The waters of the lake seemed particularly hostile that morning. Ren struggled to maintain his swimming routine, the twenty kilos of weight pulling him toward the bottom with surprising force.
'Only three kilos more,' he thought as he laboriously completed another length. 'And yet the difference is enormous. Perhaps I overestimated my preparation after yesterday's test...'
Even the hand walk proved more challenging than expected. His muscles, already tired from swimming, protested under the additional load.
'Yesterday's euphoria without weights caused me to miscalculate,' he mused as he completed the last set of exercises.
'Or perhaps it's simply the accumulated fatigue taking its toll.'
He found a secluded spot, hidden by the morning fog. His chakra sense, extended to its maximum ten-meter radius, detected no presence. It was the perfect time to begin the Bunshin no Jutsu.
He opened the scroll with methodical care, studying the diagrams with clinical attention. 'Ram, Tiger, Snake, Interesting,' he noted. 'It's not so much a cloning technique as it is an advanced Yin manipulation. The clone is essentially a three-dimensional illusion created by projecting one's chakra into a stable form.'
For the next hour and a half, Ren alternated between practical attempts and theoretical study. His first few clones were little more than blurry shadows, but each failure taught him something new about Yin chakra manipulation.
With the sun high and his chakra nearly depleted, he decided it was time to head home for breakfast. His mind was already cataloging the lessons he'd learned, planning changes to his approach for the next day.
"Kaa-san," he said as they ate breakfast, "I was thinking about the basement."
Yuki looked up from her cup of tea. "The basement?"
"I'd like to use it as a fuinjutsu lab," Ren explained. "Having a dedicated space would help me progress more quickly."
His mother studied him for a moment, a slight puzzlement in her eyes. Then, with a small smile, she nodded. "Okay. But no dangerous experiments, okay?"
'Eh...' Ren thought, but he just nodded gratefully.
He went down to the basement then, he took out his small notebook and began double-checking the list:
-Clear the eastern area
-Reinforce the walls
-Ventilation system
-Workbenches
-Material racks
-Proper lighting
-Seals for protection
He paused as he moved some old crates, realizing that time was flying. 'Takeshi!' he thought suddenly. 'I have to go to the forge.'
He walked quickly through the village, absentmindedly noting the preparations that were beginning for the new Mizukage ceremony. Banners were being raised, streets were cleared, a patina of formality was spreading over the usual Kirigakure fog.
But when he arrived at the forge, he found the doors closed. Neither Takeshi nor Kurara were in sight.
'Strange,' he thought. 'He doesn't seem like the type to be late...'
As Ren was about to walk away, he heard the distinctive sound of hammering coming from the back of the forge. He rounded the corner and found a side door ajar.
"I was wondering when you'd be here," Takeshi's voice sounded from inside. The blacksmith was bent over a piece of glowing metal, his hammer moving with rhythmic precision. "Come in, but watch your step. I've... rearranged the workshop a bit tonight."
'Rearranged' was a gentle understatement. The workshop looked as if it had been hit by a metal tornado. Tools of all kinds were scattered across several benches, plans and sketches covered every available surface, and in the center...
"Your swords," Takeshi said, pointing to two forms wrapped in dark cloth. "Or at least, the basis of the first prototypes. I've been working all night - inspiration doesn't wait for convenient hours."
Ren approached cautiously, noticing how some of the sketches showed patterns that vaguely resembled the seals he was studying.
"Before I show you," Takeshi wiped his forehead with a cloth, "I have to ask you something: how much do you know about forging marks?"
"Forging marks?" Ren kept a neutral expression, though his curiosity was piqued. "Just what I glimpsed in your sketches the other day."
Takeshi nodded slowly, as if weighing something. He walked over to an old shelf, pulling out a time-worn scroll. "See these patterns?" he said, unrolling the document on a relatively clear counter. "They look like seals, don't they?"
Ren moved closer, studying the drawings with clinical attention. Indeed, the resemblance to some of the basic principles of fuinjutsu was striking.
"But they're not seals," Takeshi continued. "At least, not in the traditional sense. They're what we call 'metal imprints' - patterns that guide chakra during forging."
'Interesting,' Ren thought. 'The structure is similar to the flow seals Tatsumi and I are studying, but more... primitive? No, perhaps more fundamental.'
"Most smiths use basic markings," Takeshi pointed to some simpler patterns. "They strengthen the metal, make it more receptive to chakra. But these..." His finger trailed off to more complex, almost spiral-like designs. "These are different. More ancient."
He paused, studying Ren with a piercing gaze. "I noticed how you were looking at my designs the other day. You have an eye for patterns, even if you don't fully understand them."
'He's testing my reactions,' Ren realized. 'But why?'
"The older marks," Takeshi continued after a moment of silence, "don't just guide chakra. They... stimulate it. Like a river creating its own new course."
Ren noticed that some of the more complex patterns seemed to almost move in the flickering light of the forge. "And these marks... were used for swords?"
An enigmatic smile appeared on Takeshi's face. "I incorporated some traditional... elements. The training swords you asked about were an interesting project. They reminded me of some techniques I hadn't used in a long time."
He turned to the forms wrapped in dark cloth. "But before I show you the result, I must ask: how much do you really know about seals, young Mizutani?"