backwards, but her distraction lasted only a moment, dragged back into the present by his stoic question. "Did he do that?"

Sullen, the girl's shoulders sagged.

That was all the answer Sam needed. "I didn't want to think brother would do something so…despicable. To you no less. He's dishonoured our master. He's dishonoured us, his family…"

She began to panic, afraid that he would raise his voice. "It's fine, brother. I have a plan—"

"I have one too. We'll get you home soon."

Suddenly, the hair at the back of One's hands stood on end and she whipped around, only for her eyes to collide with a pair of spinning Mangekyo sharingan. She immediately slumped forward and Sandy caught her in his arms before she could fall off the roof.

"She's been compromised," Sandy said in a hollow voice. He stood weightlessly on the roof, carrying his sleeping sister, clothed in a heavy cloak that covered him from head to toe. Only his burning red eyes burned visibly from the shadows on his face, twisting in an anticlockwise motion. One, like Naruto and their other siblings, was immune to Sandy's passive ability to put people to sleep by just his mere presence, but she didn't have the same force of will as Naruto to catch and dispel an intentional Mangekyo illusion.

Sam shook his head, not wanting to hear the rest of Sandy's report. "It's best we get her out of the way." He looked up at the moon again, exhaling from his mouth. "She won't be happy when she wakes up."

Sandy winced.

"You'll deal with that later. For now, let's get Nine-Nine's attention."

Authors note

Something drastic is going to happen.

See you when I see you…

Foy.