Kurara and Ren exchanged a look before running inside. The scene that greeted them was almost comical: Takeshi, completely covered in carbon dust, stood in front of what appeared to have been a forging attempt.
"The third prototype!" he groaned dramatically. "The metal imprints... they wouldn't cooperate! They betrayed me! BETRAYED!"
"Grandpa..." Kurara sighed, but a smile curled her lips.
"Don't laugh at my tragedy!" Takeshi protested, trying to keep a straight face as he wiped the soot from his face, only managing to smear it further. "It's a matter of... of... ETCH!" A new puff of black dust rose from his direction.
After clearing the lab, Takeshi showed Ren the second prototype. The blade was heavy, but not as heavy as Ren had hoped, and the balance was still imperfect.
"See here?" Takeshi pointed to some barely visible patterns on the surface. "The impressions aren't deep enough. The metal resists, like a river that won't change its course."
For the rest of the afternoon, Ren assisted Takeshi in forging the new prototype. The heat of the forge made the air thick and heavy, but there was something almost hypnotic in the rhythm of the work.
"First of all," Takeshi explained as he prepared the metal, "we need to understand the internal structure of the blade. Every piece of metal has its imperfections, its natural stress points. A skilled smith doesn't try to eliminate them, but to exploit them."
Ren watched intently as the smith began to work the red-hot metal. There was a scientific precision in every movement—the calibrated force of each hammer blow, the precise angle of the anvil, even the timing of the cooling.
"The impressions of the metal," Takeshi continued, testing the consistency of the alloy between blows, "are essentially microscopic lattices in the crystalline structure of the material. Chakra naturally finds these paths of least resistance."
As they worked, Ren began to understand the Seven Swords better. They weren't simply weapons enchanted with powerful techniques - their true strength lay in the structure of the metal itself. The Kiba, for example, had likely been forged by shaping the imprints of the metal to mimic the natural flow of lightning techniques, creating paths that chakra could instinctively follow, making them natural superconductors. Samehada must have followed the same principle, with internal patterns that mirrored the way chakra naturally moves when absorbed, making it not just an energy-eating blade, but a natural extension of that process, and perhaps there was some element of Yin and Yang in its imprints, as the sword seemed to possess a consciousness of its own.
"Look at these patterns," Takeshi said, pointing to the subtle striations on the surface. "They are the visible expression of how the metal has crystallized internally. A mediocre smith tries to impose his will on the material. We study how it behaves naturally and work with those tendencies, not against them."
As the afternoon wore on, the complexity of the work increased. Takeshi alternated periods of intense activity with moments of contemplative observation, studying how the metal responded to each change.
"The mistake from before," he admitted as they refined the patterns on the blade, "was trying to force the extra weight on all at once. The metal resisted, like a river that rebels when you try to divert it too sharply. This time we're building the layers gradually, allowing each level to settle before moving on."
Ren helped by keeping the forge's temperature constant, passing out the necessary tools, and occasionally assisting in the polishing of completed sections. Every so often, Takeshi would pause to explain a particular aspect of the process, drawing parallels between forging and other forms of chakra manipulation.
"The art of blacksmithing," he explained as they worked on a particularly delicate passage, "is not so different from ninja art. Both require patience, precision, and the ability to see beyond the surface. A ninja shapes chakra, a blacksmith shapes metal - but in both cases, the key is to respect the intrinsic nature of what you're working with." By evening, the third prototype was finally complete. The blade lay on the workbench, the faint patterns on its surface catching the fading light of day.
"Try it," Takeshi said, wiping sweat from his forehead with a cloth already stained with soot.
Ren gripped the hilt and was surprised for a moment - the weight was much heavier than he had expected. His muscles, already strained from the previous sparring and the weights he had been carrying, protested as he raised the blade. With considerable effort, he managed to bring it into a guard position.
'This is... perfect,' he thought, though his arms were shaking slightly from the effort. With movements considerably slower than he had anticipated, he began a series of basic kata. Each movement required total concentration - the combination of his usual twenty kilos of weight plus this new sword made every move a challenge.
"The weight is almost what I was looking for," he said between heavy breaths, laboriously completing a sequence. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he noted that 'The balance is better, although...' The blade still leaned slightly to the right during some movements, but it was a marked improvement over his previous attempts.
"I see you noticed," Takeshi smiled, noting his expression of concentration. "The balance is not perfect yet, but we are on the right track. Come back in three days - the metal will need time to fully settle."
That evening, in the safety of his room, Ren took out his notebook and began to write:
'Observations on blacksmithing and parallels to ninja arts:
Metal's imprints follow similar principles to the flow of chakra in the meridians - they create natural pathways rather than forcing energy
The importance of rhythm in the work - as in the formation of seals, each movement must flow into the next
Metal 'remembers' - deeper impressions require gradual layering, like building resistance in the body
Possible applications for fuinjutsu:
-Incorporating the concept of 'natural flow' into seals
-Investigating pattern layering for more complex seals
-Exploring the idea of 'material memory' in seal supports
-Can chakra be channeled through tools during work - potential technique to develop?
-The importance of patience and observation - the material "says" how it wants to be worked, as the chakra "suggests" its natural paths
Personal note: Exploring the possibility of creating seals that work with the intrinsic memory/nature of materials instead of imposing external patterns. Potential connection to the techniques of the vortex village?'
He closed his notebook, his gaze wandering to the window where the fog was gathering. Tomorrow would be the day of the ceremony, the beginning of a new era for Kirigakure. But tonight, in the quiet of his room, Ren felt he had made a small but significant step forward in his understanding of how chakra, metal, and perhaps the world itself naturally wanted to flow.
[ Hi everyone, Ito-kun here, sorry, I have a severe bruise on my left hand, and with only the right hand available, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to post the chapter tomorrow, even for this chapter in fact, I would have liked to do a more thorough check, but the pain in my hand is persistent and I had to stop. In case I don't publish tomorrow, I'll do a double Release on Thursday.]