"The oldest marks," Takeshi said, his voice dropping as if he were about to reveal a precious secret, "have an interesting history. Do you enjoy old stories, young Mizutani?"
Ren nodded, his curiosity genuinely piqué.
"Before Kirigakure existed," Takeshi began, his hands absentmindedly caressing an old hammer, "young Byakuren—he who would become the First Mizukage—was a traveler. He sought not power or glory, but knowledge."
He paused to rekindle the fire in the forge, sparks dancing in the air like metallic fireflies.
"During his travels, it is said that he came to a particular village. A place where seals were not just marks on paper, but an art that permeated every aspect of life. There he met a master smith, Muromachi, and his daughter Murasame."
Takeshi's eyes glinted in the firelight. "Murasame was... different. She didn't excel in her village's arts, but she had a special gift. She saw metal as others see water - fluid, alive, in constant motion."
"She was the first," he continued, pointing to some of the more intricate patterns on the scroll, "to truly understand how chakra could flow through metal itself, not just be imprinted on it. She didn't create seals - she created what we call 'metal imprints,' patterns that arise from the forging itself."
Ren studied the drawings with renewed interest. Now he could see how some of the elements vaguely resembled the Uzumaki's signature swirls, but with a more... organic quality.
"It is said that Byakuren fell in love not only with Murasame, but also with her art. When he founded Kirigakure, he took with him not only his bride, but also the secrets of the forging that would give birth to the Seven Swords of the Mist."
"The Seven Swords..." Ren murmured, realizing the implication. "Were they forged by her?"
Takeshi smiled mysteriously. "Who can say for sure? Stories blend with legends. But look at this..." He leaned over the scroll, pointing to a particular pattern. "See how this mark resembles the shape of a vortex, but isn't it perfectly symmetrical? It's as if it follows the natural flow of the metal instead of imposing a shape on it."
"Traditional seals command chakra," Takeshi explained, picking up a piece of glowing metal from the forge. "Metal imprints, on the other hand... are like riverbeds. They don't force the water, but create natural paths for the chakra to flow through."
He struck the metal with methodical precision, each hammer stroke seeming to follow an invisible rhythm. "You see, when a river carves its bed into rock, it creates natural patterns - meanders, whirlpools, waterfalls. The imprints in the metal work the same way. Each blow of the hammer is like the erosion of water, creating microscopic paths through which chakra can flow naturally."
He pulled a blade he had forged earlier from the cooling pool. In the light of the forge, Ren could see subtle patterns on the surface of the metal, almost invisible if you didn't know where to look.
"Seals need to be maintained, renewed, constantly replenished with chakra," Takeshi continued, running a finger along the blade. "But the imprints in the metal... once the path is created, the chakra will naturally follow it, like water always finding its way to the sea."
He turned to Ren, his eyes suddenly serious. "That's why the Seven Swords are so special. They're not just weapons with powerful seals - they're tools forged with imprints that allow chakra to flow in the most natural way possible." "And Murasame..." Ren began, his mind already making connections.
"She was the first to understand that she didn't have to impose her will on the metal," Takeshi nodded. "She watched how the chakra flowed naturally and created imprints that followed those natural patterns. That's why her techniques were so different from those of her home village. They tried to control the chakra through complex seals. She let the chakra itself show her the way."
"When you asked me for these swords," Takeshi continued, moving closer to the cloth, "I decided to experiment with some of these principles. What you'll see are only the first prototypes - it'll take at least two weeks to perfect them."
He uncovered the unfinished blades carefully. Ren could see that they were still in a rough state: the basic shape was defined, but they lacked refinement and balance. On the surface of the metal, faint patterns suggested where the imprints would eventually be forged.
"I've only begun preparing the metal so far," Takeshi explained. "These are just the basic shapes—I still have to work on the density and balance. The impressions need to be created gradually, layer by layer, as the weight is distributed evenly across the blade."
He picked up one of the unfinished blades, showing off its structure. "See these preliminary marks? They're like... the preliminary course of a river. Over the next few weeks, each forging session will deepen these paths, creating increasingly complex patterns that will help the metal support the extra weight."
He carefully put the unfinished blades away. "Come back in three days. I'll show you how the work is progressing, and if you're interested, you can watch some of the forging. Seeing the impressions form might help you better understand what we've been talking about today."