Paid in full (IO)

Heavy is the crown that rests on one's head, or in this case the ledger.  Betwixt his arms was an incredibly large leatherbound ledger that listed most of the business dealings that revolved around Tanbogakure.  Gato's handiwork was scribbled throughout as well as Madam Taika's.  Their debts and leans paid in full, but they were only a small portion of the remainder.  Taxes from citizens businesses that had come and gone, trade deals to a variety of countries, and even a couple places he recognized....one of which being his own business.  He'd spent the majority of the last week doing nothing but working on this book and coming up to speed with the old village accountant.  He had been worried at first, but it quickly became apparent that he had a head for the numbers, or at least in making them work.  It didn't hurt that he was younger and more willing to take chances, though if that was for better or worse, he wasn't sure.  In the short time since he had taken over, he had made two major accomplishments.  One being the necessary paperwork and infrastructure to help Gato expand his shop, providing a new plethora of materials to the craftsman of the village.  The second, and he blamed Yasahiro for this, assembling a more detailed roster of visiting shinobi and merchants as well as their own forces.

It was rather dull work, and part of him missed the hustle and bustle of the tea house.  Still, he had felt he'd done some good.  He had even taken the majority of his savings and moved it into the Tanbogakure vault as a cash flux.  A way to boost their credit and work towards greater leverage in later deals.  It was a risky move perhaps, and one the old master would have never done....but Asahi had never really cared about money beyond what it cost to have a bed and food.  Today however was a little different.  After spending all his time on work, it was time to do something for himself.  Yes perhaps it had been a little selfish of him, taking the first products of Gato's new shop, but he had still paid handsomely for them.  Strapped in bags that hung from the saddle of his horse Princess Ivy Bluemoon, he rode through the town at a gentle trot to the appointed place.  She whinnied with annoyance at being forced to play pack mule, but he rubbed her neck and gave promises of sweet apples.  

There were several forges in Tanbogakure, but the one he was headed too was being done with purpose.  The young boy he'd been on a couple of missions with had made it known he worked as a blacksmiths apprentice.  Giving him work and money put a smile on Asahi's face, and he also felt it bred loyalty into the village.  Perhaps it was a little bit of a win win scenario for him, Though, he doubted that would matter much in the end.  After all, he was the one that was risking a perfectly fine blade.  Sure, there would be a master there, but he was hoping the Yuki would do the majority of the work.  The prospect almost made him miss the forge he'd worked in with his father what seemed so long ago.  As he approached the smell of the furnace and clanging of hammers on anvils brought back memories that he would have thought were long gone.  Yet here they were, ready to come back...though as a peaceful thing or a haunting he could not be sure at this time.  

Shoving down his emotions as he was often taught, he would revisit them later during the hours of quite meditation.  Sliding off his horse he would forgoes tying her up, as he knew she wouldn't run away.  God help anyone that tried to jump on her and steal her away.  The thought even gave him a slight chuckle.  Pulling from his pocket an apple he gave it to his princess and smiled as she flicked her tail in appreciation.  He slid the ledge into one of the bags and with a great effort unloaded the other bags.   More red faced than he would have liked, he threw them over his shoulder and pounded on the forges door.  Not waiting he pushed his way inside, and stumbled through until he dropped the now nearly split bags onto a counter he could find.  Breathing heavy he rang a bell though he had no doubt that anyone within would have heard him coming.  Currently he was dressed in a sakura colored robe.  Reinforced, yet breathable the merchant had told him they were he finest attire a ronin could hope for.  Asahi wasn't sure on that, and was confident he had overpaid, but they looked so good how could he have passed it up?

Soon a man came out, and to his surprise Asahi asked for the Yuki lad.  Smile on his face, and a large shade hat that registered him as the Komekage on his head.  A little bit of stuttering, but that was fine, he was probably appreciating his robes.   Pulling out a piece of parchment he looked it over, making notes of the modifications he wanted done.  He was pleased with the hilt; however, the steel could use some work.  Removing the bags he left the ore sitting on the counter.  Some of it was from a large chunk of rock found out in the ocean, the other pieces from deep in the mines burrowed out of the sheer cliffs.  Even now it seemed to radiate an unnatural cold as it sat on the table.  Satisfied in the instructions he would wait, for both of the men to return so that nothing could be misunderstood.  In good faith her removed a rather large stack of ryo and placed it down as well.  Bitting his lip, he pulled out a bit more to sit it on top.  Another 700 wasn't too much right?  

TWC - 1002

Giving Hayato Yuki

 2x Ice steel
 2x Meteoric Iron
 15,700 ryo
 IC instructions on how Asahi would like his sword made.

Hayato is an early riser and today he did not forsake his own nature. The young Yuki rose from the bed before the crack of dawn. You can take the boy out of the farm but you can’t take the farm out of the boy. Hayato may have left the farming lifestyle, but he had not left the habits behind. The boy had simply added the habits of a swordsman, a monk, and a shinobi to his lifestyle. They all worked together swimmingly or at least the Yuki thought so. He shifted his feet over the edge of the bed and planted them firmly on his bedroom floor. He admired the boxes around the room. He will be moving soon. He had finally completed enough missions and earned enough money to get an appropriate house in the city proper. He’d been completing more missions and also he’d been working at Matorabi’s blacksmithing shop. He’d been essentially running the place as Matorabi’s second, but the boy wasn’t well known outside the shop yet. Matorabi was a stingy old coot, but he liked Hayato. Hayato could tell by the way he kept trying to get him to come back to the shop even though Hayato had refused so many times. For better or for worse, Matorabi realized that he could make a request for the boy’s services as a ninja and the village in its poverty had to accept. Hayato in turn had to listen to his superiors. The Komekage himself signed off on such a request. Hayato had no real way to refuse a direct order from such a position, regardless of his personal feelings towards smithing work. After the personal request Hayato decided that he would simply go back to work for Matorabi in his free time, which pleased the old smith. Hayato had left because he wanted to focus on his skills as a shinobi, but at this point Hayato felt he could balance his life as an instrument of war for the rice village and his part time job as a crafter for the very same village. His time as a shinobi and a crafter opened his view to the value of protecting people, but it also made him realize how small each of the people were, including himself. Perhaps that’s a musing for another time… The money that he’d made from smithing was better than average now that Matorabi had exposed that the boy was one of the best in the shop. His rice competition winnings had been lucrative as well. It had all really added up. Hayato was able to get a few neighbors to agree to help him when they made the move in a few days. His aging mother had been offered a job at one of the more reputable gofuku futomono dana, a shop that sells kimono and fabrics, within the city walls. She started next week, and, while hesitant at first, seemed to be happy with the Idea. Hayato was glad that everything had been working out. He was going to be very busy over the next few days, but not today.

---

Today the boy didn’t actually have any plans. He was going into the mountains more and more. He had felt an attachment to them. Maybe it was because he knew the walk out to the mountains would be much more inconvenient once he lived in the center of Tanbogakure. He wore one of his old worn brown kimonos, and a black ob. On his feet were wooden clogs. They were useful for training his balance and he had grown accustomed to them ever since he bought them with his ronin robes. He didn’t want to look dangerous when traveling the roads alone and draw unnecessary suspicion from anyone traveling the mountain tops. He chose to carry just one weapon pouch today. They still held a variety of Kunai, Shuriken, and other tools of the trade but the pouch could easily be misconstrued as a coin case. He did wear his chakra sealing bands on his wrist. They weren’t suspicious on their own, but they carried giant shuriken and a refined katana just in case he needed to defend himself. Hayato had noticed that his Katana, one of his first purchases as a brand new shinobi, was not the most well tuned blade. As he delved more into smithing, he realized that his blades balance point wasn’t at the most optimal position for him. The metal was indeed well refined as the seller had it labeled, but it was simply average for the main weapon of a samurai. As such he had become less and less enthused with it as he continued his training. It was used reluctantly and would be relegated to a side side weapon. A sword he would reveal if all other weapons had failed him. He was not as disappointed with the wakizashi however. It had a much better balance point. It was also well refined. The shortness of the blade made him still not want to carry it as his main weapon, but it had potential as his off hand or side arm. The daisho pairing, the small and the large blade, appealed to him, but he saw himself carrying a single longer blade one day instead. I’m getting side tracked… The boy knew that this was in the near future.

---

Hayato finally walked outside. The morning was misty and quiet except for the sounds of birds from the distant tree line starting to enjoy their morning meal. This brought the thought to his mind. The chickens! Hayato had been waking up at his usual time, but his mother had almost always still woken up before him, and he often spent the first hour of his day meditating. For that reason she would feed the chickens all by herself before Hayato got going. Now that her role as a field hand was over and she wouldn’t need to wake up as early for her current job, she was taking her time to sleep in. She was spending the days packing, handling affairs, talking to distant neighbors, and relaxing. It wasn’t as good for her and Hayato was happy that she finally had time to rest. There hadn’t been time before.


Hayato retrieved the seeds from inside the house and waltzed over to the chicken coop. After spreading the seed he opened the coop door allowing the happy little birds to come bursting out. The birds happily cooed for him and pecked at the ground frantically. He waited for a moment to make sure they would have enough. He considered just waiting around and watching them, but he didn’t actually have all day to do nothing. He will be going into the black smith shop later today. Yet another part time shift. He’d been getting more work requests than usual. In order to complete them he had been needing to come in every other day. It was rather tiresome, but it was alright now that Matorabi respected him. 


Before he went in for his obligatory job, he would travel up to the mountains for a quick hour of meditation. The walk was ever pleasant and peaceful. The people he saw along the way were the usual. The huddled together groups of field workers and farmers carried water back and forth to flood their fields or feed their animals. The rare merchant peddles his wares on his back or on his horses. They all were heading into town to make some money off of the bright eyed people of the growing settlement. Hayato had noticed that business was booming. Everyone could tell that the town was growing at a rapid pace. A peaceful respite from travesty in this world. Didn’t everyone want such a place? Hayato finally made it to the fork in the road. One way that led back into the mountains or the ones that lead back into the seas. He would of course head into the mountains. His daily hike was picturesque. There were wild mountain flowers, and herbs that grew in abundance. This land was untouched by the arms of the great nations. The resources were used appropriately so there was always more than enough. Hayato occasionally picked a few flowers for his mother. The herbs he would take into the local apothecary. They always seemed appreciative. Even though Hayato could use the pay he never charged. The medicine was to be offered for free; that was the deal he formed with them. It was just a little thing he could do that didn’t take him much effort at all. He continued his stroll up the mountain side until he made it to his favorite cliff face. It was here he would spend around an hour or so before descending the mountain to arrive at Matorabi’s shop just a little bit early for his shift.


Hayato sat down cross legged and rested his hands on his legs, palms facing upward to the skies above. He looked out and saw the endless field of rice laid out before him. This was land he was sworn to protect. It felt nice to look it over before and after he opened his eyes. Alright, let’s begin…

---

Hayato opened his eyes and took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air. He finally stood himself up and began to walk slowly down the mountain. Hayato wasn’t fast, but he wasn’t slow. He took his time making the descent, but he didn’t take extra time to observe the plants this time around. He eventually found himself on the familiar road on the path to the village. The people who were walking along this path had changed. There were more traders and travelers at this time of day. He noticed people leaving the village and entering the village at equal rates. There were many more samurai looking characters around now. Vagabonds or ronin perhaps. The population of Tanbo was filled with these types of characters.


Hayato entered through the gates after waving to the guard. He was a common face to them. He waded through the crowds of people and eventually found himself in front of Matorabi’s establishment.


There were not many people that Hayato treated with anything less than a perfect, polite, and pleasant demeanor. Matorabi was one of the few that he would treat with a bit of coarseness. The man had been a bit of a pain to Hayato and didn’t seem to care. Hayato had spent some time working with him, and learned he cared about nothing but the craft. That trait of his made him very skilled, but very rough around the edges. He would try to be kinder to the more important customers, if he was to ever meet them, but to his employees he kept up no such façade. 


I’m here guys… I’ll work on those last couple of stakes for tomorrow's order then get to any open jobs… Hayato announced his plan and presence to the group of smiths as he entered. The door closed behind him and the familiar chime of the bell rang through the air. The sound clashed with the roaring of fire, and the clashing of hammers. Even through the noise the other smiths nodded towards Hayato, but only for a moment. They all quickly returned to their work. Hayato placed his belongings in a corner that usually housed people's things before getting to his work station. 


He had a few stakes already there and ready for delivery, but he also had a few shaped pieces of metal that he wasn’t yet done working with. Hayato made sure to pick up his work quickly. He took one of the unfinished stakes and held it in his hand. The shape was perfect , but they needed to be sharpened. Luckily Hayato had used extra metal to allow himself the luxury of shaving some of the metal away. He had made sure to shape them into tight box shapes with a simple hole through the top potion. These stakes would be used to plot out new rice paddies or possibly fencing for livestock. The holes in the top were there to allow for strings or nails to slot through them with no issue. You could use these to build a sturdy fencing to protect from more rough livestock or predators. Hayato was happy to work on these types of products but he could help to think that he could do more. After he created the weapon frost crown he knew what it was like to be a true artisan. His skills increased and Matorabi himself was impressed. Hayato was directed to make his own smith's label. He decided on a simple snowflake design, but Matorabi wouldn’t have it. He said it should be a character that could be read out. They had argued about it for a while, but Hayato ended up with a small brand with this archaic character: 凓. This character meant shiver or extreme cold. He felt it was unique enough to be his own, and vague enough that he couldn’t be identified. It was a strange thing. Hayato wanted to be recognized for his work yet stay anonymous. He would only put the symbol on weapons he created. Only weapon he was proud of having a hand in as well. He ran the grindstone on the Stakes as he thought about the events that went into forging Katsuragi's blade, but then he was informed of a new matter that needed his attention.

---

An order for me specifically? Hayato questioned the young smith that came over to him. It was not very common that the boy would have to create a work for someone because he was requested. It was said that occasionally Matorabi got such requests, but did whatever he felt like while telling the customer what they wanted to hear. Typical of the old coot… Hayato thought as the young man led him to Matorabi’s private smithy. This must be something important. I wonder what the old man has to do with this? Hayato wasn’t in this room very often. No one was. Matorabi worked inside this room alone. He used it for personal projects, the walls were lined with a few weapons. Ornate golden blades with jeweled features, long silver spears, and chained nunchaku were a few of the weapons mounted on the walls held up by hooks. There were mostly emptied racks along the wall waiting to be filled. A small furnace was attached to the outside of the building and thus faced inside from the outermost wall. It had its own blower attached to it for fanning the flames. There was a cast metal chair behind a small wooden desk opposite the furnace, and in the center of the room was an anvil. There were a few metal cast laying next to the furnace as well as a vat of cold water for cooling purposes. 


Matorabi sat in the metal chair with a sack of materials, a sword, and a paper note. He looked to be reading over the note through his tiny circular glasses. Matorabi waved the younger smith away who quickly scuttled out of the room closing the door behind him. Matorabi was a large broad chested man though aging he was in good physical shape he had shoulder length white hair. His arms were large, but his legs were surprisingly skinnier than the rest of him. He looked up from the note and eyed Hayato.


How do you know one of the Komekage? Are you rising up the ranks that quickly? Matorabi raised an eyebrow waiting for the boy to answer. Hayato had heard that there was a second Komekage appointed. One that oversaw economics, but he hadn’t been in the village since the announcement was made. 


I don’t understand what you’re asking, old man. I don’t know the Komekage. Never met him. Hayato replied with a bit of snark, but it was soft. Matorabi tapped the desk in a rhythmic way with his fingers. Well then never mind, got an important order to fill and the buyer requested you specifically. You will make the design on this note, TO THE LETTER. Got it punk? Matorabi had stood up and poked Hayato in the chest with each syllable.


Matorabi turned the paper around and placed it on the desk for Hayato to look over the contents. 


Hayato read the letter and it explained that the person who made this request wanted the blade replaced with one made of Meteoric Iron and Ice steel. It seemed that the person in question was satisfied with the current handle, and the blade simply needed to be replaced with these hardier materials. Hayato couldn’t help but think back to the weapon he had made for the mysterious man Katsuragi. His weapon used many similar materials. I wish that I had marked that weapon with my smith signs… Hayato thought, but quickly returned to the design work that would need to be done. He picked up the currency intact blade. He worked with it to remove the blade from the handle. He made sure to place the handle aside because the customer said he would be fine with it being reused. As a swordsman, he knew that it took a little while to get used to a new blade perfectly. He held the blade and slowly worked his way down the spine. He found the balance point and let the blade rest on just a single finger. It was a decent sword all things considered. You could tell the blade was beaten from lots of training. The sword was somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it yet. He took a piece of charcoal from his pocket and drew a line on the blade. Another trait he noticed was that the spine of the blade had been hardened by flame. Hayato made a note to include that in the new blade as well. 


What do you think, punk? Can you do it? I can handle it if you’re scared, hahaha! Matorabi prodded at the boy but Hayato was not worried. I will handle it. Are you allowing me to use this forge since it seems important?  


Matorabi nodded to the boy and with that he set to work. It didn’t take much for Hayato to decide what to do with the materials. He would mix the metals this time. He learned from the last time he worked with the material that Ice steel was difficult to melt. It was even more difficult to melt down than the more sturdy meteoric iron. He had a specification that the blade had to be ice steel colored last time he worked with it which forced him to go through the more difficult process of encasing the blade with the material using complex layering. He would avoid this complexity this time. The result should be not only an easier process, but also a more beautiful blade, In Hayato’s opinion. Hayato set out to design the blade on a scroll he took from Matorabi’s desk. The shape was similar to the original, a straighter blade than that of a typical katana. A ninjato. He noted the proper measurements down to the base making sure it would fit into the old handle and that the balance point would be as close to the old one as possible.


He let Matorabi look over his design work, and he seemed impressed, a little surprised even. Boy, It was a good idea to mix themetals and the specs look right on the money. I’ve got a ninjato cast next to the forge that should match the shape. This was simply a standard Ninjato, nothing special. Might have even been forged here. I’ll watch over the process just like old times right punk haha! Matorabi laughed as he lifted two large casts from a pile for Hayato, and placed them in front of the furnace. 


Then if you’re going to baby sit me at least help me melt the metals. Hayato picked them up and placed them into the vat cast which would be used to simply melt it all down. It would then be siphoned from that cast into the proper shape and mixed with a rod that had an even higher melting point. Then Hayato would set the cast letting the metal form into a shape that could be worked into the new blade. Matorabi helped him heat the furnace to incredible heights as was necessary for the ice steel. The meteoric iron’s black liquid was siphoned from the vat first and flowed like mud into the other cast that had also been placed into the furnace on a lower level. After another 15 minutes of heating the furnace tirelessly, the ice steel started to melt down. Hayato let Matorabi finish and maintain the heating process. The young yuki grabbed the stirring rod made of tungsten, charcoal and ash. He then slowly worked the bluish white metal of the ice steel into the dark liquid of the meteoric iron. He did so as slowly as he could manage so as to not lose any metal.


After a long process taking about an hour of dedicated focus Hayato finally removed and clamped the cast. He then rapidly cooled the blade to be in a vat of cold water. The room filled with super hot steam, fogging up Matorabi’s glasses and clouding Hayato’s vision. Hayato removed the cast and placed it onto the anvil. While he did this Matorabi opened the door to let out the steam. 


With this, most of the large work was done. Since both smith’s knew what was required of the metals this portion went exceedingly smoothly. The next portion would be the detailed working of Hayato.

---

A day had passed, the required time for the metal to surely set. Hayato came into the shop early in the morning, and Matorabi was waiting. Here to watch me flatten and sharpen a sword, old man? You must be truly bored. Hayato smiled as he walked to the back room. 


Matorabi’s reply came swiftly If I was sure you’d do it right I’d have slept in punk. He smirked as he said it, allowing Hayato to brush it off. Matorabi aided Hayato in removing the top cover of the cast revealing the proto blade. It had held the shape and separated from the cast just fine. Good… Hayato was satisfied, and the color of the blade was truly impressive. Matorabi had been heating the furnace already and the Anvil was in place along with the water. 


Well then here I go! Hayato stuck the chunk of metal into the furnace using tongs and pulled on his protective eye wear and apron. Hayato would let the metal heat up until it was red hot, and,  once it was, then pull it out and pick up his hammer. The goal was to pound the metal on the one edge as flat as possible. This would create an edge that could be sharpened to form a blade. The materials spoke to Hayato. Though Matorabi wouldn’t admit it, watching Hayato Yuki work a blade into a shape was like watching a dance. He could instinctually feel where the balance point was and adjust accordingly. The boy wouldn’t settle for anything less than perfection as he pounded the metal into shape. His temperature control was immaculate and his metal folding to increase durability was unmatched. Matorabi was certain that Hayato was a genius smith and the rest of the shop knew it too, but Hayato didn’t seem to realize how talented he was. Matorabi wasn’t going to tell him and he instructed the others in the shop to do the same.


Hayato worked the blade for hours and hours until it was middy before he quenched the blade and wiped the sweat dripping from his brow. There, I’ll do the detailing work in 10 minutes now for a break. Hayato sat in the corner of the room after cooling the furnace. He had never worked at just one job for such a long time. Even the usually cold Yuki was getting almost warm in the heat. He just started to notice that his arms  were hurting. The countless swings of the hammer really did a number on him.


Matorabi was silent and read over some of the shop's business documents while Hayato rested. Eventually he stood up and returned to the final steps he would do in Matorabis shop. He used the flames of the furnace to heat just the edge of the blade, not the flattened side, but the blunt side. After it started to get warm it was dunked into water again. This would make the edge especially hard. Just as hard as he had made the sharpened edge. After repeating this process a few times Hayato was satisfied.


He then took his work out to the main smithy to finish the process. After a little bit of drilling, and a longer time sharpening it was finally time to affix the blade into the casing. He selected nails and made the proper adjustments to fit the sword into the ornate handle. Hayato returned the blade to the sheath. It fit perfectly. Matorabi showed up behind Hayato, not surprising him, but annoying him slightly. The man reached over his shoulder trying to grab the new blade, Hatyato turned around and just handed it to him. This surprised Matorabi, but he had gotten used to Hayato being unflinching and incapable of being surprised. Matorabi observed the blade and gave it a nod. A fine enough blade for that new Komekage well done punk. Matorabi muttered this and handed Hayato his branding mark already heated and ready to stamp the blade. Oh I forgot… Hayato took the brand and stamped the character:凓 into the base of the blade. There, all finished. Hayato still didn’t know who this new Komekage was, but making a blade for him certainly couldn’t hurt the Yuki, and he was proud of his work. He left the finished product oiled and ready for pickup behind the counter. Hayato got curious and looked at the name the order was recorded under. Asahi Yagami…. ASAHI! Hayato was shocked, but happy to have been of use to the man. He took the pay, which he noted was much more than he thought he would get, and decided to turn it in for the day. The sword had taken a lot out of him. In the back of his mind he hoped Asahi would like the blade, and he made a point to congratulate him on becoming a Komekage next time he saw him. For today he would return to his little house in the rice field for a nice peaceful respite.


WC:4488


[EXIT] 


using:
2x Ice steel

2x Meteoric Iron


Claiming: 
creation of Asahi’s sword 
488 words towards weapons of Ice at C-rank (488/1000)
15,700 ryo from Asahi

It had only been a couple days when the missive reached his desk. The lettering brought a smile to his eye, and in a totally normal and dignified way.... he promptly jumped out the window. If he had gone through the halls of Okada there was no doubt that he would be dragged into some other kind of job. That was beginning to be his life after all, but now that he'd got this letter, that wasn't for today. Scaling down the castle deftly and quickly despite the wooden clogs, his feet soon hit solid ground. Untying Bluemoon, he leaped into the saddle and gave her a gentle prod. Her hooves soon thundered through the street kicking up dust from the lack of recent rain. The wind tore the tie from his hair, and even managed to elicit a laugh from his mouth. The letter had been brief, and had simply let him know that his sword had finally been finished at the forge he'd dropped it off. More than that he was looking forward to seeing his friend the Yuki lad, and seeing the craftsmanship he had managed to perform. In his pocket he even had several more stacks of ryo just incase they wanted more money.

With just a minor amount of fist shaking, and only three near collisions Asahi soon found himself outside the forge. Dismounting he passed over a sweet apple and left his white mare to stay in the street keeping a keen eye over the door. He gave a quick succession of knocks before making his way inside. Presently he did not have the dignified look of his station. Tousled hair, a simple kimono left open and loose showing possibly too much skin, and feet still dirty from not having a wash in some time. In his defense he'd been busy, at least that's what he kept telling the little aid that flitted around Okada. He really should learn her name he thought..... O well. Standing at the counter he rang a bell, and patiently waited.... for about a minute. He spotted the parcel with his name on it just over the counter. Helping himself around the counter he tore away the brown paper reveling the blade inside. Taking his leave to stand back on the correct side of the counter, he let the paper fall on the counter. He wasn't going to need it after all.

Tying it to his waist, he let it bounce as he jumped up and down a couple times, getting the feel of it on his side. Which ideally was the main place it would stay after all. As he was in these motions a flustered shop keep came by clearly surprised to see the parcel already opened and moved from its spot. "Hello there!" Asahi would say merely. "No need to fuss, I already got it. Saved you a trip." He would smile and thumb at his ninjato at his side. The talked for a few moments, the keep asking how he liked it and if he was satisfied. "Well we will see. I have no doubt my boy got the job done, but I think....we need to try it out. Ill be back if its no good!" With that he would turn and leave the building not waiting for any other response. Which may or may not lead to a certain level of anxiety from the owner of the forge. Weight on his side was one thing, but he needed to really know how the sword felt in his hand, and the only way to do that was to use it.

It was a short ride to the academy training grounds. The advanced training facility was likely to be much more well stocked, but that would require a further ride, and more ropes to cross. Instead, he was satisfied to merely utilize the more basic area. Wood dummies pock marked with many cuts and scrapes littered the training ground. Setting a couple up he took several paces away, before turning to face his makeshift opponent. As he began to take a more balanced combat stance Ivy Bluemoon began to count. Her hoof making rhythmic beats in the ground, in the quite of the empty training ground seeming to echo off the building. one ...two .....three .....four ....the beat continued until the tenth strike. As soon as the sound was heard, Asahi felt his hands flash. His right hand moved in practiced fluidity to grip the remade hilt. The wood underneath seemed to have a mystical property, a hungry property. The clean sound as the blade cleared the sheath and moved in a fine arc until the cold steal tasted the wood in front of him. He barely felt the blade catch at what would have been the neck of the wooden man.

The blade finished its arc, before he brought it up and back the smooth side sliding over the lip of the sheath before returning to its home. Even as he did, he felt the cold that radiated from the steel, the sharpness and truth to the design. Exhaling he didn't even notice he'd been holding his breath. Walking over and examining the wood, he ran his finger over the smoothness of the still standing portion, a large chunk of wood resting beside it. As his fingers moved over it, he felt a nip of cold, which brought a smile to his lips. He'd wheeled and dealed to get these materials and to see that they were the quality he'd desired felt like the culmination in a satisfying project. He probably could have made the weapon himself, his blacksmith training not so far behind him, even if it wasn't his passion. Though, to have a blade forged by a friend was a special thing. It gave a bond, one that traveled with both of them. More than that, it forged a bond with the village. He had been picked to protect their interests, and now the village gave him a tool to protect himself. There was something beautiful in that.

TWC - 2017

+20 vigor for Princess Ivy Bluemoon
+2k wc towards Earth shaker 2k / 2k due to 25% discount max stats
Claiming Onimaru Kunitsuna V2

Approved