Uehara Soma flashed a smile.
"Thanks for the sparring, see you!"
The Integrity Knight felt a pang of unease.
Sure enough, in the next moment, right before the Integrity Knight's eyes, Uehara Soma's figure disappeared in a very peculiar way, just like that, vanished into thin air.
There's no trace at all.
It's as if it never appeared before.
The words before Uehara Soma disappeared made the Integrity Knight feel thoroughly mocked.
"You little devil!"
...
Uehara Soma returned to Forging Island.
Biwa Juzo's figure appeared next to Uehara Soma.
And in front of Uehara Soma were the materials for forging the Blue Rose Sword.
"Soma, are these the materials for crafting the Ninjato?"
Uehara Soma nodded.
"Juzo-senpai, thank you."
"You're welcome."
Seeing Uehara Soma carrying the materials towards the forging room, Biwa Juzo couldn't help but ask.
"Are you going to start forging now, Soma?"
"Not yet."
Uehara Soma shook his head.
"I'll prepare first. Once I'm confident, I'll begin the forging process formally. After all, these materials are the only ones we have. If I fail, there won't be a second chance, so I must ensure success."
Arafuni followed along.
"Chief Uehara, is there anything I can do?"
Uehara Soma delegated some preparatory tasks to Arafuni.
Next, Uehara Soma took out the Blueprint for the Blue Rose Sword, analyzing, recording, deducing the contents, and then began to experiment.
Similar to when he forged Kiriichimonji last time, he first rehearsed using other materials.
Soon, Uehara Soma immersed himself in the process.
Arafuni could clearly see that Uehara Soma's Forging Technique far surpassed his own by a significant margin.
"No wonder he's capable of crafting at the level of the Hidden Mist Seven Ninja Swords."
"When it comes to forging, Chief Uehara is a genius."
"I'm far from it."
"No, even my sensei isn't on his level."
...
Three days later, Uehara Soma emerged from the forging room and fell asleep immediately.
The next day, early in the morning, Uehara Soma returned to the forging room.
"Juzo-senpai, I'm going to start forging officially now. I can't be disturbed from now on."
Biwa Juzo nodded.
"Soma, rest assured, as long as I'm here, no one can disturb you. I promise, even if Mizukage-sama comes in person, I'll stop him"
"Then I'll rely on you, Juzo-senpai."
Arafuni looked at the door of the forging room with a mix of reverence and envy.
These past few days, even though Uehara Soma hadn't officially started forging the Blue Rose Sword, Arafuni had witnessed firsthand Uehara Soma's processing of various materials.
Uehara Soma's skill completely impressed Arafuni.
Before, Arafuni believed in Third Mizukage's judgment, but after all, he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.
Therefore, Arafuni still had a hint of doubt in his heart.
But now, after seeing it with his own eyes, Arafuni had no doubt at all.
"When will I be able to reach Chief Uehara's level of forging technique?"
Biwa Juzo stood guard at the entrance of the forging room, Executioner's Blade planted beside him.
"I wonder what kind of ninjato Soma will forge this time."
...
At Kaguya clan's residence,
A middle-aged man slammed his cup onto the ground.
"What does this Mizukage mean?"
"We agreed to shut down Forging Island, so why are they not doing it now?"
Across from him sat an elderly man, the current head of the Kaguya Clan.
"Hikari, calm down."
Kaguya Hikari looked at the old man.
"Clan Head, how can I calm down? We agreed that once Forging Island is vacated, it will be handed over to us, the Kaguya Clan. Forging Island is very useful to us."
"But now, the Mizukage is reneging on his word, he shouldn't forget that his ability to inherit the position of Mizukage relies entirely on the support of our Kaguya Clan."
The old man picked up his teacup and took a sip.
"According to the message from the Mizukage's side, a young forger from Forging Island suddenly forged a Ninjato of the Hidden Mist Seven Ninja Swords level, hence why the Mizukage halted the shutdown of Forging Island."
Kaguya Hikari snorted.
"Do you believe that, Clan Head?"
"I certainly don't."
"Is a Ninjato of the Hidden Mist Seven Ninja Swords level so easy to forge?"
"If it were that easy, we wouldn't have only those seven Ninjato after all these years."
"We all know what kind of people those forgers on Forging Island are. They're just a bunch of swindlers cheating resources from the villages. The older forgers can't even do it, how could the younger ones?"
The old man hesitated for a moment, saying, "The Mizukage wouldn't spread such news without reason."
"Hikari, I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush just yet."
"We can send someone to Forging Island to investigate."
Kaguya Hikari immediately got up.
"Clan Head, then I'll go."
The old man was about to speak up to stop him, but Kaguya Hikari had already rushed out.
The old man could only relent.
Soon, Kaguya Hikari arrived near Forging Island.
Two figures followed behind Kaguya Hikari.
They were both Kaguya Hikari's clansmen and his subordinates.
Biwa Juzo, at the first moment, sensed the newcomers' presence. He stood up quickly, and at the same time, his hand reached for the handle of Executioner's Blade, his eyes alert as he watched ahead.
The three approached.
At the sight of Biwa Juzo, Kaguya Hikari was slightly surprised.
"Kaguya Hikari."
"Biwa Juzo, what are you doing here?"
"I am tasked by Mizukage-sama to serve as part of the Forging Island security team. Kaguya Hikari, what brings you here?"
Biwa Juzo became even more wary upon seeing Kaguya Hikari.
Because Biwa Juzo knows about the Kaguya Clan.
If one were to talk about the representation of hostility among the major ninja villages, then the Kaguya Clan represents the hostility within the Hidden Mist Village. The members of this ninja clan are quite aggressive.
Biwa Juzo could sense that Kaguya Hikari seemed to be looking for trouble.
"You? A guard for the forgers? By direct order of Mizukage-sama?"
Kaguya Hikari's eyes flickered for a moment.
This made Kaguya Hikari somewhat uncertain.
One of the distinguished members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist serving as a guard on Forging Island?
Could it be that the matter about the Ninjato is true?
"Yes."
"And what about that young forger? Where is he? I heard he forged a Ninjato of the Hidden Mist Seven Ninja Swords level. I'm very interested. Bring him out, let me see."
"Soma is currently forging, and no one can disturb him."
Kaguya Hikari suddenly laughed.
"Isn't this a bit too coincidental?"
---
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